CJ crawled into my lap and snuggled into my arms and was gazing at me between long slow blinks.
"Is that Lisa?" I heard Mike's muffled voice in the background. "She better not be trying to call out with some audition bullshit. Tell her to get her ass in here tonight, or she's fired."
I looked down at my tiny vampire, whose chin was once again covered in bright red popsicle juice and was in a deep sleep in my arms. My brain started whirring, calculating, and recalculating the consequences of every option that lay before me. The answer was obvious. I looked down at CJ again.
“Lisa?” Sasha whispered into the phone. “Are you still there?”
"Tell Mike, I quit."
I wokeup to a banging noise. My body was curled around CJ's, and we were napping on my living room floor.
"Lisa?" Cole shouted my name, then he knocked on the door again.
I whipped it open and put a finger to my lips.
“Where is he?” Cole whispered as he tried to push past me. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine… He’s sleeping.” I placed my hands on his biceps, which seemed to relax him before I pointed at the tiny slumbering lump in the middle of the blanket. CJ had pulled his knees under his belly and was fast asleep with his butt in the air.
Cole walked around the blanket, flopped onto my couch, and leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands.
“Why does this shit keep happening?” he groaned.
"I'm sorry, but it's okay. I was here, and CJ's fine."
“I am so fucked. What kind of person—”
“Hey." I put my hand on his, curled my fingers into his palm, and squeezed, pulling it away from his face. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You're doing your best."
He looked at me. I mean, he really looked at me. His eyes were devouring my face, looking at me as if he wouldn’t be able to look at me enough with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
“Thank you, Lisa.”
I shrugged.
“Seriously, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. Not just today. Everything you’ve done for us…”
“Hey, you took care of me when I was drunk that night. So, it’s not exactly a one-sided thing.”
Cole slid his hand around the nape of my neck and stroked my cheek with his thumb.
“Lisa,” Cole whispered, leaning forward. “I’m gonna—”
“Shhh,” I silenced him with a finger to his lips. “Just do it. We may not have a lot of time.” I jerked my head at CJ, who had rolled onto his side.
He grinned and leaned forward, pulling me into him and joining our mouths. I parted my lips, and he swept the inside of my mouth with his tongue, tantalizing and exploring.
Cole leaned forward while taking off his suit jacket. I reclined with my arms wrapped around his neck to keep our mouths together. He loosened his tie and slid it out of his collar, tossing it over the back of the couch with his jacket. He took a break from my lips and moved on to my neck, moaning and whispering how good I felt to him and how much he wanted me. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I felt wanted or how long it had been since I'd had sex for pleasure, not for a purpose.
Cole leaned up and stared down at me again. His chest was heaving, and he was biting his lip. "Lisa, if you want to stop this, just say the word."
I grinned, reached up, and hooked my fingers into the placket of his shirt and yanked it open, sending buttons flying across the living room. We gasped as we watch one almost hit CJ, who was still passed out a few feet away.
“We should go to my room.” I panted. “Give me your phone.”
Cole's brow furrowed as he handed me his phone. I dialed my number and answered it, leaving the line open. I muted the microphone on Cole's phone and put my phone on the blanket near CJ after gathering up the buttons from Cole's shirt.
"Baby monitor?" he asked, grinning. I nodded, returning his smile, and he kissed me. "Is it weird that I find your ingenuity incredibly sexy?"
