Chapter Twenty-two

Dex didn’t go to sleep for a long time, listening to Amber’s even breaths as she slumbered. But in the foreign bed that smelled exactly like Amber, his mind wouldn’t shut off.

He had long foregone the idea of having babies and a family. At over forty years old, Dex didn’t think he’d have it in him to start from scratch. But the idea of Amber carrying his child gave him a profound sense of depth in his life and he didn’t want to let go of it.

He tried to think of his first wife and all the precautions they’d taken to keep her from getting pregnant. Dex remembered the sheer panic at the idea they might get pregnant. It was a recurring theme in the back of his mind every time they’d had sex—his counting of her birth control pills to make sure she was on schedule with taking them, the utter relief that flowed through his veins every month when her period came.

But this was different. As Amber shifted in her sleep, she made the cutest little sighing whimper as she snuggled deeper into his embrace, and Dex tightened his arms around her. He knew he would do anything for her, and it would be a pleasure to serve her and make her happy. Throw a baby into the mix, and his heart was swelling at the idea of Amber making a tiny human inside her that was half of each of them. Sharing that with her didn’t induce a panic or fear or anything. It just felt right.

A couple of hours later, her limbs were still entwined with his. He was awoken to her climbing on top of him, and his grip went to her waist as he watched her sleepily. Her hot little mouth left kisses all along his neck as she reached for something out of her bedside drawer.

A condom.

He ignored the emotions that were two-fold at the gesture and went with it. She was instigating this, and he wasn’t going to start questioning her. Wordless, she rubbed against him, licking his nipples, making his hardening cock twitch in the sweet juncture of her thighs as she rolled the condom on him.

Dex lay helpless as Amber made herself at home on top of him, sliding him inside herself with a low moan, her slick heat enveloping him in bliss. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her as she slid over his skin, continuing to kiss and suckle his neck as she moved.

It was slow and quiet. Not at all like any of their previous love-making. This wasn’t the feral lust that had spurred all the other sex between them. Amber was moving with an intentionality that spoke volumes. And still, Dex felt himself rise closer and closer to the climax Amber was seeking.

He held back, as Amber seemed to need this control. When her eyes finally met his, he saw the acceptance in them, the words she was speaking without actually speaking them. She wanted this. With him.

That realization nearly undid him. He needed to show her she wasn’t alone in this, that he would do whatever it took to make her happy. Even if it was giving up control.

So he let her soft warmth take over until she finally came with a ragged, whimpering moan that incited his own climax. She had fallen over him limp, so he gripped her hips and pumped himself up into her, his hitched breath the only sound of their silent joining.

After disposing of the condom, he came back to bed and held her as she slept, intent on his own shut-eye.

When sunlight streamed in behind his eyes, Dex yawned himself awake and looked at the gorgeous creature beside him. He yearned to stay by her side and protect her forever but knew her independence would scoff at that idea. Instead, he kissed her forehead and rolled out of bed. He left the tiny robe he’d been wearing on the chair where he’d left it and wandered into the laundry room for his clothes he’d dried yesterday.

He made coffee and went outside to see if she had a newspaper to collect. He was curious to see what was said about Perkins, if anything. It was a chilly morning but not frosty, so he ambled out in his t-shirt and jeans. Finding a paper at the end of the driveway, Dex made plans to wake Amber with waffles and tea, wondering where she might keep a tray to set everything on.

His shoulder ached but not badly. He was honestly surprised at his range of motion and lack of serious pain, but the pain pills were good, and he would take them because he had sense. In fact, he was due for another one.

But the words scrawled across her front door stopped him in his tracks, his blood running cold. The words “home-wrecker” “whore” “bitch” and something illegible had him making double-time back to his girl.

“Amber? Wake up. You need to see this.” He hated to wake her, but an insane urge to pummel whoever was harassing her had him prodding her out of bed instead of making love to her again.

When she had her robe wrapped around her, he ushered her outside to her porch. She looked at the door, blinking sleepily.

“Goddammit. She’s gone too far.” Her words found traction as they climbed out of the muddle of sleep.

Dex was trying to rein in his anger, but it sounded futile. “Who? Who’s doing this, Amber?”

“Haley Wilks.” She walked inside, a renewed purpose in her step.

“Who’s Haley Wilks?” Dex was a little lost, ready to hunt down Perkins and kill the fucker, but he had no clue who Haley Wilks was and didn’t know how to deal with that. The name was familiar, but he was too pissed to place it. Whoever had painted that shit on her door had very clearly threatened the possible mother of his child, and his emotions were all over the place right now.

Her phone was ringing when they got inside, and Amber let out a sigh as she picked it up. “Banks,” she said shortly as she picked up her cup of tea, mouthed thank you to Dex, and made her way into the bedroom. Dex followed like a puppy whose bowl of food had just been prepared but his owner had absently walked away with it. Her cat was chewing loudly on food that had been dumped into a bowl by an automatic feeder. Dex ignored it as he walked out of the kitchen. He needed to know who Haley was, and Amber was listening to whoever was on the phone, suddenly professional.

He could see her wheels turning as she spun around and looked him up and down with a critical eye. When whoever she was on the phone with stopped talking, she answered with, “I’ll be in this afternoon, but I have something personal to do first. See you then.” Amber hung up and looked at Dex. “They found Perkins’ body downriver from where he went in. His campsite is pretty blatant about his guilt, Tannerite still in packages with receipts and stuff. Including a day planner with his targets and dates. The name and number of the other guys in Dallas are in there, too. How fucking easy is that?” She rolled her eyes before looking him up and down, a twinkle lighting her eyes. Dex would freely admit the twinkle turned him on. “You still have your uniform? I need to do a face-to-face. You can meet Haley for yourself.”

He grinned.