Page 49 of Lovesick

Mrs. Hofstetter chuckled, clearly amused. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

Dean smirked, moving his fingertips to my entrance, and sliding them inside without a warning. “I think she is.”

I clenched my fists, shooting him a look of disbelieve. He was impossible, but I couldn’t deny the thrill of it. My body responded to every movement, and I was on the brink once more. This time the release was slower, building in waves until I felt it wash over me. I clamped my mouth shut, trying to stay silent, and Dean laughed, low and amused. He withdrew his fingers, and I watched, scandalized, as he lifted them to his mouth and licked them clean.

My lips parted, and my heart hammered in my chest.

“This sauce is justthatgood,” Dean told Mrs. Hofstetter, after she commented on the way he licked his fingers. They both chuckled, and I shot Dean a look, still amazed at how easy he made an erotic moment like this seem.

“You’re insane,” I managed to whisper, a mixture of disbelief and admiration in my voice.

He shrugged, playful, innocent. “I’m just a guy who enjoys a good dinner,” he said, his voice louder now.

That caught Dr. Hofstetter’s attention, and he raised his glass again. “That’s what I like to hear. To good company,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice shaky but genuine. “To good company.”

By the time the check arrived, we had said more in silence than in words. The tension between us had grown taut again, but this time, it wasn’t something either of us seemed willing to fight.

Outside, we said goodbye to the others, then walked toward Dean’s car parked at the side of the street. I was still reeling from the way he’d touched me. So casually, recklessly. Like he couldn’t help himself. Like he didn’t care who noticed. And maybe that was the most dangerous part of all: how much I had liked it.

He opened the passenger door for me, but I didn’t slide in. I stood there, looking up at him with lust lingering in the air between us.

“Everything okay, Emilia?” he asked, looking worried now. But when he continue to look at me, and I kept being silent, his expression changed. He understood what this silence meant. And, suddenly, he looked unsure. “I don’t want to rush things. I know that’s stupid to say after what we did in there…but I want you to be sure.”

I licked my lips and tilted my chin up, standing up straighter. “I’m sure. I want to go home with you.”

“Emilia.” His voice was lower now. Uncertain, and filled with regret. “Shit…”

I studied him, watching him battle every single thought in his mind. I stepped closer and paced a hand on his chest, gently adjusting his suit. “It wouldn’t really make sense if you’d take me back to my place now, instead of spending the night with me. I know you’re conflicted, since you’ve been a real big asshole toward me, but…I can see that you’ve changed. You’re trying, and you’re…different. Toward me. Toward others.”

I stopped but kept on watching him as his eyes searched my face.

He let out a sigh and closed the space between us, wrapping one hand around my waist. “I’m glad you noticed. I still can’t shake the idea of taking you home and messing up all over again.”

“You won’t.”

“How’d you know?”

I smiled gently, caressing his jawline with my fingertips. “Because I’d be really stupid to let you back in after everything, if I didn’t trust myself with what I feel now. How I see you. You’ve changed,” I stated, needing to say it out loud once again. “And I can see it in your eyes that you’re giving it your all not to ruin this.”

Dean exhaled a soft laugh through his nose, the tension in his body slowly unraveling as he looked at me like I was saying everything he didn’t dare hope to hear. His hand slid a little lower, pulling me even closer.

“Okay,” he murmured. “I’ll take you home with me.”

I nodded, and without another word, he helped me into the car, shut the door, and walked around to the driver’s side.

When we pulled into his building’s garage, he killed the engine, glanced over at me once again, and smiled faintly. “Emilia, before we go upstairs, I just want you to know that if at any moment you don’t feel comfortable anymore—for whatever reason—I want you to tell me. I won’t be in control anymore. Not unless you want me to. So, if there’s something, please let me know.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. “See…that’s why I wanted to come home with you. You’re a new Dean. A gentler, more understanding Dean.”

“I try my best,” he said with a low chuckle. “But I’m glad you see me in a different light. I thought I had lost you forever.”

I didn’t let those words settle long enough. I wanted to go to his apartment and see yet another part of him. A more private one. The Dean he when no one else was around.

Once we reached his apartment, which turned out to be an incredibly large penthouse at the top of one of the highest building in Montreal, I was stunned by everything surrounding me. It took me a while to take everything in, and while I did, Dean headed over to the open kitchen.

“You want a drink?” he asked, voice more casual, hands already reaching toward the cabinet.

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