Page 104 of Dex

I nod in agreement.

He snorts, shaking his head.“My father.Work.The usual shit.That kind of frustration,” he remarks pointedly.

I hesitate, then push.“Your father’s being shown around the business.”

A muscle tics in his jaw.“Yeah,” he mutters.“Wish he’d just go home.”

I don’t blame him.Paul Knight is a storm in a suit, and storms don’t leave without destroying something first.

“Must be tough for your parents,” he adds, watching me closely.“I’m sorry they have to suffer him.”

“They haven’t said anything.”I force a small smile, trying to ignore the knot tightening in my chest.But Dexter doesn’t elaborate and so far hasn’t hinted at any problems, so I feel reassured.

“Have you heard from Raquel?”

I shake my head.“No.Why?”

“Rio’s gone silent.”|

“I can’t get a hold of Raquel either.”I wonder if they’re up to something.

“They looked to be getting on that night we had drinks at the hotel,” Dexter adds.

The nightwegot on well.

That sneaky little espertinha.The clever little one.“I’ll have a million questions for her when I next see her.”

“I’m sure you will.”

The tension around us softens.It becomes less about us, more about the people we can’t reach.I remember the two of them in the bar that night.“You think …?”The question hangs in the air.

“I don’t know what to think,” Dexter mutters.

It’s strange, the way our lives have suddenly merged, how mine and Dexter’s lives are tangled together, and how Rio and Raquel’s might be, too.

“So,” Dexter draws my attention back to him.“Tell me, what kind of men does Daniela Oliviera usually go for?”

I tense, not liking this probing into my personal life.

But he’s my husband.

I swirl my fingers through the water.“Wouldn’t you like to know?”I say, seductively.

His smile is subtle, yet dangerous.“I would, actually.”

I roll my eyes, but my heart is hammering.“Nothing scandalous.No friends-with-benefits situations.”I give him a pointed look.

His grin fades, just slightly.“Not all of my arrangements are meaningless,” he says.“Some people want an understanding.No strings.No expectations.We are allowed pillow talk.”

I shudder, not wanting to have a visual of him in bed with another woman.“That’s not me,” I murmur.

“I gathered, given your utter revulsion at the idea.”His voice is quiet, but heavy.The steam rises around us, curling in the air, thick with something that’s not just heat.His eyes search mine.“And what about Oscar Ramos?”

I still.

Of course, he’d ask about him.

This time, I don’t hesitate.“He wanted to marry me.”

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