Tell Me You Want Me (Search and Seduce, #2)(42)

Dex: I would like that very much.

Michelle: Great. Please come as soon as you can.

He frowned at the last part. It sounded urgent.

Dex: Are you okay?

Michelle: Yes. Sort of.

Dex: What’s wrong? Are you hurt?

Come right away and “sort of fine” made his brain start hurling ideas. Maybe she’d hurt herself? Cut her hand on a kitchen knife? Car broke down?

Michelle: I’m not hurt. I just miss you.

That made his whole face slacken. She wanted him to come over right away because she missed him.

Plain. Simple. That was it.

She missed him.

She didn’t need him to do any work or chore. Didn’t need him to pick her up or bail her out. Didn’t need a favor. She just missed him.

That made his chest puff out with happiness.

“Gotta go,” he said quickly to East, shoving his phone into his pocket and leaving his last harness on the table. “Can you finish checking that for me?”

“Got somewhere better to be?” East asked.

“Yeah,” Dex replied. He did.

“You should at least shower before seeing your girl,” East called after him. Apparently Dex wasn’t overly cryptic when it came to his plans. It had already been a long day. Yeah, he’d worked hard and was a little sweaty and hadn’t shaved in a few days, but she wanted him. Even he couldn’t resist this disaster waiting to happen.

“I’ll take my chances,” he said.





Chapter Eleven


A knock came at Michelle’s front door, and she all but ran to it. Her feet slapped against the hardwood and sent vibrations up her legs as she hustled faster.

Dex.

It had only been fifteen minutes since she’d texted him. She threw open the door and lunged at him.

“Well, hello to you,” he said with a deep chuckle and hugged her.

She was going for what she wanted. Wasn’t going to waste any more time. And what she wanted was to taste and feel Dex.

Their time was ending. The list would have to be completed on her own. And this, in its own way, would be a checkmark off her list.

Fall hard for a man…and then walk away.

The thought should have made her feel more free and alive than ever. But instead she felt vertigo, like she was falling and had no one to catch her.

Deep down, she couldn’t do a relationship. Couldn’t be tied to anyone, because it would go against everything she’d fought for. She’d been more certain of that than ever when Dex had picked her out of the mock water rescue. He was the kind of man she’d get lost in if she wasn’t careful.

But she wanted one more night with Dex. At the very least to say some sort of good-bye. Good-bye to the fun, good-bye to his charm, good-bye to the man she had feelings for.

She couldn’t have feelings. She just couldn’t.

And even if she did, she had to prove to herself that those feelings had no power over her. She had to be with him for one more night and then tell him good-bye.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. It should be weird. They hadn’t spoken in a few days. But it was like they both knew the game. And for tonight, she was done playing. She’d been honest, put it out there, and he’d responded. No more games, just truth.

And the truth was that she wanted him.

He tasted and nipped her lips. “Sorry, I could use a shower, but your orders said right away.” He picked her up, and she instantly wrapped her legs around his middle as he took her inside and kicked the door shut behind him.

“I’m so glad you listen to orders. Making me wait any longer would have made me very unhappy.”

“Can’t have that,” he said, kissing down her neck.

She didn’t care that he was dirty, messy, or in plain clothes. She just kissed him. She liked the smell of him, the taste of him.

When she started tugging off his shirt, he groaned.

“Maybe I should shower,” he said.

“After,” she breathed and kept kissing him. “Need you now.”

He kissed her harder. “God, I love hearing you say that.”

She cupped his face, and, keeping her mouth against his, she said, “It’s true.”

He leaned away to look at her for a moment. “I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

She kissed him again. “I know. I didn’t call, either. Do you ever feel like you’re in the middle of a big mess and no matter what you do, there’s no way you’re going to come out clean?”

He gripped her tighter, and with her still wrapped around him, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He didn’t let her go, though. Just adjusted her weight to one arm while he cranked the knobs and made hot water spray against them in seconds.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “But maybe we can stay messy together for a little while longer.”

There it was. The admission that she knew was coming. A little while longer.

That said it all.

He wanted more. And she wanted to give it to him.

And that was all the reason she needed to put an end to this.

This was her last hit of a drug she couldn’t stomach. It was so good. He was so good. But it went against everything she was trying to be on her own.

“I’ll get dirty with you tonight,” she whispered.