“Not much of a swimmer. I’ve been parachuting, which was fun, but bungee jumping is more of a thrill.”

“Sign me up for swimming with the sharks. Those beasts are just some toothy assholes who act like they own the water. I would show them a thing or two.”

I believed her. “You’ve heard of shark attacks, right?”

“Eh, not scared. A little punch to the schnoz, and those fuckers would be gone in two seconds.”

“Where the hell are you getting your information?” I asked. “You know you have to avoid their mouths to get to their nose.”

“You would be surprised by my accuracy,” she responded nonchalantly. “Sweet tooth or savory?”

“Do vegetables count?” I asked.

“Oh Christ, don’t tell me you’re one of those neurotic eaters. Is that why you’re nursing that sandwich? Just eat it. Your figure will be fine.”

“I’m fucking with you,” I laughed. “What do you think I am, sweet or savory?”

Lyla studied me for a second before answering. “I would say savory. You look like a hard liquor kind of guy who enjoys a beer every once in a while, but I think you would grab a chip before a cookie. Although, I would have really hoped for you to be a sweet person.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because I have a sweet pussy.”

I shook my head at her. “How would you know?”

“I’ve been told. Plus, I’ve heard that whatever you crave is the opposite of what you are. So, I wish you liked sweet because I like salty.” She winked at me, and I about sprung out of my fucking jeans.

Clearing my throat, I played with my water glass while looking at her from under my lashes. “I think your theory might be wrong.”

“Only one way to find out,” she said while licking her lips. “But we have time to do that. I want to know, what is your favorite Disney movie?”

The fact that she was able to change the subject so quickly from sex to Disney was slightly disturbing, but I went with it. “Beauty and the Beast,” I said, not skipping a beat.

Lyla genuinely looked shocked. “Seriously? Wow, I never would have guessed that.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Well, I would have expected a burly man like you to have picked something like The Lion King or Aladdin, but Beauty and the Beast really surprises me.”

“It’s a classic love story of looking past the outer beauty and into the person’s soul.”

She sat there silent for a second and then crossed her legs, a position I would never dare attempt.

She tilted her head to the side. “Well, fuck, I’m crushing pretty hard on you right now, Kace.”

The feeling was fucking mutual. Ignoring her confession, I asked, “What’s your favorite Disney movie?”

“The Emperor’s New Groove,” she answered without skipping a beat.

“What’s that?” I asked, not familiar with the movie.

“Are you kidding me?” she shouted while placing her hands on the table. “You can’t be serious.”

“Never heard of it.”

Lyla shook her head at me in disappointment and raised her hand. “Check please!” She stood up, grabbed me, and said, “We’re going to remedy that.”

The waitress brought us our check. I laid some cash on the table and allowed Lyla to pull me to my feet. She escorted me out of the café toward Bourbon Street.

“Where are we going?” I asked, letting this feisty woman drag me around.

“My place. You have a movie to watch.”

She linked her arm through mine and leaned into me as we walked to her apartment. Her hair swayed with her steps, brushing against me, sending the subtle scent of vanilla my way. I was starting to become addicted to everything about this woman, from her brash attitude, to her exquisite body, to her sweetness. It scared the fuck out of me.

***

“You are such a Kronk!” Lyla protested, referring to the dumb but muscular character in The Emperor’s New Groove. The movie credits were scrolling across the screen as we sat on Lyla’s couch, talking about the movie. It had been funny.

“I am not Kronk,” I countered.

“You’re so Kronk. How can you deny that?”

“If I’m Kronk, then you’re Yzma,” I replied, referring to the villain in the movie who was a crotchety old hag looking to take over the empire. I had to admit she’d been the most entertaining villain I’d ever watched.

“Oh, fuck you.” Lyla laughed, throwing her head back. “I am not Yzma.”

“If I’m Kronk, then you’re most definitely Yzma.”

“Fine, you can be the quiet hero, Pacho.”

A quiet hero was most definitely not me. Maybe I was actually the male version of Yzma, with evil running through my blood.

“Hey,” Lyla said. “Where did you go?”

“Nowhere,” I lied.

Lyla eyed me suspiciously. “So, be honest. What did you think?”

“Beauty and the Beast is better.” I smiled.

“Horse shit!” Lyla said while slapping the couch. “That is complete horseshit. The Emperor’s New Groove is by far superior.”

“Clearly you lack good taste in movies,” I joked.

“Wow, way to nail a girl where it hurts,” she teased.

“Believe me, you would know if I nailed you.”

Lyla put her arm across the back of the couch, scooting even closer to me. “Is that right?”

Her voice was seductive, practically whispering in my ear, enticing me to lean in to her.

“It is,” I responded, not really sure why I wasn’t pulling away.

She stroked my forearm. I looked down at her fingers running across my tan arms, wondering where she planned on taking it, praying she would move her fingers across my entire body.

“There is something about you, Kace, something different, something dark that kind of scares me but also intrigues me. You’re not like any other man I’ve come across.”

“That’s because most of the men you come across are foaming at the mouth, just waiting for you to strip naked,” I replied, referring to her job at Kitten’s Castle, Goldie’s old workplace.

“That’s not it. You’re honest, you speak your mind, and you know how far you can go, how far you want to go.”

“You act like you know me,” I stated, needing to feed off her energy.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “But I want to get to know you. You fascinate me.”

The comfort she was giving me was overwhelming. I wanted to confide in her. I wanted to fucking rip my heart out, lay it on a platter, and let her watch it bleed. I wanted her to know all my sins, but the thought of her not understanding me, not getting my situation, was too overpowering. This afternoon had been one of the best I’d had in a really long time, and if I ever let her in, if I ever let her see my bleeding heart and she didn’t accept me, she would wreck me. There would be no recovering from that.

So instead of sticking around, I said, “I should probably get going.”

The hurt look on her face let me know I’d insulted her after her confession. Guilt washed through me but it was better this way, better to cut her loose before anything serious happened between us, before she could reject me.

“Thanks for the movie,” I said awkwardly as I got up.

As I moved toward the door, I heard Lyla’s feet pad across the uneven hardwood floors. Her heat pulled at me, practically tore me in the other direction, but I denied myself the pleasure of turning around. I couldn’t. I couldn’t see her hurt eyes again.

“Wait,” Lyla said, grabbing my hand. She pulled me around and shoved me up against the door. She stood on her toes and leaned into me, still holding my hand around her hips. “I don’t get you, Kace. I don’t understand what has happened to you in the past that has made you so quiet, so reserved, but I like you. I want to see where this goes, and I know you feel the same way. I can see it in your eyes.”

Closing my eyes tightly, I placed my head against the door and tried to gain the courage to say goodbye, to put distance between us, but I found nothing. I was gutless.