Chapter 42
42
Dexter
I catch Lucy’s eyes just as she steps off the dance floor. She smiles at me, a little shy and discreet. And it’s subtle, the quick glance inside the building. Away from the music and cake and twinkling lights making everything glow with hope.
She walks away, her steps brisk and purposeful. And when I notice that she’s walking in the direction of where she was glancing, making me realize she’s signaling me to follow her, I stand. I follow her steps, catching the tail ends of her green dress as she turns corners down hallways, all while the bustling noise from the wedding fades into the background. I finally stop when I see her pacing a small hallway, hidden like it’s our own sanctuary.
We stand there, her at one end of the hallway where it’s closed off, me at the other, and all of the frustration of what we are or what we’re meant to be dissolves into something less achy. Something more promising.
“Hi,” she whispers, her lip clamped between her teeth.
I take a few steps toward her at the same time she steps toward me, and we meet in the middle. “Hey.”
And her hands are on me. Her arm hooks around my neck, and she kisses me, wrapping her warm, soft lips around mine. I follow her lead, hoping this isn’t going to end in some half-empty feeling of ache and hollowness, and press her into the wall. She pushes her hips into me, and I groan against her mouth. Her hands rake up into my hair, and I swear, I want to marry this woman right now.
“I’m so sorry about last night,” she finally says when she pulls away. “I’m so sorry about everything. You’re the only person I’ve been honest to, and I hurt you because of it. And I don’t want to hurt you?—”
“I’m sorry,” I interrupt. “We had already made things clear on where we stand, and I made it unnecessarily uncomfortable for the both of us. I didn’t mean to lose it last night.”
She shakes her head. “No, no, I get it,” she assures. “There’s a lot going on, and we really should have talked it out and…”
I nod. “I know.”
She dips her mouth to the side and kisses me again. She kisses me like she’s hungry, whimpering into my mouth and clawing at my back as if she were scraping her nails against my bare skin instead of my suit jacket. My hands travel down to her hips and they continue, trailing down her thigh until they reach her soft skin underneath her dress.
An echoing laughter followed by fading footsteps has her pushing me away, making the air cold and harsh on my swollen lips. “Nat won’t be in my room tonight,” she says breathlessly, eyeing the open end of the hallway. “So…”
I dip my face to her jaw, trailing my nose against her skin. Fuck, she smells so good. She took the time to spritz some perfume on her skin. Something that smells like cherries and roses—probably something she usually reserves for special occasions—and it’s mind-blowing. She tilts her head back, allowing me access as I plant a wet kiss behind her ear. “Are you inviting me over to make pillow forts and tell scary stories? ”
She giggles. “Among other things.” She kisses me again, gripping my head and yanking me to her. “Do you, um, have, like, you know, protection?” she asks against my lips.
“I think I have a letter opener in my room.”
Her shoulders shake with a laugh. “My knight in shining armor.”
I clear my throat. “But, uh, the other stuff. I actually don’t.”
She pulls away, a little disappointed. “Oh.”
“Sorry.”
“No,” she says soothingly while running a hand along my cheek. “I mean, I like that. You weren’t expecting anything…”
I shake my head. “But the gift shop might still be open.”
Her eyes light up. “Gift shop then?”