“What was what?”
Hands on my hips I narrowed my eyes at her, saying nothing as I pursed my lips.
She sighed. “I don’t know, Rosaline.” A small, petulant whine escaped her throat. “I just don’t like him.”
“What do you mean you don’t like him? You don’t even know him.” My head was spinning at the ridiculousness.
“I just don’t like his vibe is all.”
“His vibe?” What the hell was she talking about?
She spoke resolutely, as if she was tired of having to explain herself. “Yeah, his vibe, you know. He’s an asshole, I can feel it.”
I conceded, of course I thought it was ridiculous but I wasn’t her mother and it wasn’t like Nora was hurting for the affection of adoring males. She could have anyone she wanted, and if Cam wasn’t what she wanted, then so be it.
Even still, I seriously didn’t want to admit defeat to Dex.
“Fine…”
Nora walked up to me and wrapped her thin arms around my middle, hugging me close. “I’m sorry, Rosaline. It was nice of you to do this, though.”
I laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m serious! Even if I hate the guy you chose, I still appreciate the effort.”
I pushed her away jokingly, grabbing a new bottle of wine from the wine rack. “Alright. But you have to be nice when we go back in there. I don’t need you making an enemy of my boyfriend’s best friend.”
Nora reached out and linked her pinkie with mine, giving me a little wink before leading the way back into the dining room, me trailing helplessly behind her.
Even after Nora promised to behave herself, the duo’s light bickering continued throughout dinner and dessert, leaving me almost relieved when the two left for the evening. Both of them making snappy comments at each other even as they made their way to their respective cars.
As we straightened up for the night, Dex’s handsome face remained in a constant state of smugness, the non-verbal, “I told you so,” became too much for me to bear silently.
I threw a damp dishrag at his head. “Cut it out!”
Dex cracked up, loud, full-bodied laughs that almost seemed to make his legs weaken. As unimpressed as I was, I still had to bite back a smile at the sight of his glee.
Almost a full minute of his gloating passed before he approached me, making little smacking sounds with his lips. I backed away, both of my hands on his chest, using all of my strength to keep him at bay.
“No! Stay away from me.”
“Aw, c’mon, baby. Just give me a little victory kiss.”
“What for? You didn’t win anything.”
“No, but I was right.”
I conceded, letting him take me in his arms. “Maybe this time, but don’t get used to it.”
“Of course not.” Dex’s hands drifted down to my ass, squeezing and groping my bottom through my jeans. “Still want my reward though.”
He bent down, his mouth nibbling at the skin of my neck, causing me to stifle a moan. “What reward? We didn’t discuss any terms.”
“Hmmm…”
Dex continued his soft ministrations on the bare skin of my neck and shoulders, his soft, wet tongue quickly following the nips of his perfect teeth. My heart beat fast, just as it always seemed to when we were this close. This wasn’t anywhere close to the first time we had done this, but my belly still filled with butterflies. Knocking and fluttering against every part of my stomach. The excitement and anticipation I felt every time he touched me didn’t feel as if it would ever fade.
We said nothing as we worked to slowly rid one another of our clothes. Shoes, pants, shirts, everything laid in a pile on the dark wooden floors at our feet as we stood devouring one another.