Page 18 of Thorn Kiss
Ughhh. This was humiliating. Justin used to give me such a hard time about my fear of bugs. He even thought it was funny. There’d even been one year he’d played a prank on me by leaving a bunch of plastic spiders on my desk, and I’d had nightmares for weeks afterward.
Looking back, that should have been a major red flag.
Text bubbles popped up then disappeared. I jumped as my phone started to ring, Dallas’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hello?” I choked out.
“Are you afraid of scorpions?” His voice was warm, but absent of any amusement.
“I am.” My voice was barely above a whisper, as if being loud would beckon the damn thing to me. “I hate bugs. Why are there so many bugs here?”
“Well, it’s Texas.” Oh, of course. Texas. Naturally that was an answer that made sense. “You’re staying in the artist loft, right?”
“What? Are you already here?”
Dallas cleared his throat. “I was about to grab some lunch at the cafe down the street so I was close by. Can I come into your room?”
Fuck. I hadn’t thought this all the way through. I thought about the laundry that had made a pile in the corner over the last few days, all of my equipment and cords everywhere, and yet . . .
“Yes,” I caved. “Please kill that thing.”
Dallas let out a soft hum. I could hear his boots on the staircase. He wasfast.
“Are yourunning?”
“Yep. One of my favorite hobbies.”
“That’s frightening.” There was something so easy about talking to him. “Running is your hobby?”
“One of them. It has its perks . . .” He trailed off and I wondered exactly what he meant by that. “Come let me in so I don’t have to break down the door.”
“Okay.” Even though the thought of him busting down a door for me made my blood pump in a way that was pointless without a vibrator to help me out later. I hesitated for a moment and then slowly cracked the bathroom door.
My eyes darted to my tablet and I blanched.
“It’s not there,” I hissed.
“Madi,” Dallas’s voice was muffled and serious. “Let me in.”
I could hear him on the phone and from behind the door. I cursed under my breath and scurried from the bathroom, unlocking it quickly and throwing it open.
Dallas stepped inside swiftly. God, he really was sexy. I hadn’t just made that fact up in my head on Friday. He was taller than me with broad shoulders and biceps that could have belonged to Superman.
But then all the horniness fled my body as I rememberedwhyhe was here. I pressed myself against the wall and pointed at the bed.
“It was on my tablet but now it’s not there and I have no fucking idea where it is.”
Dallas planted his hands on his hips, surveying the room. “All right, just stay there. If you see it, tell me.”
“Believe me, I will.”
He turned on his phone’s flashlight and stepped around the room, his boots heavy on the hardwoods.Oh, goddamn it.
A red lace pair of panties was strewn next to some leggings and socks.
Right where he was standing.
Fuck.
