Page 115 of Some Kinda Romance

His thrusts quickened, finding the perfect rhythm to fill my body with sweet music. My next orgasm came crashing into me and I screamed his name. My inner muscles constricted around him and pushed him over the edge as well. We tumbled through ecstasy together, souls intertwined.

We collapsed together and he pulled me into his arms, kissing my sweaty temple. Only letting go of me to take care of the condom, he draped himself around me when he got back and just held me for a while.

He looked like he was going to say something but seemed to decide against it. Settling in behind me, he pulled my back to his front and fell asleep. I followed soon after, wondering if he’d been about to tell me that he loved me.

I wondered because I had almost said it to him myself.

I woke up the next morning to his smiling face hovering in front of my own. “Wake up, sleepyhead. You’re going to be late if we don’t get a move on.”

A sleepy smile crept onto my lips and I lifted my head to steal a kiss. “I think I might be okay with being late.”

“Same, but I have an early meeting, so I can’t really afford to do all the things I want to do with you.”

I sighed. “Being a responsible adult sucks sometimes.”

“It really does.” He rolled off the bed, his hair already damp from a recent shower. “You’re welcome to stay after I leave, though. If you want to, I mean.”

“I wish, but if you’re heading out, I should too. It doesn’t look good if the boss keeps getting in late because of her boyfriend.”

He slipped on a light blue shirt that made his eyes look more gold than brown and I groaned, grabbing the pillow to cover my face as I got up. “You have to stop looking so good. My heart can’t take it.”

He chuckled. “Says the naked one. I’ll meet you in the kitchen before I do something that’ll require another shower.”

He left the room and I dropped the pillow back down on the bed. Joyful, carefree laughter filtered to my ears from the hall and I smiled, loving that I got to hear that sound so often these days. Everything felt better now that things were secure with us. I could enjoy our time together without expecting it to shatter like glass.

As we went through our usual morning routine, we both managed to keep our hands to ourselves. Thanks to a bit of foresight, I’d even brought clothes for the day with me in my overnight bag, which meant I had a bit more time to eat with him before we both headed out.

Dash kissed me passionately before the elevator doors opened, saying his goodbye in private before we separated for the day and went to work in the cars he had waiting for us both.

Mine was pulling up in front of my building when the notification came in. I frowned when I saw it was an alert for a new article about Dash. I clicked on the link immediately. It turned out to be a new video that had surfaced and my gut clenched.

Ethan must have had something to do with this.

I hit play, figuring that I needed to know what it was about. My heart broke into a million pieces when the video started playing. It was clearly an old clip, since he looked a lot younger than he did now, but what he said was devastating.

The same voice that had just told me he couldn’t wait for tonight spoke through my speaker, but it was a lot more confident. Filled with haughty arrogance, he laughed into the camera and pushed his thick hair out of his face.

“The only thing reality stars are good for is gaining fame and being laughed at. Trust me, Al. I wouldn’t go on one of those shows for ten million dollars an episode.”

I blinked back the tears that had formed in my eyes, knowing that he’d started off thinking that way about me. Sure, he’d said this a long time ago and I’d known that he hated me at first, but this made me wonder if somewhere deep down inside, he still thought that was all I was good for.

Dash must’ve seen the video too because he was suddenly calling me. I declined it, needing a minute to process before I spoke to him.

One part of my brain told me that this interview had happened years ago and that he’d obviously changed his mind since. But the other part, the part that had learned lessons the hard way and had become forced to learn how to protect me from even myself? That part said that I needed to tread lightly here.

A text from him appeared on my screen, and my eyes burned with tears as I read it because I honestly didn’t know which part of myself to believe right now.

Dash: That video is over 5 years old. I was young and dumb. Thought I knew everything, but clearly I didn’t. I don’t think that now. Call me. X

Me: Did you think that about me when we met?

Dash: I wasn’t the same person, Serenity. Please believe me. I’ve changed. You changed me—and my mind.

Me: I need some time to think. Please give me that.

I turned my phone to silent and slid it back into my purse, asking the driver to circle the block before I climbed out at my office. I had work to do, and if I was going to prove to Dash and the rest of the world that I was worth more than just gaining fame and being laughed at, then I had to suck it all up and go do it.