Chapter Twenty – A puzzle to solve. #2
“Likosa?” I crossed the room, lowering my voice as I spoke to her. “What is all this?
“You have a spare room, right?” she said, not caring if my friends heard her. “Oh, hello, friends. It’s good to see you again. At some point, we will have to get to know each other.”
“Of course,” Cadence blurted out. “It’s good to see you too.”
“Um,” I looked at my friends, who looked as shocked as I felt. “You want to move in?”
“Shontae, don’t freak out. I’m not proposing a long-term commitment. If you have hiccups with your powers, I need to be here to help. It’s the best way.” She waved at the luggage behind her. “I have everything I need to fix things. I’ll stay here until it’s done. Just point me to my bedroom.”
“Up the stairs, second door on the left!” Tayvion offered.
“Thank you.” Likosa smiled at her and then vanished with all her things. A moment later, I could hear her moving upstairs.
“Tay!” Cadence smacked her arm. “Why would you do that? What if Shon didn’t want her to stay?”
“She has all her things…” Tayvion defended herself. “What are we going to do? Tell her to go home? Besides, Shon needs her here.”
“Are you okay with this?” Cadence asked me.
“Um, I guess I have to be?” I shrugged, but my chest tightened, and all I could see was Jenna’s face when she asked to live together and get engaged. The panic I felt was the same.
You want her, but you are not okay with her moving in here. Speak up, dammit!
“You can always tell her to go home if you want… Go ahead, Shon. Tell her to go home.”
“Tay, go home.” I pointed at my friend.
“Oh, so now I get the boot?” Tayvion frowned.
“You deserve it!” Cadence popped her again. “And I’ll go with her. You know, give you two some time to figure this all out.”
“You got one more time to hit me, Caddy, and I’m going to pinch your nipples.” Tayvion reached for Cadence’s chest.
Cadence slapped her hands over her breasts. “We need to get your head checked. What kind of threat is that?”
“An effective one!” Tayvion laughed as she headed back out the front door, Cadence following.
Just as I was thinking about calling my therapist to discuss the building panic, Likosa returned. She walked down the stairs with Sire perched on her hand. And watching her, seeing how comfortable Sire was with her, the pain in my chest eased.
“She is absolutely adorable.” Likosa fawned over Sire, who lifted her head in appreciation of the adoration. “I saw her at the cabin, but I guess she had to make sure I was trustworthy before approaching.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cautious about who she lets close to her.”
“And who she lets close to you.” Likosa winked. “As she should be. You’re both too precious to be reckless with.”
I watched carefully as Likosa continued to fluff Sire’s head. Then, the bird flew away, singing happily as she went to stuff herself with the food I’d put out earlier that night.
When I looked back at Likosa, she had her eyes locked on me. I refused to squirm under the weight of her gaze, but if she could hear my heart, she would know how she affected me.
She crossed the room to stand in front of me. Her eyes captured my gaze as the swirls of pink lit up her irises again.
“Shontae, I want you to know I didn’t forget about you. I could never forget you.” She pulled me close. “Just in case you thought I had. I know I never explained the time difference.”
“You don’t have to explain anything.” I shook my head as I looked up at her, wondering how she seemed so much taller than before.
She’s the same height she was the last time. You’re just not used to being the dainty one in the relationship.
Relationship?
“Yes, I do.” She distracted me from the thought as she touched my shoulder.
I inhaled when her hand traveled down my shoulder and arm to fold into mine. She lifted them between us and touched the ring on my finger.
“It's important to me that you understand everything, even my absences.” Her words were deliberate caresses as she spoke. “It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about anyone enough to want them to understand me. That’s what I want now, Shontae.”
“You care about me?” I tried to sound like I was teasing her, but even I couldn’t deny the sincerity in my question.
I expected that internal voice to make fun of me, to point out how I sounded like all the women I’d ever dated. Whenever I made a declaration of affection, they looked at me like I looked at Likosa. They asked the same questions and hung on my every word. That voice was silent. Shit!
“Yes, I care about you.” Her other hand slipped around my waist as she pulled me closer. “And I want to take care of you, in every way I can.”
She leaned in, brushing her lips against mine.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” I spoke against her lips. “Likosa, you’re a puzzle to me.”
“I could say the same about you.” She kissed the corner of my mouth. “Maybe we can solve each other.”
That was it. Likosa was too damn smooth for me. I turned my head, offering her my lips, and she kissed me like she wanted to solve the puzzle right there on the living room floor.