He laughs. ‘It’s not over yet. Ask me at the end of the night. No,’ he amends quickly. ‘Ask me tomorrow morning.’
I shiver and nod. Shifting back, I let my back rest against one of the massive carpeted concrete steps, and Dex sits between my legs, his back to my chest. We don’t do this often.
It’s possible to talk like this, but it’s never easy.
This moment, though, it doesn’t need conversation. Not yet. I’m content with the feeling of him pressed against me. I squeeze my thighs around his ribs and he takes my hands,playing with my fingers as we watch the two turtles circle each other.
After a beat, he points and twists his body slightly sideways so I can see both hands. ‘Ren rescued those two.’
‘Alone?’
He laughs and shakes his head. ‘Research team,’ he spells. ‘It was four years ago. He and his ex together.’
‘Must have been painful.’
Dex nods. ‘He was a wreck when we met.’
‘Did you two…’ My fingers still. I don’t want to ask the question because I don’t want to know. It’s only fair, of course. He knows all about me and Robbie. But still…
‘No,’ he tells me after a beat. ‘Never. He’s not my type. I was too hung up on you. Waiting for you. The other guys were strangers from the club. Never knew their names. Never wanted to because they weren’t you.’
I bow my head, feeling a small spark of shame because goddamn it, I hate that I hurt him in the past. I hate that I thought what I did to him didn’t matter.
Dex turns around in my arms and hooks his legs over my thighs. ‘Stop making that face. I’m happy.’
‘I wish it could be different.’
He shakes his head. ‘No. We are perfect now. If it happened earlier, maybe it would be less perfect. You needed time. I needed time.’
He’s probably right, though I resent those years wasted so far away.
‘Kiss me,’ I tell him.
He does, easy and not at all careful, and I hum softly against his lips as I taste his tongue and smell the scent of his soap. I want this to be my forever.
‘This,’ he signs, ‘date. A+.’
‘You said to ask in the morning!’
He laughs and kisses my wrist. ‘I know. But I want to say it now. It’s perfect.’
‘Don’t say that unless you mean it,’ I warn. ‘Not because you feel sorry for me.’
He laughs and shakes his head, then moves in closer. ‘Perfect date. No notes.’
Elation rushes through me, and I can’t stop myself. ‘PAH!’Finally.
He bursts into laughter and rolls his eyes. ‘I wasn’tthathard on you.’
Leaning in, I take him by the front of the shirt and pull him close. ‘You were a very tough teacher. I worked hard.’
His eyes soften. ‘Yes,’ his hands agree. ‘You did. I’m proud of you.’
I breathe a little easier. And then I kiss him a little harder than last time. I still don’t think I want marriage. I don’t want any of that conventional bullshit. I want us to be…us.
To be exactly as we are.
‘Let’s adopt another cat. Together,’ I add, immediately getting ahead of myself.
