Page 2 of A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions #4)

“My mother thought so too. She said I was fabulous in my high school’s rendition of Grease . My father didn’t agree. Not Heath, he wouldn’t care, but the asshole who donated his sperm for my creation. That man had no love for the theater or his gay son.”

The tightening beside Diem’s eyes suggested he understood. His father had no love for his gay son either.

Diem tossed the dishrag aside, unfurled my tightly wound limbs, and hooked my legs around his waist, scooting me to the edge of the counter, so I sat flush against his broad body. I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck and peeked over his shoulder to be sure Baby hadn’t moved.

“Have you come to rescue me?”

“No.”

I pouted but didn’t much care anymore now that Diem was beside me, and I was wrapped in his arms. “You’re warm,” I said, nuzzling closer.

“You’re naked.”

“You like me naked. Besides, I’m not. I have underwear on.”

Diem hummed, sneaking a peek between our bodies and licking his lips .

“Don’t even think about getting kinky. The enemy skulks in our territory. We must stay vigilant.” I checked on the beast again. Still unmoving.

Using a gentle finger under my chin, Diem guided my attention away from the snake. His other hand rested lightly on my lower back. His touch was always tentative and gentle.

He pressed his forehead to mine, his stormy gray gaze taking me in. “Are you done playing games?”

I pursed my lips, considering. “No. I have more stamina.” Stubbornness was expected under the circumstances, and I added a pout for good measure. “You know I hate that snake. I wish you’d warned me.”

“Tallus, I did warn you. Three times. Last night before bed, this morning before you left for work, and twenty minutes ago when you got home. In fact, as you stripped from your clothes and flopped onto the couch to watch TV, I distinctly said, ‘Don’t get comfortable. I’m cleaning Baby’s terrarium soon,’ and you said…

” He arched a brow, waiting for me to fill in the blank.

I squirmed. “I don’t like this game.”

The brow remained raised in question.

I petulantly huffed. “I said, ‘Shh, I can’t hear the TV.’ In my defense, Netflix uploaded the new season, and you know how I get with reality shows. They’re addictive. It’s Memphis’s fault. I should have listened.”

Again, I checked on the snake’s whereabouts to be sure she wasn’t sneaking up on us. Safety confirmed, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling comfort, strength, and everything Diem.

Despite the life-threatening danger mere feet away, I took advantage of Diem’s proximity. His warmth. The solid line of his muscled body. Less than a year ago, my touch-phobic boyfriend had fought with this level of connection. Those days were behind us.

Mostly.

Diem moved his hands to my thighs, stalled for a moment, and then glided them up and down once before letting them rest higher on my legs. He pressed his thumbs into the crease by my groin. It wasn’t a lot of pressure, but it suggested something he wouldn’t vocalize.

I hummed and rocked my hips, seeking friction against his body. Our position wasn’t great, so I didn’t get what I wanted.

Lifting my head, I met Diem’s gaze. A war played out behind his storm-filled eyes.

To participate or pull away. It took effort for him to fight the ingrained urges to run from intimacy, but he won the battle more often than not these days.

He remained in my arms, heaving me an inch closer so I could get the friction I was seeking.

Pleasure rippled through me as I rocked against him, not frantically, not with any destination in mind, but with a slow sway, enough to eliminate the chill left behind by the stupid snake.

Joining in, Diem applied faint pressure with his thumbs, massaging my inner thighs and brushing the base of my cock. The action sent a jolt through my veins.

Initiating contact was a big step for Diem. He no longer needed as much direction, and maybe, one of these days, he wouldn’t have to think so hard about it first. He would simply act.

I played with the thick hair at his nape, scratching my nails at the base of his skull, moving languidly against him, and bringing my cock to half-mast.

A distinct rumble grew in his chest. Silence prevailed as we stared at one another. His gaze moved to my mouth. He licked his lips. Indecision returned as Diem’s cogs spun. It was one of those moments when he was working up the courage to advance. I loathed stopping him.

“Don’t get any ideas, mister. Not that I wouldn’t love a good ravaging right here on the counter, but the threat is real, and I will never get off if there is a snake loose in the apartment.”

A flicker of humor chased the clouds away. “You’re saying no to sex after rubbing yourself hard on my abdomen?”

“It pains me both physically and mentally, but I will not expose the goods when a fanged beast is waiting to make me her next meal. What if she bit me?”

“I thought you and Baby had a truce.”

“We do, but the terms of our agreement are only effective when she’s locked in her enclosure. I can’t trust her otherwise. Especially when I’m naked.”

“Perhaps you should negotiate new terms that include cleaning days.” Again, he applied slight pressure near my groin, the tips of his thumbs nudging my interested cock. I wanted to squirm at the pulse of delight. I wanted him to inch his thumb over a fraction and stroke me properly.

I glanced beyond Diem’s shoulder once more, assessing the situation. “We’ll talk about it when she’s locked away again. Can you carry me to the bedroom where there’s a door and safety? And a bed.” I wickedly grinned, wiggling my brows.

The rumble in Diem’s chest sounded again. “I’m not done cleaning. Brave it out, and maybe I’ll reward you.” That time, he moved his hand over the swell in my underwear and squeezed. The pressure lit me on fire.

I whimper-groaned, which seemed to amuse him. “Can’t I have a reward without bravery? ”

“Courage is a requirement as a private investigator. You can’t run from danger. You have to face it fearlessly.”

“Yeah, see, the thing is. Every time I face danger, I break my glasses. It’s becoming a concern.”

Diem chuckled, and the wandering hand disappeared. “That… is oddly true. Maybe you aren’t cut out for dangerous work.”

“I am so. Please keep touching me.”

But the moment faded as Diem put another inch between us. “Prove yourself. Stay here and be a brave soldier.”

“Then you’ll reward me?”

He hummed and raked his gaze over my body, the interest in his eyes answering for him.

I checked Baby’s location for the hundredth time, considering Diem’s conditional offer. Be brave. Don’t run away.

“Echo’s not scared,” Diem added.

“Echo doesn’t know any better.”

Hearing her name, the canine lifted her head, ears perked.

“Ten minutes. I’ll get Baby back in her enclosure, feed her, and we can walk to that Chinese restaurant down the street and get takeout.”

“That wasn’t exactly the reward I was hoping for.”

“Echo could do with another walk.”

The intelligent pup chuffed as though agreeing and sprang from the couch, bounding to the door where she sat under the hook holding her leash.

Diem chuckled. “Not yet, girl. Ten minutes.”

“Tell her she isn’t safe there. Tell her to sit on the couch again.”

“She’s fine.” Diem pecked a kiss on my forehead and again got lost in my eyes. “After dinner… maybe we can…” Tentatively, he pressed a palm to my swollen cock, stroking once through my underwear, emphasizing his point .

“I’d like that.”

“Me too.” He wet his lips, blew out a breath, and moved away like he was close to losing control. “Ten minutes.”

I instantly missed the solid protection of his oversized frame. Instead of curling back into a ball, I remained on the counter, legs dangling bravely over the edge, as Diem finished.

He collected the cleaned items for Baby’s enclosure and set them up inside.

Her terrarium, which had been upgraded when we moved into our shared apartment, was six feet long and three feet high.

It spanned the length of one wall, elevated on a wooden stand with cupboard space underneath to store equipment and hide the electronic instruments that controlled her environment.

It was all techy nonsense I didn’t understand, but Diem had expressed pride in the setup.

In truth, my fear of the boa was far less than I pretended.

At this point, it was mostly an act. The high drama was expected and never failed to make Diem smile.

Since his smile was one of my favorite things in the world, I played a part—he knew it, too, but had the decency not to call me out.

If he thought I was truly terrified, I had no doubt he would be sure I was safely out of the room before he started cleaning.

I’d grown accustomed to living with a snake.

Diem had a soft spot for his pets. Baby and Echo brought out a side of him people rarely saw.

He loved them, and few people earned a spot in Diem’s heart.

His pets, his ninety-something-year-old nana who lived in a home and had lost her memory to dementia, and me. We were the only ones.

Once the terrarium was in order, Diem collected Baby and placed her gently inside, ensuring she was near her favorite rock under a warming light.

He spoke to her with a soothing tone, words I couldn’t decipher.

In the beginning, I thought his affection toward the snake was absurd.

Not anymore. Now, I saw it as endearing.

I recognized their bond and how Diem related to the boa on more levels than people realized.

After a minute, Diem glanced over his shoulder. “She’s hungry. Can you grab her dinner?”

Internally groaning, I eyed the dead rodent and wrinkled my nose.

The rat was a decent size. Supposedly, Baby used to eat mice, but they weren’t enough anymore, so rats it was.

Yuck. Diem always picked ones on the plumper side, too.

Although he argued they were the smaller variety, I begged to differ.

I hopped off the counter and made a show of grabbing the container, touching it as little as possible.

Like every time, Diem asked if I wanted to feed her, but I declined, letting him do the honors. He transferred Baby’s meal into the terrarium, leaving it where he always did before locking the three latches along the lid. I double-checked they were secure, or I wouldn’t sleep at night.

Before Baby decided it was dinner time and noticed her meal, I tugged Diem away from the tank. “I don’t need to watch the horror show, or I won’t eat, and I love Chinese food.”

Diem disposed of the container and washed his hands. Echo abandoned her spot by the door and deposited herself beside Diem’s feet, leaning against his leg. It was something she’d done since the day they met.

“Almost time, girl.” To me, he said, “Get dressed. I’ll call in an order, so it will be ready for pickup by the time we get there.”

“Extra chicken balls and sauce.”

He grunted, drying his hands on the already damp towel.

“And lots of egg rolls.”

“Get dressed, Tallus, or I’m taking you in your underwear.”

“And beef broccoli. ”

Diem glared, and I scampered to the bedroom, shouting, “Don’t get soup. Waste of stomach space. Oh, and those noodle things I love. Get lots of those.”