“Just trying to compete with you.”
“And so…?”
She stares down at my left hand, using her forefinger to slide my wedding band around and around. “He’s the real deal. Granted, I couldn’t really get a read but I’m trusting my gut here and my gut says he’s just a man with some money who wants one more chance to contact his wife. He says he has questions that need to be asked, even if he doesn’t get the answer, and he seems to think if we do it tomorrow, we have the best shot.”
“But tomorrow we’re supposed to go to Cannon Beach.”
“I know,” she says, giving me a sweet smile. “But we can always do that after. I mean, it’s our anniversary right now and we’re here, so what’s the difference? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I,” I tell her. I lean in and kiss her, slow and soft and just so fucking sweet. Her mouth opens against mine, hesitant at first, probably because she knows how I get when I kiss her like this, and that I’m two seconds away from pushing her back down on the bed and having my way with her.
Then the door springs open and Ada steps in, making us break apart.
“Jesus H. Macy,” I swear. “Don’t you knock?”
“You guys can make out some other time,” Ada says, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m going with you.”
“What are you talking about?” Perry asks.
Ada points at the both of us. “You. Tomorrow. I’m going with you and Jay.”
“How the hell did you know about that?” I ask her. “I literally just talked to him.”
“While you two were about to have sex, I saw Jay,” she says, sounding rightfully disgusted.
“We weren’t about to have sex,” Perry says, sitting up straighter, her cheeks flushing.
I give her a look. Liar.
“I’m going with you,” Ada says with a roll of her eyes.
“I haven’t even committed to going,” Perry says.
“What the fuck, woman?” I stare at my wife. “You literally just did.”
“Anyway, Jay approved,” Ada says.
“Yes, but I don’t approve,” Perry says, getting to her feet. She’s short, and her younger sister towers over her, and yet there’s so much life force in Perry that she’s completely overpowering. It’s hard to explain, but it makes me very proud.
It’s enough that Ada takes a step back.
“Why would you have to worry about me? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through over the last year?”
“I would if you opened up to me more!” Perry fires back. “You tell me nothing!”
“Ladies,” I interject. “Calm your tits.”
“Dex, please,” Ada admonishes my choice of words, scrunching up her nose as she looks at me.
“Look,” I tell them, splaying my palms. “If Jay says it’s fine, I think it’s probably fine. He knows what Ada is capable of more than we do.”
“Only because she won’t open to me,” Perry says snidely.
Ada crosses her arms, leaning back as she appraises her sister. “Well, well, well, sounds like you can’t read my mind anymore.”
“I told you I wouldn’t,” Perry says, but from the hesitation in her eyes, I can tell she’s tried.
“All I need you to know, blondie,” I say to Ada, “is that the money is our money.”
“What money?” she asks, eyes round.
Shit.
“We’re getting paid to do this,” Perry tells her reluctantly.
“How much?”
I let Perry handle that one. She gives me a nod and then shrugs at Ada. “A hundred thousand dollars.”
Ada gasps. Hand at her chest. Pretends to stumble backward.
“What?! Are you serious?”
We both nod. She shakes her head. “And you only committed to this now? What the hell is wrong with you?” She stares at Perry, open-mouthed. “Do you know how much money that is?”
“I’m aware,” she says carefully, running her hands down her face. She eyes the both of us. “Okay. Fine. Let’s do it.”
“You said that before,” I remind her. “Is this for real now?”
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“And I can come?” Ada asks.
“Would it matter if I said no?” Perry raises her brow.
Ada seems to think that over.
“It’s going to be fine,” I assure Perry. “I promise, kiddo.”
“Ugh, you still call her kiddo,” Ada says, walking to the door.
“Nicknames stick, Little Fifteen,” I shoot back.
She leaves, sticking up her middle finger at me as she goes.
“Are you telling me I’m number one?” I call after her. If I don’t get to piss Ada at least once while I’m here, then I’ve failed at my duty as her brother-in-law.
“She’s rude, you know,” I comment to Perry, who looks pretty stressed for having just agreed to all this. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “Yeah. Yeah I just…I’m nervous. You know?”
I get off the bed and take her hands in mine. “No use being nervous about it now. We have all night tomorrow for that.” I lean in and kiss her softly, pulling back to search her eyes. They carry every single color of the ocean in them. “Thank you for saying yes.”
“I didn’t just do it for you, Dex. I did it for us.” She licks her lips, her throat moving as she swallows. “It really could change everything.”
“It will change everything.”
For better.
And hopefully not for worse.
Chapter 4
Dinner at the Palomino’s was an interesting event, considering Daniel, once again, had no idea what was wrong with the rest of us. Perry was nervous about the whole thing and could barely eat, just pushed the food around on her plate, while Ada seemed beside herself with excitement, chatting away at a high frequency, and I was alternating between the two.
I have to say, by the time I’d gone through three large glasses of wine, trying to match Daniel, who’s been drinking like a fish lately, I was leaning toward the excited side.
And I don’t know if it was the wine (probably), but I was turned on as hell.
I know. I’m a fucking weirdo, and a horny bastard on my best days.
I kept thinking about what it would be like to be in that world again. The unknown. The thrill.
The fear.
Fuck, the fear got me hard.
So much so that I spent the end of dinner with a raging erection, trying to make the eyes at Perry so she’d get the hint and stop lingering at the table making small talk over cheesecake. It isn’t until I bring my foot all the way up between her legs under the table that she finally notices me.
Her brows raise.
I give her a look. She knows the one.
She frowns, most likely because she didn’t expect that look at the dinner table.
“Need any help cleaning up?” she asks her father, getting out of her chair.
Oh god, I am in no position to do the dishes, why is she volunteering us?
But Daniel just waves her away. “I’ve got it. Ada will help.”