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“But we’re friends.”
Like that was poison to passion or something? Dex frowned, marshaling his arguments. Then he saw the look in her eyes—confusion twisted with lust. And there, beneath it, that little-girl-lost expression that had always torn at his heart when they’d been kids.
“Sure, we’re friends,” he said with a sigh. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t be more, Zoe.”
“Dex, you’re the sweetest guy I know. The absolute best.” Zoe hesitated, then leaned forward and brushed a soft, feathery kiss over his cheek. With a bittersweet smile, she rose and headed for the door. “There’s very little from my past that means more to me than our friendship. I don’t want to ruin that.”
Damn. There was nothing she could have said that would more effectively tie his hands.
There was nothing sweet about the way he wanted her. It took everything he had for Dex not to leap up off the couch, grab her, toss her to the floor and show her just how wild and dirty he could be.
“Why did you come to the reunion ?” he asked. Frustration fueled the words, but he really wanted to know.
“It wasn’t to ruin our friendship,” she said defensively. Dex just raised a brow, not needing to point out the uselessness of stating the obvious.
She shrugged, then reached for the doorknob. “I’m here to find some guy named Gandalf. If you have any tips, I’d appreciate them. Because as soon as I figure out who he is, I’ll be able to get the hell out of Dodge.”
Gandalf again. That she wanted his alter ego and not him really chafed. Stubbornly, Dex kept silent.
When he didn’t say anything, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Dexter, you’ll thank me later. Sex would be mind-blowingly great, sure. But some things are more important than that. Don’t you think so?”
He groaned. She smiled, obviously thinking he’d taken it as a joke. Except he could still recall the taste of her, the scent of her juices when she exploded beneath his tongue. Definitely not something he’d joke about.
“Look, I’ll get out of your way. But if you come up with any deets on that Gandalf guy, I’d appreciate it.” He heard her mutter as she closed the door behind her, “I wouldn’t mind knowing who the hell his friend Aragorn is, either.”
Dex didn’t know how long he sat there on the couch staring at the front door, the echo of Zoe’s parting comment ricocheting around in his head. He watched her departure through the window, trying to grapple with this latest twist.
She wanted his alter ego for career purposes. She wanted his costumed self for sexual thrills. And the real him? He was regulated to the corner wearing a stupid “The woman I’m crazy about came to town and all I got was this stupid friend” stamp on his forehead.
To hell with that.
He was a smart man. He’d figure out a strategy to change Zoe’s mind. But, like any smart man, he knew the benefit of narrowing the competition. To do that, he had to find out why she wanted Gandalf. Then he’d be able to strategize his game plan. Because there had never been a prize in Dex’s life that was more important to win than Zoe.
With that in mind, he headed for his childhood bedroom. There, he booted up his laptop and flexed his fingers. First, some research into Zoe’s consultation clients. Then he’d play. It had been a few years, but he was pretty sure his hacking skills were still top-notch. The hardest part, he knew, would be waiting around for her to log onto her own computer.
9
ZOE STEPPED OUT of the bathroom, steamy heat following her in a misty, fresh-scented cloud. It had taken twenty minutes under the hot shower to thaw out her toes.
Both to ask around and to promote Julie’s quest to be queen, Zoe’d had lunch with the math club, then spent a few hours shopping in town with the yearbook committee. She probably should have stopped there, but she was desperate to keep her mind off Dex and the stunned look of frustration he’d worn when she’d walked out. So she’d gone on the afternoon social hike that the not-popular-enough-for-Candice’s-radar gang had organized.Despite her confusion and worry over Dex, she’d been totally shocked to find she actually enjoyed most of the people she’d talked with. Sure, some were stuffy, others still dorks. But at least half had been…well, fun.
She might even join their spa day tomorrow before the dinner announcing the nominations for reunion king and queen. Anything to keep her mind off Dex. Not that she was having much luck with that. Not with avoiding Dex, thinking about Dex or talking to other people who were so impressed with how freaking wonderful Dex was.
