13. Hazel
Chapter thirteen
Hazel
A fter Dexter leaves, I stand pants-less in the middle of his apartment, wondering what the fuck just happened. I grab my pants and get dressed quickly. I need to get out of here. It feels too weird being in his apartment without him. Even though it felt like we might reconcile, I wasn't sure what was going on in his head when he left. I grab my phone from where Dexter left it and dial my sister’s number.
“Hey, Haze.”
“Hey, can you come get me and take me to Mom’s?” My voice is a little shaky.
“Are you still at Dexter’s?” She asks with concern in her voice.
“Yes,” I breathe out.
“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she says without any hesitation.
“Thank you.”
After hanging up with my sister, I look around to make sure that I have everything. I don’t have a way to lock the bolt on his apartment, but I lock the bottom door, hoping that’s enough. I wait outside, scrolling through my phone.
Once she pulls up, I jump in the car. “Hey.”
“Hey, how did it go last night?”
I smile remembering how Dexter rocked my world last night. Ashley giggles. “That good, huh? Give me all the details.”
“Ash, I’m not going to go into to detail, but I will tell you it almost felt like old times.”
At least it did until he discovered my secret.
“That’s good. Right?" She asks cautiously.
I sigh and sink back into my seat. “Yeah, it is. But this morning wasn’t so good. And now I’m not sure where we stand.”
“What happened?”
I take a deep breath. I never told anyone about my secret because I was trying to protect Dexter, but now that he knows, there is no reason to hide it anymore. Here goes nothing. “An unknown number has been texting me threatening to hurt Dexter if I don’t stop seeing him, and he saw it. Lost his cool.”
She lets out a small gasp and shrieks, “Someone has been sending you threatening messages?”
I nod, not wanting to say anymore.
“Oh, Hazel.”
I try to swallow down the lump in my throat and turn away to look out the window, hoping that if I ignore it all, I’ll wake up from this nightmare. I don’t want to talk about it. There’s a reason I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want Dexter to get hurt, but I also was ashamed that someone could manipulate me so easily. Running me out of town and away from the most important people in my life.
“Everything is going to be okay.” Ashley reaches over and grips my fingers in her hand.
“How can you say that? I might’ve lost Dexter for good. He just left me standing in his apartment when he found out." I sniffle.
“Oh, honey, no you haven’t,” she says trying to soothe me.
“You don’t know that.”
I turn back to look out the window and we are both silent for the rest of the ten-minute ride back to my parents' house. I grip the door handle to let myself out, but something stops me. “Thank you.” I turn over my shoulder to whisper to her.
I rush into the house to find both of my parents sitting together on the couch. The sight of them makes my heart clench. What will happen to my dad if her sickness gets worse? My stomach churns as my thoughts move toward my relationship with Dexter. Will I ever have that? Will it be with Dexter?
My foot is on the first stair to head to my room, but my mom's voice stops me. “Hey, Hazel. How was last night?”
“Fine. I’m tired. I’m going to lie down upstairs," I say, forcing a smile.
“Okay, sweetie. Get some rest.”
My mom's voice calms me a little, but then I remember how she is sick and the tears start to come. My life is a hot mess, and I don’t know what to do about any of it. Once I enter my room, I throw myself on my bed, bury my face in my pillows, and I let it all out.
I can’t even wrap my head around how to handle any of this as questions run through my head. How do I deal with my mom being sick? What if I lose her? I don’t even have a job. What if I can’t find one here in Rose Valley? Then on top of all that, there's Dexter. Will he ever forgive me? Or will he punish me forever for not telling him about the unknown texter? What if he decides I’m not worth his time anymore?
The tears keep falling. I can’t seem to stop them, and I’m not sure I want to.
A knock on the door jolts me awake. I wipe the drool from my mouth. I must’ve cried myself to sleep. Someone knocks again, then my mom pokes her head in. “Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” I answer sleepily.
“Well, someone is here to see you. Would you like me to send him up?”
I sit up quickly and excitement zips through me. “Dexter?”
“Yes, honey.”
All I can do is nod, incapable of making a sound.
My mom disappears back into the hallway. Shit, I probably look awful. I jump up and head to my bathroom. One look in the mirror is all it takes to see my puffy cheeks paired with swollen and red rimmed eyes, combined with the ratty shirt that I’d changed into. I splash cold water on my face hoping that it will help some, but I think at this point, it’s a lost cause.
I hear the door to my room open and close. I guess it’s time to get out there and face the music. I head back into the room and my breath is stolen from me when I see a gorgeous Dexter standing there in a black T-shirt that puts his muscles on display. His dark blue jeans hug his ass and legs like they were made just for him. My mouth goes dry at the sight of him. I can’t help but stare.
“Hey, Hazel. Do you want me to wipe up some of that drool for you?” He says with a teasing tone.
His words snap me out of whatever fucking spell Dexter seems to have put on me. I wipe my mouth and he gives me a smug smirk.
“Why are you here?” I carefully ask.
“Well, Sugar Lips, you left. Again. Making me have to chase you," he says with a serious tone, as he arches an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t sure where we stood, and it felt weird hanging in your apartment without you.”
I move to my bed and sit down. Dexter follows suit and sits across from me.
“I told you not to leave. You are mine and I protect what’s mine,” he growls at me.
“I’m yours? For real?” I ask him anxiously.
“For real. But on one condition.”
“What’s that?” A brick drops in my stomach. What could his condition be?
“You can’t ever leave me again.” His eyes brighten with hope.
“I won’t, I promise,” I reply as a smile spreads across my face.
Dexter leans over and brushes his lips against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to me. I deepen the kiss. With my mouth, I tell him that I’m never leaving again. I show him how sorry I am for not trusting him. That I’m going to love him forever.
He pulls away, grabbing my face, forcing me to make eye contact with him. “No more secrets, okay? We are going to leave them behind us. Do you hear me, Hazel?”
I take a deep breath and blow it back out through my nose, releasing all the tension I've held onto over the years. “Yes. Dexter, I hear you.”
“Good girl.” And those two words light my whole body on fire.
“I love you, Dexter. I always have."
He kisses my forehead and then pulls back. “I love you too, Hazel. I never stopped loving you."
“Fuck me, Dex. I need you inside of me.”
“Stand up.” His panty melting smile creeps across his face.
I do exactly what he says, then wait for his next direction.
“Strip,” he commands, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I don’t hesitate, peeling off my clothes as quickly as I can. I stand in just my bra and panties as he takes me in, his face turning feral. "I said strip. That means everything."
I gulp and finish removing my underwear. Once I’m done, Dexter stands up and moves toward me. When we’re standing with my nose pressed to his chest, he lifts me up into his arms, and my legs wrap around his waist automatically.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I squeal.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Besides, it’s worth it. It always is." He pants with every movement as though he's trying to keep his pain in check. He walks backward to my bed, carrying me like I'm weightless. My pussy wets with every step he takes as his rough jeans rub against my folds, causing me to get wetter. When he lays me down, all I want is to pull him on top of me. It turns me on being in this position too, me fully bare and him still completely clothed.
“You’re such a good girl, Sugar Lips. Now be quiet unless you want your parents to hear you screaming my name,” he casually says with a mischievous glint in his eye.
He bends over and kisses his way from my neck to my chest, leaving wet sloppy ones all over the swell of my breast. If he’s in pain, he’s not thinking about it. He moves over to my nipples swirling his tongue around each peak, then engulfing them with his mouth. His teeth scrape against my skin. The small amount of pain mixed with how fucking turned on I am, heightens everything.
“Mmm…Dexter.”
“You like that, Sugar Lips?”
“Yes.” The word pours from my mouth.
“Well, you're going to like this much better.”
He trails down my body leaving kisses as he goes. Dexter always knows how to make me feel like a goddess. He stops when his face is right in front of my pussy. I can feel his breath skitter across it, and I can feel myself dripping.
“So fucking wet for me. I need to taste you again.”