Admit It

by Francesca Penn

  In the mild chill of the spring night air, Cayla’s forehead slumped against a hard chest. His strong arms supported her, the heat from his body warmed her, and his deep voice soothed her. Cayla wasn’t sure if it was him, the cleansing cry, or a combination of both, but the mountain of pressure that had been sitting on her chest crumbled.

  Her subconscious brought her to his door because she was exactly where she needed to be.

  Chapter 17

  Each sob that shook Cayla’s delicate shoulders fueled Dex with rage. A wave of protectiveness washed over him with an intensity he’d never felt before. The desire to find and eliminate the cause of Cayla’s tears prompted him to ask again.

  “What’s wrong, Cayla?” he whispered in the most soothing voice he could muster.

  When she didn’t answer, Dex pulled her inside and locked his door while keeping her tucked against him. He settled them on the couch and held her until she calmed down. A long, somber sigh signaled the end of the storm of tears.

  Cayla pushed off him and straightened her spine. Her light skin was red and splotchy, and her eyes puffy. Dex grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and offered it to her. She accepted it with a nod before blotting at her eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and nose.

  “Work again?” he asked getting straight to the point.

  Cayla nodded but didn’t offer any extra details.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he offered, hoping she’d open up to him.

  Dex wanted to find and destroy the person behind her sadness. She shook her head. He felt the familiar frustration from earlier in the week. He wanted to tell her to quit, that she didn’t need this kind of stress. Dex wanted to tell her he would cover her expenses until she decided what she wanted to do, but he knew she wouldn’t accept that kind of help even if they were a couple. In this part of their relationship, she would be downright offended if he made that kind of offer.

  Dex decided to try a different approach. “Cayla, if you are staying in that toxic place for monetary reasons. I would be happy to give you a loan…” She shook her head before he could finish his sentence. It was a long shot. “I could find you somewhere else to work…” Another head shake.

  “Thanks, but I don’t want to talk about it,” she said firmly.

  Dex sighed but let it drop; he was at least happy she came to him.

  “Hungry?” He changed the subject, opting to do what he did best.

  Her eyes lit up a little, and he smiled. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips before he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen. He sat her at the nearby table before moving to the oven. He was already wearing his apron since he was putting the finishing touches on dinner when she arrived.

  The scent of the bread told him it’d be finished in a few minutes. It was second nature to him. He rarely used timers anymore unless he was trying something new. He opted to follow his instincts. He peeked at the bread to confirm what he’d already known.

  Dex moved to the fridge and retrieved the bottle of wine he had chilling for the meal. He pulled two glasses out of the cupboard and moved them and the bottle to the table. He poured Cayla a generous amount, smirking when she gulped it with the fervor he would expect from the day she’d had.

  “I was in the mood for Italian,” he told her as an introduction. “Today, we are having my variation of a seafood marinara. We have shrimp, calamari, clams instead of mussels, and scallops instead of fish all tossed in a marinara sauce made from scratch then laid on top of a bed of linguini. Accompanying the main course, we have fresh garlic bread – also made from scratch – and a Caesar salad,” he proclaimed adapting the tone of a server giving the specials of the day.

  Cayla smirked. Encouraged, Dex continued. “For dessert, we have a flourless chocolate cake topped with a white chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries, and a sprinkle of raspberry glaze.”

  Cayla licked her lips, and his dick twitched. Not the time, Sinclair. He turned and sauntered over to the oven. Using silicone cloths, he removed the bread from the oven while inhaling the savory aroma of garlic and butter resting on warm yeast. Dex moved it over to the cooling rack and brushed his garlic butter mixture on it before sprinkling oregano and parmesan cheese on top.

  Dex had been cooking heavily most of the week. Nick and Kalilah were very grateful for his inner turmoil. Cooking was therapeutic to him. It was his way of processing, and between Cayla and Izzie – he had a lot to process – Cayla’s issue swirled around his head most of the week. What happened at work that took her from post orgasmic bliss on Monday afternoon to sobbing in his arms on Friday? Dex calmed himself by saying it was stress related, but deep down he knew it was a person. Someone was making her working environment unstable.

  The signs were there. Over the course of the months he’d known her, he’d seen some of the light dim from her eyes. Cayla had worked there for years, so the pressure was new. Fury still swirled low in his stomach. He needed an excuse to go to her office. Dex was confident he would find one, and when he did, that person had better be ready for the hell he would bring into his or her life.

  Dex moved through the kitchen setting utensils, bread, the salad bowl, and the pasta he’d plated on the table. He hadn’t expected company but was happy it was Cayla even if she was in a miserable mood. Now, he knew without a doubt that she was telling the truth about work stressing her out and not just avoiding him because they had had sex. Dex pushed that memory out his mind. He didn’t want to be the kind of ass that seduced a vulnerable woman.

  Dex motioned to the plate he’d just sat in front of Cayla. “I gave you a sample size to see if you like it. Let me know if you want more.”

  Cayla nodded. He moved the whipped butter to the table and started slicing the bread. Once complete, he sat in his chair and said, “Dig in.”

  They said their own graces silently before eating. Dex smile when Cayla complimented the meal. At least her devastation wasn’t enough to completely kill her appetite. They ate in silence, both examining their own lives. Izzie threw a major curveball at him; she wanted to take him on as a client. However, he’d have to move to California or New York for at least a year. He loved the idea of SoCal weather and the ability to be near his cousins plus Izzie is located there, but New York would get him closer to his sister Deidre. He would have to freeze his balls off in the winter and that made him weary.

  Dex liked being back home in Houston and needed time to see where things went with Cayla. He had a few months to make the decision since the new program was still in negotiations. His reputation, looks, and new shark of an agent made it possible for him to forgo the audition process. The show was his if he wanted it. After eating at The Food Lab, Izzie had requested that he cook for her. He’d taken her to Nick’s house since they had a chef’s kitchen. He’d made her a seafood paella since it was one of his newly mastered dishes. They’d talked about his travels and how he picked up dishes along the way. Apparently, she’d filmed him, and the network ate it up.

  If accepted, his new show would be based on traveling to different places through his meals. As it stood, he would not have to travel – he would basically do what he did for Izzie. Talk about his experiences abroad while he prepared a local dish from that region. It was exciting and terrifying; what if he didn’t have the charisma that kept people watching?

  “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.

  “No, sweetheart. This is about relaxing.” He picked up the bath bomb. “Have you tried a bath bomb before?”

  She tilted her head back and squinted at him in confusion. “A what?”

  Good. He wasn’t the only one left in the dark. He showed her the pink orb that was topped with a small layer of purple and adorned with a flower resting in his palm.

  “A bath bomb,” he repeated, “they are supposed to be awesome.”

  Cayla eyed it suspiciously. “It smells good.” She inhaled the scent. “Jasmine.”

  “Let’s see what it does,” Dex suggested as he reached over her and let it roll out of his palm into the tub.

  Cayla jumped and started to giggle as the water and the ball began to fizz.

  “It’s effervescent!” she marveled. “Oh, look! It’s turning the water pink, Dex!”

  The excitement in her voice made the corners of his mouth tip up into a smile. He would happily buy her one hundred of them just to make her happy. Dex put his fingers to work massaging her scalp as she lathered up with one of the soaps he’d purchased. Cayla hummed her contentment.

  “Better?” Dex asked as his fingers started to work on her neck and shoulder.

  “Much.” Her purr shot through him. He tamped it down, opting to remain a comforting presence. “This soap is amazing. Is it from the same place?”

  “Yes.” Dex was mesmerized by the bubbles sliding over her slick skin. “Lush.”

  Cayla tilted her head back to see him. “I thought they made make up,” she said thoughtfully, “Why do you have all of these things?”

  Dex explained his shopping trip and intentions for splitting up the products.

  “These two things were for me?”

  “Yes.” Dex pointed at the pink glittered gift bag on the counter. “And the other items are in that gift bag,” he informed her as he secured her hair at the top of her head. He gently pushed her forward. “Give me the soap, let me wash your back.”

  Dex rubbed the soap in a circular motion with is palms. Its silky surface yielded an amazing lather. His soapy hands glided over her back, massaging as he went. Cayla’s low moan drove Dex to his feet quicker than he intended. He neede
d to put distance between him. That moan was so reminiscent of one of the moans he’d elicited from her previously while doing incredibly naughty things to her body, that it instantly killed his good Samaritan. The good guy was gone. Only the horny bastard was left behind. Dex needed to regain his control.

  “Finish up here. I’ll get you a robe,” he suggested tightly during his retreat.

  Dex took a few deep breaths once he exited the bathroom. He stood in his closet a moment before grabbing a robe off its hanger. After refocusing, he returned to find Cayla putting the detachable shower head back on its hook. She’d used it to rinse herself while draining the tub. The droplets of water glistened as gravity pulled them down her body. Dex turned away, placing the robe on the counter with far more precision than necessary. In his peripheral, he could see her dry one foot before stepping out of the tub then repeating with the other foot. She wrapped the towel around her body.

  “What’s wrong, Dex?” He didn’t miss the confusion in her voice.

  He turned to face her before answering, “Nothing. I’m just being gentlemanly.”

  Cayla moved into his space, catching his eyes with hers. “Who told you to do that?”

  The heat in her gaze was unmistakable. “Cayla…” Dex warned as her towel-covered breast pressed against his linen shirt.

  “Don’t you think I deserve a happy ending to my day?” The way she emphasized “happy ending” made him harder.

  Dex’s last strand of resistance dissolved when Cayla placed a soft kiss on his neck.

  Chapter 18

  Cayla felt Dex’s muscles stiffen underneath his dress shirt. She’d been in a constant state of arousal since her tears had dried up. Their ability to disagree even when they weren’t trying amazed her. The moment she craved his usual boldness was the time he’d decided to be a gentleman. His sweetness was endearing, but she wanted his touch to help her forget about her failing career. She wanted her mind to be void of everything but pleasure. She needed him.