Page 6 of Dax (Big Hot Alphas 1)

“You, too, Bailey,” I say.

Goddamn it, I need to lick those lips. I need to wrap those sexy thick thighs around my waist…

“Whiskey, Dax?” Ian asks, grabbing a bottle from the counter.

“Ah…sure,” I say, barely able to look the guy in the eye.

The four of us sit down to dinner a few minutes later. The meal Alice has made is incredibly delicious—a hell of a lot better than the stuff I throw together for myself. More than that, though, it’s just nice to sit down to a meal with others. My folks split up when I was really young, and this isn’t something I’ve ever really had.

To be able to have something like this with Bailey, though? To sit across from each other as husband and wife…and, later, as Mom and Dad to a bunch of wild kids?

I’d give anything in the world to have that.

Anything.

Bailey catches me looking at her and bites back a smile, another faint blush rising up into her cheeks.

“So…this is one of your tables, huh?” she asks, gesturing to the table we’re sitting around.

I nod. “It is.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“You should see his shop, honey,” says her mom. “It’s really something.”

“We can go over there after dinner,” I say. “If you’re interested.”

I catch a gleam in Bailey’s eyes.

“That sounds nice,” she says.

An hour later,flashlights in hand, the four of us walk uphill to my property. It starts raining on our way over there, but it’s only coming down lightly, and no one seems to mind.

When we get to my place, I break away from the three of them to let Bear out of the house, and he immediately runs over and greets them all.

“Hey, buddy,” Bailey says as she crouches down and pets him. “Remember me?”

As if anyone could forget her.

I lead the way over to my shop and flip on the lights. When Bailey walks into the shop, her eyes widen, and she shoots a quick smile over at me.

“Is this what you’re working on right now, Dax?” asks Alice, standing by the slabs I paired together earlier today.

“It is.”

“It’s gorgeous,” she says.

“Thanks.”

“This is two pieces of wood?” Ian asks, leaning over to get a better look.

“Yep. It’s a bookmatched table. You get that mirrored effect from using two sequentially cut slabs.”

I look over at Bailey. She’s standing just a few feet away from me, still gazing around the space, taking it all in.

“Is it okay if we look around?” Alice asks.

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