Page 15 of What A Croc
He laughed, throwing his head back, and I watched the way his merriment lit up his face, the way his muscles contracted. His musical laughter filled the air around us, and it filled me with a lightness I realized I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
And that I wanted more of it. Wanted to be near it. Wanted it to fill me up for always.
“I’m sorry,” he giggled, when his laughter trailed off, “I don’t know why I found that so funny.”
“It’s okay,” I grinned at him. “I like your laugh.”
He blinked, still grinning, but the pink was flooding his cheeks again and I wondered if he would blush all over like that when I had him naked beneath me. Whoa! Pump the brakes. My dick had just gone down and now he was wide awake again.
“You do?”
He seemed so genuinely shocked by my statement, it tugged at my heart. How did he not know how truly enchanting he was? “I do. I really do need to go. I’ll text you later.” Shaking my head at my words, I amended, “Would it be okay if I texted you later?”
Trying not to rush the man was going to take every ounce of willpower I apparently didn’t possess.
He looked down at his feet, then up at me through his lashes, and I would have sworn the earth moved dizzily beneath my feet. “Yes, I’d like that. I may not be able to answer right away, if I’m working, but yes.”
“Mr. Robert!” a small, but fierce, female voice called from the corner, where the play clothes were, “Patrick says I can’t be a pirate today! He’s not sharing!”
“Am too!” a little male voice yelled. “I told you other people can be pirates too, not just you, Rory! You need to share better!”
“And, that’s my cue,” Robert told me, rushing over to break up the squabble. “Now, Rory, I know there are at least three pirate costumes in here. A pirate captain needs a pirate crew, don’t they?”
“I guess,” I heard the little girl say as I headed towards the door, though she honestly didn’t seem too convinced of the need for her to have her very own pirate crew.
Later that morning, my phone buzzed on my desk, and I snatched it up so fast I nearly spilledmy coffee cup. I knew, I just knew, that it was Robert. I had no idea how I knew, but it was like I could feel it was him.
Robert:Thank you for the muffin. It was very nice of you.
Me:Sweets for my sweet.
Me:OMG! Ew! Forget I said that! I don’t know why I said that!
Me:I think that is a line from an old horror movie. *facepalm emoji*
Me:Unsend. How the fuck do I unsend?
Jackson unsent a message.
Hopefully, he hadn’t had time to read the first message and the following ones would make little to no sense to him. Yeah, that seemed logical. I rolled my eyes at my own ridiculousness.
Me:You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Robert:*laughing emoji* Should I change your name in my contacts to ‘Candyman’?
Oh Goddess, he had seen the message. And, of course, he had seen the movie I had unknowingly quoted for some unknown, bizarre reason that I couldn’t even figure out. My brain was clearly short circuiting when it came to Robert.
Me:Please don’t.
Me:What do you have it saved under now?
Me:Don’t tell me, let me guess. Is it Hot Alpha?
Robert:It’s saved under Jackson. *laughing emoji*
Me:How terribly boring. I think I like Candyman better.
Robert:If I say your name three times, do you come? *winky emoji*
