Then he repeated, “I wanna take off your shirt.” I was a bit muddled from the kiss so I said, “Okay.” Gently, he pul ed the t-shirt over my head.
His mouth was at my chest, my scar, my breasts, his hands pressing in to make me arch my back and expose myself to him. I moved faster, faster and he tipped his head back. His fingers slid into my hair, tilting my face down to his and he kissed me right before he came.
I guess he wasn’t grossed out by my body.
*
We had Christmas at Nick’s, just Vance, Nick and me. I gave Nick tickets to an upcoming Springsteen concert. I gave Vance this kickass choker with a thick, braided leather band and two smal , silver medal ions at the front, one of an eagle and one of a buffalo. He tied it on and usual y I didn’t like jewelry on guys but that leather and silver on him looked hot.
Nick stole my bracelet while I was recovering and had three more links put in. One with an emerald, for Nick which days later I found out signifies goodness, fidelity and love; one with a blue topaz, for me which signifies sincerity, courage and wisdom (and when I read this out to Vance and Nick, Nick said, “Don’t know about that last one,” a comment which Vance thought was so funny, he threw back his head and laughed, which meant I had to try and tackle him but he just caught me, swung me up in his arms and kept right on laughing, his face buried in my neck); and also one with a pearl, for Vance which signifies nobility, beauty and peace.
How’s that for perfect?
Of course I burst into sloppy tears when I opened it, which pissed me off because I seemed to be crying al the time those days but Vance pul ed me into his lap and held me until I was done crying, which, head crackin’ mamma jamma that I was, I stil had to admit was super nice.
Zip dropped a gift by Nick’s. It was gun holster with a note attached that said “Just in case’. I laughed my ass off.
Vance and Nick didn’t think this was funny (at al ).
We had Christmas dinner at my place because I had a better dining room table.
I cooked dinner while Nick looked worried and Vance looked amused mainly because I banged around and cursed a lot through this process.
I’d been practicing cooking at Vance’s cabin while I was recovering and wasn’t doing too badly. However the Christmas pork tenderloin somehow ended up kinda raw. I swore to both of them it was not my fault, it had to be my stupid oven. Then Nick asked me what temperature I cooked it on and I said, “One fifty, like it says in the cookbook.”
Nick got the cookbook and showed me it said three fifty which I guess proved it wasn’t the oven.
Vance, for your information, stayed silent through this exchange however he wore his shit-eating grin the entire time.
Luckily, Nick cooked a backup pork tenderloin (just in case) so al was saved.
Vance gave me my present later in bed when nothing but the moonlight was shining down on us. It was an ultra-wide, hammered, silver ring that went al the way up to my knuckle. It was gorgeous.
I put it on my right ring finger and Vance took it off and put it on my left but not before kissing my finger and looking at me with that “mine” expression on his face.
I could see it, even in the moonlight.
What was more, I could feel it.
Since then, I’ve never taken that ring off.
*
The week between Christmas and New Year’s was busy because I was going back to work after New Year’s and Vance and I had a lot to do, considering we were splitting houses. He brought a bunch of his stuff to my house and I moved some of my stuff back but left a lot of it at the cabin.
We doubled up on kitty paraphernalia so Boo could go back and forth with us (Boo liked riding in the Sierra, by the way, crazy cat) without us carting around litter boxes and kitty bowls.
I bought Vance some bookshelves for his cabin. He bought me a stereo so I could listen to music there. He also put in decent locks so no one would steal the stereo which I thought was a smart move.
He gave me a key.
*
L e e was recruiting new Nightingale Investigations Men not to mention a new receptionist and he hit the jackpot that week before New Year’s. Darius, final y disentangled from the drug trade, went to work for Lee. Word on the street, Vance told me, this was not a popular move. Though I don’t think anyone at Nightingale Investigations ever cared if something was popular.
Hector, who miraculously didn’t blow his cover, ended his long investigation by getting his man. After that, for reasons only known to Hector (and I knew this for certain because Indy tried naked gratitude on Lee, like, seven times, and got nothing), he quit the DEA and went to work for Lee.