Chapter 15
Fifteen
When we get back onto the strip mall footpath, I ask Dax, “Do you feel like getting a smoothie?”
He snorts. “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that.” When I give him a confused look, he adds, “And I don’t think I’ve ever had one.”
I throw my palms upward. “How is that possible?”
He mumbles a laugh. “I don’t really hang around anyone who’d get a smoothie. They’re more into soda or beer.”
I wince. “You drink beer?”
“Rarely,” he admits. “I’m just saying, smoothies are never an option.”
“Do you want one, anyway?”
He hangs an arm around my shoulders. “When in Rome.”
I clutch his hand hanging over my shoulder and lead him down the footpath. “Good, because the Raspberry Rush is calling my name.”
“Is that the name of the smoothie bar?”
“No, it’s the smoothie I want.”
His arm tenses around me. “Is this one of those ultra-colorful places with all the wacky drink names?”
My grin grows, loving his awkward reservations. “Oh, so you have been there before?”
He sighs out. “Oh, geez.”
I take Dax into the smoothie bar, and it’s so hard to fight off the fit of giggles exploding within me.
He seriously looked more at ease during his tux fitting than he does standing here.
With his hands stuffed into his jean pockets, his jaw flexes while his gaze wanders over the rainbow decals on the walls.
It’s like his brain almost malfunctions when he spots the tall list of selections written on the wall in fun cursive chalk.
“Hey, how are you guys doing today?” says the chilled-out server. Behind the counter, he wears a green apron with a name tag saying, Chad.
“Hi Chad, we’re well,” I reply. “I’ll have a tall Raspberry Rush. Dax, what do you want?”
With a statuesque posture, Dax stares at the overwhelming list of items on the chalkboard.
I look back at Chad and smile. “It’s his first time here. Too many choices.”
“I hear that,” Chad replies with a cheesy grin.
Dax points to a selection. “Citrus Got Real,” he chooses. “I need to know if I’ve been drinking fake orange juice.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “I thought you only drank soda or beer.”
He shrugs. “My mom sometimes had OJ in the house. It wasn’t often.”
Chad rings up our order, and I tap my phone to pay.
When we get our drinks, I watch Dax take his first sip, and there’s a glint of surprise in his eyes.
He lowers the straw and nods. “Not bad.”
“Does it make your former OJ feel fake?”
“Yeah. Come to think of it, what Mom bought probably wasn’t real orange juice. It didn’t have a real orangey smell. This tastes thicker.”
I take a sip of mine and smile. “Well, I’m glad you like it.”
“How’s yours?”
“Scrumptious as always.”
Dax grins. “Sounds like a winner.”
We wander out of the store and hit the pavement. I clutch his hand and give it a gentle swing. “What do you want to do today?”
“Anything, as long as I get to spend time with you.”
I lift onto my toes and nuzzle my nose against his. “Aww, so sappy.”
He looks away and chuckles. “Sorry, it’s just how I feel.”
“I’m glad the tux fitting didn’t scare you off.”
“Ralph was a bit much,” Dax replies. “But LJ was nothing. I deal with a lot worse at home. I’m just sorry you have to deal with him.”
“He was about to explode when you told him not to call me sweetheart.”
“Hearing him say it makes me sick that I ever used it. No wonder you can’t stand it.”
I chew my fingernail, smirking. “Sassy is a much cuter nickname.”
“Well, today hasn’t turned me off.” He holds up his thumb and index finger an inch apart. “The smoothie store was cutting it close, though.”
Foolishly giddy, I lead him further along the path. “Well, let me see how far I can push you. There’s a department store ahead.”
“Yikes. Are you trying to make me run?”
I tug harder on his arm. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Is shopping a hobby for you, or something?”
“Hey, you taught me how to start a motorcycle. I’ll teach you how to navigate a department store.”
He laughs, moving his pace in line with mine. “Okay, Sassy. Teach me your ways.”
When we enter the department store, Dax’s grunt cuts through the pop music playing from the overhead speakers. His eyes dart around the aisles, trying to spot the rear of the store.
“This place is too big,” he mutters.
“At least it’s not covered in cobwebs like the store you took me to.”
“Hey, we got what we needed from that place.”
“Well, right now, we don’t need anything.” I lead him further into the store. “We’re just here to look around and have fun.”
“How in the world is hanging out here supposed to be fun?”
I motion at the array of aisles. “How can it not be? We have so much to see. Clothes, shoes, housewares, skincare, handbags…”
“Hold up.” He cuts me off with a raised palm. “Giving me the rundown will only turn me off. I’ll just follow you around.”
“Okay, maybe I’m being too much,” I concede. “I come here with my girlfriends, who get a little overexcited about all this stuff. I don’t do the whole dating thing, so I’ve not seen this from a male perspective.”
He grins. “Is that what this is? A date?”
I shrug, keeping my shoulders bunched high as nerves fizzle and pop inside me. “Isn’t it?”
Dax runs his hands over my shoulders, helping them lower to their rightful position. He smooths back my hair, and when his mouth slightly opens, I gently close my eyes and feel his lips press against mine.
Electric tingles of joy obliterate my nervousness. I hold on to his T-shirt front, conscious of the fact my weakened knees might buckle. The raspberry on my lips mingles sweetly with the taste of citrus in his kiss. A soft moan purrs out of me, and his smile grows as I suck on his bottom lip.
When our lips break apart, I can’t help spying the area over his shoulder. Even though no one was watching us, my face still flushes with an awful mix of bashfulness and shame. I’m not supposed to be making out with a ruggedly handsome guy in the middle of the department store.
His thumb grazes my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I clear my throat, turning away. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Don’t be. You almost blew my socks off with that kiss.”
I slurp a large mouthful of my smoothie through the straw to help lower my body temperature. The icy goodness takes my mind away from the expectations of others.
Dax takes my hand again, and we make our way through the aisles. In the housewares section, we smell a wide selection of candles. I can’t get enough of the coconut and lime candle, and Dax deems the vanilla bean his favorite.
We move onto the book section, and Dax waits by my side as I read a few back covers.
I place a book back on the shelf, and ask, “Have you ever read a book that made you feel things you hadn’t felt in real life?”
“No. I don’t read books.”
“I read a lot of classics,” I tell him. “Especially ones where the female lead leaves home to go on an adventure.”
“Did it inspire you to go to Switzerland?”
I frown, tapping my fingers across the book spines. “No. I left to follow my mother. It was a dumb idea.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t be. Spending time with you in Logan’s Point is an adventure away from home.
” My lips curve upward as my mind wanders.
“I used to be obsessed with romance books. I wanted to feel sparks and tingles I’d never found in real life.
” I meet his eyes, and my stomach instantly flutters.
“And now I know it was nothing compared to the real thing.”
Without needing to say a word, Dax leans in.
This time when our lips connect, I’m zapped with an electric shock.
The spark takes us both off guard, but only for half a second.
We magnetize again, dumping our smoothies on the bookshelves so we can wrap up in each other’s arms. When I think about someone I know seeing us, I bump it out of my mind.
Nothing will stop me from soaking up this moment.
My back arches as Dax cradles me in the kiss.
The faint smell of motor oil lingers on his hands, and I can’t get enough of it.
He’s like no one I’ve ever met, and I couldn’t be more glad.
When we unravel, I’m flushed with passion and longing. I snatch my smoothing cup from the shelf and place it against my forehead to cool off.
Dax bites his lip, smirking. “That good, huh?”
I put the cup back on the shelf. “Exceptional.”
We stumble across the accessories section, and I tell Dax, “We need to avoid the section on the right. It’s the shoes, and you’ll never get me out of there.”
“Noted.” Dax leads me over to the rack of sunglasses. He pulls out a pair of aviators. “I used to have a pair like this. I can’t remember if I broke them or lost them.”
“Put them on,” I encourage. “Let’s see.”
He puts them on, and they’re made for him.
“Okay, you have to get them,” I gush, placing my hands on my chest.
He slides the glasses down his nose and winks. “They work?”
My heart flutters. “Mm-hmm.”
Dax takes off the glasses and thumbs through the rack. “Which pair should you try?”
“I don’t know if any are my style. I only own oversized black pairs.”
“So that you’re always prepared for a funeral?”
I click my tongue. “No. They go with everything. They’re chic.”
Dax mumbles a laugh, searching through the rack. “Aww, these would look cute on you.”
He slides on a pair of pale pink heart-shaped sunglasses.
I wince, flaring my nostrils. “I don’t think so.”
He holds them out to me. “Oh, go on.”
Again, how can I say no to that face? I chew on my lip to counteract the dorky smile springing from the corners of my mouth. “Okay.”
I take the glasses and put them on. I comb my fingers through my hair and pose in front of the tiny mirror.
“Okay, maybe you were right to reject them,” Dax teases.
I playfully nudge him. “Hey!”
I take off the glasses as Dax picks out another pair.
Dax slides on a pair of gold star-shaped glasses, and the wind is knocked out of me. I collapse forward, struggling for breath as I spurt out laughter.
Dax holds onto my jiggling shoulders while I fail to compose myself. I manage an inhale of air, but when I lift my head, it rushes back out of me. One look at him has me falling apart. Dax struggles to hold back his laughter, sucking in his lips and squinting behind the ridiculous sunglasses.
He sighs out, planting a hand firmly on his chest as his laughter drifts away. “Man. It’s been so long since I laughed like that.”
I nod, catching my breath. “Me too.”
He takes off the sunglasses and wipes under his eyes. He smiles like he’s on the edge of laughing again. “It’s good to have a minute where everything doesn’t feel so serious.”
“When was the last time you felt like that?”
His eyebrows raise, searching for a memory. “Ages ago. I remember one time my mom and I were messing around at a gas station. There were some weird novelty hats, and she made us try on every single one.” He looks away, smiling. “Even Lance had fun that day.”
“Lance? That’s your brother?”
“Yeah.”
“Was your dad there too?”
He shakes his head, and some of his happiness disappears. “No. I don’t really have any fun memories with my dad.”
I frown as the sorrow hits my gut. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was my mom’s department.”
“You really want to see her again, don’t you?”
He fiddles with the glasses in his hands, looking down as he nods.
I touch his arm, lowering my voice. “You know, I could help you do that. I could hire someone to track her down.”
When he looks up, fear saturates his eyes. “No. You can’t do that.”
I take my hand off him. “It was only a suggestion.”
“I want to find her, but I can’t risk it. I can’t have anyone asking questions and tipping off Lance as to where she might be.”
I nod hurriedly. “Okay. I won’t do anything.”
He shoves the sunglasses back on the rack and wraps his arms around me. “I know you only said it to help.”' His face buries in the nape of my neck, and I lift onto my toes, hugging him back. “I just can’t do anything to jeopardize her safety.”
“I get it,” I murmur. “But there’s a guy on my dad’s staff. He’s discreet.”
He hugs me with more urgency. “No, don’t have anyone look into this.”
I swallow hard and croak, “Okay.”
He unravels his arms from around me, and I feel him shiver.
“Baby,” I whisper, keeping my hands on his arms. “Are you okay?”
He blows out a long breath and forces himself to nod. “Yeah. Thinking about her just got my heart pumping.”
“Sorry.”
An easy smile brightens his face, and he hooks a finger under my chin. “Don’t be. I’d be feeling a million times worse if I didn’t have you with me.”
“Do you think about your mom often?”
His head tilts to the side. “Sometimes. Like if something reminds me of her. Or when I look at her stuff I saved.”
“She didn’t take it with her?”
“She took what she could, but she had to travel light.”
“And what happened to the rest of her stuff?”
“Lance got angry and torched it.”
My heart crushes. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“There are some things I wish I still had, but I like the stuff I got to keep.” He pauses, stroking the pendant on his chain. “Plus, I have this.”
“Does it help you feel close to her?”
“Yeah. At least Lance lets me wear it.”
“You expected him to stop you?”
“Well, I had to hide Mom’s things that I kept.”
Intrigue gets the better of me. “Where do you keep them?”
He smiles, shaking his head. “It’s such a dumb idea, but they’re still at the house.”
“The clubhouse?”
“No, our old house.”
“As in where your family lived?”
He nods. “It’s still empty.”
“Oh.”
“Sometimes I hang out there, but I have to be sneaky about it. As soon as Mom left and Dad was locked up, Lance wanted me to stay with him full-time at the clubhouse.”
“I don’t get why you can’t have a home too.”
Dax shrugs. “He just wants power. I guess I’m the easiest person for him to control.”
I frown as my shoulders droop. “I get that.”
“I don’t know why I still care about that place. It’s falling to bits.”
I place my hand on the space over his heart. “It’s your home.”
He rubs his hand over mine, and the drumming of his heart enlivens.
“If it’s special to you, I’d love to see it.”
Dax’s smile twitches. “No way. You wouldn’t want to see it.”
“It’s your home.”
“It’s no palace,” he warns. “Actually, it’s the total opposite of a palace. It might be a dungeon.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything Buckingham-level.”
He hesitates. “You really want to see it?”
“Would it be okay? I don’t want to make your brother mad.”
“None of the crew have been there in months. It would be just the two of us.”
I grin. “Well, you know how much I enjoy it when it’s just us alone somewhere.”
Dax laughs and takes my hand. “You’re serious about this?”
“I’m dying to know more about you. If you’re willing to share it with me, I’d love to see it.”