Page 50 of Misadventures Of A Single Mom

True. But that was because Dex was way more man than I could handle.

“Your husband—I remember you said you’d been married—dominated your spirit, the very essence of who you are. He took that from you, without providing in return.”

I swallowed hard. “How do you know that?” Wow, I was having dinner with Dr. Phil.

“I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him.” Dex put his fork down, focused on me. “What did he do to you?”

What the hell, I thought.Practice date. Practice date.It was the weirdest practice date I’d ever been on. Although this was the first. I sighed. “He cheated on me. Said things that made me feel bad about myself. Left me for another woman.”

Dex’s jaw clenched in anger. “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him. You should not be treated that way.” His voice confirmed it.

I smiled weakly. “That’s…in a weird way…nice of you to say.”

The waitress traded salad plates for entrees.

“He should not have needed to seek out other women. When you are mine, I will make sure you are pleasured sexually, just as much as you will pleasure me. I guarantee there will be no reason to stray.”

“And what would happen if I did stray?” I dared to ask.

Dex smiled again, this time without any warmth. He cut his steak. It was so rare I waited for it to moo. “You won’t.” He puthis silverware down and leaned close, his voice a husky whisper only I could hear. “I’ll give you the best orgasms of your life. You’ll be begging for more.”

I blushed. I could feel it to the roots of my hair. This conversation was going completely the wrong way. How had we gotten this far into what it would be like if I married Dex?

As if!

I wanted to find out about Morty, not Dex’s fantasy marriage. Maybe going along with him would get him to share more about himself. It had worked so far. Maybe he’d be compelled to share about Morty. Maybe.

Okay, play along. Play along.“Multiple orgasms sound…appealing.” I tilted my head and attempted my best flirtatious smile. “Tell me more,” I tried to sound seductive, although to my ears it sounded as if I needed a cough drop.

Dex’s eyes flared at my sudden interest. He was still close, our conversation intimate enough not to be overheard. “You submit to me in every way, every sexual way, and I’ll make you come. Hard. Every time. Once my ring is on your finger, I’ll train your body to be constantly aroused. You won’t have time, or want to do anything else but pleasure me. I doubt I’ll even let you get dressed the first few weeks.”

Somehow Dex’s dirty talk sounded creepy, not arousing. And I was super creeped out. Ilikedto wear clothes. And he’d forgotten there would be two kids under foot. Sexy times weren’t the same with children.

“This is um…a lot to think about.” Truest statement I ever made. “But I want to know more about you. About your work, your ranch.”

Dex must have felt he’d given a good sales pitch toward marriage as he’d returned to his dinner. After taking a few bites of meat, he asked, “What do you want to know?”

“I heard about the poor man who used to work at your ranch. You know, the one I asked about when I first met you?”

“Right,” Dex said, bitterly. “I heard about that, too.” I could practically see Dex take a step back emotionally.

Change tactics! Think!I reached out and placed my hand on top of his, pinned him with my gaze. “I just worry that something like that might happen to me if I lived with you. Someone was murdered!” I tried to sound like a complete wuss.

Dex brought my hand up to his lips, kissed my knuckles. “Thanks to you I learned Mr. Moore stole from me and was obviously involved in criminal activity. If someone hadn’t already killed him, I assure you, I would have taken care of him myself. No one messes with my ranch, with what’s mine.”

I could tell that was all I was going to get from Dex about Morty. Which was nothing. Crap. He’d turned all possessive and was smart enough to know I was fishing for information if I asked more.

We finished our meal and Dex walked me to my car. It was almost dark, the sky a deep purple. The air was surprisingly cool. I opened the door and turned to him. He’d moved in close, pinning me between the open door and his body. I could smell his cologne, feel his body heat. “You’ll consider all we talked about?”

I nodded. My palms were sweating. My heart pounded in my ears. He was too close, in my circle.

“I’ll call you later this week. Dinner again? This time at my house.”

He didn’t give me an opportunity to answer. His lips found mine before I had a chance to say no. I’d never kissed a man with a mustache. It was odd, ticklish. Like kissing a man and a caterpillar at the same time. Definitely weird. His mouth was warm on mine, tender. It wasn’t a possessive kiss, surprisingly gentle considering his size, his dominating personality. Ithought about how it must be hard to keep a mustache clean when you ate soup. Was it hot having a mustache? My mind wandered, clearly not into the kiss.

I didn’t pull back, didn’t push him away either.Practice date. This was a practice kiss.Would I ever kiss another guy with a mustache? Was this my last mustache kiss? It was brief, no tongue. Pleasant. And pleasant wasn’t the word you wanted describing a kiss with a man. Unless it was your grandpa.

I wanted the zing I’d discovered with Ty. When I kissed Ty I forgot everything, forgot even to breathe. Ty! The image of him popped into my head and made me pull back from Dex. I felt my stomach do a somersault with guilt at letting Dex kiss me. I wanted Ty’s mouth on mine. Only Ty’s.

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