Came Back Haunted (Experiment in Terror #10) - Karina Halle Page 0,45

my waist, in a slow dance with a lively pace. He’s such a good dancer that I just let him lead me around, finding it easy to match his moves when I just let myself go.

“All I ever wanted,” he sings to me, his voice matching the deep timbre of David Gahan’s voice like magic, “all I ever needed, is here, in my arms.”

My body erupts in goosebumps, my stomach tingling as the depth of his perfect voice runs through me. I’m tempted to take Martin Gore’s high harmony, but I don’t want to ruin the velvet perfection that is Dex’s singing voice.

Besides, it’s so fucking romantic. I close my eyes and rest my head against his chest, breathing in the scent of the man I love, letting the beat of a song I love move us together, synched in time.

And that’s when I find it rising up from deep inside me, almost like a song I can’t keep buried.

“Dex,” I whisper to him, wrapping my hands around his neck, staring up at him with so much emotion that I think I might just break into a million pieces. “I want to have a baby.”

His brows raise. Eyes go wide. He blinks.

“What?” he says, licking his lips, our movements slowing to a stop in the middle of the dance floor.

I swallow, trying to keep everything in check. God, I didn’t think it would be this scary. The lyrics “words are very unnecessary” has me thinking twice as it plays out across the room.

I look away but Dex is fast, his fingers at my chin, raising my face, making my eyes meet his. “What did you just say?” he says softly as he stares at me with wild eyes. His fingers at my chin tremble slightly.

“I think I’m ready…” I begin. “No, I know I’m ready. I want to start a family. With you. Obviously. I want to have your babies.”

My lord. Why the hell did all of this sound okay in my head but the moment I open my mouth to actually tell him, I sound like a total idiot?

“This is probably coming out all wrong,” I quickly add. “I’m sorry.”

“All wrong?” Dex finally manages to say. We’re still stopped in the middle of the dance floor, and he’s still searching my eyes like a man on a mission. His hands slide back along my face, disappearing into my hair as he holds me in place. “Perry, please tell me that you mean everything you’re saying, because I’m about to take it to fucking heart. And when I take it to heart, it’s going to stay there.”

I give him a sweet smile. “I mean everything I’m saying. I would like you to knock me up.”

He stares at me incredulously for a moment before he bursts out laughing, his eyes watering, his smile so wide that it makes me feel breathless. “I don’t even know what to say. I don’t.”

“Say yes? Yes I want to knock you up?”

He laughs again, leaning in, resting his forehead against mine. “I can’t believe you want this. Do you really want this? I’ve been trying not to pressure you—I know that it’s a difficult topic for us and—”

“You didn’t pressure me,” I say quickly. “Not even a little. You’ve always given me plenty of space to come to my own decisions and…this is what I want, Dex. This is all I want, really. You and me and a baby. I want us to be a family. I want a little version of us to love.”

He’s still staring at me in awe but now something else is coming over him. His lower lip starts to tremble, his eyes about to spill over with tears.

Oh my god.

I can barely breathe as he looks away, pressing his fist against his mouth, his eyes pinching shut as tears spill down.

Oh no. Oh fucking no.

I’ve made him cry.

“Dex,” I say softly, putting my hand to his cheek, wiping away his tears with my thumb.

“I’m okay,” he manages to say, meeting my eyes. He gives me a smile that’s both embarrassed and joyous. It’s rare to see Dex cry, and it’s even rarer to see him embarrassed. “I’m good.”

“You’re crying,” I tell him. “You sure you’re okay?”

He nods, letting out a soft laugh full of awe and disbelief. “We need to get out of here,” he says, looking around the room. He grabs my hand and pulls me past the other tables until we’re leaving the restaurant like we’re fleeing the