Page 101 of Dex

Because it tells me something.

He’s finding it difficult being around me, and yet he can’t seem to stay away for too long.

“I’m going to the gym,” he announces, much to my dismay, as soon as I step inside after a wonderful day.I was hoping we could talk more, have dinner and try to have the type of deep conversation we had once before.

But he sounds a little wound up.I noticed it as soon as he came over to see me getting my massage.I try not to stare at him, because he’s the sexiest I’ve ever seen him, in his workout gear.Black performance shorts, a fitted sleeveless top clinging to his body like a second skin, showing his muscle definition.He looks like a professional athlete, not a businessman.I’m aware of how hard my heart is pounding.

I’m still damp from the pool, and my coverall clings to me.Smoothing my hand through my hair, I try to appear unaffected, but I’m failing miserably.My gaze lingers over his shorts that cling to him.I try to look away but not before I catch him looking at me.No, lookingthroughme.Like he can’t bear to meet my gaze.

“Enjoy,” I say, keeping my tone light.

His fingers flex, and he appears to hesitate.“Are we having dinner together?”

“Do you want to?”

His jaw ticks.“We don’t have to.”

I hate that he’s so hot and cold.Like an on-off switch.I hate dancing around him, not knowing where I stand.“Just go, Dexter.Go to the gym and vent your frustration.”

His expression hardens, and every muscle in that steel hard body seems to flex.If he keeps this up he might snap.“Who says I’m frustrated?”

“Tell me you’re not.”

“It’s work pressure, sweetheart.Don’t kid yourself its anything else.”He strides to the door and leaves.

It’s clear that we’re starting to grate on each other.Things started off smooth at the wedding reception, leading to tired flirtation at the honeymoon suite, and then, when I caught a glimpse of him naked, it all started to get harder.

Now it feels like he can barely tolerate me.If he wants to be cold and dismissive towards me, fine.If he needs to keep his distance.He can.This is still my honeymoon and I intend to enjoy what’s left of it.

I walk over to the refrigerator, grab a bottle of champagne, and pour myself a glass.I watch the bubbles fizz and pop as I lift the flute to my lips and take a sip.It’s delicious.Ridiculously expensive, too, I imagine.

Perfect for an indulgent evening, just for me.I should enjoy these last few days here, before I fall under Paul Knight’s radar.I shiver when I think of him being around my parents.

Pushing the thought away, I walk into the master bedroom, champagne glass and bottle in hand, and open the balcony doors.I decide to have an indulgent evening in the hot tub.It would be a shame to let this go unused.No one can see us because it’s shielded from view by lush tropical greenery.A hidden jewel offering tranquility and privacy.

I turn on the jets, and the bubbling water steams in the warm evening air.Soft lighting built into the stone lends this a cozy, intimate ambiance.

Waiting for it to fill, I call my mom.She picks up after the second ring.“Daniela, meu amor!How are you?”

Her soft and familiar voice is like warm honey flowing through my veins.I run my hand in the warm water.“I miss you Mãe”

She sighs softly.“Papai went into work today, with your father-in-law.”

I don’t like the sound of her strained voice.“Why?”

“He said he would,” she replies, but there’s something off in her tone.

“And?”

She pauses a beat too long.“To see how the business runs.With the Knight alliance, we can make things better.”She’s trying to be sound happy, but I sense the truth.Her pretend reassurance doesn’t calm the unease swirling in my gut.

Paul Knight is a snake.A manipulator.A spy.But I force myself to breathe, to focus.This is an alliance.Maybe he’s in São Paulo to assess, oversee and strategize.To see how he can get oversight on the business while he’s in New York.

My father should be able to hold his own.He’s a smart man, if a little older and frailer.He built a multi-billion-dollar company from the ground up, piece by piece.The world has changed, technology, communications, marketing, but he’s still the man who made it all happen.

We’ll be okay.We have to be.

“I’m sure he’s just trying to get to know what he invested in, Mãe,” I tell her, hoping to reassure her in the way I can’t reassure myself.

---