She snuggles into my side, placing her hand on my abs. Letting out a happy sigh, she says, “I can get used to this.”
“Yeah?” I murmur. “Being mine?”
She’s quiet for a moment, then she rubs her cheek against my chest. “I’ve always been yours.”
Not in every way.
There’s still something important I want to discuss with her. “There’s one more thing I want to talk about.”
Dash glances up at me. “What?” When she notices the serious look on my face, she sits upright. “Something bad?”
I nod as I pull her back against me. “It’s about when you dated Josh.”
“Ugh, worst mistake of my life,” she mutters.
Trying to be sensitive about the subject, I ask, “Remember how I pointed out he was changing you?”
She nods. “Damn narcissist.”
I take a deep breath and let it out before I get to the point, “You took one hell of a knock from him, and I’m not referring to when he hit you.” The memory alone is enough to make my blood boil. “I mean emotionally and psychologically. He broke you down every chance he got. I thought you healed from it, but this past week, I picked up on things. You’re not confident when it comes to your own sexuality. I don’t think you doubt that I’ll want you, but rather, you feel there’s no reason for me to want you.”
The music fills the air after my words, as Dash sits frozen next to me. I can feel her mind racing at a mile a minute as she processes what I said.
After a minute, she murmurs, “I’ve been trying to figure out what was niggling at me the entire week.”
I tighten my arm around her. “It doesn’t matter how many times I tell you I want you, you’re not going to believe me until you accept that you deserve it.”
She nods, and when she doesn’t say anything, I place my hand under her chin and lift her face to me. When our eyes lock, I say, “You deserve the world, Dash. You’re beautiful, smart, sexy as fuck, and loyal to a fault. You’re everything I want in a woman.”
A look of wonder washes over her features, and then she moves, straddling me. She brings her hands to my jaw, her gaze drifting over my face. The moment is loaded as she leans in, initiating a kiss for the first time.
I move my hands to her hips as I let her set the pace.
At first, her mouth is tentative, but then her tongue finds mine and her hands slip to my hair. The kiss intensifies until it’s burning with passion.
I lose track of time as I get lost in Dash. Our lips speak a language of their own, sealing us together forever.
When she breaks the kiss, she buries her face in my neck. I wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly to me.
She lets out a chuckle, her breath bursting over my skin. “You know I get crazy when I fall in love, right?”
Silent laughter bubbles over my lips. “You don’t. You just get really excited.”
She pulls away, and with a stunning smile and an eager light in her eyes, she says, “Shit, we’re really doing this.”
I nod. “We are.”
“When are we telling everyone?”
Chuckling, I reply, “Whenever you want to.”
“How big will the rock on my engagement ring be?”
I begin to laugh. “As big as you want.”
“I get to pick?” The excitement coming off her is contagious.
“Tomorrow.”
Leaning into her, I reach for the remote and turn the TV off. When she begins to move, I shake my head. “I’ve got you.” I move my hands to her ass as I get up.
The smile on her face as I carry her up the stairs is priceless. As long as I live, I’ll never forget how happy she is in this moment.
When I reach the bedroom, I tap her ass. “Go shower.”
Dash steals a quick kiss before she lowers her legs, letting go of me.
While she gets ready for bed, I head back down and place the plates and cutlery in the dishwasher. Turning off the lights, I walk to the bedroom.
I plug the charger into my phone and check my emails while I wait for Dash to finish. When she’s done, I grab a clean pair of sweatpants from the closet and head into the bathroom. I hurry through my routine, and when I’m finished, and I open the bathroom door, my lips curve up from seeing her in my bed.
Turning off the lights, I crawl under the covers and pull her to my side. Her scent envelops me as she snuggles against me.
“Night, beautiful,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Night.”
With a smile playing around my lips, I close my eyes and soak in the feeling of holding Dash as we fall asleep.
Chapter 8
DASH
That bastard.