Page 45 of Snapshot

“Really?” I ask.

“Yeah, why are you surprised?”

“You’re not really a hugger.”

He stares at me, eyes wide and pleading like I’m missing the obvious punch line of a joke. “I’m a hugger, Lennox. You just never offer. In fact, you usually treat me like I’m contagious. I always assumed it was out of respect for whoever you’re dating.”

Incorrect. It’s actually because I see his face almost every time I come, so I’m trying hard not to blur even more lines by touching him too much. “Yeah, I guess something like that.”

“But you’re single now, right?”

“Right.” I pretend to be nonchalant as I step back into his arms, fully prepared to give him another awkward cheek-against-chest, butt-out, pat-on-the-back hug, but Dex has other plans. After ducking his head, he grabs my hands, one by one, securing them at the top of his shoulders. He rests his chin in the nook where my neck meets my shoulders and then his muscular arms are squeezing the life out of me. He’s holding me so tight against his body, I’m almost certain if I open my mouth, a squeal will slip right out. It doesn’t hurt, it just feels desperate. I wanted this hug. He apparentlyneededit.

“No one offered this,” he mumbles into my neck.

“What’s that?” I ask. My face is buried into his pec, and screw it, I breathe him in. I breathe him the fuck in and let my legs go completely numb.Just one tiny moment.This moment belongs to me.

“Endless handshakes, pats on the back, andgoddamn, do elderly people love to brush fictitious crumbs off your shoulders…but no one hugged me. Think about that. My grandma died, and no one offered me a hug.Until you.Thank you,” Dex says against my ear.

He kisses the top of my head, then finally lets me go. It feels like we just crossed some sort of boundary. I’m not sure what it was but that was more than friendly. For a moment, I think I just admitted all my feelings for Dex with one hug. That would’ve been humiliating.

His embrace is gone, so I cross my own arms, cupping my elbows with opposite hands. “Dex, if you want your friends to help, all you have to do is ask.”

“Well, I’m asking now.”

I raise my brows. “For another hug?” I’m game for another. Only one more moment, though, because any more time spent in fantasy land and I might accidentally get stuck.

“No, something a little more involved than a hug. A job.” Dex holds up his hands like he’s telling me to halt, but I haven’t moved a muscle. “What if I offered you a job for just one year that would set you up for the rest of your life? You’d never have to work or worry about money again.Your kidswould never have to worry about money again.”

His cool, casual demeanor makes me wonder if he’s not exaggerating. Pretending like his cryptic offer is for real, I answer with the first thing that comes to mind. “I mean, provided I don’t have to take my clothes off or put anything in my mouth, I’d say that sounds pretty damn good. What are you suggesting?”

He smirks at me with a touch of humor relaxing his tense brows. “As long as you don’t have to put anything in your mouth?”

“We live in Vegas. Don’t act like that’s a weird thing to be worried about.”

“Fair enough. But no—nothing like that. My grandma…” He exhales. “How do I sum this up as quickly as possible?”

“I don’t mind a story.”

His lips twitch into a half-hearted smile. “I’m not a good storyteller.”

That’s a lie. Dex’s scuba diving stories are legendary. “Fine. What about your grandma?”

His sigh is heavy like he’s reluctant to talk about the conversationhebrought up. “I think she got caught up in this idea that I shouldn’t take over the company alone.”

I nod along, but I’m not really understanding.

“My family’s company is bigger than I’ve alluded to. There are a lot of jobs and money on the line. I’ve been preparing to take over the company my whole life. Everyone assumed my grandma would leave the business to me.”

“But she didn’t?”

“No, she left everything to my wife.”

The first thing I feel is a paralyzing zap of shock. Ice-cold shock.

Then, anger.

“You have a wife, Dex?” I ask in a harsh whisper. I don’t notice I’m backing away from him until he steps forward to close the growing gap between us.

---