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“I love it.” With Dex, this isn’t a chore. Just my pleasure to do.
He wears a sleepy smile as he falls backward on the bed, scooting up the mattress until his head is on a pillow, pressed up against the leather headboard. He pats his chest, wordlessly telling me where I should rest. I climb on top of him and cozy into his cuddle.
The aroma of French toast finds my nose and I’m tempted to grab the fork and return to my breakfast tray. But Dex’s chest begins to rise and fall rhythmically, pulling me into a sleepy daze that overwhelms my appetite. With my last bit of energy, I pull the covers over our naked bodies and fall asleep next to my husband.
19
Dex
“A
nother bite?” I ask Lennox. She’s sitting on my kitchen countertop, wearing my button-down shirt like an open robe draped over her naked body. With her ankles crossed, she’s swinging her legs, her heels tapping the cabinets with a soft rhythmic thud.
Nodding with wide eyes, she answers, “Like five more bites. You’re such a good cook. If I could, I’d marry you again. How come you’ve never cooked like this for me before?”
“Seemed too intimate while you were dating someone else,” I say, cutting another hearty square piece of French toast and dabbing it in whipped cream before popping it into her mouth. It would’ve been much better when it was hot two hours ago, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Now, she’s enjoying the leftovers, still looking happier than I’ve ever seen her. My chest is full. Maybe I’m bursting with pride.I did that.I put that smile on her face. Now my whole life purpose is to keep it there.
“Cooking for someone is intimate?” she asks after chewing and swallowing.
“Oh yeah,” I say. “Even more so than sex. If I caught another man in your bed, I’d ruin his life. But if I caught another mancooking for you, the police would have to scavenger hunt for body parts.”
She squints one eye. “Yeah, okay. That seems…reasonable.”
I smirk at her. “Glad you agree.” Uncrossing her legs, I wedge myself between her smooth thighs. “How are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“You went from a breakup, to homeless, to married, to screwing your best guy friend in the timespan of a week. I’m sure your head is still spinning.”
“Technically, inaccurate. Finn’s my best guy friend.” She flashes me a close-lipped, smartass smile.
“I resent that.” I tap her nose. “But did you tell him we got married yet?”
“No,” Lennox answers.
“Why not?”
“Same reason I haven’t told my parents yet.”
“Being?” I prod.
“I’ve been trying to avoid my feelings for you for years. Then, the minute money and your company are on the line…we give in? It doesn’t look good, and I don’t expect people to understand.”
I run my thumb against her cheek. “Since when do you care about what people think?”
“I’m not concerned what anyone else thinks of me. But my parents, Finn, and Avery? They aren’t just people to me. I look up to all of them and I don’t want them to perceive me as a gold digger. If we had gotten married for any reason outside of Hessler Group, I’d want to parade you around, shouting from the rooftops that I’m happy. But…I don’t know. It feels a little weird outside of our bubble.”
“It feels a little weird?” I watch the worry lines form on her forehead.
“Yes.”
“Forget how this happened, Lennox. Let’s just be glad it did. It doesn’t feel weird to me.”
She smiles. “How does it feel for you?”
I search my mind for the best answer. All I want is to put her mind at ease. “It feels like my favorite memory. Like I returned to a home I didn’t even know I had.”
She puckers her bottom lip. “You are so good at that. The way you speak to me…”