I hoped to god it covered up my glee at discovering his deep understanding of some of the funniest men on the planet and the brilliance they created.
“I got what I need, babe. Gotta head out.”
“Okay,” I said and walked him to the door.
He stopped in my foyer. “You want me to come back later? If not, I’ll be here tomorrow at four.”
I bit my lip and he grinned.
“Back here before seven,” he said, and walked out.
I closed the door… and panicked. I had two hours to prep.
I hadn’t waxed in two months, so I needed to take care of that pronto, and I should probably shave my legs. I decided a shower was in order and rushed back to my bathroom to do just that, getting sidetracked by the state of my bedroom.
“Jesus,” I hissed out. It looked like a tornado, then a hurricane went through it. I sighed. First things first, I needed to clean.
And I did. For an hour. I started in my bedroom and ended in my kitchen.
It was official. I was a pig.
Of course, it was just me. I didn’t have anyone I needed to be neat for, and my place was clean… just not tidy.
But justifications were my forte, and admittedly, this was just another one.
Once I was happy with my tidy up, I headed to the bathroom.
* * *
My doorbell pealed just as I flipped my hair over to put it into a scrunchy. Tripping down the hallway, I continued to try and wrangle my hair, managing to slam my elbow into the wall as I went. “Shit. Ow.”
I pulled open the door and Shadow frowned. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I said on a sigh. “I just whacked my elbow on the wall. Come in.”
“Why’d you whack your elbow on the wall?” He stepped inside.
“I was trying to contain my hair.”
“Your hair’s beautiful,” he said, and smiled. “Why are you trying to contain it?”
“Because when it’s down, it could be considered a lethal weapon.”
“Fair.” Shadow chuckled, lifting a bag of food and a drink carrier with two cups. “Burgers?”
“Awesome,” I said, closing the door and following him into my kitchen.
“I didn’t know what you wanted on it, so I had them put everything on the side.” He started pulling food out of the bag while I inspected the drinks.
“You bought shakes?”
“You gotta have shakes with burgers. Chocolate and vanilla,” he said as I shoved a straw in the chocolate and took a deep suck. “Your choice.” He looked up and grinned. “Chocolate it is.”
“Unless you really want chocolate,” I hedged, holding the cup closer to me.
“I’m good, babe. I actually prefer vanilla.”
“Sexually?” I asked, gasping quietly. “Sorry. Don’t answer that. I have no filter.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You want to know, you ask, sweetheart. I’ll answer any question you have.”
I nodded my head, focusing on my shake again in an attempt to hide my mortification.
“I grabbed ketchup and shit,” he said, pulling the packets out. “Wasn’t sure what you had.”
“Nothing. I have nothing.”
“No beer?”
“Oh, I have beer,” I countered. “Plus, wine and stuff to make margaritas. But that’s because I have priorities.”
He grinned wide and pulled open the fridge, grabbing a beer. “You want one?”
“Yes, please,” I said, and he handed me a bottle. I screwed off the top and took a sip, then popped a fry in my mouth. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing,” he said, twisting the top off his beer. “I’m drinkin’ your beer.”
“This is beyond sweet, Shadow. Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
We ate for a few minutes in silence, and then I needed to fill the quiet.
“How often do you work at the firehouse?” I asked.
“Since I just earned my badge, I’m goin’ down to one day a week.”
I cocked my head. “Budget?”
He nodded. “I was able to work more when I was a probee, but now that I’m official, I’m on a roster.”
“But you’re a contractor as well?” I asked, taking a bite of my burger, then adding mayo.
“Yeah.”
“How do you have time to worry about my problems?”
He smiled. “I got time.”
“But if you don’t, my feelings won’t be hurt if you can’t see to every little need I might have.”
“Every little need?”
I blushed sitting on a stool at my peninsula. “Stop.”
He grinned and took a bite of his burger, opting to stand instead.
We didn’t talk for several minutes as we ate, and I found myself settling into the blissfulness of this sweet domesticity. I could seriously get used to this.
“You’re silent again,” he observed.
“I’m eating,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but are you also imagining what it’ll be like when I eat you?”
“Oh my god, stop.”
He wiped his mouth and grinned again. “That’ll be our safe word.”
“That’s more of a sentence than a word.”
“True.” He held up his dinner. “Burger, then.”
“But that could just mean I want a burger.”
He cocked his head. “If you want a burger while I’m in the middle of eatin’ you out, then I’m not doin’ my fuckin’ job, baby.”
I shivered. “Yeah,” I whispered.
He grinned again. “Finish that so I can prove my mouth can make you forget all manner of things.”
I dropped my sandwich. “I’m done.”
“You want this?”
“More than I want breath,” I rasped. “If you need the words, then I wholeheartedly consent, and am happy to put that in writing.”
“What do you want, Posey? Exactly.”
“Follow me back to my bedroom and I’ll give you a list.”
He chuckled, dropping his burger next to mine and sliding out from behind the peninsula… just as his phone rang.
“Fuck!” he hissed, and I turned in the middle of my hallway to see him answer the call. “Not a good ti—” He slid a hand to the back of his neck and dropped his head. “Shit.” He raised his head and met my eyes. “Yeah. Give me ten.”
My heart dropped and I bit my lip. “You have to go?”
“Yeah,” he breathed out on a sigh. “Emergency.”
I bobbed my head up and down in an effort to hide my disappointment. I forced my feet to move toward him and he gave me a gentle smile. “You want me to come back?”
“It’s okay.” I blew a frustrated puff of breath through my lips. “I know you’re busy.”
Hooking his hand to the back of my neck, he tugged me gently forward. “If I come back, I’m stayin’.”
I shrugged. “Stay, then.”
“Yeah?”
I gave him a slight nod and was rewarded with his lips on mine and a kiss that made me want to kneel before him for a quick taste.
“I’ll text you when I’m done,” he promised, and turned and walked out the door. I locked up behind him, then turned on the television and ‘watched’ it while I cleaned the kitchen.