“Oh, well, whatever. You get my point.” She shrugged as if it were so simple.
God, she was so damn cute.
She leaned in closer to me, staring right at me from only a foot away, and put her hands on her hips. “I know you think this would be a bad idea, but I disagree,” she told me, full of attitude.
Most people were either intimidated by me or just avoided me. Not this woman. Her stubbornness and willingness to go head-to-head with me shouldn’t be a turn-on, but it was. Likely because so few people ever challenged me.
“I not only find you incredibly handsome, but you also have integrity, loyalty, and you’re protective of those who mean something to you,” she asserted. “Oh, and you’re a sucker for a cute dog like Sarge.”
At the sound of his name, Sarge perked up and nudged his head over to Iris.
“I love you, buddy,” she said, leaning down to rub his head.
Hearing she loved my dog too pinched at my chest in a good way.
“I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’twant to, but just know that one of us is willing to take a chance on us.”
She hesitated for a moment, and I was unsure if it was because she was waiting for me to respond, or if she was trying to think of what to say next.
“I’m headed to bed,” she said and then gave a small smile. “Just know…when you're ready, come and get it.”
She immediately turned and began to walk down the hallway toward the room she had been staying in. About halfway down, she stopped and turned to face me. “Oh, and Hector. Earlier you said you thought I was funny. If you ever meet them, can you tell my sisters that? They don’t think I am, but if a guy like you told them you thought I was funny, it would carry a lot of weight.”
Her smile reached from ear to ear, and then she walked back to her room.
God, she was so damn cute. Cute and dangerous, because I realized I was willing to do just about anything to put that large smile back on her face as often as possible. Even worse—the walls I’d built to keep her at arm’s length were starting to crack and crumble.
12
“Fire is like a first kiss—hot, immediate, and impossible to ignore.”
—It’s science
Iris
After our awkward conversation last night, I decided that the best thing I could do was just give Hector time to work through his demons.
I appreciated his telling me why he thought he was morally gray and unworthy of love. I just happened to disagree. While I would be there to help in any way, I also knew he needed to come to terms with those demons himself. If it was meant to be for the two of us, then it would happen when the time was right.
What I wasn’t going to do was mope around the house or work all day. I had decided to message Agent Andrews this morning and let her know I didn’t feel comfortable meeting the family of the woman whose body I had found. As much as it might give them closure, it just feltawkward and uncomfortable to me. After I messaged her, I decided to redirect my energy toward having a good day.
Hector was right about me—I was a happy person. I loved finding things that made me happy and brought others joy. One of those things was cooking. So, I decided I was going to whip up a healthy breakfast. If Hector wanted some, I would share it with him. If he was still being a sourpuss, then I would take the extras over to Nancy and maybe play some cards with her today.
I also decided I might as well just go home. My landlord had finally texted first thing this morning that the maintenance guy was changing the locks.
I didn’t want to bother my friends by staying with them—even though I knew they wouldn’t mind. I think that was the reason I’d stayed with Hector for more than just the first night. Sure, it was also because he was gorgeous and I had a crush on him, but it was also because I secretly hadn’t wanted to inconvenience any of my friends.
Hector didn’t have a ton of things in his cabinets, but he did have an oddly large supply of canned pumpkin, so I decided to whip up some pumpkin pancakes. I know it was technically spring, but pumpkin spice pancakes sounded delicious.
Midway through mixing all the ingredients up, I heard the soft thuds of paws and the click-clack of nails racing down the hallway. I turned to see Sarge scurry up behind me, greeting me excitedly as if he hadn’t seen me inweeks. My hands were coated in batter so I couldn’t pet him, but I did at least acknowledge him.
“Hi, buddy. Good morning,” I said softly, unsure if Hector was also awake or if Sarge had just escaped on his own.
Just then, Hector’s voice called from down the hall. “I’m coming. Hold on, Sarge.”
He turned to look at me when he came into view of the kitchen, stared at me for a second, smirked, and then turned to grab Sarge’s leash and head out the door.
He’d smirked at me. Unprompted. Usually, he only did that when I said something stupid or funny. That smirk was hotter than a black car in the desert on a hot summer day. Living with this man for any longer might be the death of me—or the death of my vibrator from overuse.
