Page 28 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
Gulliver lowered his knife to the plate and picked up his last piece of steak, holding it out on his palm to the dog, and since he was an equal opportunity steak eater, Mojo quickly snapped it up. “He’s a good boy. I bet he sensed if he jumped into your motor home, you’d take care of him forever.”
“We were destined to be together. We’re more alike than different, to be honest. His family abandoned him, and so did mine. All he needed was someone to love him, and I needed the same. When he kept growing and I realized he was going to be a gigantic dog, I knew he’d protect me no matter what, so I do the same for him. As you can see, he never leaves my side. I’m surprised he has stayed with Laverne and here at the business as much as he has without me, to be honest.”
Gulliver finished his potato salad and leaned back in the uncomfortable wrought iron seat. “I suppose it just means he’s comfortable here. Laverne probably treats him like a king. I know Honey is always cooing about him every time she’s around.”
I laughed happily and nodded after finishing the last of my wine. “Laverne was scared of Mojo when we first got there, and now she’s making him a bed in the corner and letting him sleep on the dock in the sunshine. He has a way of sensing those who are scared of him and ingratiating himself into their lives.”
“He’s no dummy. He knows what he wants. It’s not much different from what I want, actually,” he said pensively. “The difference is, he’s already got the girl.”
I slid my hand across the table and took his. “He’ll share, I promise.” I winked, and his seriousness fell away when he grasped my hand.
“I hope so because after last night, I find it hard to think about anything but you.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me, but I understand the way you’re feeling, Gulliver. I feel the same way. It’s confusing and scary.”
“Is it a little bit exciting too?” he asked. “Because I know it is for me.”
I squeezed his hand in solidarity of our mutual feelings, even if neither of us understood them right now. “It’s more than a little bit exciting,” I promised.
I stood, nudging myself between his legs so I could slide my hand up his face and caress his cheek. His eyes bored into mine, and he lowered his head, waiting for me to close the distance. I did, hungrily attacking his lips to tell him what my words couldn’t. I might be confused and scared, but I was also excited by my desire for him. He slid his hands into my hair and grasped my face, tipping my head to change the angle, allowing his tongue to sneak between my lips and tease me into a heightened sense of awareness. The night sounds were amplified as his soft, warm tongue danced with mine in the moonlight.
Mojo barked sharply, and we broke apart, our chests heaving but our eyes scanning the darkness just beyond the patio.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, his voice urgent. “We’re too exposed out here.”
His words were ominous and rang in my ears as we made quick work of packing the cooler, making sure the grill was cool, and cleaning up the dirty dishes. I followed him through the door toward his apartment and wondered if what he was going to tell me, coupled with what I had to tell him, would mean I was going to have to leave this wonderful place just to stay alive.
CHAPTER 9
Gulliver motioned me through his front door, and I pulled the cooler in behind me, stopping to take in the apartment. It was spectacular, and completely Gulliver.
“What?” he asked, closing the door behind him. “Too many bugs?”
“Give me a chance to absorb it,” I whispered on a giggle. The kitchen was galley style, with room for a small table against the opposite wall. A half wall divided the kitchen from the living room, which held a well-loved sofa, recliner, and TV. The walls were the feature of the room, though, since they were covered in small memory boxes, each one filled with a butterfly or moth of a different color or size. They were breathtaking as groupings above the television and couch. “Where on earth did you get all these butterflies? Are they models?”
Gulliver shook his head and followed me into the living room. “No, they’re all butterflies I’ve found dead during my travels to other parts of the country and world. Some people think they’re too macabre to use for decorating, but it’s me, so they shouldn’t.”
My eyes were glued to the groupings on the wall as I nodded. “They’re fascinating. I never get to really look at a butterfly up close. Unless you count when I find them smashed against the grill of my motor home.” I groaned and hit myself in the forehead. “Not again,” I moaned. “Ignore me.”
Gulliver laughed and rubbed my arms as a silent assurance. “It’s the circle of life,” he sang, his tone gone way off the rails. “You make me laugh, so don’t worry about it. Bugs aren’t supposed to live for years and years. They’re important to our ecosystem, but there will always be another one.”
“Until there isn’t,” I said grimly.
He pointed at me while wearing a grimace. “Until there isn’t.”
“Mind if I use a bowl to give Mojo some water?” I asked.
“Absolutely. There are plastic ones under the sink. I’ll be right back,” he said, walking through a door that had to be his bedroom.
I hurried back to the kitchen and found the perfect bowl, filling it with water and setting it on a towel for Mojo to slurp up. When I got back to the couch, Gulliver was sitting in his recliner, his brace and shoe off and his chair reclined. He smiled sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind if I relax. After last night and today, my knee is killing me,” he explained.
I scooted off the couch again. “Do you have an ice pack? That might help.”
“Good idea,” he said, reaching for the handle of the chair, but I held my hand out to him.
“Stay put. I’ll get it.” I rifled through the freezer and came up with a gel pack that I rested across his knee. “And don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re comfortable enough with me to relax without being self-conscious.”
He held the pack to his knee and avoided eye contact. “Oh, I’m self-conscious,” he said, his voice barely audible. “But you didn’t appear overly bothered by my legs last night, so...”
