Page 18 of Rio

I still remember her text:

Dani has left your brother.

You Knights ...??

She’s gone to the Dominican Republic to get a divorce.

She should never have married a Knight??

I was so ecstatic to hear from her, and I quickly replied, telling her how I was sorry, I needed to explain, but it was good to hear from her.How was she?

And she sent another text:

I knew I was right to stay away from you.

But when I replied, she ghosted me again.

I’ve never heard from her since, and it’s been over a month.This all feels so strange to me.I’m not one to sit and mope over a woman.I chase, catch, then see how it goes.Mostly, we have a few months of fun, but that’s all.

This woman has me upside down and back to front.We haven’t had sex.Kissing, and playing a game of strip poker is as far as we’ve gotten.

I need to see her, to kiss her, to touch her to prove to myself that she isn’t as unique and captivating as I remember.I need to know if I’ve simply built it all up in my mind, since I last saw her.I need to prove that once I’ve had her, I can walk away unscathed, because if I can’t, and seeing her again proves the opposite, I’m done for.

This woman unmoors me.She’s the first one to ghost me this way, and she gives me so much grief, instead of kissing my ass.She hates my last name, and she whips my butt because of it.

“Daniela wants to tell Raquel in person, and I’m pretty sure she wants to tell her in detail about everything that went down.It’s been mad, and Raquel doesn’t know the half of it.Hell, she doesn’t even know that I proposed to Daniela, and that this time it’s for real.”

I force a laugh, remembering the first time I met Raquel, and how Dex and Dani were interrogated by her.The woman I’m crazy about is smart.She needed convincing that Dex and Dani really were together.So now, after everything that’s happened, I’m not surprised she wants details.

And no wonder she hates me.

The Knight name is poison to her.

“Why are you asking?”Dex looks at me quizzically, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I shrug.I’m having a tough time as it is, and all we shared was a scorching hot kiss on an unforgettable night in her hotel room.I’ve tried to forget her, but it’s impossible, and because she’s Dani’s best friend, and Dani’s now engaged to my brother, our lives will be inextricably intertwined.There’s a high chance that I’ll run into her again.There will be weddings and babies and birthdays and other anniversaries.

“You said you don’t feel anything for her,” Dex counters, slowly, trying to piece it all together—my interest in this woman, when I’ve not spoken at great length about her.

“I just haven’t said anything about her to you, dude.”I don’t know how I feel about her.It’s all hot and cold.There’s fun and sizzle when we connect, and then long dry spells where we don’t meet.

“You want to tell me something, brother?Just say it.It’s not like you to get tongue-tied about a woman.”

I pretend to laugh.“I don’t think so.”

He nods, slowly, knowingly.Then, “You said she’d been conquered and ditched.”

“We had a few moments,” I say, cryptically.

“A few moments?Brother, I’ve asked you about this before, when you didn’t make the flight back with the rest of us after the wedding.”

That was the day after the strip poker evening.I’ve been vague about it all since then.Not that Dex cared to delve deeper.I guess he was busy navigating through the surprise honeymoon the old man gave them, then he had to adjust to living with Dani in his apartment.

I left them to it, and I was too busy trying to get Raquel out of my head to worry him.

“We played strip poker.”

Dex whistles low, leaning back.“Jeez, bro.”