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“What?” I reply, feigning innocence.
She huffs. “You suck. I need details. Who is Mr. December? And where have you been hiding him?”
December? To me, he’s totally Mr. July. If she saw him without his shirt, she’d agree.
We shuffle forward a few steps, and I glance over my shoulder at him. He’s leaning against a column in the lobby looking at his phone.
“He’s my ex.”
She scoffs. “Is he aware of that? That he’s an ex? Because I’d never kiss my ex like that. In fact, I’d punch him in the nuts if he tried to kiss me.”
I’m new to the relationship thing, but considering we haven’t talked in six months, we bypassed complicated and went straight to ex status. I know asking him to come away with me was selfish, but there was no other option. And he made it very clear if I walked away we were finished. But his kiss….
“I’ve missed you.” His words echo in my head.
I can see why she’s confused. I’m confused.
And now he’s agreed to dessert.
I’ve missed him so much. But am I making our situation worse by hopping in bed with him? Should I just go to dinner and see what he has to say first? But his kiss, my inner minx who’s been neglected for months reminds me. I sigh, not knowing what to do.
“He lives in Austin, and I’ll never live in Texas again. Ever.”
“What did Texas do to you?” she jokes.
It only tried to murder me.
I walk up to Paxton, holding my room key. “Ready?”
His eyes lift from his phone, locking onto mine. My heart skips a beat. “I almost didn’t recognize you earlier. Kalico, you look great. I mean, you’ve always been beautiful. Besides the obvious.” He tugs at the ends of my short, dark hair. “There’s just…something in your eyes that’s different.”
Hearing my nickname tugs at something deep inside—a pang of guilt mixed with longing. But I won’t apologize for finding me. I’m in a good place right now. “I’m living,” I murmur, fiddling with my purse strap, trying to keep my voice steady.
“I’ve learned,” he says, a slight edge in his voice. “When I found out you were a flight attendant, I was shocked, to say the least.”
I narrow my eyes, standing taller at his slight dig. “Did you come to make me feel bad for moving on? You haven’t caught him, Paxton. What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t going back there with him still on the loose. That’s a hard pass for me and you?—”
He grabs my hand, cutting off my rant. “Hey, hey, hey,” he interrupts, exhaling heavily. “I’m fucking this up. I tried to tell myself not to be selfish, but as you can see, I’m a selfish bastard that wishes it was me who put that sparkle in your eyes.”
Thinking back to the person who lived in Blackburn, they’re worlds apart from who I am today. I’m truly happy. There are moments of loneliness that creep in, especially when I see couples enjoying each other’s company or during the holidays, but I push those feelings back. Because having someone to love is not the backbone of being, loving myself is.
Don’t get me wrong, Paxton standing in front of me, looking edible and edgy, stirs up a storm of emotions. Especially in certain…ahem…regions. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Ari and Mac staring at me, whispering as they walk through the lobby. A grin pulls at my lips when Ari flashes me a thumbs-up.
“They going to be okay without you?”
“I hope so. I’m the sensible one of the three.”
He chuckles as if he’s not surprised. “You’re walking on the wild side tonight. Dessert before dinner?”
I step into his space, closing the gap between us. “I usually skip dessert,” I murmur. “But I wanted to make sure dinner didn’t fill me up.”
A deep-seated groan comes from the back of his throat. He leans down and whispers, “That’s a great idea because you’re about to be filled with something.”
Yes, please.
Lucky for me, I’m only on the second floor. The moment the room door clicks shut, he’s unzipping my dress as I unbutton his shirt, and we peel off the rest of our clothes in a mad rush to the bed. He pushes me onto my back, the white comforter swallowing me, and lifts one of my legs in the air. The dimmed lights by the bedside offer just enough light to showcase his perfect physique. Slowly, he drags his fingers along my black pantyhose until they hit the lacy top of my thigh highs.
“These are sexy,” he says, kissing my bare inner thigh. I hum as he moves higher. “I think we’ll keep them on.” He inches higher and higher until he hits my panties. “These, on the other hand, need to come off.” He drags them down my legs and tosses them aside. He goes to lean down, and I put my foot on his chest, shaking my head.
