"You don't like the smell?"

"Nope." Eyeing the stub in his hand, I wrinkled my nose. Now the logical part of my brain recognized that I should avoid talking to him. If I did, maybe we could both forget what happened in his office. But if I kept talking to him, it would be like throwing bait into shark infested waters. Even realizing that, I kept talking. "I don't like that whole cancer thing you can get from them either."

He brought the cigarette back up to his mouth, holding it between his index finger and thumb. "You're not gonna nag at me to quit?"

What? "You're a big boy, Dex. And I'm sure you don't like people hounding you." He lifted both eyebrows up like in acknowledgment that I was right. "It'd be nice if you quit so you wouldn't have to worry about getting lung cancer but it's your life. Your body." I smiled at him, the honesty just kind of pouring from my mouth. "I care about you and I hope that you don't ever go through something like that if you can help it."

Dex's mouth didn't form a smile but the way the creases at the corners of his eyes pulled back, it looked like he was trying not to. "Oh yeah?"

And he thought I needed reassurances. "Yes." I confirmed what I'd said. The thought of seeing big, strong Dex with his healthy, bright tattoos, laying withered on a hospital bed physically hurt me.

"I only smoke a couple a day," he argued.

That warm feeling I associated with my mom gripped my chest. "You don't get to choose." For once in a very long time, I wanted to tell him how I knew for a fact that cancer wasn't a bigot or particular about who it went after but the words just wouldn't come out.

One shoulder went up in what wasn't acceptance or denial. "No, I guess ya don't, babe."

Dex looked at me for a long moment, his face pensive and calm under the thick black stubble that had grown on his cheeks over the day. Neither one of us said anything as he took the last pull between his lips. Holding the cigarette between his fingers, he stared at the lit tip with pursed lips before leaning out the window and stubbing it out on the brick building.

He closed the window and leaned against the wall like he had been. Dex swept a finger over his upper lip, trailing his eyes back over in my direction. His head ticked to the side. "You heard what everybody's callin' me now?"

I raised an eyebrow, forgetting that the last thing I needed was to get playful with him. "A nerd?"

"No." It looked like he wanted to smile again but he managed not to. "Your majesty."

Just because he wasn't smiling didn't mean I wouldn't. I snorted, loud. "I like it."

His facial expression didn't change at all. Those blue eyes were too intent, too focused to assure me that I'd get through this day—heck, this week—unscathed. "Know when the last time someone came up with a nickname for me was?"

I shook my head.

"Fifth grade," he explained coolly. "Poindexter."

I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning.

Still, he didn't smile. Dex just kept on looking. "I beat the shit outta the kid that came up with it. Got expelled from school, too."

Also, not a surprise, but I couldn't understand why he was telling me this. Not that I didn't appreciate learning about him but there had to be a message he was trying to put across. "Are you going to beat the crap out of me?"

"Ritz," he sighed. "You trust me?"

I blinked. "Why are you asking?"

"You trust me, or not?"

Did I? It took me less than a heartbeat to decide that after Sonny, I probably trusted Dex the most. And that was even over Will. What that said about the lack of people of in my life, I had no idea, but I didn't care. "Yes," I answered him a little breathless.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I told him again. I did. "Absolutely."

He rubbed that finger over his lip again. "Absolutely," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "You think I trust you?"

There wasn't a need for me to wonder about the answer to his question. It was instinctive. This was the man who told me things about his childhood, his family. He'd shown me his spare bedroom. I couldn't have fought the strain in my chest if I tried. "Yes."

Dex planted both of his hands on the desk in front of him and leaned forward. "I tried all night to think of somebody I trust as much as you and I could only come up with one. One f**kin' person out of everybody in the world, babe," he let me know.

The sudden urge to cry and smile had me make some kind of stupid face.

"My ma," he said. "The only person who knows me better than you do is Ma and that's cheatin'. Not my sisters or my brothers, babe. Just. You."

I couldn’t breathe.

“I really didn’t wanna like you, honey. A part of me still doesn’t,” he said, his expression guarded. “You’re not the kinda person I had in mind for the shop. But your damn brother begged me to hire you, threatened my future kids if I wasn’t nice to his baby sister. And now you’re here.”

Umm...what?

My neck itched as my throat went dry. His admission explained a lot, and at the same time, it made me feel uncomfortable. “Dex, if you don’t want to be my friend that’s okay.” You’d just be ripping my heart out and stomping on it but okay.

His laugh was hard. “Honey, you and me, we’re more than just friends.”

And… I was dead. I had to be.

Dex scrubbed his fingers over his lips again, his glare violent. “Look at you. I never stood a f**kin’ chance.”

I blinked at him, refusing to absorb the creamy words that were coming out of his mouth. “I’m pretty sure you’ve made it known to half of Texas that you’re not attracted to me.” Then there were the times I thought he looked at me as his pet.

Dex’s nostrils flared. “Baby, have I or haven’t I, warned you a million times that I say shit I don’t mean all the time? You expected me to tell your brother I wanted to f**k his little Ris the first time I saw you in shorts? Or should I have said somethin’ to you when I knew you were still pissed at me?”

“Charlie…”

“Babe.” He said my nickname like a challenge.

“You told Shane you didn’t like me not even three weeks ago!”

“I never said that, babe. Quit puttin’ words in my mouth.”

Damn this man. I felt like the walls were closing in on me. “You’re the most confusing person I’ve ever met in my life.”

He shrugged. “Forgive me for bein’ so damn stupid and confusin’ you.”

“You’re not being stupid, I just don’t think you’re thinking clearly. “ I swallowed even as my heart hurt. “Maybe you just need to go...you know...with someone.”

“Baby, there’s nothing wrong with my judgment. I know exactly what I’m doin’, and I know damn well that if I ever see you smile at somebody like you did at Trey today, I’ll kill the poor bastard.”

“Dex!”

“I’m not jokin’. I don’t ever wanna see that shit ever again so unless you want me goin’ to jail for murderin’ somebody, quit it,” he stated, not blinking, not breathing, totally focused.