Chapter 15 #2
After Dash had been through her house, putting aside any of her possessions he wanted to keep, they’d arranged for someone to come in to haul away the furniture, donating it to Habitat for Humanity, along with anything else the organization might be able to use, like dishes and electronics.
One of her neighbors said she’d work on boxing up Pauly’s clothes and bringing them to a homeless shelter.
And everything else would either be thrown out or donated to a secondhand shop.
A realtor had been by the house and offered to arrange for it to be cleaned from top to bottom before placing it on the market.
Her vehicle had already been brought back to the dealership Pauly had leased it from.
Most of the loose ends of his mom’s life were being taken care of, and Brinley was both relieved and sad at the same time.
Dash had moved faster than most people would’ve after losing a parent, but since he didn’t live in Phoenix and had to get back to Alaska when his leave was up, he didn’t have the luxury of taking his time in dealing with all the details.
Thankfully Pauly had good friends in the area who would help with anything remaining after they had to go back home.
They’d had dinner with Dash’s team, and that bit of normalcy, of joking with them and reminiscing, had done both her and Dash a world of good. He was still sad, but the soul-crushing despair seemed to have lifted from his shoulders, which was a huge relief.
Brinley couldn’t keep the things he’d said at his mom’s service out of her head.
It felt wonderful that it seemed they were on the same page as far as their relationship went.
Dash was an incredible man. She only wished she could’ve met him years ago, but then again, things might not have worked out if they’d met any earlier than they had.
Things happened when they were supposed to happen, the way they were supposed to happen. She guessed she was a believer in fate. Never in a million years would she have thought taking flying lessons when she’d moved to Alaska would lead her to the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
“You’re quiet. You okay?” Dash asked.
Brinley looked over at him. They were sitting on the bed in their hotel room, their backs against the headboard, watching TV. It was the first time they’d had a chance to simply sit and do nothing in a week. It was a welcome respite.
“Yeah. Are you?”
He thought about her question for a long moment before nodding. “I think I am. I won’t lie. This week has been hard. Today was hard. But having you here…it made all the difference. I appreciate it so much, Brin. Seriously.”
“There isn’t anywhere else I would’ve rather been.”
“You’ve got a lot of work to do when we get home, huh?”
She smiled. “Yeah. I’m behind on deadlines for some of the outfits I’ve been working on, but not by much. I work ahead anyway, so no one will go without a gown because I took a week off.”
“And Tamika? She’s still contacting you, isn’t she?”
Brinley blinked. The comment seemed to come out of left field. “Um, why do you ask?” She thought she’d done a good job of hiding the fact that she was still getting multiple texts and emails.
“Because I’m not an idiot. Even though I’ve been distracted, I haven’t missed the fact that every time your phone vibrates, your lips press together in agitation before you look to see who it is.
And I know that Cypress probably isn’t messaging you as often as you get texts.
And I’m here with you twenty-four seven, so it’s not me contacting you.
Which leads me to believe you’ve been holding back, and not telling me the whole truth about how often that bitch is still harassing you.
And if it’s not Tamika, then it’s your mom and sister, which is just as bad. ”
Brinley made a mental note that she’d be hard-pressed to keep any secrets from this man in the future. That didn’t bode well for any surprise birthday parties she might want to throw him.
“I’ve been blocking her and saving texts and emails, just in case I need to use them as evidence one day. But one thing I learned growing up was that engaging with bullies never went well for me.”
“We need to tell the police, Brin. What are you going to do if she shows up on your doorstep one day, pissed off because you’ve been ignoring her?”
“She’s not going to come all the way to Alaska to harass me. I’ve told her no, and she can’t force me to make a gown for her.”
Dash sighed. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I. But I’m not going to let her get to me. She’ll eventually get bored and find someone else to make her clothes.”
“You’ll let me know if she escalates the threats, right?”
“If she comes right out and tells me that she’s going to kill me for not making her a dress, I’ll definitely tell you. She’s annoying, but I’m not scared for my life, Dash.”
He pulled her against him. “I just found you. I’m not about to lose you, Brin.”
“You aren’t losing me.”
“Good. Because I can’t handle losing anyone else I love.”
She stilled. Did he say what she thought he said? Did he even know what he’d said?
He moved then, kind of picking her up and scooting her down and hovering over her as she lay on her back on the mattress. “I haven’t thanked you properly for everything you’ve done for me this week.”
“You’ve thanked me several times,” she protested.
His hand moved down and slipped under her shirt, moving upward until his palm covered one of her breasts. She couldn’t help but arch into him.
“Not the way I should’ve thanked you.”
Her heart kicked into high gear, and she squirmed a little under him. Her panties immediately got wet as she imagined all the fun ways he could thank her.
Dash grinned. “I’m going to worship you, treat you like my princess, just like Mom ordered me to.”
“Can you not bring your mom into this right about now?” Brinley suggested.
Dash laughed, and it was the first time she didn’t sense any sadness in the sound.
“Right. Noted. Arms over your head, Brinley. I’m in the mood to take my time. It’s been way too long since I’ve heard and felt you explode. I’m gonna get you off once with my fingers, once with my mouth, and then again around my cock.”
“Dash…yes…please.” Brinley felt desperate for his touch. She lifted her arms and he removed her shirt.
Later—much, much later—when she was as limp as a week-old lettuce leaf and lying half on and half off Dash, trying to catch her breath, she remembered what he’d said earlier. About losing anyone else he loved. A yearning grew within her, so deep and almost painful, it made her jerk.
“Shhhh, I’ve got you,” Dash said sleepily.
Of course he did. He’d been protecting her from the moment he’d seen her burst out of that conference center in Fiji.
She was too chicken to ask him if he meant it, if he really loved her, so instead she simply closed her eyes and relaxed against him.
He’d said he wanted to spend his life with her, so she knew he wasn’t with her for some kind of fling or anything.
But she yearned to hear him say the words.
Words she’d heard so seldom in her life. Certainly not from her family.
Having the feeling someone loved you and hearing them say it to your face were two completely different things. She would’ve said the words to him right then and there, but if he seemed the least bit disconcerted by her declaration, it would cut deep.
So she kept quiet, ignoring the advice Dash himself had given to the group gathered to honor his mom’s life. They’d have a chance to share their feelings later. Time was on their side. There was no need to rush into anything.
A little voice inside her head told her that she was being foolish, tempting fate, but she quashed it. She fell asleep cuddled up next to Dash, his steady heartbeat in her ear, feeling safe in his arms.