I look down and have to agree. They went up a size.

“You’re so fucking perfect, Vi,” Dash breathes, looking at me as though he really can’t believe I’m right here in front of him, sharing this moment with him. I’ve waited my whole life to have a man look at me how he’s looking at me right now. I’m far from perfect, but it means everything that he thinks I am. I lean forward to kiss him, and feel his hardness pushing up against me. Reaching behind me, I undo the back of my bra and let it fall open before sliding off each strap.

“Fuck,” he whispers, cupping my breasts with both his hands and bringing his mouth to one of them, gently licking before sucking it into his mouth. My mouth opens as I suck in air, pleasure spreading through me. How long has it been since I’d been with someone? Months. Four, to be exact. And the fact that it’s Dash touching me has my head in the fucking clouds. I thread my fingers through his hair as he pays attention to my other nipple before glancing up at me. I kiss his lips some more, not being able to get enough, never wanting them to leave mine. His hands run down my bare back then grip my ass, squeezing.

“Bed, now,” he growls, standing with me still in his arms. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and hold on as he takes a few steps toward the staircase. His foot is about to touch the bottom step, when the doorbell rings. Dash curses out loud, while I say the same word in my head.

“Can we ignore it?” I ask, looking toward the front door.

“Best idea you’ve ever had,” he murmurs, kissing me.

The bell rings again.

We both freeze.

Dash puts me down and says, “Go wait for me in bed. I’ll get rid of whoever it is and be there in five minutes.”

I nod, kiss him, and then make my way up the stairs, my boobs jiggling with each step. I stop at the door to his bedroom when I hear his voice, followed by a woman’s. I turn the light on and glance around his room, realising I left my bra and top downstairs on the couch. A bad feeling settles in my gut that it’s Vanessa who’s here, and when I hear her raised voice, I know I’m right. What is she doing here? I open one of Dash’s drawers and find a t-shirt to put on, just in case she decides to come up to his room. The last thing I need is to be caught half naked in his bedroom, even though I’m not doing anything wrong. I sit on his bed and sigh heavily. About ten minutes later, which feel like an hour to me, Dash walks into the room, looking frustrated and a little angry.

“What happened?” I ask as he looks at me dressed in his t-shirt.

“My clothes look good on you,” he says, sitting down next to me, his t-shirt from downstairs back on him.

“Dash?”

He lays back on the bed and covers his eyes with his arm. I nestle my head on his shoulder and wait for him to speak.

“Apparently, she wanted to talk then saw your car out the front and completely lost her shit,” he says quietly.

“Does she drop by like that often?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even. The truth is, though, I don’t like her dropping by. She has no reason to, and even though it might make me insensitive, considering the situation, I just got Dash back, and I don’t want to have to share him.

“It’s only been six days since I broke up with her, Vi,” he points out, which makes my head spin. It really hasn’t even been a week, yet so much has changed. I stare up at the ceiling, the mood completely gone, even though my body hasn’t really caught up with that fact.

“Should we just go to sleep?” I ask him, kissing his shoulder.

“She kind of killed the mood, didn’t she?” he groans, kissing me on top of my head. “I guess I’ve waited years and years to have you again, so what’s a little more time?”

I smile at that. “That, plus I haven’t had sex in months.”

“As far as I’m concerned,” Dash says, his voice now a low growl. “You haven’t slept with anyone since me.”

I start to giggle at that, which turns into full-blown laughter. “Double standards much? You probably had sex the day you dumped Vanessa.”

He goes silent.

“Please tell me you didn’t fuck her after you left the bar?” I say, my eye starting to twitch. If he did, I would be gone. I’d walk out right now and never see him again, soul mate or not.

“Fuck, of course not. Is that what you think of me?” he asks, holding me tighter, as if he knows I wanted to run.

“Then what?”

He sighs and admits, “Before we came to the bar and I saw you. Again, I had no idea I’d be seeing you, Vi. I haven’t even thought of another woman since I laid eyes on you again.”

“Why is life so hard?” I moan, burying my face in the crook of his neck. “Let’s just hide under the sheets and pretend the outside world doesn’t exist.”

“Anything worth it never comes easy,” he says gently, running his fingers across my neck. “I just want you, Vi. In my bed, in my house, all your girly shit in my bathroom. I just want you. I always have. And you know what?”

“What?” I ask a little hesitantly.

“I’m going to have you.”

Chapter Fifteen

“So you coach children’s basketball every Sunday?” I ask him the next day. After spending the night in his arms, we went out for breakfast, and now I’m cooking us lunch at my house. Dash is telling me about his team of children, aged ten to twelve, who he coaches every week. “So you didn’t give up basketball entirely then. That’s amazing, Dash.”

“Yeah, every Sunday morning,” he says, his face lighting up. “You should see these kids, Vi. They’re awesome.”

“I’d love to come to a game one day,” I say, happily inviting myself.

“You can come tomorrow if you like,” he says, taking my hand in his. “I’d love that.”

“Really?” I ask, stirring the pasta sauce. “That would be cool.”

“How often do you see your parents?” he asks me, checking the garlic bread in the oven. “You haven’t really spoken about them.”

“I see them on holidays,” I explain. “They live about a five-hour drive out of the city now, in a small country town down south. How about you and your mum?”

He pauses, closing the oven. “She passed away about two years ago.”

I turn to him, letting go of the spoon and instinctively taking a step toward him. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Dash.”

I hug him, resting my cheek against his chest. “I wish I could have been there for you.”

“It’s funny you say that,” he says, arms around me. “Because when she got cancer and when she passed, those were both the times I wanted to call you so badly. I almost did, in fact.”

“I wish you had.”

It was on both of us that we let ourselves lose contact, but I kind of feel responsible. I was only thinking of my loss, but everyone else lost Max too. Dash was hurting, and I left him behind as well. I think it was the only way I could deal with the loss of losing my best friend, but now we have a chance to make things right. There’s no point looking back, only forward.

We stay like that for a moment, until the sauce starts bubbling on the stove and I have to move. I feel really miserable Dash lost his mum, especially because his dad isn’t in his life. I almost want to ask about his dad, if he heard from him over the years, but I figure he will tell me if he wants to.

After we have lunch, we put on a movie and get in bed. There is no way either of us is going to concentrate on the movie though, because as soon as we get in bed, we’re all over each other. Dash kisses me slow and deep, his tongue masterfully tangling with mine, his fingers lifting my t-shirt to touch my skin. When his lips touch my neck, I sit up and pull my shirt off. I then take off my bra and panties, all in several seconds, while Dash watches with lust and a hint of amusement.

“Eager, baby?” he says, eyes roaming over my body.

I smile at the endearment and say, “I don’t care what happens. If the phone rings, or if there’s an earthquake, you do not stop.”