Page 84 of Watch Me Burn
She stares out at the falling snow, fingers stroking the calico cat’s fur.
“Luna.” I keep my voice soft. “Something’s wrong. I can tell. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“I do worry about you.” I allow more of my true feelings to show than I normally would as daytime Damien.
She turns to study my face. Now that I know her suspicions, every time she looks at me, it makes me wonder what she sees.
“I’m dealing with some health issues.”
My heart races. This is it. She’s going to tell me. “What kind of health issues? Is it serious?”
She opens her mouth, then closes it, seeming to reconsider. “I just haven’t been feeling well. It’ll pass.”
The disappointment is sharp. I nod, respecting her choice even as it tears at me. But I also appreciate that she keeps our loss to herself. “Well, I’m here. Whatever you need.”
We sit in silence, watching the snow. Through the window, I notice a pair of raccoons waddling through the powder, one chasing the other in what appears to be some sort of mating ritual.
Luna notices them too, and something shifts in her expression. “Do you know raccoons can have sex for hours?”
I choke out a laugh. I swear this woman can shock me like no one else. “Excuse me?”
Her cheeks flush pink, but she plows ahead. “Yeah. Maren and I sat on my back porch one time and watched two of them having sex in the backyard. It was like a train wreck. We couldn’t look away.” She seems relieved to talk about anything other than herself. “Not all of it was intercourse. There was quite a bit of foreplay too, but it went on for at least two hours. I think Maren was jealous.”
“I totally was,” Maren calls from the kitchen.
I study Luna’s face. This is the first glimpse of the real Luna I’ve seen today—quirky, unfiltered, and unexpected. The ache of missing her settles deep in my bones. Not her body, but just her. And I can’t help myself; I let a bit of my nighttime persona slip through.
“You sound surprised a man is capable of that.” My voice drops lower. “Have you never had sex for hours, Luna? Never had someone make you come so many times you lose count? Who gets inside you and won’t stop until you’re begging? If that’s the case, you haven’t had sex with the right men.”
Her eyes widen, and for a second, I worry I’ve gone too far. Let too much of my other self show.
“Jesus, Damien.” Color floods her cheeks.
“You’re the one who brought up raccoon sex.” I hold her gaze, allowing a slow smile to spread across my lips. “And the one who seems fascinated by their stamina.”
The tension between us shifts, electric now rather than awkward. I can see the wheels turning in her mind, making connections she’s not quite ready to acknowledge. Maren returns with plates and utensils.
“Let’s plate this feast up.” She’s oblivious to or purposely ignoring the charged atmosphere. “I left the little monsters locked in the bathroom for now. They can have their freedom back after we eat.”
I help her plate up the food, grateful for the interruption. We eat in companionable silence, with bursts of short conversation about the upcoming Christmas holidays, Maren’s grandmother’s arthritis acting up now that the snow’s arrived en masse, and the animals. It always seems to segue back to the animals.
My gaze keeps drifting to Luna the entire time, to the subtle changes in her face. The way her eyes light up when discussing her animals, the pain receding for those moments. This is the Luna I’ve fallen for. The professional vet, the compassionate caretaker, and the woman who comes alive under my touch in the dark.
Maren stands when we’re done, taking our plates and releasing the “troublemakers.”
“Alright, you horny little bastards, back to terrorizing the Christmas tree. But keep your paws off my goods!”
Ricky makes a beeline for Luna, carrying a stuffed monkey, climbing onto her lap, and reaching for her breast before she redirects his hand to the toy.
I raise an eyebrow. “Distraction technique?”
“It seems to work pretty well. But we’ve got a ways to go.”
I take a deep breath. I can’t push too hard, but I can’t bear to see her suffering alone like this either.
“Luna, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I’ve made no secret about how I feel about you.”
