āLady Noire!ā he called out.Ā
The stairway door was propped open at the end of the hall.Ā
Paw on the door. Mid-step. āWhatās with the full name,Ā Mister Bug?āĀ Her eyes were twinkling. All mirth. Quickly smothered byāsurelyāthe panic-stricken expression he was sporting. āWhoa, 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 sāāĀ
āWhat? No! Iām not gonna be sick.ā He propped his arm across the doorway, halting her, as ifĀ thatĀ could stop the woman who could throw a car without breaking a sweat. āWhere are you heading off to?āĀ
āWeĀ have an interview.ā He gestured between the two of them. āRight now.āĀ
āSo . . .ā He did aĀ go-onĀ motion.Ā
āNot until you explain.āĀ
He wanted more than some vague excuse, which was unfair, considering theĀ thousandsĀ of lame excuses heād come up with in his lifetime. But this was different. This wasĀ them.Ā They didn't lie to each other. However, the defensive flash of her eyes made him think twice. Maybe theyĀ did.Ā
āI have a work event I canāt miss.āĀ
ā. . . at ten in the morning? Who has aānever mind.ā He shuffled in place. āToĀ me,Ā it looks likeĀ you can.āĀ
Her head jerked back from his irritated tone. Maybe he should dial it backĀ justĀ a smidge. Be less dick-ish.Ā
āI came because it was anĀ akuma.Ā Do you want me to start avoiding those? IĀ canĀ if thatās what you want.āĀ
Calmer. Gentler.Ā āNo. Thatās not what I want.āĀ Much better.Ā
Squeezing his body into the dim hallway light, his frame towered over her, casting half of her face in shadow.Ā
His hand reached for hers, but she pulled away and hid it behind her back. He couldnāt help but notice the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Why did she do that? He wasnāt trying to do anything other than hold her. Well, notĀ holdĀ her, but he just . . . He wanted to . . .Ā Kwamis, whatĀ didĀ he want?Ā
āItāll only take another ten to fifteen minutes,ā 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 wasnāt his finest hour.Ā
āStay and finish the interview. You know . . . like old times.āĀ
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.Ā
āI would if I could, Spots. YouĀ knowĀ I would be right by your side on that couch.āĀ
A twitch of her lips had him preparing for aĀ but.Ā He took a deep breath, steadying himself.Ā
āBut.āĀ There it was.Ā Her bottom lip snagged between her teeth, and the urge to unsnag it brought life back into his useless limbs. āāwhile Iām not there, I know somebody whoĀ willĀ keep you company, and if I seem to recall, a certain hero had a bit of an unrelenting crush on ParisāsĀ Baker GirlĀ back in the day, hmm?āĀ
His hand swiped over his face. Admitting to his lady that heādĀ marryĀ hisĀ actualĀ celebrity crush years ago during a round ofĀ Kiss, Marry, KillĀ was a daft move on his part.Ā
Despite his gaze flicking up toward the dusty ceiling, he found her familiar jabs were nice. Welcomed, actually.Ā
āYouāll never let me forget that, will you?āĀ
āNever.āĀ
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