Page 88 of Love Without Demands

“Oh, good tip,” Cruz replied, fighting a grin.

“Monty says Mommy spits on him sometimes,” the kid said conversationally, and poor Cruz fake-coughed to cover up his laughter. Then he squatted to Sully’s level and ruffled his sandy-brown hair while I covered my smile with my fingertips.

“Did you need something, bud?”

The kid’s eyes darted around the room. “Some more of those piggies-in-a-blanket,” he whispered, and I wondered if maybe Kassie had told him he couldn’t have any more.

Cruz took the boy’s little hand in his big one, and my core clenched at the sight. He was always so sweet and gentle with kids. “Let’s go, Sul. I could use some of those myself.”

Then he turned and gave me a questioning look, asking me with his eyes if I was okay. When I nodded, he gave me a wink before herding Sully from the kitchen. Of course I was okay. I was convinced that man’s kisses could bring about world peace.

Over the next six weeks, Cruz and I did two more role playing scenes. Mine was an adventurous Bonnie and Clyde theme, and we had dressed the part in vintage clothing. Cruz took me on a tour of an old-fashioned bank that had been closed for years, and afterward, we went to a cool-as-hell speakeasy for dinner and drinks. Then we’d had sex in the back of the vintage car he’d rented.

His fantasy had been hitchhiker themed. After driving us upstate, Cruz had pretended to “pick me up” on the side of the road. With a fewcasualbrushes of his hand against my leg, and some extremely dirty innuendos, I found myself in a field, spread across the hood of the car with a big, sexy man between my legs.

But in between those times, we spent more and more time together. Cruz Estrada was everything I wanted in a man: fun, attentive, respectful, and affectionate. He was my best friend in the world.

And I was irrevocably in love with him.

Chapter 28

I stepped into mydarkened apartment and heard a crunch beneath my black lace-up boots. “What the hell is that?” I muttered, flicking on the living room light.

A small, beige seashell lay crushed on the floor. Another lay a couple feet in front of it. My gaze traced the floor, finding a trail of seashells winding through my living room and toward the hall.

My lips turned up into a grin.Lehra.Stripping off my black backpack, I hung it on the hook beside the door and removed my boots before following the path all the way through my bedroom and to the closed door of my bathroom.

Excitement traveled through my body, making my toes and fingers tingle in anticipation as I pushed open the door. She was in my round, sunken bathtub.My mermaid.

Lehra’s hair was different tonight. Instead of her usual curls, she was sporting beachy waves that flowed over her shoulderslike a blonde waterfall. Her bikini top was encrusted with rhinestones in sea hues… a mixture of blues, greens, and corals.

And on her bottom half, she was wearing a gorgeous multicolored tail. The top was pink, which faded into purple, then blue, and finally into aqua at the fin. The scales had a metallic sheen to them and glistened beneath the water.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked, putting on a show of indignance.

The mermaid cowered, bringing her knees up in front of her chest. “I-I’m Coraline.”

“Well, Coraline,” I sneered, “why the hell are you in my bathtub? And what is…” I waved my hand at her fin. “That?”

“I needed to be in water. And that’s… my tail.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. “People don’t have tails.”

“I’m not a people. I’m…” She hesitated, and I fought a grin, waiting to see where her story took us.

“You’re what?” I prodded.

“We’ve been called many things. Water nymphs, sirens, Oceanids, sea-maidens. But the one you’re probably most familiar with is… mermaid.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re trying to make me believe you’re a mermaid?”

One eyebrow lifted as she retorted, “Helloooo? I have a tail.” To emphasize her point, she lifted the fin end in the air and wiggled it.

The tip of my tongue slid against the scar on my bottom lip as I stifled my smile. “Great. I’ve got a smartass mermaid in my tub.”

A small giggle escaped her. “You can come closer and touch my tail if you want.”

“Words every man wants to hear,” I shot back with a lascivious smirk on my face.

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