Mister Moneybags(66)

“Tomorrow? I can go another day if you need me for something.”

“No. I meant…what if we didn’t find out at all?”





Dex was standing in baggage claim waiting when I came down the escalator. We’d locked eyes the minute my foot stepped on at the top, and my stomach did all sorts of flip-flops the entire ride down. God I’m so crazy about this man.

He was dressed casually, in a pair of jeans, dark t-shirt, and running sneakers. Yet there was nothing casual about the way he looked. Dex had an intensity on his face that made my skin tingle. He stayed still, except for his eyes following my every step. When I reached the bottom and walked toward him, I could actually feel my pulse quicken.

“Give a girl a ride?” I flirted.

He grumbled something I think might have been, “You have no f*cking idea the ride I want to give you,” then hooked one arm around my waist, pulled me flush against him, and kissed me with a passion that felt almost desperate. Any certainty I had that I should have the test done tomorrow and stay away from him until after we get the results, went flying out of my head faster than the jet I just took home.

“Get the thought out of your head,” Dex said against my lips when our kiss broke.

I was breathless. “What thought?”

He arched an eyebrow. “The one where you question if this is a good idea. If we should be together in this way.”

How did he know? “I wasn’t…”

He shook his head with a knowing smirk and took my overnight bag from my hand. “Do you have any other luggage?”

“No, just this.”

“Then let’s get out of here.”

During the short ride back to my place we made small talk—how was my flight, what was my next assignment, even a nice chat about the market fluctuation that day. Anything and everything but the elephant in the room. But that came to an abrupt end shortly after we settled into my apartment. I’d done a quick unpack while Dex poured wine and then the awkwardness set in.

Dex was sitting on the couch across from me and leaned forward, placing both of his hands on my knees. “I don’t want to risk losing you by having the test done.”

“Dex…I’m not sure I could function not knowing.”

“Eventually we’d move past it. If we made the decision never to find out, I think after some time, we’d be okay.”

“What if…we stayed together?”

“You mean if we wanted to have children someday?”

I nodded my head.

“We could agree to adopt. I’d be fine with that. There are plenty of children who need good homes.” I had looked away, and Dex squeezed my hand to get my attention back. “Look at how good we did adopting Bandit.”

I snorted. “I don’t think deciding not to have children naturally should be based on how things have gone with Bandit.”

He cupped my cheek. “Maybe not. But if the choice is possibly losing you or adopting instead of having a biological child, there is no choice.”

I looked into his eyes. “Wouldn’t you always wonder?”

“I’d get over it.”

“Dex…”

He leaned in and kissed my lips. “Think about it. Just think about it some more.”

“Okay. I will.”

We snuggled on the couch for a while and then I yawned. Traveling always knocked me out to begin with, plus I wasn’t sleeping well at night lately. My back was leaning against Dex’s front, and he brushed some hair off of my face after my yawn. “You’re tired. You should get some sleep.”

“I am tired. That glass of wine was like a sleeping pill on top of my already sleepy head. Plus, my neck hurts from stress and lying flat always helps that, too. I think it’s time for bed.”

“I’ll let you get some rest, then.”

I turned to face him with my brow furrowed. “You’re not staying over?”

“Do you want me to stay over?”

“Of course, I do.”

Dex let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad. Because it’s been hell without you the last few nights.”

Inside my bedroom, I changed into my usual tank and boy shorts, and Dex stripped to his boxers. While he slipped under the covers, I sat on the edge of my bed and took out some moisturizer from my nightstand to rub into my arms. After rubbing the lotion into one arm, Dex sat up and took it from my hands. “Here, let me.”

The room was quiet, and the intimacy between us blossomed as he massaged the lotion into the skin on my arms. While I had just applied it enough to seep into my skin, Dex was giving me more of a massage. When his strong fingers worked their way up to my shoulder, I closed my eyes and let him rub away some of the stress.

“God, that feels so good.”

“You’re very tense, and your neck hurts. Why don’t I use the lotion and rub your shoulders for a bit.”

“I’d love that.”

Dex sat up with his back against my headboard and positioned me between his legs. He gently nudged my head forward to drop toward my chest and scooped my hair to one side. Then his hands disappeared for a moment, and seconds later a dollop of icy moisturizer hit my skin.

“That’s cold.”

“I could provide some warm cream if you prefer?” Dex’s tone was playful, but at the same time it was also husky, and I heard the need in his voice.