“Are you paying attention?”
No, I wasn’t and popped myself up on my elbows to see Dash poking his head around the corner of the bathroom. My heart skipped a beat. His disheveled hair, his pouty lips slowly returning to their normal size, his gaze adoring as he stared at me… How had I gotten so lucky?
“Yes, I did. I think we should wait until my grandparents calm down.”
He gave an exaggerated eye roll and disappeared. The shower faucet flipped on. The unexpected sound of pitter-pattering feet came running toward the bed. They didn’t stop until he jumped directly on top of me.
“Umph.” I jackknifed up, my hands covering my privates, the last part of my body I wanted to hurt right now.
Dash playfully bounced us on the mattress.
“Quit turning me down. I refuse to hearnoanother day.” His smiling expression was in direct contrast with the severity of his tone. “I told you my dad’s gonna take care of your grandparents. He promised.”
Yeah, I had all sorts of responses to give. Where did I even begin? I confidently lay back, tucking my hand underneath my head, saying the first of my counterargument. “If you want me to spend the night with you when your parents leave, my mom better not find out about us. She’ll never allow it.”
Understanding dawned and his expression changed. He leaned back on his heels, his shifting eyes giving a peek into his mind. He quickly went through the different scenarios to find any other possible angles. He was so smart. I’d gotten to know him well. Seconds later, I saw the moment that I had him.
“I win.”
“Perhaps you did or maybe you didn’t,” he remarked, the gears in his head whirling again. “So you’re saying you’ll spend the night with me after my parents leave?”
“If my mom says it’s all right,” I answered, but I’d probably sneak out. We both knew I would. “But she might want to talk to your parents.”
He looked horrified at the suggestion and scooted around on his ass until his feet were back on the floor. “I need to shower. Stay here, just like this.”
“I won,” I called out to drive the win home.
“Not yet.” The sound of the shower door clicking closed echoed in the quiet of the suite.
I often couldn’t believe how well Dash and I connected. After today, I’d describe us as missing pieces to each other’s puzzles. Once I was comfortable with Dash, we’d never had any awkwardness between us. Not in our first time to hold hands, not during our first kiss, and not after today.
Rolling out of bed, I took account of my body. How had everything about me changed yet stayed the same? Sex might honestly be my new favorite pastime. My brain switched gears as I went for my T-shirt. How hadn’t I hurt him? And I could swallow, I was sure of it.
If Dash and I were innately close, then bathroom privacy was likely a non-issue. Somehow, that made it okay to at least join him in the bathroom. I grabbed a hand towel and washed my chest and my junk then ran water over my hands and through my long hair, pushing it off my face as Dash opened the shower door.
Dash was uninhibited with his body. Which eased me with my own. I watched him through the mirror—a mirror that came with a defogger. Seriously fancy. He was the image of perfection. And here I was again, committing his body to memory.
“Toss me a towel.”
I did from the stack below the sink.
“Since you’re dashing all my hopes and dreams…”
“Dash, is my word, and I’m only being practical.”
“Practicality doesn’t belong in our relationship,” he said and ran the towel over his body. “So here’s my counter. I want some sort of PDA tonight to let me know you’re thinking about me on my birthday. Then spend the night tomorrow after your shift as my birthday present.”
I cut him off, going for my underwear and shorts while pointing to the gift sack sitting on Dash’s desk. “I brought you a present. You haven’t opened it…”
He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “You can shower here when you get off work. My parents are leaving this evening. Amelia’s coming in the morning. She’ll believe you’re my friend. Then as soon as my dad talks to your grandparents and they agree on a plan, we come out. It’s a safe plan no matter what argument you come with.”
He slung his damp towel over one shoulder. The other one propped against the door frame. TheDavidhad nothing on Dash. Overwhelmed, I took a seat on the edge of the bed. I’d grown so hard so fast I rammed the heel of my palm into my groin to stop the insanity.
“We’ll talk about it when you’re dressed. You’re making it hard to think straight,” I said.
His sweet smile and soft chuckle had me unsure of what he’d do next. Luckily, he ducked behind the door. “Maybe I need to stay like this in front of you all the time. It might give me a few wins every once in a while. Let me dry my hair. Then we’re going for a ride in my Ferrari.”
I dropped back on the bed as the hair dryer roared to life. My hand came to my heart. I was way over my head with that one.
