“As in, the friendly ghost?” she clarified.
His chin dipped in a nod. “It was my favorite cartoon when I was a kid. And he’s white. And he kept disappearing like a ghost.”
She crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed. “So you already named him, you just wanted me to feel like I was part of it.”
His only response to her accusation was a panty-melting, bad-boy, crooked grin that sent Leah’s hormones into code red territory. Her entire body flooded with arousal. It was everything she could do not to strip naked and beg him to put a baby in her.
In the blink of an eye, the energy around them filled with crackling intensity. The look in Lance’s gaze went from playful to predatory. In less time than it took to inhale, the entire mood shifted. She wasn’t sure if he’d read her mind, or maybe she was having a Bea moment and her thoughts were being broadcast on her face. But whatever the reason, he was looking at her like an animal about to pounce. And she was more than willing to be his prey.
Every cell in her body was alive with awareness. She tingled from head to toe with lust, or anticipation, or maybe a combination of both.
Unfortunately, before any Wild Kingdom activity could occur, there was a knock that shattered the moment. She took one step toward the door when Lance stood.
“I’ll get it. It’s for me,” Lance stated as he stood and crossed the room in confident strides.
Leah’s head was spinning from all the dopamine that had just been released in her system. If someone could get drunk off of the chemical release, then she was well over the legal limit.
It took her a moment to catch up to what was happening. When her awareness returned, the first question that hit her was, how did he know who it was, and that the person was there for him? Lance didn’t know anyone in town except his grandparents, and Kitty was still in the hospital. Had he met someone in the few days he was here? And had he invited them over?
Or worse, was it someone not from here? Did he have a girlfriend? Leah had been wondering this whole time how someone as incredible as him was single, and the truth was, he might not be.
Maybe his girlfriend had seen the video of her boyfriend, the human hero, saving Casper, the, then not-yet-named, dog hero. Maybe she’d taken the first flight to tell him, and show him, that he was her hero, too. Leah knew that’s exactly what she would do in that situation.
Her stomach dropped and her heart sped for a totally different reason as she prepared herself to come face to face with the woman who’d won the boyfriend lotto. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the corner to get a glimpse and what she saw almost brought her to tears.
Pizza. And not just any pizza. It was from Luigi’s, Leah’s favorite Italian eatery.
Lance shut the door and turned around holding a large pizza box.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Starving,” she replied. And not just for food. Everything Lance did made her ravenous for him.
Lance set the pizza in the center of the table and Leah grabbed two cans of pop from the fridge. She was taking a seat when Lance lifted the lid and revealed that he’d gotten half combo, half pepperoni—which was exactly what she ordered.
“Oh my gosh! That’s what I always order.”
“I know. I cleaned up the boxes, remember?”
“Oh…right.” And he’d remembered, and then ordered the pizza the way she wanted. It was no wonder she was in a constant state of swoon. She took one pepperoni and one combo slice and said, “Thank you.”
He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal as he grabbed a slice. She started eating and noticed that he was removing all the olives.
“You don’t like olives.”
“No.”
“You could’ve gotten it without olives.”
“No I couldn’t. What if that was your favorite part?” he said before taking a bite.
She wasn’t sure if Lance was a gift from the universe for trying to turn over a new leaf or a test to see if she really had. If he was the former, she was ready to open her present. Thanks, universe!
If it was the latter, though, she feared that she was going to fail miserably.
They ate their first pieces of pizza in companionable silence. She wasn’t sure what was occupying Lance’s mind, but Leah’s was one-track at this point. Find out if Lance is dating someone. If not, let him know that she wanted to get to know him. Intimately.
“So, I bet your girlfriend’s really missing you.”
As soon as she made the statement she wanted to crawl under the table. That was about as subtle as a slap in the face. Why didn’t she just come out and ask him if he had a girlfriend? She’d never been a girl to beat around the bush, but around Lance, that was all she did.
His eyes lifted to her and it was obvious that he knew she was fishing. “I’m single.”
Her lips curled in an involuntary smile. He was single. She was definitely going to circle back to that but first, to buffer the obviousness of her last statement, she thought she’d change the subject to something neutral, not about either of them personally. Maybe she should let him know that the footage of him giving Casper CPR had gone viral.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and went on Facebook, started the video and turned the device so he could see it. “Have you seen this? Susie posted it and it already has a half a million views. A reporter came by the shop to do an interview.”
Lance didn’t seem happy to see the video or hear that there was a reporter sniffing around. “My grandma mentioned that she saw the news story.”
He started eating again and Leah could see that the video had been a major mood killer. She needed to get the evening back on track. And by on track, she meant telling Lance that she’d changed her mind about wanting to introduce her lady parts to his man parts. He was leaving in a few days and Leah decided that, if he was game, she’d like to make the most out of the time he had.
She was considering how to bring the topic up when she lifted her soda to her lips and got a whiff of herself. Glancing down she realized that she was still in her work clothes. And today hadn’t been a normal day. She’d groomed Olaf, an Old English Sheepdog who drenched her when he shook out his coat. She was not about to proposition Lance James smelling like wet dog.
Her chair almost fell over as she stood abruptly, but she managed to grab it before it hit the ground. As she righted it, she turned to Lance and said, “I’m going to go take a quick shower, do you mind keeping an eye on Casper until I get out?”
He stared at her for a moment, clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst, then nodded.
She hurried to her room, urgency fueling her steps. She’d only just made the decision that she wanted something to happen between them, but she was already feeling that time was slipping away. He only planned on being in town a few more nights, and Leah wanted to take advantage of all of them. She hoped he felt the same way.
After quickly rinsing off, shaving, towel drying and lathering on lotion, she rummaged through her nighty drawer. She grabbed her most va-va-voom lingerie and held it up. One look at the black lace teddy and she determined that it was too much. It was “in your face” and she was going for understated sexy.
She opted instead to put on a white V-neck that was so old the material was practically see-through, and a pair of cotton PJ bottoms that clung to her curves and were short enough that half of the lily tattoo on her hip peeked out and said hello.
Normally if she was in seduction mode, she’d make sure that her hair and makeup were done, but with Lance she felt sexier with leaving it damp from her shower and piled on top of her head, with her face scrubbed clean.
Before she second-guessed going the natural route, she grabbed a condom from her nightstand, tucked it in the pocket of her shorts, and took a deep breath.
She was debating how she was going to broach the subject of the two of them acting on their attraction when she walked into her front room and saw one of the most precious sights she’d ever witnessed.
Casper was still fast asleep, curled up on Indy’s dog bed next to the couch. Lance was seated at the end of the couch with his hand hanging over the side resting on Casper’s hip, he was also fast asleep.
Sleeping Lance was so peaceful. So calm. Yet somehow still so scrumptiously sexy.
She took the opportunity to study his near-perfect face. Her eyes roamed over his strong jawline covered with a sexy scruff, across his full, kissable lips that were parted slightly. When her gaze reached his dark lashes, she noticed for the first time that there were dark circles under his eyes.
As amped up as she’d been to get her freak on, a different desire radiated from deep inside her now, replacing her arousal. She didn’t know much about Lance, but she’d learned over the past two days that he was a caretaker. At least, he had taken amazing care of both her and Casper. And from what he’d told her about his childhood, he’d been that for his mother, too.
But who took care of him? His mom’s parents had been the only people he’d described in that role. Leah and Bea had always had each other. Usually Bea was in the role of caretaker, but over the past five years, Leah had stepped up to the plate.
Who did Lance have that would step up to the plate?
Careful not to make any noise, she tugged the afghan that laid over the back of the couch. She’d cover Lance up, and then crash beside Casper. It might not be exactly the wild night she’d been hoping for, but it still felt right.
* * *
Lance opened his eyes and found Leah hovering above him. It took him a second to realize that he’d fallen asleep and she was covering him with a blanket.
His heart broke open at the sweet gesture. Other than his nonna and nonno, he’d never had anyone in his life that took care of him. His mom loved him, but she had her own issues, ones that kept her from being the mom he knew she could’ve been if not for the drugs. And Nonna and Nonno, while they were supportive and always made sure he had what he needed, well… they were old school. Not exactly the most nurturing.
He didn’t move a muscle, just watched as she slid the afghan up to his chest. The rawness of her beauty took his breath away. Her bright pink hair was damp and pulled back off her clean, scrubbed face. Her supple skin held a dewy freshness that had Lance’s hands itching to run his fingertips over it.
Her lips were their natural shade, which was ruby red, reminding him of fruit that he wanted to taste. Gravity had gently pulled the loose fitting V-neck shirt she wore away from her body. The angle he was at gave him an unobstructed view of her ample breasts. He did his best to keep his eyes locked on hers, but he could still see her plump, full mounds.
When she had the blanket in place, her eyes lifted to his and widened when she noticed that he was staring at her.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I was trying not to wake you up.”
“I’m a light sleeper,” he rasped.
His gravelly tone had nothing to do with the fact that he’d fallen asleep and everything to do with his body’s reaction to Leah. Her wide-eyed expression held an uncharacteristic vulnerability that he was finding himself drawn to in an animalistic way.
He’d wanted Leah since the moment he’d seen her, but never this much. She was a temptation he wasn’t sure he could resist. Her face was only an inch away from his. If he lifted his head even a little, he’d be able to press his mouth to hers.
He knew that he couldn’t do that, but he also couldn’t seem to do anything to stop himself from doing that. So he just stayed frozen in place. The only movement between them was their chests rising and falling with shallow breaths.
“Lance, I want…” she began but her words trailed off as her breaths became more labored. “Fuck it,” she breathed as she crushed her mouth to his.
The moment her soft lips touched his, he lost the capacity for rational thought. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and tilted her head as she parted her lips. His tongue met hers as he explored her mouth.
Her legs settled on the outside of his thighs as she straddled him and he was overwhelmed with sensation. The soft curves of her body molded to him as she melted in his arms. She tasted like mint and smelled like fresh flowers. One hand gripped her hip as the other tightened around the back of her neck.
She gasped as she ground her hips against his rock-hard erection, trapped behind the zipper of his jeans. He swallowed her soft sounds of satisfaction in their soul-crushing kiss as her hands began to roam over his shoulders, his arms, and across his chest.
When he felt her hand dip lower and begin unbuttoning his pants he knew this had gone too far.
He broke their kiss as he moved his hand from her hip to her wrist and gripped it. “Leah, we can’t.”
“Yes, we can,” she argued. “I want to. And I know that you do.” She rolled her hips, pressing the heat of her core against his straining shaft.
He hissed through his teeth. “You don’t know me.”
“Yes, I do,” she countered as she stared into his eyes.
And that’s when he saw that she really believed that. She truly thought she knew him. She was wrong, and it was time he told her that.
“No, you don’t.” He lifted her hips up and set her beside him.
Unrelenting, she reached out to touch his face and leaned toward him, but he moved away. His heart slammed into his chest when he saw a flash of hurt in her eyes. He knew what he had to do, but that didn’t make it any easier. This was it, after this moment everything would be different.
“You asked me before when I started tattooing. I started when I was fifteen, in prison.”
He waited for her to digest what he’d told her, but her expression never changed. After a few beats she prompted, “Okay? And?”
“And I was in prison for eight years. I went in when I was fourteen and I didn’t get out until I was twenty-two.”
That got a bit of a reaction, but only a slight widening of her eyes. “Wow. That’s…that must’ve been horrible. But we all have a past.”
She still wasn’t getting the gravity of what he was telling her. “Aren’t you going to ask what I was locked up for?”
Her stare never wavered, it remained locked with his. “If you want to tell me you will. And, honestly, I don’t care. Like I said, we all have a past.”
“I was sentenced to twenty years for manslaughter, Leah.”
That was it. He saw the shock. The disbelief in her eyes.
“That’s why Doc and Kitty never talked about me. That’s why I hadn’t seen them in over twenty years. And that’s why this can’t happen.” He checked on Casper, who was still out for the count, then stood and crossed the living room. When he got to the hallway he stopped and said the words that he knew needed to be said. “Let me know if you’d feel more comfortable if I found another place to stay.”
Chapter 15
In the age of information being so accessible and instantaneous, it was beyond frustrating not to be able to find any answers online. Lance had dropped quite a bombshell the night before and Leah was doing her best to find out the whole story, but it wasn’t as easy as she would’ve thought. After several hours of internet research, she was no closer to an answer than she’d been before she’d embarked on her deep Google dive.
Her phone dinged beside her, alerting her that it was time to give Casper his afternoon medicine. She hopped up off the couch and opened her fridge, grabbing some cold cuts to wrap the pills in.
Today was her day off and she was happy to spend the day nursing her four-legged hero. She’d slept on the couch last night, not wanting to leave him alone. When she’d woken up that morning, she found a note on the end table letting her know that Casper had already been walked and had his morning medication. It had also reiterated that Lance would be finding another place to stay. In addition to the note, there was a piping hot cup of perfect coffee and a bagel.
As nice as all that was to wake up to, she was disappointed that she’d missed him. All night she’d been kicking herself
for not asking any follow-up questions after his shocking declaration.
Her only excuse was that she’d been in a state of shock and had needed some time to process what he’d said. That time was over. She might be naïve, but she honestly could care less about his past. She did feel like she knew the man he was today. She couldn’t imagine any information about his past changing that.
After reading the note, she’d immediately texted him. She’d praised the ninja-like skills he’d employed in completing his morning routine without waking her up, thanked him for her breakfast and java fuel, and assured him that he could stay as long as he wanted. She’d sent it four hours ago and he still hadn’t responded.
She finished wrapping up the pills and when she got back to the living room, Casper was awake and sitting up straight, eager to get his medicated treat.
“What a good boy.” She scratched him behind his ears as he swallowed the turkey-covered antibiotic, pain killer, and anti-inflammatory.
She’d just settled back into the corner of the couch and pulled open her laptop when a knock sounded at the door. Even though she knew it wasn’t Lance, since he had a key, her heart still jumped in her chest.
She opened the door and saw her sister standing on the other side. Since Bea had moved out, she’d started knocking instead of just coming in. Leah didn’t like it. They’d shared a womb, in her estimation, that granted them lifetime entry into the other’s dwelling without knocking. “You don’t need to knock, Sissy.”
“Yes, I do,” Bea disagreed. “I never know what I might be walking in on.”
“One time.” Leah held up her pointer finger. “You walked in on me one time.”
About a week after Bea’d moved in with CJ, she stopped by to pick up something she’d left behind and got an eyeful. Leah had been bent over the kitchen table with a very large man named Heath behind her.
“Once is enough.” Bea gave Leah a quick hug before making a beeline to Casper, plopping down beside him and talking to him in a baby voice. Casper ate up the attention.
“Oh my goodness, you are so handsome. You’re a hero, aren’t you? How are you feeling?”
Just One Look - Leah and Lance (Crossroads Book 15) Page 13