“I don’t want to be there.”
“You wanna be there.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re lyin’ to yourself and you’re lyin’ to me.”
“I’m not.”
He kissed the side of my neck.
“You are,” he said against my neck. “And, Kitten, you should know, I’m good with that. I’l be here when you stop.” Effing hel .
“I’l walk Juno,” he offered, clearly done with the conversation.
“Fine.” I was done with the conversation too and I couldn’t walk Juno without a Kevlar vest and a crash helmet, and, possibly, total body armor.
“Make room for my shit in your closet.”
I careful y pul ed up my panties as I twisted to look at him.
“Not fine.”
His eyes were warm, soft and smiling which made me feel warm, soft and smiley (luckily, I kept this on the inside).
Damn his f**king eyes.
“Make lotsa room, babe, even after this is over, I’m stayin’ awhile.”
“Piss off,” I mumbled and turned back around.
His hand came to the side of my face that was on the pil ow. He twisted me to face him again, his head descended and he touched my lips lightly with his.
“I’l be back,” he whispered.
Effing, bloody hel .
Chapter Eight
This One’s for Linnie
Stella
“This is like, ‘Beam me up, Scottie’. Fuckin’ cool!” Leo shouted.
Leo was staring at my alarm panel and video monitor as if the concept of home security had been invented twelve seconds ago and I was on the cutting edge.
“Gee-zus, but Mace sure don’t mess around,” Pong added, flipping the door down on the panel and starting to press buttons randomly.
Visions of a dozen police cars and shiny black Explorers screeching to a halt in the driveway, spraying gravel, officers and hot Nightingale Investigation Team members alighting with guns drawn and shooting everything that moved flashed through my head.
I leaped forward and slapped Pong’s hand.
“Pong, don’t do that!” I snapped.
“What?” Pong asked, looking innocent (or trying and failing).
“No pressing buttons on the state of the art alarm system that cost Mace the moon and the stars and the promised enslavement of his firstborn children,” I answered. “Clue in, Pong, this is serious business.”