Oh...but that’s where she’s wrong.
****
I’ve never much looked forward to daylight or going home but there’s something special about walking down my street and seeing Luna sitting atmykitchen table, eating breakfast undermyroof. Grinning at this new situation, I walk inside and call for her.
First thing I hear is a yelp and the sound of a chair toppling and then Luna comes at me like a whirlwind, before throwing herself into my arms. “I never thought you’d come home,” she breathes. “I was so worried, cried and tried calling you but your phone was on mute and I tried to tell myself to relax, to not get all dramatic but...”
“You missed me that much did you?” I groan and pull her to me, so she can feel my body’s immediate arousal and her eyes dash. “Get naked and lay on the couch and I’ll show you just how much I’ve missed you back.”
Her eyes dart, cheeks tinting and she murmurs, “It’s not that I just missed you.” She clutches and clings to me. “I was genuinely worried.” When I frown in surprise, she takes my hand and drags me into the kitchen, pointing at a newspaper on the table. “Look, there’s that guy John, you spoke to when we were on the subway.”
Blood drains from my face as I look at the paper. Fuck! This never should have become public knowledge. Hertz was supposed to take care of him discreetly and fury brims in me, causing me to clench my fists when I feel my pulse speed up.
Luna watches me curiously. “You seem tense, Derex,” she reminds me before exhaling. “See, now why I was worried? I thought whoever exterminated John would come after you too.”
Gritting my jaw, I slowly nod. “You’re kind for being concerned but you need to know that I can always take care of myself. No matter what.”
She breathes out, plopping down on her chair and she’s all better now but I’m pissed she found out about the murder. And even if I’ve calmed her down, there’s no denying that her eyes are a little more careful now when landing on me.
“Brought you pastries,” I murmur, “with icing sugar and I got you some strawberry lemonade too.”
Squealing, she digs in, letting out diverting moans and groans while I try focusing on reading the article. I’m gonna kill Hertz for this. He’s fucking responsible for making Luna look at me with anything else but trust and I realize I should’ve played it up, should’ve acted appalled or horrified when she showed me the article.
Instead, I acted like a damn machine.
Fuck!
Furious, I drag a hand down my face before throwing a look at Luna and the annoyance drains the moment I see her with icing sugar on the tip of her nose. That white little tip cheers me up and I grin, wiping it off and she throws me an embarrassed glance.
“Thanks. The kids would’ve laughed their butts off if I’d come in like this today.”
Right, her work and I have to admit I hadn’t thought much about that, somehow imaging that she’d be at home all day and breathlessly waiting for me but now I’m reminded of something potentially problematic and I murmur, “Luna, I hope there aren’t any men where you work.”
She seems surprised but shakes her head. “Nope, it’s just women.”
Then it’s not problematic. I take no issue with her working as long as I don’t have to worry about her being leered on. It sounds like a fucking nightmare by the way, creeps looking at my Luna and my fists clench. “Good, I don’t want you coming in contact with men when I’m not around to protect you.”
Luna bursts into laughter. “Come in contact?” She sniggers as if that’s the funniest phrase she’s ever heard. “Oops, I’m afraid I do come in contact with other men.”
Clutching the table, I fail to see the humor in this. “What other men?” I growl and she twitches, spilling her lemonade and I turn around with a curse, grabbing some paper towels and wipe it off. Luna stares up at me as if she’s not sure what’s going on.
“The children’s fathers, of course. Sometimes they drop them off and usually they come to pick them up.”
I didn’t think about that. I didn’t think about the fucking fathers! This changes everything and now I’m tense again.
“Listen, I got an idea,” I say in a very calm and level voice. “I think you should stay home today.”
Grimacing, she shakes her head. “Nah, Fridays are our favorite day. We pull out the guitar and throw a party.”
That sounds very cute and wholesome but all I can think of are men coming in at the end of the day and staring at her tired and beautiful face, wanting to buy her a cup of coffee, wanting to offer her a ride home, wanting to offer her a ride on their dicks...
I let out a growl and Luna glances at me in surprise but ignores me. “I should clean this up or I’ll be late for work,” she murmurs and panic rises to my head. I need to find a way to keep her with me. Humming to herself, Luna cleans her dishes and I’m starting to feel the pressure. Soon, she’ll be out that door and then I won’t be able to stop her.
I need to stop her.
Clutching my chest, I grimace and pretend to be hyperventilating and Luna swiftly turns around, her face whitening and she gawks. “Derex, what is it?”
“Don’t know.” I choke for air. “There’s this sudden pressure,” I groan, rubbing my chest in the way that I’ve seen people do. “Right here...it fucking hurts.”