Page 8 of Wicked Love
“One can only hope.”
“We won’t do too much work without you. Gotta make sure you’re still carrying your weight.”
Logan snorted and gave me the middle finger as he walked out of the apartment. As the deadbolt clicked into place behind him, I grabbed my prosthetic from where I’d left it on the armchair, fixed it onto my stump, and ambled over to my bedroom.
The hinges squeaked faintly when I eased the door slightly open. Maddie didn’t stir from where she’d sprawled amid my bedsheets. I sent up a silent offering of gratitude that I’d washed them recently.
When we’d gotten back from our investigations last night, we’d all been too wiped to do anything other than crash. Logan had tried to nobly offerhisbed to Maddie while he took the couch, but I’d had to point out that he was way too tall to get any sleep that way. He’d barely fit on the thing. So he’d grudgingly allowed me to make the gesture and take the minor discomfort.
Did I regret it? Not at all.
Did the crick in my neck have me wincing as I turned my head? Yes, absolutely.
But seeing the way she lay there so peacefully made every bit of discomfort worth it. I’d give up a hundred restful nights to see her sleep like this. She’d been under so much pressure over the past few weeks—first because of the situation with Logan and her stolen car, and then with her dad’s murder.
I wished I could do more to help her through this mess, but offering my bed seemed to be the most I could manage. Aside from jokes and fun, I wasn’t much good at anything else. Showing off my language skills wasn’t going to fix anything. Even if we found the people responsible for this murder, it wouldn’t be because of me. Dexter and Logan were the brains and strategists behind this investigation.
I was just… here. Providing moral support and an extra set of eyes and hands—that was about it.
Dexter emerged from his bedroom on the other side of the living room, his dark curls even more rumpled than usual and the boxers and tee he’d worn to sleep in a similar state. He padded across the floor to join me and peeked past me at our sleeping girlfriend.
“She was really tired, huh?” he murmured.
“We went through a lot yesterday.”
“No kidding.” A fond smile touched his lips, a glow of affection lighting in his eyes that I didn’t think I’d ever seen from my typically anti-social friend before. “But she’s taking it all in and keeping up with the rest of us, even though she’s not used to situations like this. She really is something.”
“I’ve never met a woman like her,” I agreed.
Dexter paused and swiped his hand across his mouth with a hint of his usual awkwardness. His voice dipped even quieter. “I don’t know if I’m going to be enough for her.”
My head jerked around so I could stare at him. “What are you talking about?”
He shrugged. “I just—obviously she’s got you and Logan too. It’s not like I’m in this alone. But I want her to be happy that she’s with me too. I don’t have any real experience with relationships—romance, sex, any of it. I have no idea what I’m doing, not like the two of you. And… it’s not exactly a secret that I’m what most people would call weird.”
I aimed a playful punch at his shoulder, not quite making contact since he wasn’t much of one for physical touch. “Your weirdness is your best quality. You’ll be good for her in totally different ways from the two of us. Maybe she’ll even decide she likes you best.”
Dexter’s expression remained doubtful. Looking from him to our dozing woman, inspiration sparked in my head. A small smile curled my lips. Maybe I couldn’t offer a whole lot, but I could certainly deliver more of the stuff I was good at.
“Hey,” I said, tipping my head toward Dexter. “You know, Logan and I were able to, ah, work well together when it came to giving her a good time. I don’t see any reason you and I couldn’t do the same. Why don’t we start off this morning by giving her something fantastic to remember amid all the awfulness that’s been going on?”
Dexter’s gaze flicked to me, desire flaring in his eyes alongside the affection I’d seen earlier. “You think she’d like that?”
“Oh, I bet we could make sure she likes it an awful lot. And I could give you some tips from my vast expertise.” I grinned at him. “Totally up to you if you’re comfortable with it.”
He wet his lips, looking at Maddie again. “Yeah,” he said softly. “That could be good. Just to make sure I’m not missing anything. And so she gets as much out of it as possible.”
From the way he’d been observing her since she’d joined our investigations, I didn’t think it was likely there was much he hadn’t figured out or couldn’t if the right moment arose. He probably knew more about Maddie’s little quirks than I did. But by collaborating, we could give her more than either of us could on our own. And she deserved every bit of pleasure she could get while we had a chance to bestow it on her.
As if she’d sensed our discussion, Maddie rolled over on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and spotted us in the doorway.
“Good morning?” she mumbled questioningly, squinting at us. “Did I sleep in?”
“Not too much.” I stepped into the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Other than completely confused by this mystery we can’t seem to unravel, pretty good.” She raised her eyebrows at me and Dexter following behind me. “So, you were just watching me sleep? Some people would consider that strange.”
“Or romantic. What do you think, Dex?”
