Page 40 of The Heart of a Capricorn
“Chauncey. I’m glad you are okay. I miss you, and I wish you were here.” A tear escaped and trickled down my cheek.
His background was quiet, so I wasn’t sure if he was back home, here in Vegas, or somewhere else.
“I miss you, too. What would you do if I were there?” His voice lowered, and my stomach tightened.
I scooted down in the bed until I was flat on my back. I stared up at the ceiling and gathered my thoughts. I’d much rather tell him how I felt in person, but since I didn’t know when I would see him again, I decided this moment would be the perfect time.
I closed my eyes and spilled my feelings. “First, I would hug and kiss you. Then I would tell you how much I missed you and how much I love you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut because I couldn’t believe I just told him that. I needed to, though. I learned over the years that it was best to tell people how you felt about them when you could.
My admission and Chauncey’s sudden quietness made me hot all over, so I tossed the covers from my body. Of course, my brain went into overdrive. Did I say it too soon? Did he not feel the same way?
“You love me, L?”
I kept my eyes closed as Chauncey’s voice soothed my nerves.
“Yes, Chauncey. I do. It’s crazy because we’ve only reconnected a few weeks ago, but these last few days made me realize that. So yes, Chauncey Baldwin, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Lyric Hampton. Listen, I have to take care of something, but I’ll give you a call back later.”
“Oh, okay.”
I wasn’t ready to hang up, but if he had something to do, I had no choice but to wait until he called back. I wanted to ask him a thousand questions, one of them being how he knew he loved me. I also wanted to ask where we went from here.
We hung up the phone, and for a minute, I just stared at the ceiling. Expressing my feelings to Chauncey made me nervous, but I also felt free. Knowing he felt the same way made things so much better.
A couple of minutes passed before I sat up and returned to watching movies. About ten or fifteen minutes after Chauncey’s call, there was a knock at the door. I ignored it because I hadn’t ordered any food, and I wasn’t expecting anyone.
The person knocked again, so I got up to answer it. Before I could reach the door, it opened, and Chauncey came swaggering into my room.
“Chauncey!” I ran and jumped into his arms.
His chuckle vibrated through my chest when he held me against him. He kissed the top of my head and palmed my ass. Tears fell down my face because I was so happy he was okay. Hearing and seeing it were two different things. I was also surprised that he was here in my room.
We embraced each other for a couple of minutes before we separated. I stood back a little and hit his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He chuckled. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“That, you did.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him again. I leaned back and put my hand on the side of his face. “I can’t believe you’re here and in one piece.” I stepped back and let my eyes roam over the length of his body to make sure he was, in fact, in one piece.
“I told you I was coming back. I know I can’t always guarantee one hundred percent safety, but I know I will always do what I can to make it back to you.”
A smile burst over my face. I laid my head on his chest, and the steady pace of his heart comforted me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
I did all of that worrying for nothing. I let him go to fulfil his duty, and he came back to me unarmed. For that, I was grateful and happy. My heart was at peace. My mind was at rest. Maybe now I could enjoy the rest of my time in Vegas when I wasn’t working.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“I’m thanking you for coming back. I’m thanking you for understanding me and reassuring me that things will be fine.”
Chauncey bent down and kissed me. “You don’t have to thank me for that, but I understand.” His hands lowered from my ass to my thighs and picked me up. “I do want you to show me how thankful you are.” He winked as he carried me to the bedroom.
“I can do that.”
When we entered the room, Chauncey placed me in the middle of the bed. His pupils looked larger, as he held my gaze while he slowly removed my tank top and shorts I had on. Since I hadn’t planned on going anywhere, I didn’t have on a bra or panties.
