Black Diaries

77. Reunion

Rrrring... Rrring...

"Come on, damn you!"

Rrrring... Rrring... Rrring...

"Open that door!"

Rrring... Thud! Thud! Rrrrring... Thud!

"Open up, already! I'm freezing my butt off out here!"

The door finally swung open, revealing a tousled Dr. Roy Stein in a white shirt and slept-in jeans, looking equal parts sleepy, exhausted and startled.

Oh, and hot of course. Mind-bogglingly hot.

"Cassy!" he rasped, his voice as rough as sandpaper. "Cassy, what are you—"

I hurled myself at him. Even in his current state, he reacted fast. Strong arms came up around me, catching me, pressing me to his chiseled chest. Tightening his grip, he lifted me, until our faces were on one level, black eyes staring into dark chocolate brown.

"Can you ever forgive me, Cassy? What I did last night—"

He was talking too much. Much too much.

I simply grabbed him by the back of the head and kissed him. That shut him up. With a raw, masculine growl, he hauled me into the house, kicking the door shut behind us. Snow covering my thick coat and woolen cap sprayed right and left, but he didn't care. In fact, to judge by the way his hands were getting busy pulling off my coat and fisting in my hair, he positively liked it.

And me, too.

His kiss was searing. His lips held mine with a force that should have been painful, but wasn't. It was like a rush. A ride on a wild horse that you know might get you killed, but you revel in anyway. A drug that was so good you would never even think of giving it up, only getting more.

It was truly happening. Dr. Roy Stein was kissing me.

Well, all right, maybe I had kissed him. But it wasn't as if he didn't kiss me back. Quite the contrary, in fact. He was devouring my mouth with his, exploring every last nook and cranny, dancing a tango with my tongue that made me go limp in his arms and cling to him like a damsel in distress super-glued to her knight in shining armor.

For a while, I just reveled in the fact of being in his arms. For a while, I just swam in bliss. But he had asked me a question. I had to answer.

With a gargantuan effort, I pulled my lips away from his, panting. "What do you think? Does that feel like me forgiving you?"

His dark laugh shook my whole body in delicious ways. "Definitely! What I don't understand is how! After how I treated you last night—"

"I saw the morning paper," I interrupted him.

His eyes met mine, and understanding flashed in them.

"I'm sorry Cassy. I had to go. If there had been any other way..."

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me!"

"Not before I've made you understand how sorry Immmph—"

My kiss cut him off mid-sentence. Kisses were really good for doing that. And he seemed to appreciate it. Another growl rumbled in his chest and he whipped me around, spraying snow everywhere. Lifting me off the floor he surged down the hallway. I caught a brief glimpse of dark wood paneling and a coat stand before we were through a door and in a room of some sort. I barely had time enough to register it had four walls, one floor and one ceiling before he slammed me up against one of the walls and started kissing me in earnest.

Let me tell you, Oscar Wilde knew what he was talking about when he wrote The Importance of Being Earnest. It's important. Really, really important. And it feels just so... oh... aah...