Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
DEX
Ithink I fucked up. And when I see her eyes well up with tears, I know for sure I did.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t cry!” I beg.
“It’s not that,” she says, shaking her head as she brushes the tears away and fights to compose herself. “I just… I feel stupid.”
I reel my head back in surprise. “Stupid? What for?”
“For not seeing it when I was there. You guys make it seem so obvious, but at the time, I just didn’t know. I had no one to tell me that what he was doing was wrong.” She frowns, tilting her head as if something just occurred to her.
I squeeze her hand to get her attention. “What is it?”
She looks at me as she asks, “You remember me mentioning my best friend?”
“The one who ghosted you in University, yeah?” I say, trying to hold back my resentment of her being left alone.
“Sometimes I think he was trying to tell me things… about my brother, but we were always interrupted.”
“He?” I ask, my brain freezing on that one word. There was another male she had been close to?
“Yeah, Elias. Did I never tell you his name before?”
I shake my head, then my eyes dance to where the other three are eavesdropping at the table right behind her. Sly shakes his head, indicating he didn’t know about Elias either.
I figured they would follow us, and as long as they give me my time with her, I don't mind them being close for extra protection.
“He lived next door to me. We grew up playing together. But he got to go to school, while I was homeschooled. When we were around eleven or twelve, my brother refused to let us play alone anymore. He made sure that either he or one of his two head guards was always in the room with us.”
She looks around as if trying to recall a specific memory.
“Sometimes he would whisper things to me. Things about my brother not being a good person, but whenever that happened, Robert or the guards would step in and make him go home. I didn’t really think much of it, because Robert had treated me well…
mostly.” She swallows, her brows pitching like a horrible memory has just surfaced. She shakes her head and then continues.
“Elias seemed to know that whispering got him sent home, so he’d still come and see me, but he always looked annoyed, especially when he looked at Robert or the guards.
He’d want to know everything about my day.
I’d ask him about school, but he wouldn’t say much, often glancing over his shoulder as if he needed to be careful what he told me.
Do you think he knew?” she asks, raising her eyes to meet mine.
I nod. “Yeah, sounds like he was in a tough spot. He wanted to tell you but knew Robert would silence him.”
“But it’s not like he would be hurt or anything, Robert would just make him leave.
” I press my lips together tightly to stop myself from saying anything.
There’s a good chance her friend was hurt.
Based on the fact that her brother was trading her for guns, I wouldn't put it past him, especially if it kept Wren in the dark.
“You said Elias stopped talking to you when he was in University?” I ask.
“Yeah, he would call every couple of days. Of course, I didn’t have a phone, so the call was always on speaker in front of Robert.
Elias was close to finishing his degree when he just suddenly stopped calling.
I tried calling him a few times, but he never answered.
Robert said he’d probably moved on with his life. ”
I squeeze her hand in support as she adds, “I think he grew tired of not being able to have a real conversation with me.”
I try to reassure her as I tell her, “Elias probably saw how your brother was treating you, but his hands were tied. I imagine it would be hard to talk to you and not be able to tell you that what your brother was doing was wrong.”
The waiter takes our order as she composes herself, offering me a strained smile. “Enough about me, tell me more about you, Dex.”
“What do you want to know? I told you everything that matters in my letters.”
“You told me you fought in underground fighting rings. But what about before that?”
“Before? There was nothing before,” I reply, unsure what she wants to know.
“What about your childhood? You’ve never mentioned it.”
“Ah,” I say in realization as I sit back in my chair and nod. “I don’t like to think about that.”
“You don’t have to tell me. But Dex?” I lift my eyes to meet hers, and she gives me a soft smile. “It won’t change how I feel about you.”
“And how do you feel about me?” I ask, the corner of my mouth pulling up in amusement.
“Maybe if you’re good, I’ll tell you one day.” I narrow my eyes at her, but realize she’s not ready, or she doesn’t know. That’s okay, it’s my job to show her that she can’t live without me. That I’d do anything for her. Even if that means reliving a past I’d rather keep buried.
“I killed my father,” I blurt out just as the waiter arrives with our plates. Wren and he stare at me with wide eyes as I quickly try to talk myself out of being arrested. “Metaphorically, of course,” I add, hoping I used that word right.
The waiter smiles nervously as he sets our plates down. We both watch him leave, then a nervous bubble of laughter erupts from Wren. She slaps a hand over her mouth, and her wide eyes meet mine as she tries to hold in her laughter.
The laughter escapes around her fingers, and when she finally calms down, she whispers, “Dex, you’re gonna get yourself in trouble, blurting out something like that in public.”
My mouth twitches with amusement, but inside, I’m scared shitless.
She doesn’t think I’m telling the truth.
She cuts off a piece of her beef wellington and hums in approval as she chews it, her eyes closing in delight.
“That good, huh?”
She opens her eyes and nods happily. “It’s amazing. Here, want to try some?” She holds out a piece on her fork, so I lean forward, slowly wrapping my mouth around it as I hold her eye contact. She licks her lips as she stares at my mouth.
“Delicious,” I agree. I try a piece of my steak, then offer her some. When she leans forward to bite it off my fork, the same way I did to her, my dick twitches in approval. Suddenly, the urge to feed her everything is all I can think about.
We continue eating our meal, talking about different foods, and my dick starts to strain against my pants. I need to think about something else before we have to leave, and she notices my soldier standing at attention.
Leaning forward a little, I whisper, “What I said before, it’s true. I killed him.”
She finishes chewing as she watches me, waiting for me to elaborate.
I sigh, shoving another piece of steak in my mouth as I think about how to explain.
“When I was a kid, my dad would beat my mother.” She lets out a soft gasp, but I don’t lift my eyes, wanting to get this out before I see her reaction.
“When I was twelve, he beat her so bad that she… she didn’t make it. ”
“Oh, Dex, I’m so sorry.”
“I wasn’t even there. I was at school, and I came home and found her dead on the kitchen floor.
I just stared down at her body, knowing that I wasn’t there when she needed me.
I knew my dad kept a gun in his bedroom closet, so I went and got it, made sure it was loaded, then sat at the kitchen table and waited.
When he came home, I shot him in the head, then placed the gun in his hand. ”
I finally look up at her as I admit, “I made it look like suicide, but it was me. I killed him.” Her eyes shine with tears, and my hands clench tightly around my cutlery.
“Do you think I’m a monster now that you know the truth?
I know I should have told you in one of my letters, but—” I stop talking as she pushes her chair back and stands.
Is this where she leaves me? Where she tells me she wants nothing to do with a murderer like me?
But instead of leaving, she walks around the table toward me, then wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me. My wide eyes meet Pete’s. He grins, then mimics hugging her back.
Right. Hug the girl back.
My cutlery clatters when I drop it on my plate, and I push my chair back so I can pull her into my lap and hug her properly.
We sit there for a minute until someone clears their throat.
I look over at Sly, and his eyes drop to Wren’s thigh.
I realize her adorable, ridiculously sexy short plaid skirt is exposing a lot of thigh.
I grab my napkin and cover her lap. He gives me a nod of approval, and I roll my eyes as I hug her again.
When Sly opened the hotel door to reveal her dressed like that, I almost came in my pants right then and there.
Black socks that came up past her knees, a tight short black tee that teased a bit of her cleavage, and that damned choker she’s been wearing all day.
She was like every wet dream I’d ever had rolled into one adorably sexy black-haired, blue-eyed package.
“Why don’t we get out of here and go to the next part of our date?” I ask her as she pulls back to look up at me.
She nods, and we stand together. I throw enough cash on the table to cover the bill and hopefully the waiter’s discretion, then place myself beside Wren, blocking the guys from her view as we pass. They all shove their faces into the menus, and I whisper, “Real smooth,” as we pass.
“Where are we going?”
“Dancing,” I tell her proudly. I’d read all about how to court a woman properly. Dinner and dancing. That’s what they liked. And I already knew Wren wanted to dance, so it was perfect.
Her eyebrows raise in surprise as I lead her down the hall toward the loud music. “There’s a bar in the hotel, just here,” I tell her, gesturing toward the doors. When I pull one open, the loud music assaults my ears, but it doesn't matter; I’d do anything to make Wren happy.
I find the dance floor, which is empty, and dramatically turn her into me, holding one of her hands with mine, and my other splayed across her back. She raises hers to my shoulder as I start to sway us back and forth.
“It’s quiet in here. I mean, apart from the music,” she yells loud enough to be heard.
I nod. “It’s still early.” She rests her head on my chest, and we dance through a couple more songs as the sound of people around us starts to grow a little louder.
The next song is a much faster tempo, and Wren pulls back to look around at the few people who have wandered onto the dance floor with us.
I swallow nervously, watching them sway and grind against each other. I might have made a colossal mistake. I have no idea how to dance like that.
Just as I’m about to suggest we leave, Wren looks up at me, biting her lip as she asks, “Is that how we’re supposed to dance to this music?
” I look at the couple she’s referring to, where the woman is grinding against the man, rolling her whole body as his hands explore her, and he sways his own hips.
“Do you want to dance like that?” I ask, hoping she does so I can touch her like that, but also scared because I have no idea how to move like he is.
“With you I do.”
“Hey, beautiful, come dance with me.” She turns as I see some pretty-faced asshole with his hand on her arm, trying to pull her from me.
“You’re about to lose that hand,” I warn him as I get ready to pounce.
He lifts his head from where he’s been eye-fucking my girl to frown at me. “Dude, what’s the problem? You’ve been dancing with her for a while. You want to dance with me, right, sweetheart?” he looks back down at her with a smile I can’t wait to wipe from his face.
“Ewe no,” Wren says instantly, taking a step away from him and pressing her back against my chest.
A huge smile covers my face at her lack of tact as I wrap an arm around her shoulder and use my other to pry his fingers from her arm. They’re so tight my smile fades, realizing that he might have left a mark.
“Bitch,” he hisses, yanking his hand away as if he didn’t just want to have his hands all over her.
I get ready to pull her behind me and lay one on the guy when a fist comes flying from the side, knocking him on his ass.
Pete grins down at Wren. “Hi angel!” He jumps toward her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing the guy's leg and dragging him away. Everyone else is watching with wide eyes, but nobody interrupts, even though the guy is cursing up a storm as he’s dragged by his foot out of the bar.
Wren watches with wide eyes as Jagger holds open the door, then Sly’s there, blocking her view. He tilts her chin up toward him and studies her face for a moment.
“Having fun, little bird?” She nods slowly. “Good, now I believe, before you were interrupted, you were about to dance?” He turns her back toward me, and my panicked eyes meet Sly’s. Shit, I was hoping we’d avoided this.
But when Sly presses against her back, his hands gripping her hips as he starts to guide her movement, I realize he’s not leaving me to figure this out on my own.
“That’s it, Wren. Sway those hips for us. Good girl. Dex, push your knee between her legs, yes, just like that, try to match the sway of your hips to hers.” I try to follow the rhythm, but it’s hard, ‘cause I have none.
“Dex, put your hands right below mine.” I grip her hips, and he nods. “Feel her movement? Try to copy it.” It’s easier to follow her rhythm this way, and we keep doing it for a few minutes until Sly changes things up.
“Dex, keep going. Wren, instead of swaying side to side, try to roll your body forward.” He places his hands on her upper and lower back as he helps guide her motion. It takes a couple minutes, but suddenly it seems to click as she executes a perfect body roll against my thigh.
“Fucking hell,” I whisper with a groan. Her skirt is too short to cover her, so I feel the heat of her sex through her panties as she grinds against my leg. My hands move to her ass as I help her grind against me harder.
Her hands clench in my shirt, and when she looks up at me with a mix of worry and need in her eyes, I stop our movements. “We need to go back to the room,” I tell Sly. He frowns for a second before looking down at Wren’s heated face. He nods, grabbing one of her hands and leading us from the bar.
I want to scoop her up, but thanks to that short skirt, it would make her flash anybody we pass. We make it up to the hotel room quickly, and I slam the door shut, my eyes instantly finding Wren as she wrings her fingers, staring at me with those big blue eyes.
I really wish I knew what she was thinking right now.