THIRST

by Deborah Bladon

  Chapter 44

  Rocco

  I gaze out the window at Dexie. She ducked into her bathroom when she got home. She’s still wearing the shirt that she put on earlier. It’s my shirt.

  I like that she’s going to sleep in it.

  She blows me a kiss and I pretend to catch it in my fist before I touch my hand to my lips.

  Her palm lands on the glass of her window. I follow her lead and plant mine on my window.

  With a soft smile, she backs away and moves toward the lamp.

  Darkness follows and I know that she’s crawling into her bed.

  “I didn’t mean to chase her away.” Luke approaches me from behind. “I would have gone to Nash’s place if I had known.”

  I’m always Luke’s first choice when he needs a place to crash for the night or a few days.

  Last year he took up residence in the spare room for six months.

  I didn’t complain.

  I miss having my family here. We used to gather for poker nights to eat pizza. We’d play with nickels and dimes.

  My door was always open if anyone needed a place to stop to get a coffee or a word of advice.

  So much has changed.

  “It’s fine,” I say brusquely, turning to face my younger brother. “What’s going on with you?”

  He’s showered since Dexie left. He’s shirtless now too. The tattoos on his chest are an homage to the two most important women in his life. Gaia and Irena.

  The ink is his remembrance of them both, even though he was only a few months old when our mother died.

  “Work.” He shrugs. “I work too fucking much.”

  He’s twenty-nine-years-old and single. Work should consume him. Being a firefighter keeps him out of trouble. He got into his fair share when he was younger, but he’s leveled off. The paycheck that comes with responsibility set him on the right track.

  “Forget about me.” He rests his hand on my bare shoulder. “Let’s talk about Dexie.”

  I shake my head. “We’re not going there.”

  “Why the fuck not?”

  I scowl. “She’s fun. We’re having fun, Luke.”

  “You don’t have lavender bubble bath fun with women.” His hand dives to the waistband of his sweatpants. “This is different.”

  I don’t respond to that. I can’t explain what’s happening between Dexie and I to him because I can’t make sense of it.

  “Gina said you’re going to partner with her.” He clears his throat. “She makes designer handbags. That’s right up your alley, isn’t it?”

  I laugh at the jab. “Fuck you.”

  “You want to make her dreams come true,” he states with a tilt of his chin. “I saw the way she was looking at you. You’re already her hero.”

  I feel like I’m racing down a hill at full speed with no brakes.

  “We’re done talking about Dexie.” I brush past him. “Did you put the coffee on?”

  “No coffee for me.” He shakes his head. “It’ll keep me up all night.”

  That’s why I’m craving a cup.

  Sleep is my enemy. It brings an arsenal of nightmares with it.

  “Have you talked to Pop lately?” I ask because our dad was due back from his honeymoon two days ago. “I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail.”

  “He’s a newlywed.” He winks. “Give him space, Rocco.”

  I have been, but I know my dad better than anyone. Life has taken its bitter toll on the man. He’s chasing his happy-ever-after with April, his third wife.

  My prayer as I watched him marry her was that he’d take his last breath before she draws hers.

  That’s his wish too.

  “Are you headed to bed?” I want his company, but I know his schedule.

  “If I hit the hay now, I’ll get a good three hours.” He drops both hands to his hips. “I pulled the early shift.”

  “Don’t let me keep you.”

  He nods his chin at me. “It was good to see you happy tonight. I hope I see more of that.”

  I turn back to the window. Happiness comes at a price I’m not sure I’m willing to pay.

  “Night, Rocco.” He starts toward the spare room. “Go to bed before I get up.”

  Crawling into my bed with its sheets scented with the fragrance of Dexie Walsh is all too inviting. I follow my brother out of the living room, walk into my bedroom and slam the door shut.

  If I can’t have her in my bed, I can chase away the nightmares with a dream about her.

  Wishing won’t make it so, but I can sure as hell try.

  Chapter 45

  Dexie

  Standing at my window, I let out an audible sigh.

  “What’s wrong?” Sophia glances at me from where she’s sitting on the couch. “Did the fish not sit well with you either?”

  I steal a glance at her over my shoulder. “What?”

  She rubs her stomach. “I think the fish tacos we had for lunch were bad.”

  They were fine and delicious.

  I sneak one last peek at Rocco’s window, but he’s not there.

  “I can make you a tea.” I walk to the kitchen. “Peppermint tea always settles my stomach.”

  “Can you make it iced?” She fans herself. “I think your air conditioner is down again.”

  The roar of it blowing should have been her first clue that it’s working just fine. “You’re just too hot to handle.”

  She barks out a loud laugh. “Look at me. I look horrible today.”

  She looks incredible. We’re both dressed down in red T-shirts and white shorts. I accused her of planting a hidden camera in my apartment when she picked me up for lunch.

  We look like twins save for the color of our hair and eyes and her height advantage.

  “Get my mind off my nausea.” She watches me make her iced tea. “Do you have a deal in place yet?”

  “I have something better.” I plop two ice cubes into a tall glass. “I have a meeting with Suzanne Belese.”

  “Seriously?” Her voice rises in pitch.

  “Super seriously,” I toss back. “I’m meeting her sometime this week. Rocco arranged it.”

  She waits for a beat before she says a word. “He’s good for you, Dex.”

  “He’s good to me,” I correct her with a smile. “He’s looking out for my best interests.”

  “Nicholas was the same way with me.” She leans her head back on the couch. “He did everything in his power to make me happy. He still does.”

  I’ve never felt envious about Sophia’s relationship with Nicholas. I was there when they navigated their way through the beginning of their love story. She wanted nothing to do with him. He wouldn’t give up.

  He won her heart and now that smile on her face is permanent.

  “Rocco doesn’t want me to make the wrong decision about who to partner with.” I pick up the glass of iced tea. “Suzanne’s path is the one I want to follow, so I think talking to her will put things into perspective for me.”

  “It will.” She nods. “You’ll tell me everything she says, right?”

  “You know I will,” I say as I hand her the glass. “I need you to help me with something today.”

  “Anything.” She takes a long sip of the cool tea. “This is so good.”

  I point at Marti’s handbag on the wingback chair. “That is a treasure, and I want to do something extra special for the woman it belongs to.”

  Sophia’s gaze follows my finger. “That’s a treasure?”

  “It is.” I pat her knee. “I have an idea of what I want to do with it. I’m hoping you can add your two cents because your opinion is priceless to me.”

  “I’m in.” She takes another swallow. “Let’s get to it.”

  ***

  The warm breeze blowing over my back is distracting. The sight of Rocco in a pair of black running shorts and no shirt is mind-numbing.

  He’s sweaty and listening to something with a catchy beat judging by the way he’s hoppi
ng in place on the sidewalk in front of his building.

  His phone is strapped to his bicep. Ear buds are settled in place.

  The man is turning the head of every person who passes by him.

  I can count myself among them.

  It’s late afternoon and I’m on my way home from Sophia’s apartment.

  After we brainstormed about Marti’s purse, we took the subway to Sophia’s place.

  She ordered me to put on this beautiful backless pink shirt.

  It’s made of the softest material and the tie around the bottom is knotted at waist level.

  It’s sexy, flirty and a perfect match for my white shorts and red heels.

  I smooth my hand over my hair.

  Just as I’m about to tap Rocco on the shoulder, he pivots in his running shoes to face me.

  He tugs his ear buds out and flashes me a killer smile. “I knew you were close. Sweet summer roses. That’s what you smell like.”

  He smells like every fantasy I’ve ever had.

  “You look incredible.” He taps his bottom lip. “I bet you taste even better.”

  Two women stop to gawk at him. He’s oblivious. His gaze is pinned to me.

  “I’m going to shower and then let’s get a drink.” He cocks a dark brow. “Are you game for that?”

  Since my master plan for tonight was working on a handbag, I opt-in with a nod of my head. “I’ll meet you back here in twenty minutes.”

  “Fifteen.” He leans forward to give me a chaste kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

  I wave my smartphone in the air. “I’ll call ahead and tell Zeke we’re on our way.”

  “No Zeke,” he growls, his hand grabbing my hip. “I want you all to myself tonight.”

  I want him all to myself tonight, and every night to come.

  “No Zeke,” I repeat back with a brush of my tongue over my bottom lip. “Just you and me.”

  The pad of his thumb follows the path of my tongue. “Perfect.”

  Chapter 46

  Rocco

  I let her win.

  I bought Dexie a glass of white wine at a bar down the street from our buildings, then I brought her back to my apartment, stripped her naked, fucked her raw and bathed her skin in soft kisses while she settled.

  Once she was ready, I grabbed a deck of cards and a bag of pretzels.

  We played a makeshift game of Texas hold’em on my bed.

  I wore the black boxer briefs I have on now. She’s wearing a smile and one of my T-shirts.

  “Look at all my pretzels.” She picks them up and tosses them on the white blanket we’re sitting on. “Tell me you at least tried to win.”

  I lean back on one hand. “You want me to lie to you, Dexie?”

  She blows out a breath between her lips. “Not lie. Call it role play.”

  I huff out a laugh. “You won all those pretzels because I was so distracted by your smile.”

  Her hand moves to cover her mouth. “My bottom teeth aren’t perfectly straight.”

  They’re not. One overlaps another by a touch. It’s barely noticeable, but I’ve saved to memory everything about her.

  “Your teeth are perfect.”

  “Your teeth are perfect,” she volleys the words back to me. “You’re kind of perfect in every way.”

  If that were true, my life would be much easier.

  I pick up a pretzel and take a bite.

  “You’re eating my winnings.” She slides to her knees to gather the pretzel sticks into a pile. “That’s going to cost you.”

  I pick up two more and eat both slowly. “What’s the price I need to pay?”

  Her hand slides over her hair. “Will you braid my hair?”

  “Turn around.”

  I run my hands through her thick hair, tugging at the strands to straighten them.

  “Is Luke coming over tonight?”

  I yank on her hair, pulling her head back so I can run my lips over her cheek. “Why?”

  She laughs. “I like him.”

  “You like him?”

  Her hand reaches up to cup my cheek. “I like that he’s someone who has known you for a long time. He must have a lot of secrets to tell about you.”

  “Tell me a secret about you.” I move back to separate her hair into three sections with my fingers.

  Her breath hitches. “A secret about me?”

  “One secret.”

  She leans forward. “I was engaged once.”

  My hands drop from her hair. I was expecting a confession about a drunken phone call or an obsession with chocolate, not this.

  “When?” I ask the question in a low tone.

  “Five years ago.” She holds up her hand, her fingers moving in the air. “Our engagement lasted a month. I broke it off.”

  “Why?”

  She looks up at the ceiling. “He wanted me to change. He wanted the pink streaks and the nose piercing gone before the wedding. He told me that I should have grown out of that phase by the time I was twenty-one.”

  “How old are you?” I don’t give a shit what the answer is. I know she’s younger than me.

  “Twenty-seven.” She steals a glance at me. “You’re thirty-five.”

  “You know this...” I trail my words.

  “The internet.”

  I get back to work on her hair, smoothing the strands between my fingers. “He’s a fool.”

  “I was for thinking I could spend my life with someone like him.” She sighs when I start braiding her hair. “I’m glad I realized before I said ‘I do’ to him.”

  I finish the braid, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing.

  “Your turn.” She spins around to face me.

  “I tried braids once.” I shove both hands through my hair. “It’s not a look that works for me.”

  She laughs. “You didn’t.”

  I shrug a shoulder. “I didn’t.”

  “Your secret, Rocco. What is it?”

  I have a million and a spare. I choose a simple one that I know will keep a smile on her beautiful face. “I told Luke to sleep at Nash’s place tonight if he needs a place to crash.”

  “Nash?”

  “My other brother.”

  She nods. “Why did you do that?”

  “Three words.” I lean forward to press my lips to hers. “Lavender bubble bath.”

  She jumps to her feet, sliding the T-shirt over her head.

  I rake her from head-to-toe, sending my cock into an instant erection.

  “What are we waiting for?” She hops off the bed.

  I’m on my feet too. “You’re driving this train. I’m just along for the ride.”

  She claps her hands together. “I’ll draw the bath. You get a candle.”

  “A candle?”

  She stops just inside the door of my bedroom. “A warm bath, your arms wrapped around me and candlelight. That’s all I want tonight.”

  “I’ll get the candle,” I say without pause because it’s all I want tonight too.

  Chapter 47

  Dexie

  “Rocco had only good things to say about you, Dexie,” Suzanne Belese sips on the expensive cocktail she ordered the minute she sat down.

  I’m on my second soda water. I took the afternoon off for this meeting. My boss at Matiz was more than happy to grant my request seeing as how the sales numbers for the lipstick campaign I headed are through the roof.

  I have only good things to say about Rocco too. This morning I blew him a kiss through the window as I was readying for my day.

  We’ve both been busy with work for most of this week. Our last chance to be together was the night we shared a candlelit bath.

  “Your work is beautiful.” She points a red fingernail at my white clutch purse. “Your attention to detail makes all the difference in the world.”

  The compliment is genuine. Every Belese bag I’ve ever seen has been crafted with the utmost care.

  “Thank you,” I offer with a smile. “That means a
lot to me.”

  “Rocco was kind enough to fill me in on your vision for your venture.” She leans forward so her elbows are resting on the white linen tablecloth. “I think there’s room in the market for Dexie Walsh.”

  I think there is too. I know it’s crowded and finding a customer base won’t be easy, but I’m more than willing to do whatever it takes, short of selling my soul, to make it happen.

  “Rick and I started Belese in our garage.” She smiles with the mention of her husband’s name. “We were both working full-time jobs. We’d get home after a long day and head straight to the garage. We were sleep deprived for years.”

  “It paid off,” I point out with a lift of my glass in the air.

  She holds up her glass to tap it against mine. “In spades.”

  “What do you think set you over the edge?” I sigh. “When did you make the leap from your garage to a boutique?”

  “When we found the right partner,” she says with ease. “That was the key for us. It took a few years but once we found someone who saw the value in what we were doing, we hit the ground running.”

  It was the answer I was expecting, so I push harder. “That’s when you scaled up?”

  “We did that over time.” Her nail taps a beat against the tablecloth. “Some people see us as an overnight success, but that’s not our story. There were years of sacrifice and hundreds of mistakes, but we never quit. We knew that if we kept at it, word would get out and Belese would become a brand to be reckoned with.”

  I nod, taking in every word she’s saying.

  “We wouldn’t be where we are today if we didn’t give up some control.” She shakes her head slightly, causing her short brown curly hair to bounce. “Your specialty is designing handbags. Your talent is undeniable, Dexie. Focus on that and your future business partner will focus on everything else.”

  She’s right. I’ve wanted a partner for years. Rhoda and Rocco are both giving me a chance to have that.

  “Some people are good at this.” Her fingers run over the edge of my clutch. “Others are good behind the scenes. Don’t get caught up in trying to master it all.”

  “I just want to pick the right partner.” I laugh. “Why does choosing a partner feel like the biggest decision of my life?”