He washed down his sandwich with a bottle of tea, then paused and scooted over closer to me.
"I want to get busy with you."
CHAPTER 15
SABLE
"You do?" I asked, my voice somehow sounding steady. The closer to me Leif moved, the higher my pulse ratcheted.
"Why wouldn't I?" He placed his hand on my cheek, his fingers stroking slowly down my skin.
"You're beautiful, smart, and sexy as hell. And you didn't run out the door the moment you saw the inside of this place."
I snorted a laugh. "Did you think I would?"
He considered that for a moment. "No, I didn't think so. Other people, on the other hand…"
"Right. I have met people who wouldn't be impressed with any of this." I gestured around us.
"Nothing less than five stars for some people," he said, seeming unimpressed. "But you're not like that, are you?"
"No," I said slowly. "I can tolerate four-and-a-half stars."
He laughed. "I'm not sure this place even rates one star."
"Of course it does," I said. "It's bright and airy, and it has potential."
"Some might say I fit that description." His hand lingered beside my ear.
"They might be right," I said. "It's better than being described as derelict, only fit to be torn down."
"I wouldn't even describe Forrest that way," he said lightly. "Certainly not you."
"I like to think I'm not derelict." I looked down at myself, then back up again.
"You are a long way from derelict, cupcake," he told me.
Cupcake?I've been called worse.
He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine, light, like a feather. Little more than a taste.
"Come with me," he said, dropping his hand to mine and pulling me to my feet.
"Where are we going?" I said with a laugh.
"You'll see."
He scooped up the remains of our lunch wrappers and tossed them in a trash can before we headed out the door.
Still holding my hand, we walked down the sidewalk, past more brownstones that looked the same as his. I couldn’t help wondering what they were like inside. Had they been redone too? Or were they waiting for someone to come along and give them a refresh?
"I took a walk around the neighborhood before I bought the place," Leif said. "I stumbled upon a little place. I think you might like it."
"You have my curiosity," I said.
"Curiosity is good, but don't ask me to tell you because I'm not going to," he said. "You'll have to wait and see."
Should I be worried? This might be just the right, harmless-looking place for a lair. The kind of place Woody might hang out while waiting for Leif to bring him victims.
