Page 46 of Seven Year Itch
Speaking of which... “So are you really going to let us go back to Colorado without telling me the truth about why you were at Lexon?”
“This again?” She sighs as she tosses her heels toward the closet.
“Yes, this.” I cross my arms over my chest and drop my chin. “We fly out tomorrow, and I know you’ll go back to pretending I don’t exist once we’re back home. So it’s now or never, Ace.”
“I don’t pretend you don’t exist.” She stands up rubs her palms together as she walks out to the balcony of our suite.
My eyes shamelessly drink in her backside as she stands at the railing and gazes out to the ocean. She looks like a wet dream all barefoot in a sexy dress with moonlight shining down on her and the ocean providing an erotic soundtrack.
I walk over and prop myself on the edge of the door. “You’re either yelling at me or acting like I don’t exist.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “It’s not like you’re trying to be my best friend.”
I slide my hands into my pockets. “I can take a hint.”
“Like you’re my biggest fan!” She turns to lean her ass against the railing and shoots me a teasing scowl.
I smirk as I stare back at her. The truth is, I love to hate her. It ignites something inside of me that feels... invigorating. Unexpected. Like you never know when things are going to shift between us. And if I’m not mistaken, that spark in her eyes right now tells me she likes it too.
“Just tell me what you were looking for at the club, then.” I pin her with a serious look, trying to lose all sense of humor so she feels safe. “You weren’t going there for romance. You said you weren’t looking to explore a kink. So, what was it, then?”
She blows a strand of hair out of her face, the moonlight castinga blue glow around her shoulders as she hits me with an irritated look. “If I finally tell you, will you leave it alone and promise never to bring it up with me again?”
I make anXover my chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
She smiles like she enjoys that thought. The freak.
But then her face sobers, like she’s got to psych herself up to spill her guts. She grips the railing and stares down at her bare feet as she answers. “I was there to learn some different stuff in the bedroom because Randal said some things to me—”
“What did he say?” I stand up straight as my hands clench into fists at just the mention of his name.
“Nothing. I mean... something, obviously, but I’m trying to forget it, which is why I want to put myself out there and try some new things. Have some casual sex and figure out what I like and don’t like before I dive back into the dating pool. I refuse to do the hooking-up thing on the dating apps because I don’t want Randal to find out I’m on there. He knows too many people, and it would get back to him which would make it feel like I’m announcing to him that he was right... I’m boring in bed.”
“He said you were boring in bed?” My head has to be the picture of the mind-blown emoji.
“Among other things.” Her voice is strained as she pinches the bridge of her nose. “So I figured sex clubs are anonymous and adventurous. Win-win. Maybe a sex club can help get me back to the person I used to be... the brave one who knew her own voice and how to use it. The one who was up for trying new things. I’m trying to find my lost confidence.” When she looks up from the floor to make eye contact with me, she shows me something in her that I’ve never seen before.
Vulnerability.
I stare back at the stunning woman before me. From the day I met Dakota, confidence never seemed to be an issue. But if I really think about it, the light in her eyes has dimmed the past few years.And knowing it was fucking Randal that did that to her makes me see red.
“So, what you’re saying is you want to get laid.” I smack the railing obnoxiously, trying to lighten the mood and the agitation humming in my veins.
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, turning to look back out at the ocean. “Of course that’s all you hear.”
My eyes drop down her body, lingering on her ass. “I heard everything you said, but the end result is still sex, right?”
She shrugs sadly. “I guess so.”
I nudge her with my arm and nod toward the bed. “So, let’s do it.”
“Do what?” She frowns up at me.
My brows lift. “Let’s fuck.”
She sputters out a nervous laugh as she snaps her head to look at me. “Don’t be stupid!”
I drop my chin, allowing her a moment to process what I’ve just said. It’s something I’ve been thinking about this entire trip, and the idea feels even more valid now. She needs to get laid. Needs to forget that fucker ever existed and find that confidence she had the day I met her.
