Page 19 of Forbidden Desires

Those words. One simple sentence. Five short words. And still it hits so damn hard.

"Yeah, I can see that," I reply as if he didn't just knock my feet out from under me. I try to keep my voice steady, but the weight of the moment hangs heavy in the air.

"We feel like we've given you enough time to settle in, and we want to talk," Dexter adds, his gaze intense.

"This is a rather far distance to travel for a talk," I snark back.

Pete lifts a lone eyebrow as Dexter narrows his gaze on me.

"If you'd answered the phone, unblocked Pete's number, or responded to any of my texts we wouldn't have had to come as far as we did, now would we have?"

"Catch a hint?"

At this, Dexter pushes away from his perch against the door and Pete starts pacing.

"Fucking hell, Suze. Don't be dense. You know as well as we do that there's something to talk about."

I cross my arms, instantly defensive. There’s a lot to talk about. More than they know. "I'm not sure I'm ready for a talk," I say, thinking back on how Pete hurt me before. "What happened between you and me? The way we left things. It still stings, you know?"

That's more vulnerability than I'm truly comfortable sharing with them, especially considering the damn news I just got from the clinic. I don't have time for this right now. I need to get into my apartment so I can unpack all my feelings and figure out where the fuck I'm going from here.

Pete looks down at his feet and rubs at the back of his neck. "We're not interested in pushing or rushing you, Suzie. But we can't just ignore things anymore. When you left for London, I should have gone after you. I'll regret that for as long as I live. I couldn't let that happen again. So here I am, showing you how important you are to me."

This time it's my stare that narrows on them. "You're not alone anymore, though, are you? How does your boyfriend feel about you coming halfway across the country to chase some girl?"

Dexter outright growls at my verbal slap and storms at me. I take a step back, and he pushes me up against the wall opposite my front door. "I'm right here, brat. Why don't you ask me yourself? Better yet, why don't I just tell you?" He's so close I can feel his breath on me. Dexter's hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb tracing my bottom lip.

I should push him away, force him to stop what he's doing, but I don't have the energy to fight my own desires right now.

"I can't stop thinking about you, Suzie. The feel of your body against mine haunts my dreams. I might not know how you prefer your coffee, or if you get cranky in the mornings, but Iknow that we have more than enough chemistry between the two of us to make this thing between us worth exploring. Especially if it makes Pete happy." Dexter's mouth descends on mine, and he gives me the softest of kisses.

When he pulls away, I have to stop myself from following him. "What the hell do you two want?"

"A date."

"A date?" The words feel foreign on my tongue. "What the hell do you mean you want a date?"

"We're here for a month. We're interested in seeing if things will work with you, and took the time off work to give it a go. So give us a date," Pete says, his voice low.

As much as them showing up here, today of all days, messes with my head, I can't help but admit that the sound of a date with them excites me.

I bite my lip, caught between longing and hesitation. Longing for the promise of more and hesitation because I do not need to get my hopes up. With everything else going on in my life I can't afford any more upheaval. Not to mention the fact that I will need to tell them at some point about the baby I'm carrying. "I'm not sure. There's a lot?—"

"We're here for a month, Suzie. If you want us to give you space after that, we will," Pete assures me. "All we ask for is a chance."

I sigh, weighing my options. There's so much to consider.

"If I say yes, will you two go away for now, and wait for me to contact you?"

Pete's worried expression morphs into one filled with hope and it cracks the wall I've been building around my heart the last few weeks.

"Only if you promise not to make us wait too long.”

My only response is to nod.

"Deal," Dexter says, a grin spreading across his face. "We'll wait to hear from you."

As they leave, I'm left standing in front of my door, the thrill of anticipation mingling with the burden of my secret. I glance down at my still-flat stomach, a wave of resolve washing over me.

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