Page 40 of Nailing Heat
“Yeah, just fine. See you later.” I call over my shoulder.
I hurry out to my car, almost running down a Blaze staff member who is cleaning the floors as I go. “Sorry,” I barely choke out as I make a beeline for my car. Throwing the car door open, I toss my bag angrily into the back and climb in. Slamming my door closed and drawing some attention to myself from the others in the lot, I don’t bother to acknowledge them. Instead, I drive away in a hurry.
Once I’m home, I take a long shower, taking my time to wash my body and my hair. It’s only five in the afternoon, a little early for pajamas, but I don’t care. I put on my comfiest shorts and sleep tank and head into the kitchen.
That’s where Dex finds me when he gets home. I’m standing at the island, chopping up some cucumbers and tossing them on top of my lettuce. I turn and he’s standing there, leaning against the wall, watching me. He looks so freaking sexy right now. I mentally slap myself for thinking that.
But it’s true. His dark brown hair is a little mussed from the Tampa Bay heat. The navy blue Blaze athletic tee he has on looks like it was molded to his body. And don’t get me started on those grey sweatpant shorts. It’s too hot in Tampa for those but the man knows how to wear a pair.
“You okay?” His voice is soft as his green eyes study me. “Isn’t it a little early for pj’s? August was saying something about going out for a drink later.”
I shrug. “No one told me.”
“I’m telling you now,” he replies, smirking at me.
“I think I’m good here.”
He nods and enters the kitchen, making his way over the where I’m chopping up vegetables and grabbing a piece of chicken off of my salad. I watch as he pops it into this mouth, eyes locked on mine the entire time he chews.
“Thanks,” he says, turning to leave the kitchen.
“Just take whatever you want of my food,” I mutter bitterly as I continue to fix my salad.
He stops behind me. I feel him near me, the heat of his body is radiating onto mine. He leans in so close to me that I can feel his lips at the back of my neck. If I moved a fraction of an inch his lips would touch my neck. And then he speaks.
“You don’t have to worry. I told DJ no.”
Dex says those words, and I feel them all the way from neck to my toes. Goosebumps cover my body. I turn around to saysomething to him, but he’s gone. I hear his room door click shut and I stare like he’ll materialize out of thin air. But he doesn’t.
His words were enough to make me smile and lift my mood. He told her no. I repeat the words in my head, still smiling at the thought.
Chapter Fourteen
~DEX~
When I told her about DJ, I watched as goosebumps covered her flesh. I wondered if that was because of me, what I said and how close I was to her. Or maybe I was reading too much into it, and it was because she was in the kitchen wearing the tiniest sleep shorts and tank top I had ever seen. Plus, the AC is on. So yeah, that had to be it.
I waited until I heard her bedroom close before I made my way into the hallway. I tried to be as quiet as possible so that I could sneak out of the apartment. I texted Jase and said I was headed to the Backwoods for a beer and a dinner if he’d like to join me.
I grab a table at the Backwoods and order a beer from the waitress, who is smiling eagerly at me, her hand poised over the pad waiting to write down my order. All the while hoping that Jase gets here soon, so she doesn’t keep batting her eyes at me while she pushes her chest closer to the high top table.
“Here’s your beer,” she tells me when she returns.
“Thanks,” I reply, smiling politely, hoping that she’ll go away soon.
“Are you waiting for someone else?” She bats her eye some more as she gives me a view of her cleavage.
“Yeah, he should be here soon. I’ll wait for him to order.” I take a sip of my beer and reach for my phone, dismissing her.
Thankfully, she takes the hint and makes herself scarce. I click on the phone icon and see that I have three missed calls. All from Elise. I shake my head and think to myself, not calling her back. There were no voicemails so how important could it have been? She was probably drunk and feeling sorry for herself, or she wanted to shout at me some more.
Not that I blame her for yelling. It was completely and totally my fault. I know that. I moved away so that she didn’t have to see or deal with me again. One of the last things she said to me was that if she ever saw me again, it would be too soon. Even our divorce papers were done via lawyers. We haven’t seen each other since that fateful morning when everything came crashing down. I can’t imagine why she’s calling me.
“Hey, mate, you look deep in thought?” Jase pulls out the stool with a squeak and sits down beside me.
“Oh, sorry, a few calls from Elise. It must be a misunderstanding. There’s no way she’d actually want to talk to me,” I say, shrugging and putting my phone down.
“Elise is the ex, right?”
