Page 69 of Snapshot

“Can I try it?” I ask.

“Go ahead, what’s stopping you?”

“Silverware.”

“Right.” He kisses my temple and crawls off the bed. “Hang tight. I’ll be right back. I have another tray.”

“Dex, wait!” I call after him. But he must already be down the stairs. We’re two people. How much food could we possibly need?

In the meantime, I help myself to another slice of the candied bacon.Fucking lottery, Lennox. Good girl.You fell for a guy with eyes like a mermaid’s tail, a rock-hard body you can climb like a tree,andhe knows his way around the kitchen?That does it. I’m convinced. There’s a God after all.

After I run out of bacon and drain half a glass of orange juice, I set the tray aside on the nightstand. I’m saving the rest of my appetite for that mouthwatering French toast and whatever else Dex has whipped up. But when he returns, he’s holding another tray that doesn’t contain food. It’s displaying what I refer to as my naughty box of secrets. I gawk for an uncomfortably long time, then finally manage to croak out, “That’s not more food or a fork.”

“Au contraire.” Dex is smiling at my horrified expression. He lifts up a small silver fork from the tray, proving me wrong. Ididn’t see it. I was too distracted by both of my vibrators lined up, my anal beads, a slim jar of honey, and a small glass canister of cinnamon.

“You went through my car?” I ask incredulously. “Talk about invasion of privacy.”

“I’m sorry, but I had the best intentions. Being the incredibly thoughtful husband I am, the first order of business was to get rid of the clunky, rusted death trap you call transportation. I emptied it out so a tow truck could take it to the dump. As I was moving your boxes in, naturally, some of your belongings caught my eye. But of course, I’d never get rid of your possessions without talking to you first.” He narrows his eyes. “But I want to warn you if any of this touched Alan’s genitalia, it’s going in my furnace.”

Stunned at his audacity, I sidestep around the topic. “You don’t have a furnace.”

“Fine, my grill then. As long as I can burn it to a crisp. I have to say, I’m shocked you two were this…” He teeters his head back and forth like he’s trying to find the right word. “Let’s sayadventurous.Alan strikes me as the kind of guy who keeps his socks on in bed.”

I thought this was our happily ever after. The guilty shame cloud of Alan has no business here, but Dex brought him up and now I feel terrible. I cower, pulling the covers up to my chin. “Those are mine. Alan never touched those. He doesn’t know they exist. And please stop bringing him up. You’re making me feel awful.”

I feel the soft thud at the foot of the bed as Dex places the tray down. He makes his way over to sit beside me. Breathing me in, he plants a soft kiss on my temple. “I’m still navigating this. I have to joke so it doesn’t bother me as much. I’ve been jealous for so long. You don’t understand.”

“Yes, I do. You dated Leah. I hated that.”

He shakes his head. “Not the same thing. You knew as well as I did that Leah and I weren’t ever going further. But you and Alan…” He sighs heavily. “When you showed up at my door yesterday, I checked your left hand. I knew how good Alan was to you. I also knew that if you got engaged, you’d be so excited you’d run right over to tell me. I know it’s what I said I wanted, but to be your friend like that was excruciating.”

I place my hand on his smooth cheek. Not only did he shower this morning, he also shaved. I didn’t hear any of it. I slept so long and hard because I was finally at peace. The gnawing ache of longing soothed. “Dex Hessler, we were never friends. We were just waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” he asks.

“I have no idea. Something big.” Something kept me and Dex apart. A something I’m not sure we’ve fully addressed and to be quite frank, I’m terrified to face it. He keeps warning me about Miami and what lies ahead, but I don’t want real-life problems right now. I deserve a few more days of the fantasy, so I push the blanket down, exposing my chest. As if by a magnet’s pull, his eyes lower.

I rake my fingernails against his scalp before cradling his cheek in my hand.Alan, please forgive me for saying this…“No one’s ever touched me like you do. I come at the mere thought of you. Stop being jealous, Dex. I’ve been yours since the very moment we met. And now that we’ve established that, you can have what’s yours, however you want.” Holding the back of his neck, I guide his mouth to my nipple and throw my head back.

Dex sucks and nips while yanking the covers from my hips. He cups my eager sex but is careful not to touch my most sensitive spot. I try to grind into his hand, but he keeps his fingers tented around my outer lips, protecting my clit from any attention. “How do you want me?” he murmurs as he switches to my other breast.

“Greedy, Mr. Hessler. Angry. Hard. I want to meet your dark side this morning.”

His sexy smile disappears instantly, lustful need filling every inch of his expression. “I’m done with the jealousy, Lennox. If I ever find out you’re thinking about another man, I won’t end us. I’ll end him. Don’t ever make me miss you again. Do you understand?”

I nod.

“Use your words if you want to come this morning,” he growls.

“Yes.”

“Sir.”

With obnoxious exaggeration, I look around the room. “Is someone joining us? Who the hell are you calling, ‘Sir?’” I cackle at my own sass, expecting Dex to laugh along. Instead, he thrusts two fingers inside of me with no warning. I yelp and clamp my legs shut, but that just ignites something even more grisly in him. He rips his hand away and stares at me like I just slapped him.

“Did you close your legs on me?”

I shake my head, spreading my knees, putting myself right back on display.

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