Thief(23)

I start to giggle at that, which turns into full-blown laughter. “Double standards much? You probably had sex the day you dumped Vanessa.”

He goes silent.

“Please tell me you didn’t f*ck her after you left the bar?” I say, my eye starting to twitch. If he did, I would be gone. I’d walk out right now and never see him again, soul mate or not.

“Fuck, of course not. Is that what you think of me?” he asks, holding me tighter, as if he knows I wanted to run.

“Then what?”

He sighs and admits, “Before we came to the bar and I saw you. Again, I had no idea I’d be seeing you, Vi. I haven’t even thought of another woman since I laid eyes on you again.”

“Why is life so hard?” I moan, burying my face in the crook of his neck. “Let’s just hide under the sheets and pretend the outside world doesn’t exist.”

“Anything worth it never comes easy,” he says gently, running his fingers across my neck. “I just want you, Vi. In my bed, in my house, all your girly shit in my bathroom. I just want you. I always have. And you know what?”

“What?” I ask a little hesitantly.

“I’m going to have you.”





Chapter Fifteen


“So you coach children’s basketball every Sunday?” I ask him the next day. After spending the night in his arms, we went out for breakfast, and now I’m cooking us lunch at my house. Dash is telling me about his team of children, aged ten to twelve, who he coaches every week. “So you didn’t give up basketball entirely then. That’s amazing, Dash.”

“Yeah, every Sunday morning,” he says, his face lighting up. “You should see these kids, Vi. They’re awesome.”

“I’d love to come to a game one day,” I say, happily inviting myself.

“You can come tomorrow if you like,” he says, taking my hand in his. “I’d love that.”

“Really?” I ask, stirring the pasta sauce. “That would be cool.”

“How often do you see your parents?” he asks me, checking the garlic bread in the oven. “You haven’t really spoken about them.”

“I see them on holidays,” I explain. “They live about a five-hour drive out of the city now, in a small country town down south. How about you and your mum?”

He pauses, closing the oven. “She passed away about two years ago.”

I turn to him, letting go of the spoon and instinctively taking a step toward him. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Dash.”

I hug him, resting my cheek against his chest. “I wish I could have been there for you.”

“It’s funny you say that,” he says, arms around me. “Because when she got cancer and when she passed, those were both the times I wanted to call you so badly. I almost did, in fact.”

“I wish you had.”

It was on both of us that we let ourselves lose contact, but I kind of feel responsible. I was only thinking of my loss, but everyone else lost Max too. Dash was hurting, and I left him behind as well. I think it was the only way I could deal with the loss of losing my best friend, but now we have a chance to make things right. There’s no point looking back, only forward.

We stay like that for a moment, until the sauce starts bubbling on the stove and I have to move. I feel really miserable Dash lost his mum, especially because his dad isn’t in his life. I almost want to ask about his dad, if he heard from him over the years, but I figure he will tell me if he wants to.

After we have lunch, we put on a movie and get in bed. There is no way either of us is going to concentrate on the movie though, because as soon as we get in bed, we’re all over each other. Dash kisses me slow and deep, his tongue masterfully tangling with mine, his fingers lifting my t-shirt to touch my skin. When his lips touch my neck, I sit up and pull my shirt off. I then take off my bra and panties, all in several seconds, while Dash watches with lust and a hint of amusement.

“Eager, baby?” he says, eyes roaming over my body.

I smile at the endearment and say, “I don’t care what happens. If the phone rings, or if there’s an earthquake, you do not stop.”

He chuckles and starts to undress himself. “Oh, there’ll be an earthquake.”

Too turned on to roll my eyes, I watch as he lays back down on the bed, naked, his cock standing to attention. My mouth waters. Sliding closer to him on my knees, I take his hardness into my hand and stroke him a few times before licking the tip, swirling my tongue around it. I then take as much of him as I can into my mouth, my head bobbing up and down.

“Fuck, Vi,” Dash says in a husky tone that has me squeezing my thighs together. “That feels so good.”

He threads his fingers in my hair and gently pulls, turning me on even more. He slaps the back of my thigh and says, “Sit on my face. I want to taste you.”

I maneuverer my body, straddling his face and lowering myself to him. He grabs my hips and puts his mouth on me, tasting my core. I moan and lean forward, taking his cock deep into my mouth, trying to concentrate, but all I can do is feel his tongue on my clit, bringing me higher and higher. It’s not long before I shatter, moaning around his cock as wave after wave of pleasure hits me. He lifts me off him, rolls me over, and gets on top of me, sliding in with one smooth thrust.