Finally, those words jolted me back to fully—fine, partially—functional. “That’s not the impression I got. You could have called, or we could have video-chatted. You could have given me some inkling of how you felt…”
“I thought I was doing the right thing, but I’ve come to regret even more my decision to not talk to you. God, I’ve missed you, Vivi.” He peered down at me, making me blush, even as my stomach did a slow, lazy flip. “I want to explain it all. I promise.”
Lennon Cruz was potent. I licked my lips. His eyes flared as he followed the track of my tongue, which meant I slowed down, further heightening the sensation.
He leaned in closer. I held my breath. Would he…? I’d missed him, missed that soft, supple mouth. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t just kiss me now…would he?
“Vivi…?”
“Yeah?”
“Hold really still.”
“O-okay.” My chest heaved as my nipples perked up. Lennon Cruz is going to kiss me—just as I’d dreamed about for more than six months. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
“You have a palmetto bug in your hair,” he said, reaching up just as I caught a glimpse of a dark shape near my ear.
“Wh-what’s that?” I whispered, trying to cover my disappointment.
“A flying cockroach,” Lennon said with a grimace.
My reaction was instantaneous. I shrieked and flailed. Belladonna barked and bounded around me, probably looking for a physical threat.
“I told you to hold still,” he said, darting past the dog.
“Get it off! Get it off of me,” I squealed, hopping from one foot to another like a two year old about to pee her pants.
“I’m trying. Dammit, Vivi, I can’t get it with you jumping around?—”
“There’s a roach in my hair, Lennon. No woman is going to stand still when a cockroach is on her. It’s physically impossible.”
I nearly tripped over the German shepherd, but instead fell against Lennon’s chest. He tugged the insect from my hair—along with a few strands that popped from my scalp—whipped open the door, and threw it out into the yard. I backed away as it flew through the air. Thankfully, away from me.
I slammed my hand to my chest and dropped the other one to my knee, heaving for breath. Belladonna quit barking and settled close to me, a faint whine in her throat.
“Well, that was gross,” he said.
“Oh my Goooooo—I can’t. I just can’t be here.” I gagged, shuddered, then gagged again.
Lennon placed a warm hand—please don’t let it be the cockroach hand!—on my shoulder. “It’s over now, Vivi. You survived.”
“Are you laughing at me?” I gasped.
“Never. I don’t like those things either.”
He waited, patient and strong and sure, until I gathered myself. When I finally straightened, he smiled at me, his beard shifting so his lips and teeth showed through the thick mass.
“You got the best of the welcoming committee,” he said.
“Oh! You jerk!”
“Come on, you can do better than that. And I meant my dog, not the insect from hell.”
“The fact that such a horror exists is not okay,” I muttered.
He tossed his head back and guffawed. The afternoon light cast most of his face in relief, and I was struck by the strong nose and tailored browbone. His dark hair was thick and lay neatly against his skull, giving him a sleek appearance. My gaze slid back to his beard. I’d bet he let it grow to cover his scars.
He was beautiful in a distinctly masculine sense, and I stared, mesmerized. Lennon was my sweetest drug and ten times more powerful than any hit a dealer could offer me.
