Page 51 of Served Hot
Considering they’d only been together going on three weeks, he didn’t think that constituted long term, but maybe to her it did. Before he could even think about how to argue the matter, she kissed him.
She felt hesitant, so unlike his usual lover that he took extra care with her. He gentled his hold, lifting her in his arms and carrying her back to the bedroom.
“Make love to me,” she whispered.
He set her down and removed her clothes while she took his off. They tumbled into bed together, and the soft kisses and tender touches grew more intense. He rolled her under him.
“Let me,” he said before kissing her again.
She clenched his shoulders and rubbed against him.
Then he was in her, loving her with long strokes. They watched each other as they made love, and he felt their connection as he became a part of her.
She whispered his name as she sought release at the same time he came, filling her with more than his body, but with everything inside him. As they crested fulfillment and caught their breaths, he cradled her to him, bound together.
He kissed her hair and whispered, “You always have me, Maya.”
He didn’t think she’d heard him. Until she hugged him and kissed his chest.
Maya woke the next morning awash in a strange mix of embarrassment, affection and unease. Dex had been so understanding, even when she’d gushed and cried like a friggin’ baby. Then he’d been so tender with her. Just thinking about it made her want to cry all over again.
She sniffed, alone in bed. On the nightstand she saw a note. A goodbye and a smart-ass comment about how much he wanted to “shoot” her ass again.
She smiled and settled back into bed, smelling Dex on her pillow.
She’d told him her sob story, not expecting much more than some sympathy. A few pats on the back maybe. Dex was a nice guy, after all.
Seeing her dad and Bev so happy had taken her to a great emotional high and low all in the same breath.
Surprisingly, she had a feeling her dad and Bev would make a good match. It didn’t hurt that the woman was loaded. That way she wouldn’t be marrying her dad for his money. And to know that her father, after nearly thirty years, had it in him to ask a woman to marry him… Who knew a Werner could be so emotionally mature like that?
It made her question where things with Dex might end. Not marriage, though the thought of having him exclusively had a lot of appeal. No. Her father might be ready for a big step like that, but not Maya.
She and Dex had barely been dating. She hadn’t even met his family yet. Might never meet them. A well of relief struck her at the thought.
For all that she’d acted like her mother’s rejection didn’t still sting, it did. A mother was supposed to love her child regardless. The one person in Maya’s life who should have given her unconditional love had bailed on her. Maya’s father had always been there, but Maya heard the talk. She’d been called a lot of names throughout the years. And though she knew she was physically attractive, some part of her still believed the ugly talk. The half-breed, dirty Indian, not-good-enough mixed-blood bullshit.
Stupid, but she couldn’t help it. Prejudice was still alive and well in America. She’d had real-world experience. An ex-boyfriend had slept with her on a dare, later bragging about bagging one more nationality to add to his list. That had hurt, but not as much as one of her old friend’s mother’s comments. She hadn’t wanted her daughter to play with those “dirty redskins”.
The worst were the people who said nothing but moved when she sat in a restaurant or stood near them in line. The looks of disgust, the frowns. Mostly from older people. Even a month ago she’d seen censure in an old entitled biddy’s eyes. Sure, Maya acted like it didn’t matter. And most of the time it didn’t. People could be cruel. But she knew more than most that those closest to you did the most damage.
Only Riley—a black woman—and Ann—the new girl in the neighborhood all those years ago—had remained true to her and themselves. They didn’t lie. They didn’t pretend. She could count on them through everything.
But Dex… He’d always been a sweet guy. Now a sexy man, and one who made her body sing and her heart stutter in confusion. Could she trust him? Should she try to? After all, if her father could bend after thirty years, couldn’t she take a chance on a man she’d been falling for?
“If he breaks my heart, I’ll break his face,” she mumbled, trying to act tougher than she felt. Her eyes watered, and she wondered if her time of the month had come early. Though normally she turned bitchy, not depressed when it hit.
She spent the rest of the day working then arranging to meet the girls for dinner. She sent Dex a text before leaving for Ann’s, knowing he didn’t mind when she was away for some quality girl time.
To her surprise, she found Jack, Dex and Anson invited to dinner as well.
Jack and Dex she didn’t mind. But Anson?
Dex sat at the kitchen counter drinking with his cousin and Jack when she entered. When he spotted her, he left his buddies and joined her at Ann’s front door. “Hey, sexy.” He kissed her on the lips, right in front of everyone.
The girls smirked, Jack grinned and Anson…glared at her.
Riley also noted his unwelcoming expression and stepped closer to Maya.
