Page 47 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

He slipped his tongue out to tangle with mine, again so gently. Persuasively. Nothing the least bit aggressive or threatening. No pressure. Just a light, friendly kiss between people who were going to work together.

That had me drawing back, but not far. Just enough that the uneven hiss of his breath cascading over my lips made my heart skip. He dropped his forehead to mine, his calloused fingertips drifting over my cheekbones. “I could kick his ass, you know. I wouldn’t break any bones. Soft tissue injuries only.”

His voice was husky and he was out of breath. Hesoundedas if he’d been kissing me. Which caused a butterfly beat at the apex of my thighs while my own breath shuddered.

“It wasn’t all his fault. Entirely. I was young and…I don’t want to talk about him when my lips are still wet from you,” I realized aloud.

Not all that was wet. Not even close.

Dex tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “Can’t say I want to either. Just, I wish I’d known you before he made you think you couldn’t trust.”

“How do you know he did?”

He lowered his gaze to my hand as he lifted it from where it was still balled in my lap. Carefully, he moved each of my fingers, loosening them where they’d been tightly clenched, protectively covered by my thumb. “My father has cheated on my mother for years. She knows. I wouldn’t say she approves of it, more that she tolerates it.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I’d guess because she likes her house, likes her life. Didn’t want it disrupted with the messiness of a divorce. Who would know better what splitting up entails, right?” He let out a brittle laugh. “My brother was so shocked that I knew and was okay with it. He just found out last year. He saw the great Isaac at lunch with his admin, and they weren’t just sharing the shrimp.”

“Ugh.” I sucked in air, forcing my gaze upward to the pinprick stars in the sky. A veritable carpet of them spread out in all directions. “We do not know how to do post-kissing conversation. From threats of violence to cheating fathers.”

He laughed softly. “I thought you’d want to knee me in the nuts for not immediately refusing to speak to him ever again. I thought about it,” he added. “But I couldn’t make my mom’s choices for her. She chose her road. When she chooses another, I’ll be there for her. Until then, I’ll play the game if it makes it easier for her. Not for him. He chose his road too.”

“I’ll volunteer with you,” I blurted.

“Good. I’m glad.” He tangled his finger in my loose curl again. “Berry can come too. She’ll love playing with the kittens.”

“Yeah, she will.” I wasn’t going to second-guess this. Being around him felt good. My daughter liked being with him and his dog too.

Berry was an excellent judge of character, I reminded myself silently.

She’d decided years ago she didn’t want to see her own father. And since he had used my supposed indiscretions against me to get out of visitation and support, it wasn’t as if he was aching to see her.

And she had also liked Dex from day one. She asked about him all the time. Even tonight, she’d talked about him.

“Berry wanted to come with us tonight,” I admitted. “Even knowing it was kind of a friendly date.” I did air quotes. “She really likes you. Said it was okay if we kissed as long as we weren’t gross about it—well, in her almost-nine-year-old’s slang. I did not mention kissing,” I added hastily.

“I’m glad she approves,” he said seriously. “Her opinion is as important as yours. If not more so.”

“Yeah. But we probably shouldn’t be…well, anything, when I’m taking your money.”

“You’re taking my money to do a job for me. One I very much want you to do. It has nothing to do with this.” He circled his fingers between us.

“Then why are you sitting on the paperwork?” I asked suddenly.

I had not intended to ask that—or even think it. But there we were.

His quirked lips made me think he’d done it intentionally. “I haven’t had a chance to review the papers yet. And…”

“And what?”

“And I knew if I signed them before our date, you’d use them as an excuse why we shouldn’t go out.”

“Even though I asked you out?”

“I suspect that was a moment of duress. I used my powers of deduction to assume you’d heard pompous dickhead would be there and the last thing you wanted to do was show up alone. I can’t blame you. And hey, I was there, right? Plus, I’d stunned you with my shirtless physical specimen in the backyard, and you were so dazzled—”

I reached over to close his lips. “You talk too much.”

---