“I do.”
“And just how do you figure that?”
“Because the minute you sang the word ‘whippoorwil ’ a coupla months ago, your eyes locked on mine, you became my woman again.”
I jerked my neck away and took a step back.
Erm, excuse me?
“I did not!” I flashed.
“I didn’t know it at the time. Maybe didn’t want to know it.
“I didn’t know it at the time. Maybe didn’t want to know it.
I definitely fought it. But I gotta say, lookin’ back, you did.”
“I most certainly did not! ” I yel ed.
He grinned. “Yeah, Kitten, you did.”
I could not believe this was happening. I could also not believe he was grinning about it.
He kept talking. “It hit me last night after I told you Lindsey’d been murdered. Your face… fuck.” I watched his eyes grow soft, a look I knew too wel but this look was magnified, like, by a mil ion and I experienced a different kind of gut kick. “I knew then we weren’t done, definitely not over. Then the bul ets were flying around you and in that instant, I became sure.”
“Shut up!” I yel ed, not being nice nor meaning to be nice and wishing I could put my hands over my ears but thinking maybe that was a tad too juvenile.
He didn’t shut up. “I thought I’d wait until the Sid business was over but after what I heard in the kitchen, I’m not waiting.”
“I have a boyfriend!” I was stil yel ing, getting panicky, somewhat desperate and now kind of lying. I’d never describe Eric as my boyfriend. I didn’t know what he was but he wasn’t my boyfriend. I hadn’t even slept with him. It had been a long dry spel ; I hadn’t slept with anyone since Mace.
Mace kept grinning. “You’l have to find a way to let him down easy.”
Was he for real?
“Oh my God! You didn’t just say that.”
“Yeah, I did.” He reached forward, grabbed my h*ps and pul ed me to him again. I pushed back. He ignored this and kept talking. “I’ve been thinkin’ and I decided we should stay at your place. Juno’s used to it and I miss your big bed.”
Wait a second, what was going on here?
“Do you think…?” For some reason my voice was raspy, so I cleared my throat. “Do you think we’re getting back together?”
“Getting? No,” Mace answered then continued, “Back together? Yes.”
Nope, he was definitely not for real.
This was a dream but I couldn’t tel yet if it was a good dream or a bad dream. I was going with bad dream since I knew how it was likely to end.
“You jerk!” I shouted.
He grinned.
“Stop grinning at me. We are not back together!” For your information, yes, I was stil shouting.
“Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t get back together,” Mace demanded.
I looked at the ceiling and replied, real y bitchy, “Oh, I don’t know.” Then I looked back at him and continued, “You broke up with me, broke my heart, left me alone to put my life back together without you in it. Now I have, my life was just fine, until you got me shot at. I’m not going back, Mace.