Burn for You

“It went great,” Bianca said, wonder in her voice. “She really liked him.”

Rayford threw a glance at me over his shoulder that said, Maybe she’s got a screw loose.

I made a face at him. He turned back to Bianca, suppressing a smile. “Of course she did. What’s not to like about Mr. Frownypants?”

I almost choked on my tongue, until Bianca laughed so heartily that I instantly forgave him. “Let’s take the elevator,” I said when Rayford headed for the spiral staircase to the second floor.

Bianca looked startled. “Elevator?”

“The master of the house enjoys installing unnecessary technology,” said Rayford, like I wasn’t two feet behind him. He patted her hand. “But now that you’ll be staying here, maybe you can talk him into finding a more useful hobby.”

“Disposing of dead bodies,” I muttered under my breath.

“Here we are!” Rayford stopped in front of the sleek brushed silver elevator doors, pretending like he hadn’t heard me. He couldn’t miss the glower I sent in his direction, however, or the Leave us alone! I transmitted directly into his brain.

After almost thirty-five years of knowing someone, telepathy is a given.

In one of the most unfortunate turns of phrases I’d ever heard, he said, “I’ll leave you two rabbits to it!”

He pressed the “Call” button on the elevator and went on his way down the hall, his footsteps and jaunty whistle echoing off the marble.

We got into the elevator. When the doors slid shut, Bianca said doubtfully, “Rabbits?”

I sighed. “I’d fire him, but he’s my only friend.”

“I’m your friend, too,” she said.

When I looked down at her, she glanced away and started to chew the inside of her cheek.

Friends. That should have made me happy, but it didn’t. It made me want to break something. Which is how I realized this lie of convenience was much more to me than just a business deal. I raked a hand through my hair and blew out a breath.

Bianca said quietly, “Was that the wrong thing to say?”

“No. Of course not. Why do you ask?”

“Because when you get really aggravated, you stab your hands through your hair.”

“I do?”

She nodded. “And you bristle. You literally get larger somehow. It’s freakish. Also you make some very unnerving animal sounds and have serial killer eyes.”

“What a charmer,” I muttered, crushed.

“It’s not all bad,” she said, looking at the ceiling.

My ears perked up, but I didn’t want to sound too eager, so I said with utmost disinterest, “Do tell.”

“Well. Um. You smell amazing. After you stopped murdering me with your eyes and I got past all the hair and your generally disheveled, hobolike appearance, it was the first thing I noticed about you.”

What a strange tingle that was, skittering over my skin. I didn’t dare speak and prayed for the elevator to go slower.

My silence prompted her to add, “And you have a really beautiful voice. If you ever decided not to be a layabout rich person, you could have an incredible career as a phone sex operator.”

Holy fuck. She thought I had a sexy voice.

For a second I stopped breathing. After my lungs remembered what their normal function was, I said, “Layabout?”

The elevator doors opened. Neither of us moved.

She said, “You’re right. That was rude. What’s an inoffensive word for idle?”

I wasn’t at all offended, because layabout and idle were both pretty accurate descriptions for how I spent my days, but I was enjoying the compliments too much to let this conversation get steered off topic. “Maybe you could tell me a few more things you like about me to make up for your horrible manners.”

The elevator doors began to slide shut, but I put out a hand, and they opened again. I looked at Bianca, my brows raised, waiting.

Under my stare, her cheeks faintly colored.

Christ, how I liked that.

She said, “You’ll get a big head.”

A smile broke over my face. “There’s just so many things, eh?”

With typical sass, she lifted her chin and flounced past me. “Actually I ran out of things already. I’m just trying to buy time to make up something else.”

Watching her walk past me, her dress swaying around her knees, I felt like a snorting, ground-pawing bull when a toreador flares his red cape.

Then Cody came tearing around the corner. He stopped short when he saw Bianca, his face lighting up. “Lady!” he hollered, and made a beeline for her legs.

Before he could slam into her, I scooped him up and tossed him into the air. He screamed like a banshee, his usual response to being delighted. He was easily delighted, so I lived with a lot of banshee screaming in my house.

“Oh! You’ve got him, sir, thank goodness!”

Panting and wheezing, Charlie staggered around the corner, her hair disheveled, one hand holding her side like she had a stitch. I wondered how long she’d been chasing him.

“Morning, Charlie.” I tossed Cody over my shoulders and held onto his ankles so he dangled down my back. “Is he wearing you out already?”

She passed a hand over her perspiring brow. “I don’t know where he gets his energy, sir. I swear it’s like Sunkist puts cocaine in their orange juice. Every day after breakfast he just starts bouncing off the walls and doesn’t stop until he falls asleep at night.”

Cody banged his little fists against my butt, laughing like it was the greatest game in the world. Bianca looked on in amusement, shaking her head.

In a quick move, I flipped him upright and set him on his feet. Then I knelt in front of him and gave him a hug, which instantly calmed him. He loves hugs more than anything else in the world.

Rubbing his back, I said, “What do you think about having Charlie read you a book, buddy?”

His head resting on my shoulder and his arms wrapped tight around my neck, he gurgled a laugh. “Book buddy book buddy!”

That was a yes. Charlie sighed in gratitude. I gave Cody a kiss on the top of his head. I murmured into his hair, “Love you, buddy.”

Cody looked at me and grinned, his pale, chick-fluff hair standing on end from static electricity. He pronounced, “Cody loves Daddy, too.”

I kissed his chubby cheek. “Now I have to talk to Bianca for a while, but I’ll come and read with you and Charlie when we’re done, okay?”

Cody placed his warm, sticky hands on my cheeks and squealed in happiness.

When I glanced up, I caught Bianca watching us with a strange, pained look on her face, like she might be about to cry. She looked away quickly and said a muted hello to Charlie.

“Nice to see you again, Bianca,” said Charlie, smiling warmly.

I stood, holding Cody’s hand. “Buddy, can you say hello to Bianca without tackling her?”

Looking like a miniature soldier, Cody stood up straight and put his hand to his forehead. He shouted, “Lady!” then grinned.

Bianca laughed softly. “Hello, Cody.”

“Book buddy book buddy!”

Bianca smiled at him. “Do you have a favorite book?”

Cody jumped up and down, laughing and stamping his feet.

“That means he likes them all,” explained Charlie, taking Cody’s other hand. He released mine, deciding it was time to make like a barnacle and attach himself to Charlie’s left leg. She gently peeled him off, then lifted him up and settled him on her hip. She gave him an affectionate peck on his forehead. “Ready to go read, Cody?”