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Everything in me went all gooey at the protective comment.
His gaze sharpening, he tilted his head. “The photo she showed you … You didn’t even suspect it was recent?”
I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. “I’ll admit, there were a few seconds where—completely taken off-guard—I assumed it was. But cheating goes against who you are. I couldn’t believe you’d do that to me. I just couldn’t. So I took a closer look at the picture, and I noticed background details that clearly spelled out it was from years ago.”
An emotion I couldn’t quite name leaked into his eyes, thawing some of the rage there. Those same eyes roamed over my face with blatant possession. “I don’t think anyone has ever trusted me quite as much as you do.”
The question “Not even Gracie?”was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. It wouldn’t be a fair thing to ask. “Mimi also said that you watch over Angel. I’m not accusing you of anything,” I hurried to add. “I just know you’re a protective person, so—”
“Only to those under my protection. I haven’t been in contact with Angel since we ended our bed-buddy arrangement.”
The last knot in my belly fell away. “In better news, Mimi’s actually leaving Redwater for a while.”
He let out a low snort. “Of course she is. She doesn’t want to face me after pulling this stunt.”
He whipped out his phone, unlocked the screen with a press of his thumb, tapped said screen a few times, and then put the cell to his ear. The room was quiet enough that I heard the dialing tone, heard it ring and ring and ring, heard a muffled automated voice, heard a distinctbeep.
“Low, Mimi,” Dax rumbled. “What you did today waslow. Apparently, I haven’t made myself perfectly clear, so I’ll rectify that now. You are to stay away from Addison. Don’t contact her, don’t approach her, don’t even look at her. Fuck with me over this, fuck withherever again, and I swear to Christ you will pay in ways you don’t want to imagine.” He hung up with a heavy exhale.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “She won’t believe you. You know that, right?”
“I do. Just as I know that it’s my own fault. Where she’s concerned, I’ve let too many things slide for far too long. No more. If she calls my bluff on this, I’ll make her wish she hadn’t.”
“I don’t think you’ll hear from her again in a while.” A delightful prospect. “She’ll want to give you plenty of time to calm down.” Recalling something, I added, “Believe it or not, she’s convinced that I’ll be gone from the picture by the time she’s back.”
His face hardened. “She’s wrong.”
“Yes, she’s wrong. Let’s hope she doesn’t pull another dick move when she sees that.” But honestly, I wasn’t holding my breath.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Strolling into Dax’s office the following afternoon, I gave him a little wave as I half-greeted-half-sung, “Surprise.”
Sitting behind his desk, looking the emperor of his domain, he locked those mismatched orbs on me, the set of his mouth softening. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
I closed his door and then walked toward his desk. “Of course you didn’t. It wouldn’t have been a surprise otherwise.”
His gaze dipped to the plastic bag I was carrying. “What’s this?”
“Grub. I spoke to Benjamin,” I added, referring to his delightful PA. “He said you didn’t have a lunch meeting today and would be here, so …” I lifted my shoulders, feeling a teensy bit awkward at the thought that he might well dislike my having appeared uninvited. But something warm and intense seeped into his gaze, relaxing my insides.
Dax pushed out of his chair. “I see. And what inspired this?”
“Nothing in particular. It just occurred to me that wives sometimes do this sort of thing. I can’t neglect my civic duties any more than you can neglect yours.” Or, more to the point, I’d quite simply wanted to see him and I saw no need to fight it.
He hummed and ushered me over to the lounge area. “You succeeded in surprising me. Not many people manage to do that. Yet, you do it frequently.”
Resting the deli bag on the coffee table, I felt my mouth curve. “I admit, I find some enjoyment in keeping you on your toes.” It was only fair. He kept me on mine.
His lips hitched up. “I’d sensed that much for myself.”
“For the record, do you class my lunchtime visit a good surprise or a bad surprise?” I asked, keeping my voice casual, not wanting to show just how much it would sting if the answer happened to be “bad.”
He dipped his head slightly, his eyes diving into mine, gleaming with something I couldn’t quite name that made my belly flutter. “Good.”
Relief warming my insides, I gave him a winning smile. “Excellent answer.” Awhooshof air sounded as I sank onto a leather chair.
He claimed the seat across from me, reminding me of the last time I was here. So much had happened since then that it felt like a lifetime ago, but not in a negative way. It was more as if my life now felt split intoBefore DaxandAfter Dax.
