“Chill your emotional ass out,” he muttered, though his touch was anything but harsh. “Let me grab my bag and we can head to your villa.”
I blinked, my brain struggling to keep up with the shift. “Why you gotta grab your bag to head to my villa?”
“Cause I’m spending the night with you,” he said, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.
“So... we are going to fuck?” I asked, the hope and the horniness winning out over the grief.
“No,” he said firmly. “We're gonna cuddle and go to sleep.”
“That’s not fun!” I actually stomped my foot, feeling every bit like a drunk, petulant toddler.
Dex just grinned at me, that slow, devastating smirk that always made my heart skip. “Get used to it, cause when we getmarried, it’s gonna be a few nights you don’t get no dick. A nigga be tired after work most days.”
I stood completely still and watched him move around the room like he hadn’t just said what he said.
When we get married.
Like it was already decided. Like it was just a matter of logistics and time and me finally getting out of my own way. I stood there in the dim light of his villa in Tulum, mascara down my face and rum in my veins, wondering how long he had been carrying that certainty around while I was busy building walls against it.
Chapter eighteen
Shoreline
I don’t know what kind of magic was in sleeping with Nique, but I slept like a baby. No tossing and turning. No middle-of-the-night urge to get up and sketch out a concept that hit me while I was laying there. I didn't even wake up to pee or grab a drink of water. My eyes didn't crack open until 10:00 AM, prompted by a phone call from Eli asking why the hell I’d missed breakfast. He sounded shocked to hear I was still in bed. Usually, I’m up with the roosters, but being wrapped around Nique had me on a different frequency.
London had a whole itinerary planned leading up to the wedding Sunday. Today was our first full day in Tulum, and we were headed to the cenotes. I knew I needed to wake Nique up so we could get moving, but as I watched her laying there beside me, looking soft and beautiful in the morning light, I couldn't help myself. I started waking her up with kisses, pressing my lips to the side of her face and down the curve of her neck.
I figured she’d swat me away or groan about her head, but she just moaned a little, and that sound was all the permission I needed. I let my kisses trail lower, dragging my mouth over her skin until I was positioned between her thighs, staring down at her juicy pussy.
“What you doing?” she asked me, her voice thick and groggy with sleep.
I looked up at her, catching the hazy look in her eyes. “We missed breakfast, so now I gotta eat you.”
I didn't wait for an answer. I leaned in, my tongue finding her immediately, and the way she arched her back told me the hangover wasn't nearly as strong as the tension we’d spent all night ignoring. I handled my business until she was shaking under me, her breath hitching as she hit her peak. Once she settled, I popped her thigh and sat up. “Get up and let’s shower.”
She looked at me, her hair a mess and her eyes still heavy. “Do I get the dick in the shower?”
I studied her face. The alcohol was long gone and she was fully awake, which made the question land with even more weight. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Dex, why you acting brand new?” she snapped, sitting up and pulling the sheets with her. “Do my pussy stank or something? What is it?”
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “You think I would have ate stank puss?”
“You acting real funny with the dick,” she pressed, narrowing her eyes at me. “You got a new girlfriend or something?”
I laughed again, standing up and reaching for my bag. “Unless you finally agreeing to be my girl, then no.”
“I’ll be your girlfriend while we’re in Tulum if I can get some dick,” she countered.
I burst out laughing and she couldn’t hold hers either. The girl was absolutely relentless. “You ovulating or something?”
She actually grabbed her phone and checked her app. “Damn. I am.”
“I knew it,” I said, checking the time. “Get up so we won’t be late for the cenotes. We already missed breakfast.”
“You had breakfast,” she muttered.
“Touché.”