Dex laughed at the response.
Dex: Guilty
Cayla: BTW. I tried a stint as a personal shopper. Not for me. It’s frustrating dealing with someone who doesn’t know what they want. *Homer Simpson backing into the shrubs GIF*
Dex laughed hard, happy that they could joke about it. He missed having her around physically but was scared to increase the intimacy again just for her to crack. He’d also decided to leave that to her. He told her his decision a couple of weeks ago and left it in her court. He looked around the beach. It was a beautiful Californian day filled with sunshine and laughter. Blue water and tan sand. The tentative looks he used to get from his neighbors were now waves accompanied with smiles. He was finally in a place where he could enjoy everything in his life.
He stretched and abandoned his chair. It was lunch time and an official end to his attempt to sit still and do nothing. He could understand why it was appealing; it was just not for him. Standing, he wiped the sand off his board shorts, shook out his t-shirt, and slipped it back over his body.
Cayla: I sold my house. I’m going to move into your parents’ pool house, sip Pina Coladas, and ogle the pool boy until the butler beckons me for dinner.
Dex: Is that what you really think goes on at the Sinclair mansion?”
Cayla: Don’t know. I was never invited #fightme
Dex laughed as he walked up the side of his home from the beach entrance. He nearly jumped out of his sandals when he felt something warm on top of his toes. He looked down to find the cutest little puppy. He put his phone in his pocket and scooped up the dog.
“Are you lost, buddy?” he cooed as he looked at the collar. “Austin? Is that your name?”
Dex froze. The hairs on his arms prickled. He held the dog up for inspection. A cognac brown Dotson puppy named Austin. This couldn’t be a coincidence. He rounded to the front of his house with the puppy tucked in his arms, and his heart stopped for a second then kicked into overdrive.
“You know this whole self-discovery thing has led me to the conclusion that I was living in the wrong damn state,” Cayla admitted with a smile.
Dex felt all the emotions he could name but none were upset or angry. “Is that why you sold your house?”
“Yeah, while I think it would be fun to live in a mansion, I would prefer to be with you.”
His smile pulled out his dimple. “You have preferences now?”
Cayla nodded with a laugh. “Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Sinclair. I have a lot of opinions now.”
She looked different. She was always pretty, but there was a glow brought on by her new-found confidence and self-assurance. His eyes landed on the red romper that he couldn’t wait to strip off her body.
“You’re wearing red. Not pink.”
“I still love pink. It turns out that I also look great in red.” She did a slow turn giving him a view of how the outfit hugged her ass. He was on her in seconds, pulling her closer to him.
“I only see one suitcase,” Dex murmured and nuzzled her neck.
Cayla turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I sold my house on faith, but I still had to see if you would accept us here first.”
Dex kissed her softly. “Are you sure this is where you want to be?”
“Check your social media.”
Dex didn’t want to let her or Austin go, but he gave her the puppy and pulled out his phone. He had a lot of alerts on Facebook. He tapped the app. He had a relationship status request from Cayla. His lips stretched into a smile.
“If I hit accept that means you accept that you’re mine, no second guessing, no turning back, no balking in front of the next attractive black guy.” She nodded. “Living together is a higher level of commitment, and it also means we communicate like adults – no lashing out or unfounded accusations.”
“I get it. Girlfriend vows. I do solemnly swear…”
“That is a government oath for presidency or military enlistment.”
“And don’t those people have to be at least one hundred and thirty percent sure that they want to sign up…”
Dex kissed her again before he hit accept. The hole in his heart completely replaced with love and hope.
“Also, you may notice that I’ve uploaded every picture we’ve ever taken to ALL platforms except LinkedIn of course. Not just to the Gram and my Twitter verse. No backsies, your mom has already “loved” all the photos. If I’m yours, that means you’re mine. Winter is coming for all those bitches who’ve tried to scoop you while I was growing. I saw those thirsty ass comments.”
Dex laughed, happy to finally be on the same page. “Do you even watch Game of Thrones?”
Cayla laughed. “Not one episode, but that phrase sounds ominous AF. You’re stuck with me.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I love you. Or this would be torture.”
“I love you, too, and won’t ever forget it.”
“Good.” Dex unlocked the door and carried her suitcase and the dog carrier inside his home. No, their home. Cayla followed and locked the door behind her. “Now is a good time to put Austin down because I’m offended by your romper.”
Cayla scrunched her eyebrows and placed Austin on the floor to roam his new home. “What did my romper ever do to you?”
Dex pulled her against him making her feel his erection.“It’s not allowing you to be naked.”
Cayla smiled mischievously. “As a woman with a new sense of self, shouldn’t I decide when I want to get naked?’
Dex grabbed her, threw her over his shoulder, and transferred them to their bedroom. “Sure,” he agreed sliding the romper off her shoulders. “But it’s a moot point since you do want to be naked right now,” he challenged, already sliding it down her ankles then throwing it across the room. “Besides,” he continued while looking down at the love of his life. “I know for a fact your body doesn’t want to miss what I’m about to do to it.”
Epilogue
A Year Later
“Dirty Thirty, bitches!” Natalia yelled across the table of loved ones while holding a shot in the air.
They’d gathered at Nick and Kalilah’s house for a special pre-night-out birthday dinner. She was excited about her new year and decade. She looked around the table at the people she loved. They all held up shots. She beamed at Kalilah for taking her first drink in almost two years. They’d persisted she should have at least one drink in the past, and she maintained that she was breastfeeding and refused to pump and dump. They’d press the issue, trying to use the sway of peer pressure, and she remained firm saying that whoever said “there’s no sense crying over spilled milk” had never breastfed.
She gave a toast for her third shot of the night after some of the talking and laughter died down. “To good friends, family, and fabulous food.” She winked at Dex. “Salud!”
She kicked it back then inventoried the people gathered in her honor. Nick was whispering in Kalilah’s ear. Their baby boy Graham, who’d just recently celebrated his first birthday a couple of months ago, was at Nick’s parents’ house. Based on the way they had been looking at each other all night, he would be there the entire night.
Justin, Felix and Cayla’s old boss, chatted with his wife. They were only there for dinner since they had other plans that night. Kalilah wanted him to feel welcome and invited him to gatherings ever so often. After leaving Tech’s Tec, his resume and people skills impressed Andrew Sinclair enough for him to offer Justin one of Kalilah’s VP titles. He was thriving in his new role.
Dex chatted with Felix while Cayla looked at him as if he walked on water. She was happy to see them because life as the new food celebrity was hectic. She’d only seen them in person a few times in the past year and Dex on television weekly. His show was killing it in ratings, and his fans, as she’d expected, were women of all ages. Cayla had relocated to California unexpectedly, and while it caught her off guard, she couldn’t help but feel it was the right thing to do.
The new love glow Dex and Cayla were sporting me
ant everything was going great on the beach. Their fur baby Austin was still in California with Dex’s aunt since they were only visiting Texas for a few days. Like a proud fur mommy, Cayla was guilty of dressing him in holiday outfits and sending pictures to everyone. The Austin the Elf picture was still saved to her phone along with the millions of photos of her godson Graham.
Natalia was glad they’d met in the middle and found a pace that worked for them. Dex still hadn’t proposed. Natalia felt it was approaching because he’d been far too interested in everyone’s plans for New Year’s Eve. Who plans New Year’s Eve in August?
Felix was a constant in the group and hang outs, especially since he was taken under Nick’s wing as his first employee in his new company. After taking off for Kalilah’s entire pregnancy and Graham’s first year, he was ready to work on his tech dreams. Cayla would freelance for him and scope out the tech scene in California. Cayla was far more in tune with her preferences, but Dex still insisted for her to take time exploring her interests.
Natalia smiled at her cousin Max, happy he was now back in town. Her tipsy mind was too slow to hide her frown at Chloe’s presence. Where was her husband? Luckily, Chloe didn’t notice, but Felix did. He’d picked up on her distrust of Chloe’s motives and sent her a secret smile. His light brown hair leaned closer to blond at the roots and waved out into beautiful locks that he controlled with pomade. He was an official hottie. A hottie she would have happily jumped on if she’d met him earlier, but it wasn’t his light blue eyes haunting her dreams.
Sapphire eyes taunted her from California. She shook them out of her head and refreshed her drink. That night wasn’t about him. It was her day, and she was going out and shaking her ass like she’s twenty. She would ignore the memories just as she had since she’d returned. She looked at her best friends, finally understanding the information delay. Natalia hardly wanted to acknowledge what she did in a hot moment of insanity much less discuss it in explicit detail with the girls.
Yet, the thought of him raised her blood pressure, making her warm all over. A little over a year later, and she was awestruck. His touch did things she didn’t know were possible. It happened once. How could one hook-up completely alter her? Either way, she was moving on. They didn’t exchange last names, and she refused to find his company on social media. One and done. Game over.
“Let’s get going! It’s time to party,” Natalia shouted while clapping to the beat of a song in her head to drum up the excitement in her blood. “I hope you have your dance shoes on because we’re going to a Latin club. I need to get all of my life.”
“Hold on,” Dex said as he typed on his phone. “We’re waiting for one more. I dragged my cousin back with us,” he announced over his back as we left the room.
Natalia shrugged. “Where’s your sister, Felix?”
He clenched his jaw. “On a date.”
“And you don’t like him, I take it.” Natalia smiled.
“Not even a little bit. Marisol deserves better. He gives me bad vibes.”
“Well…” Natalia’s response died in her throat.
“Everyone, this is our cousin, Ryan,” Dex broadcasted when he returned. “He’s an extreme adventure guide in California.”
The earth paused then moved in slow motion. It’s him. His blond hair was styled textured modern quiff, Beckham style. Startling blue eyes raked over her little black dress and bejeweled stiletto pumps, making her want to recreate every sin she’d ever committed with him. Soft pouty lips kicked up into a wicked grin, eliciting memories of what he could do with that mouth.
Natalia took another shot as he neared, her heart beating faster with each step. He introduced himself to everyone, leaving her for last. What if she’d told everyone the most extreme adventure was underneath his clothes. His lithe body exuded strength and power as he moved in front of her. His scent made him real: spicy, earthy, and all male.
“And you must be the birthday girl,” Ryan said, clutching her hand in his bigger, rougher one. She ignored the memory of it sliding over her naked skin. He lifted a brow. “Natalia, is it?”
Natalia inwardly flinched at the subtle reminder that she’d mislead him with the wrong name. She nodded since her tongue had decided to desert her.
“Nick and Dex have told me so much about you. It’s very nice to meet you.”
About the Author
Francesca Penn lives in Texas with her husband and son. While obtaining her Technical Writing degree, a creative writing course and playwriting elective reawakened her desire to create stories. Her brain lives in fiction; even the songs she listens to on the radio have music videos in her head.
When she is not writing, she can be found hounding her loved ones with multiple “What-if” scenarios. As a true closet romantic, she is prone to filling up her DVR with Hallmark movies. A friend once told her she’d trained the whole 20 plus years she’d known her to write romance since her nose was always in a love story.
Francesca believes that love is colorblind and plans to provide a mix of couples of different races and ethnicities because – to her – men are like Skittles and we all know their motto. If you want more, she can be found at the links below.
Instagram: @authorfrancescapenn
Email: [email protected]
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Francesca-Penn-246072336137221/
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