Page 23 of Sundowners
I hated that he read me so clearly. So what if I was tired of being alone? I was over the sting of Basajuan’s rejection, so therefore it wasn’t out of character for me to want some company. But something about Creed…being alone with him wasn’t going to be simply scratching an itch. We’d been dancing around each other for nearly two months now. I appreciated the excellent care he gave my lola and titas. I appreciated him and the way he filled out those fucking jeans right now even more.
“Big ego you’ve got there, Nurse Creed. Maybe I offered to take you home because I don’t want my uncle to be called back to clean you up off the street when you get jumped. Maybe I don’t want to have to tell my lola and aunties that their favorite nurse won’t be back. Maybe…maybe I don’t want to see that pretty face messed up.”
I kept my thumbs hooked on my belt and knew I should step back, but I wasn’t about to give an inch to this confounding man.
Creed moved farther into my personal space. We were standing outside the ring of light from a streetlamp but not completely in the darkness. When he spoke, his breath ghosted over my lips.
“Oh, I’m so much more than a pretty face, Roman. Maybe you’d like to find out how much more.” Creed placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close enough that our fronts connected below the belt.
I let out a sound that could have easily been mistaken for a moan. I wanted to believe it sounded more like a frustrated grunt, but Creed had implored me to be honest.
“Take what you want, Roman. Take it, so I can, too.”
His taunts drove me to action. I grabbed Creed by the back of the neck, causing him to make a surprised sound, followed by a soft laugh. But I didn’t give in, not yet.
“Only if you admit you want this as much as I do.”
Creed chuckled and slid his hand around my back, letting his fingers move under the waistband of my jeans. When they connected with my skin, I sucked in a breath, and he brushed his lips against mine.
“You have been tempting me for weeks now, Professor. I want to know how you taste.”
As much as I wanted to give him that taste, as much as I wanted to see if our connection was more than just flirting, alarm bells rang in my head like tinnitus. No, it was tinnitus. The shifting of pressure in my ear was enough to make me step back.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?”
I nodded and rubbed at my ear. “Yeah. Tinnitus. Plagues me occasionally.”
Creed frowned, and then he reached for my biceps. “Hey, let’s not force this, okay? What if…how about we spend some time together? No pressure. Like a date, or not. Like two dudes out for a good time…that sounds weird,” he said, and his drawly accent soothed my unease.
“I’d…yeah. Wow. I…I think I’d like some company.”
My insides had that feeling you get when the elevator drops faster than you’d expected, like the ground has gone out from under you, and I listed to the side.
“Why don’t I get you back to your uncle?”
“Probably a good idea. I’m sorry,” I said, and then I laughed. “Helluva way to ask for a date, huh?”
He swung an arm around me and we walked back toward where Reynaldo had parked his patrol car, which was in view of the pizza joint he liked. How that man ate pizza nearly every lunch and still looked fantastic at his age was beyond me.
“I’m sure you’ll be an excellent date, and as a show of faith, I’m asking you out. Officially. We can make it as intimate or laid-back as you want. You pick the place.”
I leaned against him as my ears unplugged with a pop, making me a little dizzy. “Oh, you’re brave. What if you hate it?”
Creed shook his head and gave my shoulder a squeeze. We crossed the street and Reynaldo was just coming out of the restaurant.
“I won’t hate it if I’m with you,” Creed said close to my ear. “Now, go get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I turned to argue that he didn’t have my number and—
“Officer Cabral, your nephew doesn’t seem to be feeling well.”
Rey frowned and spun me to face him. He got all cop-like on me and I batted at his hands.
“I’m fine, I—”
“Call you tomorrow, Professor,” Creed said. He waved and disappeared around the corner before I could get a word out.
“Well, that’s one way to make an impression,” Rey said, his eyebrows up high on his damn forehead.
