Will He Say Yes?
Dahlia
“Do you ever sleep in?” I rub my eyes as I try to lift my head off of his chest.
“Dahl, it’s almost noon. What time did you want to get up?”
Three sounds good. “Um. I don’t know. A while longer.”
“How about this? We eat something, then grab a book, and read in bed all day.”
Now he’s speaking my language. “With snacks?”
Vex chuckles and my body moves with him, taking the joy in.
“Sounds good.” I semi-jump up. “Dibs on the bathroom.”
The doorbell rings.
“Who’s that?” Vex glares at the stairs.
“I didn’t invite anyone.”
Vex is out of the bed in a blink, pulling a gun out of the nightstand.
“What? Why is there a gun in my nightstand?”
“It’s my nightstand now. And because only a fool doesn’t have a weapon nearby at all times.” He doesn’t bother with shoes as he heads to the stairs.
“I’m not a fool.”
“No.” He gives me a cheeky wink. “Your weapon sleeps next to you every night.”
And he’s not going to let me live that down.
The doorbell rings.
Gun. Vex. Door.
“Stop,” I almost shout.
He actually stops mid-step halfway down the first flight.
“That could be my mother. You’re not answering the door for my mother with a gun in your hand dressed like that.”
“You need a better security system.”
Huh? “What does that have to do with answering the door with a gun?”
“Because we would know who’s at the door before you answer it. I’m having a new one installed tomorrow.”
“I don’t need a new security system. The one I have works perfectly well.” Instead of heading to the bathroom, I grab my robe and head down the stairs.
Vex waits for me to catch up. “This isn’t up for discussion. The new system will be installed tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Why am I going to fight to feel less safe in my own home? “But we should probably wait a month or two. I spent a bit more than normal this month.” It’s not like I couldn’t afford it, but I don’t like spending excessively, and with the convention next week my monthly expenses are super high.
“What it costs doesn’t matter.”
“Of course, it matters.” Does Vex think I’m made of money just because I live in a nice house? Everyone doesn’t own a nightclub that practically prints money every night .
Wait, is he a forger? Is that why everyone thinks he’s a criminal? Night clubs are a good place to launder money according to the television. Forgery doesn’t sound like a terrible crime. He could probably stop now that he’s wealthy.
“No, it doesn’t, because I’ll be paying for it.”
What? “You’re not paying for my security system.”
“Yes, I am.”
“We had this fight before. I’m not comfortable with you paying for my things.”
Vex stops on the stair in front of me, blocking my path down. “You’re getting a new security system. And I’m paying for it.”
“You really aren’t good at compromising, are you?”
“Not even a little bit. Your safety is important to me. When I’m not here, I need to make sure you’re safe.” Vex brushes a finger across my cheek.
“You know that’s cheating, right?”
“I play to win.”
Irritating man. “Fine.”
Vex chuckles. The doorbell rings and his face changes. “If you lived anywhere else, you wouldn’t be answering the door.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of sexy when you’re overprotective?”
“Dahl, we have company.”
“Next time we stay at your place.”
“Done.”
Everything is irritating, including the sexy smirk on his face. “Stay here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He winks, and my tummy does a somersault.
It’s too early in the morning for all this. I storm down the last flight and a half.
What is Hope doing here? I swing the door open. “Hey.”
“Hi. Sorry, did I wake you up?”
“No. I was up.” Just barely.
Hope raises an eyebrow at me .
Fine, I’m still in a robe and my hair is doing its impression of a rat’s nest. “No one likes a showoff.”
She giggles.
“I’m surprised you aren’t grounded.”
“Oh, I am VERY grounded. But Dad said I could come over and check on you before my official grounding started.”
Very grounded doesn’t sound good. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to go over and talk to your dad?”
“Nah. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I have to stay home for two days with no phone or television.” She fake pouts. “And I can’t go climbing for a week.”
“Oh my, so harsh.” I grin back at her.
“Dad is a softy. But Nonno almost lost his mind, even though he understands I went to protect a friend.”
“And you shouldn’t be running around with a gun and a knife.”
She tips her head to the side. “Why not? It’s my gun. Nonno gave it to me when I was eleven.”
Eleven!!!!
“I’m a better shot than everyone, even my dad. Well, that’s not quite true, Aleksei and Sascha are better than me, but not by much. Nonno said I could be a sniper if I wanted to.”
Hope, the sweet little girl in front of me, a sniper?!? Those two don’t seem to go together. “Your grandfather just handed you a gun?”
“No, that would be stupid. Gun safety is a real thing in my life. Are you safe? Because I could teach you how to use one. Or tell my dad to get rid of that guy.”
Why can’t people see through the slightly scary facade that Vex puts up?
“You just looked up at the stairs.” Hope gapes at me. “He’s here. Vex is here. And you’re in your pajamas.”
Lie. Lie like you’ve never lied before. “Um.”
“I knew it. He’s up there standing guard, isn’t he? Don’t even try to lie to me. I know he’s there. ”
It’s official. I am the worst liar in the world, and I don’t even need to say anything to give myself away. “Want to come in for some breakfast?”
“Breakfast was hours ago. So are you two—" She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
This is not happening.
This is a horrible nightmare. I’m still in bed cuddled up next to Vex… but when I'm with Vex I never have nightmares. “Hot chocolate. I need cocoa.”
“Cocoa sounds good.”
Ditching social niceties, I head to the kitchen without checking to see if she’s following me. Like I could get rid of her that easily.
“So are you to living together or are you just having sex?”
WHAT? I stumble to a stop, almost tripping over my own feet.
“He’s hot, so I totally get why you’re sleeping with him. Though my aunts won’t understand.”
Her aunts. It is too early in the morning for this. “I need cocoa.” Skip cocoa. I need a strong shot of hard liquor in a triple espresso and six aspirins. That would cure everything… or kill me… It would probably definitely kill me.
Thankfully, there’s still cocoa left from the pot that Vex made yesterday morning. I pour it into two mugs and pop it into the microwave without speaking. Hope gives me a few minutes of peace.
As I slide the whipped cream and cocoa powder topped drink over to her, she asks, “So what’s it like?”
“Huh?”
“Sex,” she whispers. “What’s it like having sex?”
No.
No.
No.
Tell her it’s wonderful. Tell her it’s terrible. Tell her that the only time sex is enjoyable is when you’re married to the man of your dreams. “We aren’t having sex.”
“What? But he’s here. He stayed the night. I might not be eighteen yet, but I know when men spend the night at a woman’s house, they’re having sex. ”
Usually. “Vex and I aren’t having sex. We haven’t even kissed yet.”
Her mouth drops open.
Great. Just wonderfully, horribly, amazingly, terribly great. I set down my untouched cup and lean forward on the bar so that we’re almost eye to eye. “Sex isn’t love. When you love someone, you wait until they’re ready. It’s not about satisfying your carnal desires. Love is about so much more than that. Real love is when a man sees you, hears you, cares for you, and protects you. It’s when he doesn’t need to be told you aren’t ready, because he took the time to get to know you. It’s when he cooks you vegetables because he wants you to be healthy.” Or helps you sort out your library because it overwhelmed you. Vex loves me. He hasn’t said it yet, but he loves me.
Hope sighs. “No one is ever going to fall in love with me. My dad’s going to kill them before they can fall in love with me.”
Literally? No. Vex had to be kidding when he said the Vincentis were part of the mafia. “When the right man comes along, he’ll stand up to your dad—”And grandpa.“—and fight for you.”
“So why aren’t you ready to kiss Vex?”
That change in topic makes my head spin. “He could not be ready.”
Hope’s eyebrow practically touches her hairline.
“Men can be just as unprepared to have sex as women.”
“Not men that are willing to fight my dad over you. My dad can fight. Not many men can stand up to him. One of my sort of uncles and Nonno.”
“Sort of uncles?”
“You know I have a huge family.”
That’s hard to miss. The neighborhood is filled with her family.
“My mom’s best friend is mostly my aunt too, even though we aren’t related at all. Her husband, Aleksei, is scary. Well, he doesn’t scare me, but like everyone else in the world is scared of him. He fights dirty. Isn’t it cool?”
Not even a little bit.
“Sometimes Fire and I get to train with him. ”
Guns. Knives. Training. Ack. It kinda sounds more and more like they are in the mafia. Who else would teach their kids all that?
“So, why aren’t you ready to kiss him yet?”
It’s too early in the morning for this. I lift my cocoa to my lips and take a long swallow. “We need marshmallows.”
Hope giggles as I walk into the pantry to get some.
A couple of marshmallows bounce off my whipped cream. So I pop them into my mouth and let them melt. “You know I was roofied a short time ago.”
“Yeah, but still. There’s a scary hot man sleeping with you… you are at least ‘sleeping’ together. Or is he staying in your guest room?”
“Hope!”
“Fine, I won’t ask, but you should ask yourself. This is important.”
That comment was way too mature for her tender age. “When did you turn thirty?”
“When you turned eight.” She nods at my cup full of sugar.
“Touche.”
“I better get back. Dad is waiting for me to start being grounded.” Hope hops up off the chair, setting her empty mug down on the counter.
She could pretend to be a little more upset about being grounded. “Thanks for checking on me.”
Hope pauses. “If you change your mind about my dad…”
“Even if things don’t work out with Vex, I’m never going to be more than friends with your dad.”
Her shoulders sag for a brief moment. “I know. It was worth a try. See you later.” Hope bounces off.
That child… almost adult is going to run some man in circles. Hopefully, Max doesn’t kill him first.
“Is it ever quiet around here?” Vex steps into the kitchen. His hair is wet from the shower and his chin lacks any stubble .
Don’t think about how terrible you look. Bedhead and morning breath are part of the package if he plans to take this any further. “Sometimes.” I shrug and take another sip.
Vex walks over and takes the cup out of my hand, setting it on the bar.
The intensity of his gaze makes my heart thrum.
He slides a hand up into my hair.
This is it. He’s going to kiss me.
My breath catches in the back of my throat.
“Good morning, Dahl.”
Good morning. But all I can do is think the words since there’s no way I’m going to start breathing let alone speaking until he kisses me.
His hands slip away. “We’ve already started on the sugar this morning, I see.”
If he had to talk to Hope, he’d understand the need for sugar and caffeine.
“Breakfast it is.” Vex walks over to the fridge.
He didn’t kiss me. It would be wrong to pout like Hope did when I disappointed her, but that doesn’t make me want to do it any less.
The man in front of me pulls out an arm full of vegetables to stuff in my omelet.
He loves me. And I don’t want to spend the rest of my day worrying about how he’s going to respond to the Adonis issue. “I love you.”
Vex freezes for a moment.
“We need to talk.”
The silence is deafening as Vex stands there staring into the fridge.
Say something. Say anything. I scoot up onto the barstool in case my legs give out during this ‘discussion’.
He brings his armload to the bar, grabbing a knife and cutting board on the way. “Start discussing. But don’t think you’re getting out of eating your vegetables.”
How did I fall in love with the sweetest man ever? Instead of talking, or maybe to avoid talking, I stare at him as he chops the scallions.
“You know you need to actually speak if we’re going to have a discussion. ”
“Can I just stare at you, and we can pretend we talked?”
“Dahl.”
Fine. Whatever. “So I did something stupid. Then I asked Max for help, because he’s a man like you are, to get out of it.”
The knife stops for a second. “And what did he suggest?”
I lean forward on the bar. “Max laughed. Don’t smile. It wasn’t funny.”
“What’s your problem?”
How do I even say this? “Where are we in this getting-to-know-you phase of our relationship?”
“Dahl, you’re procrastinating.”
Ugh. Maybe I am. “I like my job.”
“Good to know.” His eyes narrow.
“It’s not often people say that. And my boss is a good guy.”
Vex’s knuckles turn white, but he stays silent.
Don’t bring up the soup thing. It’ll just make this way more awkward. Stay positive. Pretend this won’t be an inquisition. “I’ve been trying to make friends at work.” That’s going mildly not terrible.
“Okay?” He moves on to cleaning the seeds out of a pepper.
“Well, every Friday night there’s a group dinner at some a different restaurant close to work. Everyone from that shift is invited… and they’re welcome to bring a guest with them.” I almost said boyfriend. That would have been bad. We haven’t even kissed. We can’t be considered boyfriend and girlfriend.
“Are you asking me to meet the people you work with?”
“Um… sort of… I guess. Only if you want to. You don’t have to. I know you have work on Friday nights—”
“Dahl.”
“Don’t feel obligated to—”
“Dahl, I’ll be there.”
“You didn’t even ask what time it is.”
“Doesn’t matter. You want me there, then I’ll be there.”
Oh.
Oh. That’s a relief.
Sort of.
What if Max is right and Vex beats up Adonis?