Page 65 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

They’d definitely exchanged looks at that one. Leave it to Dex to be painfully honest rather than give the easiest answer.

When was your last relationship?

I nearly told them that was none of their business, but he interrupted and said, quite seriously, “Right now.”

After I’d ascertained Berry was playing with her unicorn under the table and not paying attention to the “boring conversation” of the adults, I relaxed. His answer made me want to give him a kiss right there.

Especially since it made no sense.

We scarcely knew each other. We were in a professional relationship. Mixing the personal with it was a recipe for disaster. Wasn’t it?

Then again, David and I had seemed like a decent couple on paper, minus our very obvious age gap. And to say we’d crashed and burned was an understatement. But now I’d gotten involved with two different men who’d hired me for professional reasons.

But at least I’d met Dex last fall at his brother’s law office. He’d hired me precisely because of that meeting and due to my design of Preston and Bishop’s new office.

But still, I really hated being predictable. Or possibly repeating my mistakes.

To be fair, I had virtually no chance of meeting anyone otherwise unless I swiped left online—which, ick, no, never—or if they were somehow in my work sphere. I didn’t socialize. Lunch with female friends or associates consisted of my entire social life.

Or spending time with my parents and occasionally my brother when he visited once or twice a year. Though I was pretty sure blood relatives didn’t count as a social life.

After the relationship awkwardness, Berry took center stage by spilling her nearly full glass of water and then somehow managing to pull off the tablecloth while she attempted to mop it up. She saved Uni from drowning, which was a positive, and Dex took over helping her clean up before her stuffed unicorn got washed away in the flood along with the silverware.

They actually had that very conversation while my parents looked on in stunned silence before they jumped into action.

Nice to see Dex mystified them too.

“Are you actually real?” I asked as I tossed some of Berry’s favorite toys in her bag to bring home with her. She had some toys and clothes that always stayed at my parents’ house but every time she stayed over, she brought some new things she just had to have overnight. Like Uni. He had to be with her every night at bedtime and usually at all meals too.

“Me? I’m very real. This book is wild.” He was lying on Berry’s twin bed—my parents had converted my brother’s old bedroom into Berry’s room for when she visited—and paging through some novel-like book he’d found tucked under her pillow.

AKA a non-sanctioned book she had not gotten from her bookshelf. Definitely not Harry Potter, which she’d read multiple times.

“What is that?” I snatched it from his hand, noting the school library bar code on the spine. It looked to be a teen romance. “Wild how? Is there sex in it?”

“They’re like twelve, Sherbet. No. I have come across no sex. Though I’m only on chapter five. Short chapters.” He cocked his head. “Were you having sex at twelve? And if so, why weren’t you in my class?”

I couldn’t help laughing. He was just ridiculous. “Absolutely not. I was a virgin until eighteen in college.”

“Oh. Hmm. Yeah, I wasn’t.” He sprung off the bed and wandered to the window to peer out. “Your parents are nice,” he said, lowering his voice to practically a whisper. “Are they susceptible to bribes?”

“Bribes like what?”

“I don’t know. What do regular new boyf—dates give to the parents of the women they like?”

I put down the questionable novel for later perusal. “I don’t think they normally give them anything.”

“That wasn’t the answer I wanted.”

“I’m sure. You seem to use your money as often as you can. And not in a pompous way, just as extra grease in the wheels.”

“If it makes life easier…” He strode over to me and quickly disassembled my fast braid. “I love when you leave it down. Looked so pretty streaming in the breeze when you were speeding here.”

“You need to get your eyes checked. I most certainly was not speeding.” But I eagerly lifted my mouth to his as he gripped my chin.

“Are you having the sex?”

I jerked back from him so quick he nearly drew blood. “What?” I squeaked, whirling to face the doorway where Berry stood, arms crossed over her chest.

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