“Which parts?”
Mostly Dex’s parts. But she couldn’t really say that. Not that it was a secret. In fact, she kind of wanted to confide in a friend since she’d never done anything like this before.
“Well…the night time was interesting,” Michelle said. “It was just Dex and me and…”
Natalie’s eyes went wide. “Ooooh! Don’t stop now! Tell me everything!”
Michelle gave a light smile. “We had sex. Outside!”
Natalie nodded. “Hot. And very nature-esque of you.”
“I’ve never done anything like this. I know Dex has.”
Natalie scoffed. “Yeah, he has. I think one night at a time is all he does actually.”
That made Michelle’s heart stutter, and Natalie must have sensed what was happening, because she suddenly backtracked.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that I know Dex. We went to school together, and he has that bad-boy reputation that all the girls like. Problem is, he knows it.”
Yeah, Michelle figured that. “He’s confident,” she admitted. And capable, dominant, and fun, and sexy, and…fun.
“Do you like him?”
“Not really,” Michelle said. “I mean, yes, in some ways. But he irritates me like no one ever has.” And he wanted six more hours with her. Hours she was fighting against, because seeing him once was one thing, but multiple times? No, that was too easy to develop things like feelings, expectations, commitment. Even a six hour commitment to him would be too much. She could barely keep her panties on as it was in a single encounter with the man.
“That’s Dex. He’ll push your buttons. But he’s a good guy deep down.”
Michelle knew that. He’d played a nasty trick on her, but he was thinking of her comfort at some point. If she had wanted to throw in the towel early last night, the outpost had been right there, and he’d kept her safe and praised her willpower. But as much as that made her kind of happy, it also made her kind of pissed. She had tried last night. Done the training and ruined her favorite shoes trying to be adventurous and survive. But he’d walked her in circles, so maybe, deep down, he didn’t think she had it in her to execute her goals.
Oh, she could execute!
Part of her wanted to show him just how well she could hang on for the ride. But it was better to stay away. Tying herself to one man, six hours or not, was against her independence policy.
“It’s not fair that he looks even better in the morning,” Michelle mumbled.
Natalie piqued. “Oh, so you saw him this morning, huh?”
“Yeah, he came over.”
“That is interesting.”
“Why?”
Natalie shrugged. “Never knew Dex to chase anyone.”
“Oh, he wasn’t chasing me. He was demanding I spend six hours with him.”
Natalie smiled. “Uh-huh. So he didn’t chase you to your doorstep after you ditched him, only to demand you spend more time with him? Yeah…the guy clearly hates you.”
Okay, Natalie was being sarcastic. And yeah, she got it, but no, Dex didn’t like her.
“It was one night,” she reassured herself as much as Natalie. “And he has ulterior motives. I guess he has to train me for six more hours to get recertified.”
“That’s great.”
“No, it’s not. I did my training. I don’t need more.”
“Really? What about a different kind of training?” She winked, and Michelle was starting to wonder if she shouldn’t have disclosed her obsessive list-making habit to her friend. “You want experiences and to cross off some of those wild wants from your sexy list. Dex is your man. Besides, your douche of an ex made you feel crappy and contained all the time, right? This is the first time I’ve seen you act happy and confident. Maybe Dex did teach you a thing or two.”
Oh, he definitely had. But that didn’t mean she should keep seeing him.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“I disagree,” Natalie said. “If Dex has ulterior motives, then so should you. He needs his hours? You need to be adventurous.”
There was that word again. But Natalie was trying to be supportive. And the truth was, last night with Dex had unleashed her inner wild side, and that was fun. Just like he was.
“Dex is a powerful guy, so use your power back. Maybe take this time to explore your wants and desires. Give in to all the things you want to be and feel. Why not?”
Michelle opened her mouth to argue that this was terrible, but nothing came out. Because…yeah…why not?
Dex knew what this was. Which was casual. He wanted something from her; she could get something from him.
Why not?
“Six hours isn’t really a commitment, right?” she asked for clarification.