“The dog. What if it dies?”
“I’ll be sad, but it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” The elevator opened and two people got off forcing us to move to the side for a moment. I took in her words but couldn’t agree.
“I frankly don’t believe that.” We entered the empty elevator and I could feel the tension between us increase, not knowing if that was a good thing or not. My body was aching for her and my heart was racing.
Elena looked me right in the eyes with a straight face and said, “I’ve lost a lot too, Mr. Price.” She could tell that I was seriously disturbed by the phrase.
“It’s Dexter.” I wanted her to drop the formality. There was no need for that between us. As far as I was concerned, we were going to live happily ever after. I may have finally lost my mind. In fact, I knew I had lost all rationalization the moment I saw her in the park.
“Okay, Dexter. My mother left my father before the accident. She left us high and dry for another man and from what I have learned…started another family.” I could tell there was pain hidden in the past. Her mother was a total bitch. My mother wasn’t loving like she could have been, but she hadn’t abandoned me.
“Damn, Elena, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Dexter. It was a very long time ago and I had lost them before I could even remember them.”
“I don’t want to talk about this right now. Let’s get your dog.” She only lived on the sixth floor so we were there before we could say another word.
“I thought that was what you wanted.” She turned as we stepped out of the elevator.
“What I want is something I shouldn’t,” I grunted out.
“What could that be, Dexter?” Her face expressed true interest.
“You,” I admitted.
“What? Are you trying to claim me as retribution?” she asked in suspicion. I knew she would think that because I was willing to use the past to my favor if I could. It was wrong, but I was addicted from the start. There was no turning back for me.
“I wanted you from the moment I saw you. Being who you are actually caused me to pause…for like a minute.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Elena ducked her head nervously then she unlocked the door and this little, fluffy dog came running up to her. Must be a puppy.
“What kind of dog is it?” It was a cute, little one.
“It’s a husky. He’s only ten weeks. Soon he’s going to be big.”
“Good. He’ll be there to protect you when I’m working.”
“Do you want to go for a walk, Bruno?” she asked the tiny hairball who wagged his tail wildly. I gave the dog a look because I understood his need. I wanted her to walk with me everywhere. She grabbed his leash and some small trash bags, then we headed out.
“So what do you do for a living?” I wanted to know everything about her without having to look at a file.
She blushed. “Nothing at the moment. I hope to get a degree in social work.”
“But you live here? Please don’t tell me you’ve got a sugar daddy paying for your expenses.” I grumbled. I’d kill a motherfucker if that were the case.
She looked at me and laughed. “God, no. I have a trust fund that was set up for me when I was little. I just got access to it two months ago when I turned eighteen.”
She was only eighteen; I’d completely forgotten how young she was. She needed someone to look after her finances. Not that it mattered after we were married, but I didn’t want to see her get taken advantage of by people. “Wow. Do you need someone to manage it for you? I know plenty of people that work for me that could keep it safe.”
“No, thank you. I have enough for a lifetime. I won’t be spending it like crazy.”
“No, but this place is expensive.”
“Yes, and paid off without a mortgage. Besides, it’s not your business.” Damn it, I pissed her off but she ticked me off to start.
“I beg to differ.”
She arched her brow at me. “Well, so do I. Just because of…” I couldn’t take her bringing it up. It wasn’t that I held it against her, but I was fucking scarred because of it. Hell, I’d been so physically and emotionally damaged that I’d never had a girlfriend.
She took off toward the door but before she could open it, I pinned her to its wood frame and kissed her. Our lips crashed hard as they met for our first kiss. It softened as she melted into my arms. Her body felt so perfect against mine, clinging so intensely I had to pull back because I couldn’t just fuck her here like this. I wanted her in my bed, in silky things willingly waiting for me.