I raised an eyebrow at him and touched my thumb to his chin. “Well. I guess you’ll just have to make sure to kiss me goodbye from now on. If I die on you, we can’t have you living out the rest of your days jonesing for one last taste.”
Ryan’s playful mood evaporated at my words.
“Don’t make jokes like that.”
I bit my lip, immediately regretting the joke but still feeling a little touched that he even cared.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. That wasn’t funny. Nothing’s going to happen to me, though. I promise I’ll be fine. We’re just doing basic recon tonight; nothing should get physical.”
Ryan didn’t look convinced.
“Not to be a needy girl about it, but can you try to text me so I know for sure you’re not hurt?”
Chuckling, I stepped into him, dropping a kiss on the tip of his nose.
“I like you needy, baby. And yes. Of course, I can text you.”
He playfully shoved me in the chest, giving me a scowl, though I could tell he was putting it on.
“Good. Now get out of here before I turn into even more of a girl and ask you when I’m going to see you next.”
I grinned at his rapidly reddening cheeks and pressed one more kiss on his forehead before turning to leave.
“Night, ginger snap. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Cal didn’t come back the next day.
True to his word, he at least sent me a text to let me know he was going to be gone longer than he anticipated, but still.
My gut was a fucking rock.
The only good thing was I didn’t have any services. I wasn’t in the right mindset to deal with people.
I busied myself with paperwork, and in the afternoon, I went to pick up a body that needed preparation.
The deceased’s spirit, Mr. Renfrew, sat quietly in the passenger seat as I drove him to Fairview. He was a kind man, quiet and elderly. Thankfully, he wasn’t feeling super chatty. Itook it as a small blessing, considering I wasn’t in the mood to help him transition into death.
Before snapping on my gloves in the embalming room, I checked my phone for what felt like the thousandth time.
The last text Cal had sent me seemed to mock me.
Cal Sex God Walker:
Hey, baby. Checking in. All’s good, just busy. Won’t be back today like I thought. Maybe tomorrow! Xx
He’d sent that hours ago.
What was he doing that was so time-consuming that he wouldn’t be able to come back tonight? What was he going to do for dinner?
I closed my eyes and shook my head.
I was overreacting and acting like a possessive girlfriend. I may not like what he did for work, but it was stillwork.When I was busy with a body or a service, it wasn’t like I was on my phone all day. Why was I being so needy?
I wrestled with these scary new feelings, doing my best to convince myself to just give him some space. But…fuck that!
Space? When the fuck did Cal ever want space from me? Since I had met him, he’d been forcing himself into my routine whether I liked it or not.
He couldn’t bully his way into my life, make me feel all these things for him, then just disappear. I may not be as outgoing as him, but I wasn’t a fucking doormat.
