He disapprovingly mumbles, but only for a second, and says, “No, us reconciling.”
“Just to be clear, I was never pissed at you. You were pissed at me.”
He passes a soapy sponge down my arm, pensive. I close my eyes and let myself bask in the tenderness of the moment. Everything smells of jasmine, Lex found a few candles lying around and lit them, and Iris put on some mellow, romantic music on my command. The moment is perfect, like the calm after a storm, and while I wouldn’t say no to getting dicked down right now, this is a great alternative.
“I didn’t know you still didn’t trust me with Oli,” I say softly, my eyes still closed.
“I didn’t either,” he eventually admits. “It crept up on me. I put you through hell, so it seemed normal you’d see I’m no good for you and actually go for someone who is.”
His arm around me tightens as I say, “You’re what’s best for me, Lex. No one else could make me as happy as you do.”
“But no one else could make you as miserable either.”
There’s truth to his words, so I don’t deny them. He’s right. He put me through hell in the past, willingly or unwillingly. But he also opened Heaven’s gates for me, much, much more often than that.
Tilting my head, I look up at him, only to find his gaze littered with guilt. My hand reaches up to cup his jaw, gently grazing his thick beard.
“Baby, you once told me you’d trust my judgment because I’m the smartest woman you know. Trust me, I know what I’m doing. It’s you or no one else.”
“I know the feeling,” he answers, bringing me closer and laying a gentle kiss on my temple. When he pulls away, there’s something warm and intense in his gaze.
“Please don’t ever think I’d pick Oli over you,” I say. “The time when I thought Oli and I would be a good fit is long gone.”
“Are you sure he knows that?”
“What do you mean?”
“He took major risks to help you. It doesn’t sound like someone who’s moved on.”
“He didn’t do it for me. It was for you.”
“I’m not that good a boss.”
His interjection makes me chuckle. “It actually had nothing to do with you being his boss. When you did the StarCare heist, you helped his family out of a lifetime of debt. He wanted to help you in return.”
Lex remains wordless for a moment, and without even looking up at him, I know his brows are furrowed, with that little crease between them. “I didn’t know that,” he finally says.
“Now you do. And he caught you getting the high scores on the Donkey Kong machine, so he’s known who you were for years.”
“I’ll have to thank him.” After more pondering, he says, “Now that I think of it, it would have been counterproductive to help get me out of jail if he wanted to be with you.”
This one has me laughing fully. “I promise, baby. Oli has no intention of getting with me, and I don’t either. When it comes to Idris Elba, though, you shou—”
Before I can even finish my sentence, Lex pinches my ribs, sending a jolt through me that has me yelping and jerking away. But he’s quick to pull me back into him, into his strong embrace, and I settle into his familiar arms once more.
He picks up the sponge that’s floating among the bubbles and continues his thorough but gentle cleaning of me. God, this is the best feeling in the world. Not his dick inside me, not orgasming, not his touch. Being loved by him. That’s what feels so good, no matter how he does it.
“Thank you,” Lex says with gravity after a moment of this.
“For what?”
“For getting me out of there.”
I could fucking gloat right now, but I can tell how hard this is for him, and I don’t want to add to it. Plus, I’m tongue-tied when he turns my face around to admire it, utter awe filling his beautiful eyes. With the flesh of his thumb, he grazes the freckles he loves so much on my cheekbones and nose.
“I can’t wait to wake up to this face every single day for the rest of my life,” he murmurs.
That has me melting on the spot, turning into a puddle in his arms. Holding back the delighted grin that wants to break out on my face, I merely say, “You’re welcome, baby.”
