Page 9 of The Heart of a Capricorn (BLP Signs of Love #19)

Lyric had fallen asleep after we had sex multiple times, but I couldn’t sleep. I lay there thinking about how I wanted more once we left Vegas.

She didn’t sleep long, so when she woke up, we replenished ourselves and got back in bed.

It was the middle of the night, but we were both awake.

Lyric rested her head on the pillow, facing me.

I had my head leaned against my arm, while my other hand was intertwined with Lyric’s.

She looked relaxed and well fucked. Her brown skin had small red blotches in certain areas where I sucked too hard.

Lyric’s body was soft and sweet, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

“Have you been enjoying your time in Vegas?” Lyric asked.

“I have. I didn’t expect to see you here, and actually get to spend time with you, but I have no complaints,” I admitted. “How about you?”

“Yes. I thought I would have been working around the clock, but I’m enjoying this little reprieve. The project is going well so far, so I’m good.”

She squealed when I let her hand go and pulled her on top of me. I wasn’t trying to have sex; I just wanted her as close as possible. I put my head in the crook of her neck and inhaled. She smelled like whatever bodywash she used in the shower.

“I don’t think I can take anymore,” she complained as she looked into my eyes.

I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you alone for a bit. I just wanted to hug you and shit.” I wrapped my arms around her body. She smiled and put her head on my chest.

“Okay. I don’t have a problem with that.”

My eyes closed as I rubbed circles on her bare back.

“How long have you been single?” I asked after a minute had passed.

“A couple of years. How about you?”

“Same. What happened with your last relationship?”

I felt her body stiffen when I asked the question. I stopped rubbing her back. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Her chest rose as she inhaled, then blew the breath out. Her warm breath tickled my chest. I squeezed her body to mine to give her the encouragement she needed to talk about it, if that was what she wanted to do.

I looked down at her, and she had her eyes closed, but I didn’t miss the tear that slipped out. I wiped it with my thumb and put my hand back on her back.

“He died. We weren’t together when it happened, but still. It was the worst day of my life when I got that call.”

Damn. I didn’t know what to say. We lay in silence for a minute. I had to process what she said and find a way to move past this subject.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I rubbed her back again.

I heard her sniffle, and felt the wetness on my chest, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it. It wasn’t a lot, but I knew she dropped a few tears. It was understandable, and it didn’t bother me that she cried over someone else.

She lifted her head and looked at me. I wiped her face with my hand and leaned forward to kiss her nose. “I’m sorry I brought that up.”

We were having a good time, and I hoped that I didn’t ruin it by asking that question.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Still. Do you have any plans to do anything while you are here?”

She put her head back down and sighed.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I told my team to have fun; meanwhile, I only planned to work the whole time. That’s usually what I did whenever we went out of town for projects, work, and more work. It was the same way at home too.”

I wasn’t surprised by her always working, especially after she shared what happened with her ex. I was sure she probably did it not to think about him as much. She was also like that in college. Lyric wouldn’t be at the parties that often, or for that long, because she was always working.

“I hope you find time to do something for Lyric. You deserve some time,” I encouraged.

“This is playtime enough for me,” she said as she traced her finger over my chest tattoo. She slid her finger under my dog tag and read it out loud. “Our faith can move mountains. What made you get that?”

The bible verse from Proverbs 31:28.

“I got that because it was one of the first bible verses I learned as a child. My grandmother was a firm believer in faith, and her faith was tested when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She would recite that verse every day, and it proved to be true. She went through chemo and went into remission. It has been three years since that diagnosis, and as of right now, she’s cancer-free.

I pray every day that it stays that way, and this verse reminds me of that time, and to always have faith. ”

“Wow, that’s sweet. I’m glad everything worked out for her.

I lost both of my grandmothers. One was almost a hundred years old, and the other was in her late eighties.

My grandma Laura passed down her love of crossword puzzles to me.

It’s something I do in my downtime. It helps quiet the thousands of thoughts in my head.

I always feel like I have to be doing something. ”

“I can only imagine. I remembered in college how you would talk about eight different things in a matter of twenty seconds, and it would make my head spin.” I laughed as she lifted her head and hit my chest.

“I’m not that bad.” She giggled.

I held my thumb and index fingers close together. “A little, but that’s what makes you the unique person you are.”

Lyric’s brain reminded me of multiple open tabs on a computer. I didn’t know how she functioned so effortlessly with all the things that ran through her mind at any given time. It had to be some type of gift to be able to do that.

Lyric squinted her eyes. “Is that your unique way of calling me crazy?”

“No.” I chuckled. “Not crazy at all, just different,” I teased.

Lyric sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Same thing.” She put her head down on my chest again and played with my dog tag. “Thank you for this. You’ve really giving me the chance to slow my thoughts down.”

I kissed her forehead. “I’m glad I could be of some service.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I would give her that chance whenever she needed it. I didn’t know how she would react, but I could blow my chance with her again.

“What if I told you I want to spend time with you outside of here? Like, once we get back to Spring Oaks.”

She stiffened again. I felt like I said something wrong, but I had to put that out there.

Lyric rolled over and got back on her side of the bed.

“What if we just enjoy the moment?”

Not going to lie; that shit hurt my feelings, but I played it cool.

“Cool.”

There was nothing else for me to say. I thought we were building our connection, and it was the start of something new, but Lyric had other plans. She just shitted on my feelings and didn’t seem to give a fuck about it. She turned her back, and seconds later, her light snores filled the room.

I couldn’t go to sleep, because my mind buzzed with not being able to pursue anything with her. I wasn’t trying to scare her off, but it seemed as though I did.

I didn’t fight for my last relationship, but shit would be different this time. My ex, Kelly, complained a lot about my schedule, and I didn’t do enough to assure her of her position in my life. I could have made better arrangements to spend time with her, even when I was working.

With Lyric, things would be different. I would fly her out with me, if I had to, in order for us to spend time together.

From what I knew about her job, she didn’t always have to be in the office.

As long as she had an internet connection, she could work from anywhere.

If I had to take fewer assignments to spend time with her, I would do that, too.

I was ready to settle down and start a family.

Lyric was the woman I saw having that future with, and I was determined to make it happen.