Chapter 48
Dexter
Sunday morning I arrive at Juniper’s place, a bag from the tailor’s in my hand and the other on the buzzer for her apartment.
I texted her this morning to say I was coming with a surprise, but I don’t think she’s seen the message yet.
I hope she’s awake.
She’ll probably think I’m overstepping my boundaries as usual with this dress–and maybe I am–but if she’s going to fit in with my family, she should look the part with a killer outfit to match that overpriced ring.
I glance back at my vehicle, ever alert for break–ins. The crime report for this area says auto thefts happen regularly around here.
My blood heats.
No fucking way should a single woman be living here. At least she doesn’t have her own car to worry about, though.
As for the building. I look up at it as I press the buzzer again.
The whole foundation looks like it’s about to cave in. I know these old buildings are stronger than they look, but this place is showing its age and bad health.
If I acquired it, I’d probably have it razed to the ground and start fresh with a new build, ignoring the fact that this location would be a desert for attracting quality guests.
Finally, the door clicks open and I start up the stairs.
There’s no point even checking the elevator–this place has the sort of maintenance where repairs take six months unless the owner gets a court order from the city.
Goddamn, that pisses me off.
We can’t all be in the high–end market, no, and lower–end housing runs on tight margins.
Still, I can’t imagine a business that doesn’t give a damn about its customer base, much less its own pride.
The last time I came here, I was so worked up on Patton’s shit, I never noticed the damp spots or the black mold on the walls. Or the broken glass scattered across one flight of stairs.
Shit, how is this girl still alive?
If she was really my fiancée, there’s no damn way I’d let her sleep another night here. I’d pack her shit and march her right out the door to-
No. I stop that thought before it has a chance to crystalize. She’s not my fiancée.
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Her personal life is none of my business beyond the arrangement.
She’s just a girl I’ve lured into helping me undo my self–inflicted damage. An associate. A sweet little pretender I wanted to devour last night, consequences be damned.
Get it together, dickhead, a voice spits in the back of my head. I reach for her door and knock.
A deadbolt clicks and she opens up, revealing a vision of an angel with her hair mussed, dressed down in shorts and a tank that exposes an inch of midriff.
Goddamn, she still looks incredible.
Red curls spill down her shoulders, her green eyes hazy with sleep. Those shorts show off legs I want thrown over my shoulders, hugging her every curve as she turns and gestures me in.
“Aren’t you early?” she says with a yawn. “I thought this thing wasn’t until noon?”
“It’s ten thirty,” I point out, walking in and setting my bag on her small kitchen counter.
When she sees it, her eyes narrow.
I try not to notice all the little things I shouldn’t notice. Like the way the material clings to her tits when she folds her arms or the way her top rides up, exposing more of her stomach.
Fuck me, what is this?
I’m behaving like some horndog who just found out he can do a lot more with his dick than piss out of it.
“What’s that?” she asks, a wary note in her voice. “For expanding your wardrobe.”
“You bought me clothes?” She blinks at me. I can’t help my smile as I look back at her.
“Unless you’d like to go without, Sweet Stuff. I might appreciate that, but my dear old mother wouldn’t.”
“Oh my God. You did not just say that.” A flush reddens her face as she snatches the bag. “These better not be hideous…”
I can’t promise anything, but as she lifts the dress out of the bag–a green–and–white silk maxi dress–she frowns. “It’s very… green.”
I gesture around her little conservatory squeezed into an apartment. The place is exploding with plant life I assume she can’t live without.
“I figured green suited you.” “I mean, yeah.”
“So you don’t hate it?”
A shy, reluctant smile touches her face as she looks back up at me. “I don’t,” she allows. “But how did you know my
size?”
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“Lucky guess.” That, and by selecting a store assistant with a similar shape to Junie, right down to the wide flare of her hips and her natural waist. I might’ve come off like a creep, but it got me a dress I’m fairly sure will fit and the assistant was tipped dearly for her trouble.
“Oh, wow. These are Jimmy Choos!” She pulls the matching shoes out and grins.
“You can keep them.”
“For my trouble again?” she asks. I nod slowly.
“But they…” She trails her fingers along the crystal–embellished straps. “They’re just beautiful.”
“Glad you like them.” “Dex, I can’t-”
“Don’t thank me before you make sure they fit. Go try them on.” I nudge her toward her bedroom and with one last glance at me, she goes.
Finally.
I run a hand through my hair as I sit on her sofa, joined by the cat.
If that ‘chonky‘ word the kids use these days had a face, I’d be looking at the poster child.
Catness is a large, beefy creature with huge gold marbles for eyes and a penchant for leaving a thick coat of fur all over my pants.
I don’t have the heart to push the beast away as he jostles his way into my lap, curls up like he belongs there, and purrs. The sound thrums through me as I look around her apartment again.
As noted, it’s overwhelmingly green, with ivy trailing from baskets hanging from the ceiling and what looks like huge ferns propped up against the wall.
A little messy, a little chaotic, but just like its owner with her feisty energy and wild auburn curls, it’s charming.
Though the cracked window frame has a hint of summer mold growing along the edges, and frankly, the tiny chain across her door wouldn’t stop a persistent raccoon from breaking in.
Damn. How has she survived here for so long without anything happening?
I’m not the kind of guy who’s always looking over his shoulder, obsessing over threats I’m sure I could handle.
Still, there’s no denying this place is a ticking time bomb, no matter how charming it looks on the inside. As for its location-
No, shut up.
Not your problem.
None of this is.
Chapter 48
“Hey,” Junie calls from her bedroom. “Okay. I’m done.” “Is it okay?”
She answers by floating into the living room with a smile that’s pure mischief
My jaw nearly hits the goddamned floor. “You tell me,” she whispers.
The heels add a couple inches to her height and her hair is piled on top of her head.
She’s stunning as all hell.
The dress, which looked passable enough in the store–though the assistant insisted it would look better on tug lady–looks like it was made for her.
The sharp dark green brings out the color of her eyes, turning her into a lick of sunshine so vibrant I hate that I can’t have a taste.
I stand, gently lifting Catness off my lap so I can set him down, then walk toward her.
She twirls a full circle, smiling so shyly, letting me see just how the dress cups her ass.
The moment I’ve been trying to forget for two days blazes through my mind.
How fucking close I came to abandoning all common sense and reverting to a blue–balled primate.
I swear, if I hadn’t stopped after that kiss, I would’ve stripped her in the back room and folded her over a table.
I would have fucked her like a man boiling over, knowing how badly she wanted it too.
Shit, shit.
I need to get a hold of myself before I rip that dress right off her.
“You look good,” I tell her, clearing my throat. The lukewarm words are at odds with the erection from hell. She better not look at me too closely. “The color brings out your eyes.”
Her lips turn up, wider than before.
Goddammit, this whole mess is worth it just to see her smile like that, with a lightness she hasn’t had for ages, if she ever had it at all.
“I could never afford something like this,” she confesses. “Are you sure I can keep it?”
“Only if you promise to wear it again.”
A laugh bubbles out of her and my self–control frays more.
“Only if I have somewhere to wear it. This thing would be wasted on the store or Sunday dinners at Nana’s.”
“I’ll take you somewhere nice, dammit,” I promise. “Dinner, somewhere, when it’s all said and done.”
Stupid, really, to make lofty promises when we’re supposed to revert back to being strangers
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Only, when she smiles at me like Aphrodite incarnate, I might just promise her the entire world.
“Hell, you could bring your grandmother along, if you want.” I try to downplay it.
“Nana?” She comes closer, and I barely resist the urge to back away. Or better, march her straight into the bedroom. She’s put makeup on, and the subtle matte shade on her lips makes me want to kiss her like mad. “I never thought you’d want to deal with that again.”
“Right now, I can’t say I want to deal with anyone but you, Sweet Stuff,” I growl, my voice too raw.
Stupid fuck.
Because now she’s looking at me with the same wide–eyed gaze that makes my cock demanding and way too prone to overruling my head.
“Dex…” She licks her lips. For fuck’s sake. “Shouldn’t we go? I think we’re going to be late.”
“Yeah. Good catch.” It’s like she knows it, too. If we don’t get moving, we’ll risk doing something we’ll both regret. “The car’s downstairs.”
“You make a wonderful chauffeur,” she says, accepting my hand. Now she’s closer and I can smell her perfume. Floral, with a few sultry tropical notes that invite me to bend her over the back of the sofa and-
And it’s definitely time to go.
“Pretty sure chauffeurs don’t propose to their clients,” I say, leading her out as she blows Catness a parting kiss.
She’s put the ring back on her finger and it looks damn good.
“Neither do businessmen,” she teases, sliding her hand in mine once more as we head for the stairs.
“You’re right, I make a terrible businessman. I’m pretending at that too.”
She giggles, and for a second, I forget we’re heading off to be roasted and fawned over by my mother.
“You sure this is the best place for you?” I ask as we step around the glass on the stairs. “You ever thought about something newer?”
Something safer is what I really mean.
Her face screws up. “I’ve been surviving off discount soup for the past three months. What area do you suggest that’s better and still affordable?”
“You’re the owner of a successful bakery. You shouldn’t settle for-” “Look, I told you before,” she interrupts. “The
kind of orders we’ve had
the last few weeks are new to me. So is having money. Until now, we weren’t exactly thriving. I need to make sure my people get paid and equipment works before I dive into any personal improvements.”
Of course.
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Selfless to a fault.
“I’m putting a real lock on your door, at least,” I bite off as we reach the door outside. “Are you ready?”
“To deceive your entire family today? I can’t wait! But yeah. Let’s get this done.” There’s something hard in her eyes
as she glances up at me.
At least she hates this shit as much as I do.
Chapter 49
Chapter 49
