“Why?” He suppressed his laughter. “You have clothes for the occasion, and I do too.”
“So you’re going to walk up in there with a speedo on?”
“I should fit right in with the male strippers, right?” He wiggled his brows, and Corinne howled.
“I cannot take you seriously. Absolutely not!”
They laughed heartily, and tears sprang from Corinne’s eyes. “I’m trying to picture you in a speedo. All this chocolate skin oozing out of that thong, and your dick would look like a fist bursting through the fabric.” She howled, unable to control herself. “Oh, my Goooood, that has to be the craziest look in the world.”
Xavier pinched her neck, then cheek. “I can fit a speedo.”
“No, you cannot!”
“I can!”
“Prove it.”
“I can’t.”
Laughter speared into the air, and Corinne was so weak she almost fell off his lap laughing, but Xavier held on to her.
“You find that immeasurably funny.”
“I… I!” Corinne let her laughter take over, getting it off her chest until she could get herself together long enough to respond coherently.
“Are you done?”
Her face was bright, cheekbones lifted with tears on the rim of her lids. “If you start again, I might laugh more. It was hilarious, yes.”
“Just for that, I’ll have to put on a speedo for real.”
Corinne’s forehead fell into his. “Please, let that be some time, and I mean anytime soon. I need to be around when that happens.”
“You’ll be the only one seeing something like that. I have no use for it otherwise, Bella Amina.”
“I love you.” She slipped her hands up his solid jaw, framing the sides of his face.
“I love you too, and it was a pleasure watching you laugh like that. These little things don’t go unnoticed but only make me realize how much your absence makes me ache for you.”
“Oh… baby.” She kissed his lips. “I can say the same for you. I haven’t laughed that hard since our last time together.”
“Don’t ever leave me for that long a period again, woman.”
Corinne chuckled. “I won’t—if you insist.”
“I do insist.”
“Well, then you’ll be happy to know I put in for two weeks’ vacation.”
Xavier’s eyes rose. “Two weeks?”
Corinne nodded. “Of me loving you, being home when you get home, having some dinners ready, maybe walking around in my bare necessities, I don’t know.”
A growl trekked from Xavier. “I love the sound of all that, and now I’ll have to hold you to it.”
Her lips spread into a smile so tempting that Xavier leaned forward and sucked in her bottom lip, then the top.
“You make me want to strip down to my bare necessities now, woman.”