Shit! Shit! Shit!
The undeniable pitter-patter of vermin feet shuffling over the hardwood floor electrifies the room.
I bolt for the door only to smack into it at a hundred nose-breaking miles per hour.
“Shit!”
Locked!
I jog in a spastic manner while fiddling with the handle in the event the gigantic mutant rats decide they want to scamper up my legs en route to gnawing off my face. Honest to God, if I lose my virginity to a fucking sewer dweller, I’m going to scream all the way back to California.
I break out of the rat tank and make a run for Cruise’s bedroom. Thankfully, his door is wide open, and I manage to avert a second unfriendly run-in with pine that most likely would have ensured emergency rhinoplasty.
“What the hell?” Cruise jumps up on his elbows as I dive under the covers. He lifts the comforter, and a seam of moonlight falls over his bewildered, more than slightly gorgeous face. “Kenny?”
I let out a breath. “Is roll call really necessary?” On second thought, this is Cruise.
I scoot into him as close as humanly possible in the event the vermin takeover decides to spill into his quadrant of the house. Cruise lets out a warm breath over my neck as he spoons alongside me, cradling me with his strong, bare arms.
Gah! What if this was all some evil ploy to land me in his bed naked? Of course, I’m not naked, but I’m willing to bet good money (that I’m currently deficient in at the moment) that Cruise Elton is.
I reach down and touch his equally bare leg, thus confirming my theory and pull away from his person as if he were on fire.
“You’re naked.” It comes out accusingly as though he planned it all along.
“I won’t bite,” he purrs, reeling me back by the waist.
“I bet if I ask real nice...” It comes out sarcastic because we both know he’s not above a caustic orthodontic assault if the situation warranted it.
“In that case, I’ll do anything you want.” He nuzzles his face into my neck, and I can feel his stubble grazing against my skin, his soft lips as they pull along in a slow hot line. “Are you wearing a jacket?” He pulls back the covers just enough to reveal my odd selection of nighttime accouterments.
“Yes, I’m wearing a jacket—and a sweater, and a T-shirt, a pair of sweats, and tights, and two pair of freaking socks. That’s what happens when you move to the Ozarks. You wear your closet to bed, so you don’t cryogenically freeze overnight.”
“But think of how well preserved you’ll be in twenty years.”
“You’re phenomenally funny, Professor Elton.”
“No, I’m not. I’m an ass.” A heated breath escapes his lungs.
Something in my chest loosens at his well-timed, self-depreciatory remark—and just when I was gearing up to discount him to the playboy rack once again.
He rolls onto his back, and I carefully take him in.
The room glows the faintest shade of blue, and thanks to the moon and all its reflective glory, there’s way too much light for comfort. I stare down at his body, his rippling abs, the hard V that sits just below his waist. The sheets artfully cover his telephone pole, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing me, I would probably run screaming and land in bed with the six-foot rat taking up residency on the other side of the wall.
Who am I kidding? With Cruise lying here like the Sultan of Seduction, it’s almost too much to bear.
“What brings you for a visit?” He runs his gaze down my ridiculous state of dress. Perfect. I’m pretty sure I’m the least sexiest woman to have ever graced his bed.
“The rats of Massachusetts have gathered in my room for a state-wide conference,” I whisper in the event their tiny ears perk up at attention and they decide to migrate over. “You, my friend, have an infestation of the vermin variety.”
“Every rat in Massachusetts has congregated in your bedroom?” His left dimple goes off, mocking me, and suddenly I find his vexing good looks annoying as hell.
“That’s right,” I say accusingly. “And I bet you’ve been planning it all along.”
He belts out a laugh that startles me.
“You got me.” He holds out a hand. “I had a big meeting with all the rodents in the neighborhood and orchestrated the entire event. I’ve got an alligator working his way through the sewage pipes as we speak.”
“No way.” I cover my ears. “If I listen for one more minute, I’m going to pee standing up for the entire next year.”
“I’m teasing. I assure you the throne is still a safe place to rest on your laurels.” Cruise sits up and pulls me to my knees. “Clothes”—he drills into me with those lucent blue eyes—“on or off?”