The Rebound Guy (20 page)

He shook his head. “Not anymore. In the beginning I stayed in touch with clients, but pretty soon I realized it was better to cut off communication after we’re done. I’m open to getting referrals for potential new clients, but that’s it.”

A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. She turned her head, staring at the new canvas of a rolling vineyard that now hung on her wall.

“So, how do you know whether you’ve really helped them?” she whispered.

“I know by the time our month together is done.” Dexter covered her cheek with his slightly roughened palm and turned her head back to face him. Eyes boring into hers with a look that brooked no argument, he said, “A clean break, Asia. It’s easier that way.”

 She swallowed, and nodded, then turned her head and laid her cheek against his chest again.

Her month with him was rapidly coming to an end. After this weekend, when they returned from Connecticut, their time together would be over.

Asia’s throat tightened with remorse. She grudgingly accepted that she’d done the one thing she’d vowed not to do, she’d opened herself up to potential heartache.

It was why she’d insisted on no sex. She had never been one for one-night stands or the kind of casual sex in which she could break things off and just go about her life after the fun was over. Once she offered herself physically, she put herself out there emotionally. Her heart was in this relationship.

But it was a temporary relationship. And if she weren’t careful, she could find herself in more pain than she’d endured after she’d discovered Cortland’s betrayal. Because, amazingly, after only three weeks, she felt a deeper connection to Dexter than she’d felt after four years with her ex-fiancé.

With Cortland she had been living on the surface, going through the motions. She had convinced herself that she was happy marrying a man who fit the role of a successful, comfortable husband.

But she didn’t want comfortable anymore. Not after experiencing the passion and excitement Dexter had brought to her life. Not after discovering the pure bliss of having a man who sought to make sure
her
needs were met, who concentrated on
her
satisfaction.

Asia felt the even rise and fall of his chest and looked up at him. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful.

She lowered her cheek to his solid chest again and prayed to find that same peace.

***

Asia’s eyes popped open.

She was alone on the sofa, clutching a throw pillow to her chest. She turned to the window. It was still pitch black outside, the night peaceful and still. She heard scuffling coming from the apartment’s first level.

She pushed up from the sofa and grabbed the silk robe that she’d wrapped herself in after an earlier trip to the bathroom. Threading her arms through the sleeves, she padded down the steps to the kitchen.

Asia leaned a shoulder against the linen closet, staring at the sliver of light coming from underneath the bathroom door. She hugged her middle as she waited for Dexter. She heard water running, then moments later, the door opened.

“Hi,” she said when he walked out.

He looked up. “Hi.”

Silence yawned between them, long and uncomfortable.

Asia shifted her feet and pulled the robe more securely around her waist. Something felt wrong. This stretch of awkward silence unnerved her. They had just spent the past several hours exploring each other’s bodies, sleeping in each other’s arms. Why did things suddenly feel so uneasy?

“It’s, uh, late,” Dexter said. Asia glanced at the time on her microwave. It was just after three a.m. “I should head home. I’ve got...ah...a lot of dogs scheduled for tomorrow.”

Asia nodded, struggling to get a breath past the painful ache crowding her chest.

“I...” She cleared her throat. “I have to be at the office pretty early, too,” she said. She glanced at her bare feet, then back to Dexter. “Do we need to discuss whether this changes things? You know,” she nodded toward the sofa. “What we did tonight.”

Dexter brought his hand up and massaged the back of his neck. She already recognized it as something he did when he was uncomfortable, which drove her already frayed nerves into another frenzy.

The emotions roiling through her had her nearing her breaking point. To feel the discomfort radiating from him didn’t help matters at all.

“It’s up to you to decide how we should move forward, Asia,” he finally said. “Whether you want to attach meaning to anything we did tonight is completely up to you.” He hitched a shoulder. “If you want, you can just consider it another part of the services you’ve paid for.”

His words hit her like a fist to the gut.

She pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to quell the hurt his statement, along with the nonchalant shrug, had caused her.

Could she have really been so wrong about what had passed between them tonight? Had that passion, that love she felt, really been one-sided?

Asia stared at his rigid shoulders as he walked over to the barstool where he’d draped his sports jacket earlier. He slipped his wallet in his back pocket and walked back toward her, stopping just a foot in front of her.

“You call the shots here,” Dexter said quietly. “I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”

Of course, she called the shots. She was paying him, after all.

The reality of it slammed into her psyche, causing a heavy, sickening feeling to infiltrate her being, consuming every inch of space inside of her.

Her throat closing around the hard knot of emotion wedged inside of it, Asia nodded. She couldn’t form a single word if her life depended on it.

Dexter brought a hand up and smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks again for doing this tonight. I really appreciate it.”

Her eyes flew to his.

“Dinner with my parents,” he quickly explained, “Not...” He let out a breath, discomfort shadowing his face. If she’d had further doubts about his feelings toward what they’d done tonight, his obvious distress answered them.

Without so much as a kiss goodnight, Dexter headed for her door. He unlocked and opened it and, still facing the hallway, said, “I’ll see you Saturday morning,” before shutting the door quietly behind him.

Asia remained where she stood for several minutes, just staring at the door.

Had that really just happened? Had he really just left her after spending hours making love to her?

If this was how a rebound relationship worked, Asia wanted no part of it.

She walked over to the stairs and sat, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she recalled what they’d done on these very steps just a few hours ago.

She wasn’t sure what she should be feeling. Guilt didn’t seem the right emotion. She had nothing to feel guilty about. She was no longer engaged. She was a single woman, free to sleep with whomever she wanted to sleep with.

So why did she feel so hollow inside?

She wished she could say it was about the money, but the fact that she’d essentially just paid for sex had little to do with it.

Her stomach felt as if it was caving in on itself because she’d opened her heart up yet again and allowed herself to fall for someone who did not reciprocate her feelings. At least with Cortland she could argue that he’d lied to her, pretending that he was happy while cheating behind her back.

But Dexter had never led her to believe that their relationship was anything more than exactly what it was. He’d warned her against this very problem. It wasn’t his fault that her stupid heart hadn’t heeded his advice.

Asia dragged herself up both flights of stairs and fell onto her bed, grateful that they hadn’t made it up here. She needed a piece of her life that hadn’t been touched by Dexter.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape the memories of the hours they’d spent in each other’s arms. They were destined to follow her for a long time to come.

Chapter Thirteen

Dexter grimaced as the fake-leather dog leash bit into his palm.

“Bruno, heel,” he ordered.

The Mastiff quit barking and dropped his attempt to chase down the group of kids playing kickball in the park. Dexter stopped at the community drinking bowl and waited while the four dogs he walked drank.

Peering down, he asked, “You need a sip, Rox?” But Roxie just turned around in the sling where she lay snuggled against his chest.

“You have got to be the cutest dog walker alive.”

Dex twisted around, a smile creasing his face as he spotted Alena walking toward him.

“Thanks for coming,” he said, kissing her cheek when she arrived.

She shrugged. “Marisol is out of town for the weekend, and I’m done with my column. I had nothing better to do.”

“Ah, there you go making me feel special again.”

“I aim to please,” Alena said with a saccharine smile. “What’s up? That text you sent was pretty cryptic.”

The humor drained from his face. “It’s bad. It’s worse than bad. I’ve never fucked up like this before.”

Her eyes widened with concern. “What did you do?”

Dex motioned for her to follow him to the fenced-in area of the park where the dogs were allowed to run unleashed. He unhooked all four leashes and said, “Go.”

When he reached inside the folds of the sling, he found Roxie sleeping against his chest.

“She makes an ugly baby,” Alena said.

Dex rolled his eyes as he and Alena walked over to a bench. He plopped down and let out a loud sigh.

“So how did you fuck up this time?” she asked.

“I slept with Asia.”

“Was she any good?” Dex lolled his head to the side and cocked an annoyed brow. Alena held her hands up. “It’s a legitimate question. What’s the big deal? You’ve had sex with clients before.”

He shook his head. “Not like this.”

“What, is she into kinky stuff?”

Dexter blew out an exaggerated breath. “You want to take this seriously?”

“I don’t get what the big deal is, Dex. This is what you chose to do for a living. What else do you want me to say?”

He pinched his eyes shut and tilted his head back.

“It wasn’t the same,” he said. “I’ve always been able to detach myself from the sex and focus on providing my client with everything she needs to feel good about herself. The sex was about helping them let go of their past relationship so they can be ready when someone new comes along.” His jaw clenched. “Last night wasn’t about helping Asia forget her past, and it sure as hell wasn’t about getting her ready for the next guy.”

“Unless that next guy is you?”

His eyes connected with Alena’s knowing gaze. He started to reject her statement, but Dex knew he couldn’t deny what was undoubtedly written all over his damn face.

“I felt it happening,” he said. “Even before I slept with her, I could feel myself getting too close. Thinking about her when we weren’t together, calling just to talk.”

“Hmm...sounds like a relationship,” Alena commented.

“It’s not a relationship,” Dex snapped. “Sorry,” he said, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I know better than this, Alena.”

“You broke your first rule.”

No. He shook his head. He wouldn’t admit that. If he’d fallen for Asia, it could undermine everything he had been struggling to build.

“It’s not broken yet,” he said, wincing at the defensiveness in his voice. “But I’ve bent the hell out of it.”

“You’re still going to Connecticut with her tomorrow?”

He nodded.

Alena clucked her tongue. “That’s not a smart move, Dexter.”

He held his hands out. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t tell her ‘no.’ The wedding in Connecticut was a part of our bargain from the very beginning. Asia couldn’t bear going alone. I can’t back out.”

“I guess you’re right. She
is
paying you ten thousand dollars.”

“It’s not just about the money,” Dex said, running a frustrated hand down his face. Although the money did play a part. He still needed the remaining five thousand dollars Asia was paying him so that he could help his sister with her mortgage. But for the first time since he’d started this business, the thought of accepting money from his client caused a vile feeling to churn within his gut.

“If I can’t get through this weekend, what will it say about my chances of taking this business to the next level? If I’m going to be a professional, it has to start now.”

“I’m not sure how to help you,” Alena said. She put a hand on his thigh and gave his leg a reassuring squeeze. “I’m almost sorry I pressured you into that interview. You may need your own rebound girl when this job is over.”

Dex let out a mirthless laugh. “Don’t feel bad. As much as I fought it, the interview was a good idea. It’s what spurred me to really start thinking about my consulting idea as something more than just a side business.”

And if he wanted it to succeed, Dex realized he would have to make some tough choices.

Later, as he slouched on his sofa, mindlessly staring at a Braves/Dodgers game, his mind continued to play scenes from last night over and over, like an erotic movie on repeat. He’d stopped trying to fight the images, and instead tortured himself with memories of the way Asia’s body had felt sliding against him, cloaking him in her tight, wet heat.

Dexter felt his hand traveling toward his lap. He balled it into a fist against his leg to stop its movement. He would not go there.

He bounded up from the sofa, cursing as he went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. He immediately opened the refrigerator and shoved the beer back inside. He didn’t need alcohol; he needed to get a grip.

Dex braced his hand on the kitchen counter, his head hanging low as he tried to figure out just what the hell he was going to do.

After the way Ebony had mangled his heart after running back to her ex-boyfriend, he’d vowed never to find himself in this position again. He’d put the mechanisms in place; his relationship-consulting business was supposed to protect him from falling for a woman. It allowed him to get close enough to enjoy himself, but not so close that he’d ever be in danger of losing his heart.