And, I mean, technically, we weren’t seeing each other. Not officially. Not really. I’d certainly never said anything like that to make her feel like we were.
Right now, as far as I was concerned, we were two people who were attracted to each other, who happened to work together, and who happened to act on that attraction a couple times.
It didn’t really matter if I got butterflies whenever our eyes met or if my stomach flipped every time he touched me. It didn’t matter at all that my heart beat crazy fast more often than it was normal when it was around.
And it most definitely didn’t matter that there was nothing better than falling asleep in his arms last night.
And because of all that, it really, really didn’t matter that my feelings toward him had changed from something twisted and angry to something softer and more consuming than anything I’d ever felt.
No, it didn’t matter at all.
Not even a little bit.
“Jamie?” Dex stepped out onto the porch.
I looked back at him but said nothing, wrapping my arms around my waist.
The door clicked shut and he came to stand next to me. Nudging me with his elbow, he leaned in slightly and said, “Hey. I don’t think I mix well with your family.”
I quietly laughed and dipped my face down to look at the ground. “I don’t mix well with my family. I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“My mom. If you want to go…Nobody would blame you.”
“Nah, you’re all good. After all, everything happens in threes. I figure she’s already embarrassed me twice today, so what’s one more time?”
I groaned and looked over at him. “Don’t tempt fate. Please. This has been bad enough.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “Well, if it makes a difference, your dad was more annoyed that your mom has been meddling than anything else.”
“It’s a habit.” I moved back to sit on the swinging seat.
Dex joined me. “Yeah. I got that from the whole salt and sugar story thing.”
I let go of a little laugh and leaned right back. “My God. She’s the worst. She’s so embarrassing. I don’t even know why she said that. I didn’t tell her a thing this morning and—”
Resting one arm along the back of the chair, he hooked one finger beneath my chin and turned my head so our eyes met. “Does it matter?”
“Does what matter?”
“What she said. Do you care?”
“Of course, I care. I mean—”
“Why? Why do you care?”
I swallowed, looking into his bright yet gentle eyes. “Because,” I said softly. “I don’t even—I don’t even know what’s happening right now. And she just blurts it out.”
He released my chin to push my hair from my face. “I get it.”
“And you offer me the job at a really coincidental time, and I know you weren’t lying, but it feels weird, and then my mom—”
Dex dipped his head and pressed his lips to mine to shut me up. “I know it looks that way,” he said in a low voice. “But I swear to you, Jamie, it’s not. The way I feel about you has nothing to do with me hiring you.”
He froze as if he realized what he just said.
“The way you…feel about me?” I swallowed, leaning back. “Which is…what?”
“I…” He hesitated before he ran his fingers through my hair. “I want you, Jamie. Every way I can have you. I don’t know how else to say it.”
I smiled and tilted my face down. My cheeks burned, but there was no denying the thrill that danced through me at his words. I didn’t know how I’d come to this point, but we had.
Two weeks wasn’t long, but I knew, categorically, I felt something for this man. Something very, very real. Something that had crept up between the arguments and the bickering and the kissing.
It didn’t matter that I’d only just really recognized it.
The one thing I didn’t need was my mother doing so before I did.
“Well, I guess that’s okay,” I muttered.
“Okay? What do you mean, okay?” He sank his fingers into my hair and tugged my head back.
I grinned.
“You’re a pain in the ass,” he said, closing the distance between our mouths until our lips touched. It was barely a brush, but it tingled across my skin all the same.
“I’m not going to let up on you, you know. I’m still going to kick your ass all the time.” I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. But at least I can smack your ass now.”
“Is that right?”
Dex looped his arm around my body and linked his fingers together, resting his head on top of mine. “I’ll let you smack mine right back.”
I snorted. “Done.”
“Should we go inside and explain ourselves to your parents?”
“Nah. Let my mom stew.”
The back door opened right as I said that, and I jolted upright. It was Dad, and he pulled the door almost closed. His gaze darted between the two of us, and a smile tugged at his lips.