Humiliation wasn’t my favorite kink, but I’d gotten a heavy dose of it this week. I blushed as he knelt down, inspecting the area closely.
I tore my gaze from my underwear, looking for any signs of movement.
“Hmm. The problem is that they’re pretty fast,” he sighed. “And they hide really well.”
Fresh horror rolled through me. “That’s not comforting at all.”
“Just make sure you dump your shoes out every time you go to put them on.”
What? What the fuck?
“Is this how you live here?” I rasped. “With thesedemons?”
Dallas’s dimples could be glimpsed through his beard. “It’s just the season, princess.”
Princess.
Heat stirred in my belly as he suddenly snatched my empty water glass from the side table and brought it down on the ground beside the bed.
“There we are,” he said. “It’s caught. Hopefully that’s the only one.”
“The only one?I’m not going to be able to sleep at night,” I whispered. “How the fuck am I going to sleep knowing it’s theseason for them?”
Dallas used a menu for a local pizza place and wedged it under the cup. “Honestly, I’m shocked it’s out right now. They’re usually only active at night. This one is just a mean one.”
He lifted the glass and I watched in horror as the scorpion jabbed at the inside of the glass repeatedly.
“I try not to think about them. They aren’t a problem too often. I think you should be safe.” He swiftly walked into the bathroom.
“What are you doing now?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.”
So calm and collected for a man carrying akiller.The toilet flushed, then the faucet ran, and he appeared in the doorway with a broad smile. He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets, his dark hair curling at the base of his neck.
I liked his beard. I liked the way his brows softened when he smiled.
There were a lot of things I liked about Dallas. None of them were helping me want to stay away from him.
“Thank you,” I said. “I realize this was silly.”
“It’s not silly. If you need another rescue, you’ve got my number.”
I crossed my arms, slightly disgruntled. “I feel like you’d behappyif more scorpions showed up.”
Dallas met me in two easy strides. “Not about the scorpions. About seeing you again, though? I think so.”
Oh.
The way he looked at me made me want to melt into a puddle. It’d been too long since someone had made me feel . . .giddy. My words tangled on my tongue and I opened my mouth to speak, to apologize for making him come rescue me again, to saysomething.But nothing came out. Instead, I found myself staring at the way sunlight turned the tips of his hair and beard auburn, the way his hands looked rough and calloused and like they’d feel really damn good grabbing my hips.
Dallas cleared his throat. “Want to come to lunch with me?”
“It depends . . .” I trailed off. I could flirt, right? I remembered how to flirt. I’d called him cute last Friday without fainting. Granted, I’d been running on car fumes and nuts then. I batted my lashes at him. “What are we having?”
His eyes swept up and down, his throat bobbing. “Madi.”
My breath hitched. “We’re having me?” I found my back against the brick wall again with a wince. “That sounded stupid, didn’t it?”
