âLady Noire!â he called out.Â
The stairway door was propped open at the end of the hall.Â
Paw on the door. Mid-step. âWhatâs with the full name, Mister Bug?â Her eyes were twinkling. All mirth. Quickly smothered byâsurelyâthe panic-stricken expression he was sporting. âWhoa, you look like you have the flu. Are you suddenly allergic to bananas? Are you going to hurl? Because . . . if you are, could you avoid the sââÂ
âWhat? No! Iâm not gonna be sick.â He propped his arm across the doorway, halting her, as if that could stop the woman who could throw a car without breaking a sweat. âWhere are you heading off to?âÂ
âWe have an interview.â He gestured between the two of them. âRight now.âÂ
âSo . . .â He did a go-on motion.Â
âNot until you explain.âÂ
He wanted more than some vague excuse, which was unfair, considering the thousands of lame excuses heâd come up with in his lifetime. But this was different. This was them. They didn't lie to each other. However, the defensive flash of her eyes made him think twice. Maybe they did.Â
âI have a work event I canât miss.âÂ
â. . . at ten in the morning? Who has aânever mind.â He shuffled in place. âTo me, it looks like you can.âÂ
Her head jerked back from his irritated tone. Maybe he should dial it back just a smidge. Be less dick-ish.Â
âI came because it was an akuma. Do you want me to start avoiding those? I can if thatâs what you want.âÂ
Calmer. Gentler. âNo. Thatâs not what I want.â Much better.Â
Squeezing his body into the dim hallway light, his frame towered over her, casting half of her face in shadow.Â
His hand reached for hers, but she pulled away and hid it behind her back. He couldnât help but notice the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Why did she do that? He wasnât trying to do anything other than hold her. Well, not hold her, but he just . . . He wanted to . . . Kwamis, what did he want?Â
âItâll only take another ten to fifteen minutes,â he promised. Tucking his hand to the side, his arm brushed along his hip like a lifeless punching bag waiting for the next strike. This wasnât his finest hour.Â
âStay and finish the interview. You know . . . like old times.âÂ
All of the defensiveness dropped in her shoulders. His, too. A gentle pat on his arm turned into a gentle, reassuring squeeze that meant more to him than some half-assed attempt to hold her hand.Â
âI would if I could, Spots. You know I would be right by your side on that couch.âÂ
A twitch of her lips had him preparing for a but. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.Â
âBut.â There it was. Her bottom lip snagged between her teeth, and the urge to unsnag it brought life back into his useless limbs. ââwhile Iâm not there, I know somebody who will keep you company, and if I seem to recall, a certain hero had a bit of an unrelenting crush on Parisâs Baker Girl back in the day, hmm?âÂ
His hand swiped over his face. Admitting to his lady that heâd marry his actual celebrity crush years ago during a round of Kiss, Marry, Kill was a daft move on his part.Â
Despite his gaze flicking up toward the dusty ceiling, he found her familiar jabs were nice. Welcomed, actually.Â
âYouâll never let me forget that, will you?âÂ
âNever.âÂ
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