Page 138 of Lovebug
“Ew!” I smack at him. “But really?” I dip my chin and smile.
“Really.” He laughs. “How about me?”
“You? Oh, I find your anatomy incredibly sexy too,” I all but purr at him as I start to nibble along his earlobe.
“That is certainly excellent news.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “But I actually meant...what is my bug equivalent?”
Call me crazy, but this one I wasn’t fully prepared to answer. So I stall.
And I pull back from him.
“I don’t know,” I respond.
“You don’t know?” His voice booms. “You likely have a bug equivalent for the guy who makes your coffee in the mornings...”
He’s right. I do. His is the Brazilian treehopper.
“But you don’t have one for me?” He looks genuinely hurt.
“Aw, Wally.” I croon. “Of course I’ve considered one for you. I’m just torn between two.”
“Oh,” he says, relieved. “Alright, hit me. Who are my two?”
“Well, the water strider, of course. He moves easily across the water just like you do. Also, he loves using his front legs to hold onto the female while mating.”
“I do, in fact, enjoy that.” He laughs and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to him so I’m now sitting in his lap, my legs wrapped around his back.
“But if I really have to choose... you’re the Sacred Scarab,” I say definitively. “Fascinating creature. The name comes from the ancient Egyptians. They likened their god of the sunrise to beetles.”
“Oh yeah? And why did they do that?” he manages to get out between the kisses he’s suddenly raining down my throat.
I tip my head back and keep talking, a bit breathier now. “They noticed a similarity between how the sun rolls across the sky each day and how the scarab beetle rolls his dung ball.”
“His what?” he asks softly, staying in sexy-mode.
“His dung ball,” I repeat, still breathy.
“His dung ball, huh?”
“Yup, his dung ball.”
He finally stops kissing me and roars with laughter.“And this made you think ofme?”
“Absolutely!” I say, not entirely seeing what’s so funny about this.
“Why?” He continues to laugh his proverbial ass off.
“Because you’re so industrious and generous, and you care about the environment!” I fire back.“Trust me, it’s a compliment!”
“Alright, alright! Simmer down, lady, I see your point!” He tries to hide the fact that he’s still laughing.
“Thank you,” I huff.
“Shall we lie back?” he suggests gallantly. “Wait for the fireworks?
“We shall,” I say.
We settle back, and I nestle myself in that sweet spot between his heart and his shoulder while we stare up at the sky, still devoid of fireworks.
