Chapter 97

Promptly at seven there was a knock on my door. Right on time. Monroe's punctuality never faltered. As I opened the door, Monroe pulled me in close, kissing me deeply. I melted into his arms as we hovered in the hallway. For now, Dr. Jekyll was back and I was more than glad.

"Now that's how you say hello," I breathed out once he let go.

"How was your day?" he asked as we headed into the living room.

"It was just a typical day at the office." I shrugged. "Yours?"

"I got a few repairs in…" He looked me over. "But back to your day. So you wanna tell me anything?" He gave me an accusing glare.

"Tell you," I gulped, "anything?"

"Why are you hiding it?" he asked while shaking his head. "You knew I'd find out eventually."

Oh, God.

"Uh, well…" My heart pounded thunderously. He was awfully calm, which had me even more nervous. "I'm really sorry, Monroe."

"Man, what really happened?" he asked as he sat down on the couch, swinging his leg over his other one. "Rosalee said she didn't know the details, but she was shook up about it."

"Rosalee?" Rosalee knew about Nick? What? My brain blurred. I sat down beside Monroe, holding my head as I plopped down. "Rosalee knows?"

"Well, yeah." He gave me an odd look. "I talked to her while I was picking up some peppermint tea. She said the Reinigen lady is doing all right, you know, considering, but she didn't know how you came across this kid of hers."

My breath let out as I jerked my head up. The Reinigen. Of course! Oh, God. It had nothing to do with Nick.

"It was just a weird lunch," I replied as I cleared my throat.

"Well, I'm listening, man. Tell me all the weirdness."

I managed to augment my story to reflect a lunch for one instead of a lunch for two.

"You clotheslined the dude?" Monroe asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I rubbed my arm reflexively. "I probably won't be trying it again anytime soon, though."

Monroe reached for my arm, sliding up my sleeve to reveal my now much larger and more hideous bruise. "Man, you're not fine at all." He let out a hard breath as he looked up. "Why do you tell me you're fine when you aren't, obviously?" He gestured toward my arm.

"Because it's just a little bruise," I said. "That's my definition of fine." He touched the purple flesh and I winced. "Hey, oww!" I withdrew my arm quickly.

"Yeah, you're just fine, all right," he replied condescendingly. "Let me get you some ice to put on that or something."

"No. Don't worry about it." I tugged my sleeve down and caught his arm before he could get up. "It'll be gone by tomorrow." I leaned forward to kiss him, but he held my shoulders before I could get that far.

"You've got to start trusting me, like, with stuff like this, for example."

"It's not that I don't trust you." I shook my head, trying to forget last night. "I just don't want to worry you." And I definitely didn't need him to know Nick was with me. Thank goodness Benny the Reinigen hadn't said anything, and Rosalee didn't know the details.

Monroe took my hand in his and kissed across my knuckles. "It worries me that you're out there revealing yourself again, and it worries me that, you know, that I have to, like, outright confront you on something for you to talk to me." He dropped my hand as he sighed.

"Monroe, I'm really sorry. It was a strange, crazy, stressful day. Between back to back trainings, then almost being late to my last one due to the lunch thing, I don't have both oars in my mental waters right now." I leaned against him. "But I got everything we need at the grocery, even the marjoram." I tilted my head back to look at him. "What do you use marjoram for, anyway?"

"It's for the sweet potatoes. It gives it this really nice citrus undertone that, in my opinion, balances well with the garlic."

"Sweet potatoes with garlic?" I cast him a curious stare.

"Yeah, man. It's delicious."

"See, that only proves I trust you, because there's no way I'd willingly try a combination like that for anyone else."

"Your taste buds are gonna thank you later, I promise," he grinned down at me.

For the next hour we minced, grated, chopped, simmered and baked in my kitchen until the whole house was infused with the warm, spicy scents of dinner. We sat across from one another once we laid everything out on the dining room table.

"Okay, so what's the verdict on the sweet potatoes?" Monroe asked after I'd taken a large bite.

I swallowed and then smiled. "The taste buds are pleased."

He gestured his fork my way. "See, I told ya, man. Don't ever question my judgment when it comes to palate synthesis." He grinned smugly. "I know what I'm doing."

"I bow down to your culinary genius, Chef Monroe." I dipped my head graciously.

"You don't have to bow, but perhaps we can find something for you to do later," he replied with a knowing look.

I glanced back up as the red in his eyes hit me. "Maybe we can take a rain check on that," I replied softly.

"Oh man…" Monroe set his fork down and shook his head. "Does this rain check have to do with last night?"

"Your genius goes beyond culinary," I replied with a sardonic chuckle.

"Okay, now last night was… We were both acting unlike our usual selves." He held his arms. "I still have the fingernail marks to prove it."

I leaned back in my chair. "I didn't mean to squeeze that hard."

He chuckled. "Really, it was fine. I assure you of that." He took a long swallow of wine, then asked, "So are we, uh, gonna talk about last night's musical compilation?"

I stared down at the blue and white design on my plate. "What about it?"

"Look at me a minute," he requested. Slowly, I leveled my eyes to his, still as red as before. "Don't give me that question for a question thing. Talk to me."

I took a deliberate sip of wine, stilling my thoughts. "Okay," I began as he continued to stare, waiting for me to go on. "Well, the songs were just my way of letting go of some inhibitions… just for the night," I added that last part quickly. This wasn't something I was planning on doing nightly or anything. Especially after all the things he'd said yesterday.

"That first song was… Man, Renée." He shook his head as a growl escaped him. "What were you trying to do to me?"

"I was trying…" I swallowed hard. "I wanted you last night. The real you."

"Well, you almost got that," he scoffed. "More than you know."

"I thought maybe a Blutbad singing something like that would be… encouraging."

"The dude singing was a Blutbad?" Monroe shook his head. "Well, that explains the words, all right. And the other songs?"

"They were just… Well, I've been feeling different lately." More understatements. I was feeling so many things.

"No kiddin'," he replied with a chuckle. "But did you still enjoy it?" he asked straightforwardly. "Without the woge, I mean?"

"Some parts, yes." And some parts fucking messed with my head. My cheeks were burning as I reached for my wine glass again, taking a longer drink as I hid behind the glass.

"Which parts?" he inquired while leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. His red eyes were searing into my brain, like he was trying to break inside.

I took another swig of wine to keep from latching on to my lip with my teeth. "Let's finish dinner first before we, umm, discuss the play by plays of last night, okay?"

"Sure, we can do that." He picked up his fork, grin permeating like the devil under his beard. "Too bad you want a rain check tonight."

I tilted my head. "Why?"

He took a bite of sweet potato. "Ask me what I was going to do."

I shook my head. "Don't, Monroe."

"Come on," he coaxed. "Just ask me."

"Gosh, this black bean and rice pilaf is delicious." I took a large forkful.

"What's wrong?" Monroe raised his eyebrows. "Afraid that if you know, then you'll change your mind?"

I took in a breath. "No."

"Well, then... Let me just go through the steps," he continued. "So, first? I was gonna slowly undress you. I may or may not have torn your panties off. Hadn't decided on that part." His gaze hungrily bore into me, like I was the main course instead of what was on his plate. "Secondly, I was gonna bathe that gorgeous body yours with my tongue, focusing on a few choice spots." He licked his lips with a flick of his tongue, like I needed to be reminded what it was capable of. "Thirdly, I was going to kiss your neck, and maybe add a nip here and there with my teeth. Maybe." He paused, taking a sip of wine.

I tried to breathe as I attempted another bite of dinner. My mind was jelly as Monroe continued to stare into me, literally right down to my core, which was heating up like a container of Jiffy Pop, just waiting to explode.

Monroe set his glass down. "Now where was I?" He held up four fingers and continued. "Fourth, I'd have slid my fingers in and out of you while my tongue teased your clit. Two fingers to be exact, then three, until you were begging me to slide in something much larger. And you would've begged, too." His eyes cast their hypnotic spell as I attempted to control my breathing, losing the battle. "After you'd begged, and I'd felt you'd really meant it, I'd have moved to the fifth step; replacing my fingers with my cock, and slowly…ever so slowly…"

I dropped my fork as it hit the dark maple wood floor with a clang. Holy crap.

Nick had me feeling things, but they were nothing like what the man sitting across from me could do from a few feet away. Monroe didn't have to even touch me, and I was a quivering pile of goo in my dining room chair. Hell, it was more than just his lecherous details, too. His voice combined with a look that spoke a thousand, tantalizing words, all reaching down below my waist, teasing me to the point of…

"Umm, hard to finish dinner without that." He pointed down with a smirk, jarring my thoughts. "Did you want me to continue, or should I go get you another fork?"

My eyes didn't move as I bit my bottom lip.

Monroe stood quickly as he walked toward me, taking my napkin from my lap and dropping it on my plate. "Dinner is so over."

A/N: Okay, how we doing? A little scare for Renée there for a moment. But we see the softer side of our loveable Monroe as he doesn't take Renée's "I'm fine" seriously like Nick seems to.

While search vegetarian dishes, (As I usually do for these scenes) I did find a sweet potato recipe with garlic and marjoram. Your author is not as trusting and will not be trying garlic and sweet potatoes anytime soon. LOL!

Maybe Renée has forgiven Monroe already, huh? Monroe is one sly wolf. (; He might not be completely out of the dog house just yet.

Using a little more colorful language here, since it's Monroe talking. He's a bit more open to words that your Author would rather be more vague about. Sometimes the characters just talk and I can't control them. Sorry.

Stopping here for tonight! Hope I'm not losing fans. Come on fans, trust me! (;

More chapters soon-ish. Comments, gripes, screaming, cursing, yelling all understood and appreciated. Let me know your thoughts. They oughta be interesting. (;

As always... STAY TUNED!