“Well aren’t you kind. I was beginning to think you assumed your business bill and bedroom bill were combined.”
Ishmael tossed his head back in laughter. It was the sweetest sound known to mankind. My heart skipped a beat. And then another.
Flutters danced around my stomach.
“Nah. No sweat, my baby. I’m no fool.”
“Good then. That means this stays with me?” I needed clarity.
He lifted his hands, surrendering.
“It stays with you.”
“Well, now that that’s clear, we can discuss authorized user accounts.”
“It’s your world, Royce. I’ll get it worked out.”
I pursed my lips. He leaned in, first placing a kiss on my forehead. He, then, lowered his eyes to mine and pressed his lips against mine.
His arms engulfed me. So did his aroma.
“Take care of yourself, love. Everything is on me.”
Ishmael vanished. However, his scent lingered on my skin and on the sheets. Parts of me went missing along with him. I wanted them back. I wanted him back.
I tossed the cover over my disheveled mane and kicked my legs. A low squeal erupted from my body as I tried suppressing the exhilaration flowing through me.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
I felt like a high school girl with a crush on the star quarterback who’d just acknowledged my existence with a mere head nod.
But I was no high school girl. And, Ishmael was not the starting quarterback. He’d done far more than acknowledge my presence. He’d acknowledged my heart, my desires, my fears, my transgressions, my frustrations, my bad parts, my good parts, and his interest in it all.
“Your front door is ajar. Disarm now. Disarm now. Disarm now.”
I closed the door of the condominium, quieting the sound of the lawnmowers manicuring the lawn of the complex.
Twenty-seven.
Twenty-six.
Twenty-five.
I counted down the seconds until the alarm began blaring.
Twenty-four.
Twenty-three.
Twenty-two.
7662.
I entered the code Mercer had given me. Offering his sanctuary during my Berkeley visits was another way of keeping me close. Mercer wasn’t a man of too many words, but one could feel everything he was thinking from his actions.
Vallei added the perfect touch to the pad. Her signature was scribbled all over the furnishings and fixtures. She’d designed their hideaway so beautifully.
“It’s nothing special, but it’s a safe place to lay your head when you’re here. Vallei goes to clear her head every so often. Vallei is where I clear my head, so I’m not there unless she needs me to be.”
