Page 18 of Flirting With Fire
“He didn’t. Tom’s a city boy. When I suggested we move to a small town in the middle of nowhere, he laughed and broke it off the next day.”
“Is that the reason you came home?” Dex asked.
I snorted at the thought. “I don’t need my mom to mend my broken heart. I’m a big boy now.”
I thought he’d laugh and make some crack about my size, but instead, he regarded me for a long moment. “Is your heart broken?”
Now I had to think. Was it? “I’m not sure, to be honest,” I admitted. “Maybe there’s an element of relief. Tom’s fun to be with, but he’s high maintenance. There were times I just wanted to crash out and cuddle on the couch, not go to clubs and parties. Tom never understood that.”
“He was a party animal?”
“He would have partied 24/7 if he could.”
Dex raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t sound much like you.”
I snorted out a laugh. “We’re total opposites.”
Dex nodded. “You know what they say.”
It took me a minute. “Opposites attract? I guess that was us. But there are times I want to be with friends who are like me and do the same things I like doing.”
“Like what?” Dex seemed genuinely curious.
“Cycling, camping, hiking. Cuddling on the couch to watch a movie. Sitting in silence reading a book.” A sigh escaped me. “I haven’t much of any of that in the past six months.”
“Maybe you can change that while you’re here,” Dex murmured.
“Maybe,” I agreed, wondering if that was a subtle offer to join me. Because I wouldn’t say no. “I need to find a new home first.”
His frown was immediate. “You’re not going to live with Lindy?”
I shook my head. “I love Mom, but I’ve lived by myself for over a decade.”
“You’ve come home just to move out again?”
I bristled at Dex’s angry tone. What was his problem? “But I’m not going anywhere. That’s why I got a transfer here. So I can keep an eye on my mom.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
Now I was getting riled. “Not that it’s any of your business, but neither of us want to share.”
He levered off the truck and shrugged. “Whatever.”
I clenched my jaw. This man was so infuriating. “If you’ve got something to say, Chase, spit it out.”
I stepped into his space, toe-to-toe, eyes locked on his, waiting to find out what his problem was with me.
But then Dex ducked his head and took a step back. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
That was a load of bullpucky if ever I heard it. The one thing I’d learned about Dex Chase in the past two days was heneverhad ‘nothing to say.’ But before I could push him further, I heard my mom’s car turn into the cul-de-sac.
Dex swallowed hard. I took a step back to give us both space. Had I scared or intimidated him? Despite my size, or maybe because of it, I really wasn’t that kind of guy, and whatever wasgoing on between me and him was all him. He needed to work it out.
“I love my mom,” I said before she jumped out of the car, “and I’m here to stay.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a declaration or a warning. I’d leave Dex to decide.
Chapter Six
