“Dex?” Cayla asked redirecting his attention to her. “What do you do to relieve stress?”
Dex bit back grin. The first thing that popped into his head was not the answer she was seeking.
“Well,” he answered as he waved his hand toward the kitchen. “You’re looking at one way.”
“You cook,” she said flatly. Something told him it’s not a method or relaxation she would try. “Is that why you made such an involved meal and dessert for dinner tonight?” she questioned him, but her eyes grew bigger before he could respond. “Or, did I interrupt a date?”
Cayla’s head swiveled around the space like a w
oman she somehow missed would magically appear. Dex’s irritation level spiked. He swallowed it back down. They didn’t need to fight right now.
“I cooked because I have a lot on my mind. I’m not a serial dater.”
Cayla nodded, accepting the explanation then asked. “What else do you do?”
“Anything that raises my adrenaline and reminds me the world is bigger than my issue. Rock climbing, sky diving, surfing… orgasming...” He let the last word rest in the air.
Cayla’s cheeks turned pink, and she took another sip of wine. Message received.
“Other times,” he continued. “I go the extra mellow route, hot tub soaks, massages, or yoga. You?”
Cayla’s pushed away from the table; her body moved around the table collecting empty dishes.
“Just relax, Cayla. I got it,” Dex insisted to deaf ears; Cayla needed something to do.
Dex decided to prepare dessert. He sliced a big piece of cake, moved it to a plate, added the raspberry glaze, and then added a dollop of homemade whipped cream for next to the slice for presentation. He took it and two spoons back to the table.
“Come have dessert.”
Cayla added the last dish to the dishwasher and dried her hands on a towel before joining him. This time, she settled into the chair next to him instead of across the table. The soft, rose scent of her hair distracted him for a moment. Now that she was calm, she was morphing back into the woman he desired and not the lady he needed to console.
He sliced through the cake with his fork collecting a raspberry, the sauce, and both types of chocolate. Cayla leaned in and wrapped her lush lips around the offered fork. Her hum of satisfaction inflamed his hormones. Dex slipped a forkful into his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers. Hazel eyes dipped to his mouth. They heated with each twitch of his lips as he chewed. The air between them crackled, but Dex was trying to remain in the comforting phase. He removed himself from the table opting to set up the next activity in the master bathroom. Dex removed his apron and hung it on the hook. He’d forgotten he was still wearing it; Cayla’s appearance threw him off more than he’d thought.
“Finish up here. I’ll come back for you in a few minutes,” he said over his shoulder.
The day prior, he had wandered aimlessly around the mall until he’d overheard two women talking about bath bombs. Dex had never heard of them or the store before, but apparently, they were amazing to the bath-taking population. Since he had nothing better to do, he walked into a place they’d just left called Lush and purchased every single one that looked and smelled interesting along with a few other items. He planned to distribute them among his mom, Cayla, Kalilah, and his sister; he hadn’t expected to find a distressed Cayla on his doorstep before he could.
Dex rifled through the bags until he found one of the bombs he’d picked for Cayla; he’d asked the clerk for everything pink since she loved it so much. He wasn’t sure if she knew what a bath bomb was or if she’d used one before. He hoped she would like it. He smiled at the name; it was so aptly titled: Sex Bomb.
Dex crossed to the claw foot tub and turned on the tap. He watched as water filled the tub, adjusting the temperature until it was exactly the way he wanted it. He placed a towel, wash cloth, and bath bomb on the bench near the tub. Satisfied, he went back to the kitchen to retrieve Cayla.
He watched her dry the plate and put it back in the cabinet. Her slim shoulders were still tense and raised towards her ears, but she was in far better sprits than she was when she arrived. Her hot pink pleated skirt flowed softly over her curves as she moved. The hem stopped at her knee exposing shapely calves and bare feet. She would have looked damn sexy if she wasn’t so upset. Cayla had paired the skirt with a navy-blue shirt that was tucked in to accent her slim waist. She’d kicked off her navy blue heels the moment she’d entered the house.
It was a rule their parents had ingrained into their heads. He’d once heard Cayla’s mom say, “Don’t let the outside in.” Dex shook his head; Nick was completely trained, and he’d found himself taking off his shoes more often. The Wright women were a force of their own. Kalilah and their mom, Akila, were open, warm, and jovial.
Cayla was the most complex. Dex knew Cayla had a softer center than the hard shell she presented to everyone; he just needed to crack it. She was practically a cheerleader for Kalilah falling for Nick, yet she pushed him away every chance she got. Dex believed her claim to only be interested in black men was bullshit. He knew that was what she thought she’d wanted, but their chemistry was hard to ignore. She had to have seen beyond his lack of color to get to the place that bought her to his door that night.
Dex hated seeing her hurt, but he couldn’t help the grin that tugged at his lips. She may be unwilling to give him the details, but she came to him. She needed emotional support, and she had sought it from him; it was a big deal and a shift in their relationship.
“Your bath is ready,” Dex announced to her back.
Cayla turned to look at him with a slightly puzzled expression. To his surprise, she shrugged and followed him without argument. Dex helped her undress while ignoring his attraction. He pushed aside the vision of her skirt and shirt falling to the floor. Turned a blind eye to her skimpy matching underwear. Deliberately ignored her mouthwateringly naked body as she slid into the warm water. It was a difficult feat, but he’d successfully gotten her into the bath without pouncing. Dex silently praised himself for possessing a type of willpower he’d never had to test.
Dex rolled up his sleeves, tucked his tie in his shirt, and kneeled behind her, his fingers worked to take down the top half of her hairstyle. Cayla sighed when he finished.
“You’re not joining me?” she asked softly.
All his willpower nearly crumbled like a graham cracker crust. He swallowed a sigh.