“You made a bit of an impression on me,” I confessed, my back to him while I dug through my cabinet and threw the ingredients on the counter. Turning back to him satisfied, I saw his face light up in recognition.
“You’re an addict,” he commented as he saw the mass amounts of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers I kept on hand.
“I told you, you didn’t give yourself enough credit, Professor Kemp. You taught me well.”
He gawked at the massive pile of chocolate on my multi-colored tile island. “So, are we dining on s’mores for breakfast, then?”
Disco chose that moment to raise the Devil’s hell from her box in his living room. “Guess not,” he said with the shake of his head.
“I would go get her, but I’m allergic.”
“And full of shit. You are a terrible liar and that’s a wonderful thing, Koti.”
Ian put his empty cup on the counter and moved to free Disco from her box of shackles. He paused at my back door. “How about tonight? I’ll set up one of our bonfires for old times’ sake?”
“I was beginning to think you forgot.”
His grin took my breath. “Quite the opposite.”
My chest filled with warmth. “Okay, but how about you use regular wood this time?”
He gave me a guilty smile. “Agreed.” He glanced around the room and then back to me. “There are no crystals in here.”
“Made you look though,” I retorted playfully.
“Koti?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for asking me.” Penetrating silver eyes stared me down and I had to force myself to speak.
“You really do get it, don’t you, Ian?”
“I really do. I’ll see you tonight?”
“See you, professor.”
I SPENT THE DAY RUNNING around like a mad woman with Jasmine by my side. Her car had been vandalized at the grocery store where she had left it the night before to meet her date.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you about last night,” she said with a sigh.
“You banged a bag boy?” I asked, glancing toward the grocery store.
She turned to me, her dark hair tied up in a bun on top of her head, clad in an electric blue dress. She was rummaging through her thirty-gallon purse. “Me and the captain’s love affair is officially over.”
“So soon?”
“You’re judging me,” she snapped as she searched through the massive purse in her lap.
“Do you check for dead mice in there from time to time?” Jasmine thumped my shoulder and I gripped it with a shriek. “Oww, that shit hurt.”
“So did last night,” she said, wincing.
“Oh Lord. The freak came out of him?”
She nodded, managing to pry three pairs of shades out of her bright red bag. She picked through them as I started the Jeep. “That’s exactly what happened.”
“Jasmine, it’s nine in the morning. Can’t I be spared until at least noon?”