Page 349 of Dark Love

Excuse me? “What did you just say?” I pop up onto my elbow and stare down at him.

“I guess not.”

“I wasn’t pretending to sleep.” Much.

“Then what were you doing?”

My mouth snaps shut. There’s no way I’m admitting to anything. Especially not to the fact that I was mooning over him like a silly girl with her first crush. Is Vex really my first crush?

That’s got to be a new one. Skip the quarterback or all the pop stars, my first crush is a crime lord who crushes bones for fun.

“You ready for breakfast, or do you want to stay here a while longer?”

There’s only one answer for that, but it’s not the one I should give. My stomach rumbles answering before I can embarrass myself.

“Food it is.” He pulls me in closer to him. “We could order in or go out.”

Would ordering in mean I could stay cuddled up to him?

Wait… Vex isn’t acting all put out that I’m hugging him. He should have pushed me away by now, not moved me closer. Could that mean—

“Dahlia?”

“Huh?”

“Food? Where do you want to eat?”

It really sounds like he’s chuckling, but I’m going to pretend it didn’t. Also, that it wasn’t as sexy as it sounded. Here probably isn’t a good idea, because I’m going to end up embarrassing myself even more. “Out I guess.”

This time, I’m sure he’s chuckling. His joy flows through me. Like parched soil, I draw it in, holding on tight for the next drought that’s sure to happen soon.

How will I make it through life once I’m out of this bed?

“You know we have to get up to actually do that.”

“When I was little, my favorite saying in the morning was ‘give me fifteen more minutes please’ whenever my mom would come wake me up.” Did I just say that?

“And now that you’re an adult?”

“The snooze button and I have become best friends.”

There’s that chuckle again. It makes every part of me shiver with joy. “What about you? Are you a morning person?” Surely, a club owner would have to be a night owl.

“No one ever woke me up as a kid.”

They were probably afraid of making you grumpy. “And now?” There’s no alarm clock visible, but he seems to be a techie-type guy.

“I wake up when I want.”

How does that even work for a businessman? That’s a silly question. Who’s going to fire him when he’s the boss?

My stomach grumbles.

Why? Why would it do this to me? I ate my body weight in steak last night. Embarrassed, I burrow my face into his chest… That probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.

“Time to get up.” He reaches over and touches his tablet. The shades blocking out the world disappear, drenching the room with light. There’s no warm glow from the rising sun. It’s got to be mid-morning.

If I don’t move, maybe none of this is real.

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