Page 86 of Maid For Each Other

“Wake up, Abi,” he said, his deep voice soft and soothing. “Time to go to bed.”

“Shhhhh,” I said without opening my eyes, not wanting him to move because I was so damn comfortable.

He didn’t say anything so I thought he was going to stay, but then I felt myself being gently lifted.

“Dex,” I said, looking up at that face as he picked me up like I weighed nothing, like I was a sleeping toddler he was carrying off to bed. “What are you doing?”

“Shhhhh, sleepyhead,” he said, carrying me toward the guest room where I was staying. I felt absurdly relaxed in his arms as he went into the room and set me gently on the bed.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling sleepy and cozy as I nestled under the covers and pulled them up to my armpits.

“I kind of want those pajamas,” he said, teasing me. “They’ve grown on me.”

“I’m fairly certain they would never button over your chest,” I said.

“That’s probably true,” he said, looking down at his chest. “Was your ex a weenie?”

“I don’t know if I’d say ‘weenie,’ but definitely not as big as you.”

“So I win,” he said proudly.

“This is not a competition.”

“Isn’t it, though?” he asked.

“No, it’s not.” I laughed, mostly because we were only friends and we’d never even discussed the topic of my ex before.

Which was good because it was really a non-topic.

The last guy I dated was nice and we had a cordial time togetherand slept together twice before he said he was still in love with his ex, and I realized it didn’t even matter to me.

His eyes roamed over my face, and I knew he was about to leave me alone.

And I didn’t want to be alone.

“Can I just thank you again for this trip?” I said, because a hundred thank-yous weren’t enough. “I had the best day with you today.”

“It was a great day,” he agreed, and I felt like he was speaking carefully, like he was purposely holding back.

I bit my lip. I should’ve held back, too, but the words came out anyway. “Do you ever think about our first kiss?”

He looked surprised at first, but then his mouth slid into a slow smile. “Hell, yes, all the time.”

“Youdo?” I said around a laugh, shocked that he was being so honest.

“How could I not?” he said, stacking his hands on top of his head as he smiled down at me. “We both went in for this big Hollywood kiss but got completely lost in the realness of what a kiss is.”

“ ‘Of what a kiss is’?” I asked, almost breathlessly, my toes curling underneath the blanket.

His green eyes were hot. “I got lost in the softness of your lips and the smell of your perfume and the breathy little sound you made when I dared to use my tongue—all the physical magic of a kiss. I forgot about reasons and purpose and just wanted to stay in there and keep going, y’know?”

That made me grin. “I wanted to ‘stay in there and keep going,’ too, for the record.”

“Listen, Mariano. Is there a reason why you’re bringing thisup while we’re here in the bedroom?” He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Does this seem like a good idea to you?”

“Well, no,” I said. “But if I was trying to seduce you, for the record, I’d want to do it in your big, fancy bedroom.”

“Oh, do you have complaints about the guest room?” he teased, his eyes twinkling with boyish mischief. “Is it not big enough for you?”

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