Her delicate hand touches my shoulder. “What do you mean?”
I turn to her. “It was supposed to be a joke, but we’re dumbasses and accidentally got married for real, and now the team’s PR agent is doing everything they can to try to convince people it is real so it doesn’t look bad on the team or us.” The words come out in one long rush.
“Oh, honey.” Mom steps forward and hugs me. “That must be difficult for you.”
“You have no idea,” I mumble.
“I think I do. It’s obvious how you feel about him.”
“To everyone but him evidently.”
“I’m not sure that boy even knows his own feelings. I mean, if this is all fake like you say it is, why is he going to such big lengths to impress us and make sure he’s always touching you in public?”
“Graham from PR is telling us to act like a couple to cover our asses.”
“Hmm.” Mom purses her lips.
“What?”
“That doesn’t explain why you two came home last night trying to eat each other’s faces.”
I wince. “Uhh, yeah. About that … I don’t even know what that was.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“No. Because we were interrupted by unexpected visitors,” I say dryly.
“Talk to him. Maybe this marriage isn’t so fake to him after all.”
I’m reminded of the other part of what Anton said while we were away—that it’s possible Dex has feelings for me too but didn’t know it.
I haven’t stopped to think about it too hard because I don’t want to give weight to an idea that could hurt me. Especially when it’s so unrealistic.
Dex is an open book, and he hasn’t mentioned wanting to give anything more than sex a try. And just because we got off together last night and I gave him a blowjob, that’s not going to magically create feelings just because I want it to.
I already know Dex is not the type of guy to associate sex with emotions. Neither am I. Usually.
But with Dex … everything is jumbled in my head.
“You’re overthinking this, honey,” Mom says.
“You think so?”
“I can see why it would be confusing, but … I mean … you’re married now. Even if it started as an accident, why don’t you see where it can go?”
Sure, because that’s not going to end in heartache or anything. Though I don’t think I can avoid it at this point anyway. “You just want to keep Dex, don’t you?”
“As far as sons-in-law go, he’s a good one.”
Before I can tell her exactly why this whole thing is a bad idea, the buzzer for the front of the building sounds, and I go to the intercom to see my sister’s face on the security camera.
“Sienna’s here.” I buzz her up, and then Mom and I go to the front door to meet her.
When she gets off the elevator, she’s all smiles. “Where’s my favorite brother-in-law? The one who’s totally in love with Tripp, and it’s very, very real.”
“I’m so glad I told Mom the truth because if I hadn’t, your act certainly would have.”
Mom smiles. “And that’s why you never got away with anything as a teenager.” She hugs Sienna. “I love you, my dear, but you can’t lie to save your life.”
“Damn it. I was going to have so much fun.”
“Definitely glad I told Mom the truth,” I say.
“Truth about what?” Dad asks.
I go to tell him, when my mother cuts me off.
“Nothing you need to worry about. Let’s go catch up with our daughter and leave the newlyweds alone for a while.” Then she looks at me in the way only a mother can.
Her expression tells me to do the right thing and talk to my husband.
She takes Sienna by the arm and says, “Okay, take me to your apartment so I can clean it.”
“Mom,” Sienna whines.
As soon as they’re out the door, I turn to go find Dex, only to run right into him.
His arms wrap around my back. “I thought they’d never leave.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to say we need to talk when he kisses me with a needy force.
I stumble back, but he pulls me closer. The protest that we need to talk comes out like a soft moan, which only encourages him.
We fumble our way over to the couch, and we fall with Dex on top of me. He doesn’t break from my mouth, only dives deeper with his tongue.
I need to back away. We need to talk. But when I break my lips from his, he kisses my neck instead, and my words die.
Dex’s muscular body grinds against mine. My head spins, my aching cock wants more, but we have to set some boundaries or … fuck, I’m in so much trouble. I need to know what we’re doing.
“Dex, wait—”
But then his hand reaches between us and undoes the fly on my jeans, pausing right as he lifts his head. “Wait? For what?”
His warm brown eyes, filled with heat but a touch of vulnerability, make me forget everything.
“I don’t fucking know.”
“I want to touch you,” he begs. “I’ve wanted to since last night. Please, can I?”
“I’m not going to stop you.”
Then the tables are turned. Where last night, I was the one jerking him off while rutting against him, he’s now doing the same.
His hand works me over, his touch sends shivers down my spine, and the whole experience is even more surreal sober than it was in a drunken haze last night.
His grip is firm and confident, and he knows how to drive me crazy. His thumb swipes over the tip, collecting precum that he uses to make my cock glide through his fist easier.
Dex feels so good against me, so much better than I ever could have imagined. My fantasies don’t live up to this real-life connection.
We’re best friends. I’ve always felt close to him. But this, it’s more than close. I’m— “Holy fuck, I’m gonna come already,” I rasp.
He’s had his hand on me for all of a couple of minutes, but I can’t hold back. I slam my eyes closed as I unleash, riding the wave that even Dex’s chuckle can’t bring down.
When I can finally catch my breath and the ropes of cum settle on my skin and the bottom of my shirt, Dex lifts up and looks me in the eye.
Where he was wearing his puppy dog eyes before, now he’s all smug.
“And I was worried I was going to be bad at that.”
I don’t want to tell him it had nothing to do with the quality of handjob and everything to do with him being the one giving it to me, so I opt for casual snark instead. “Come on, dude. I know you’ve had plenty of practice at that. I room with you at away games.”
“Mm, true. But being the one who draws out the sound of you coming is so much sexier than hearing you do it.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mmhmm.” His hand is still around my dick, and he strokes lightly.
“Want me to return the favor?”
“Hmm, nah. We’ll call this one even since I fell asleep last night after promising you another orgasm.” Dex sits up and wipes the rest of my cum on his shirt. “But today has gotten me thinking, and—”
“Oh God, don’t tell me. You’ve decided it’s a good idea for us to adopt a child. As a joke. On a whim.”
Dex laughs. “How’d you know?”