Where was she?

Mommy? Daddy?

There was no response, just as there had been none all those years ago.

Mommy? Daddy?

No, she hadn’t called them that, it had been something else, foreign words on the tip of her tongue and a scent that smelled like home surrounding her . . .

She awoke fully and moved to get up, to escape the panic that a sudden scrap of memory had elicited, when the sound of squelching plastic alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t in her bed. That and the weight of a large, muscular man slumped against her.

Her dream faded away, details forgotten, as she realized she was still in Mrs. Garcia’s apartment. The room was lit by the muted flatscreen television, where a woman was excitedly chopping vegetables with some weird contraption that was available for three easy payments of nine ninety-nine. Ledi risked a glance to her left. The flickering blue light revealed Jamal to be fast asleep, his head resting on her shoulder.

He’s gorgeous.

His skin was smooth and unblemished, his brows thick and well-shaped, his lashes dark shadows jumping against his cheeks in the light from the TV. His beard was immaculate as always, despite the gooey grilled cheese he’d prepared for them, all on his own. The pride in his eyes when he’d presented the only slightly burned mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwiches had been cute, but it had nothing on sleeping Jamal.

She hadn’t ever been one for watching a man sleep. It was creepy, and sleep was a necessary function to ensure optimal bodily health, like using the bathroom. But looking down at him she had an inkling of why people deigned to share their bed with the same person night after night. It was nice—intimate. Ledi wasn’t sure she’d ever fallen asleep so easily next to a man, and it wasn’t just because she was tired.

Jesus Christ, you need to stop eavesdropping on Mrs. Garcia’s telenovelas.

Ledi moved to get up again; she was fairly certain staring creepily at your neighbor as he slept placed her squarely in the weirdo zone. Playtime was over. She had a lot to do the next day, and getting a few more hours of shut-eye wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen.

I can think of the best thing.

She was suddenly all too aware of the feel of Jamal’s arm resting against hers, of all the places where he pressed into her. She knew the weight of him now, could imagine how it would feel anchoring her into a mattress as he—

His arm went around her waist as his lashes fluttered, then his eyes opened. He just looked at her for a long moment, then a sleepy smile tugged at his full lips.

“It’s not often a man can say that reality is better than the dream he was having. And my dream was very good.”

His hold tightened and Ledi swallowed against the dryness in her throat and wished she had taken it easy with the garlic powder on her sandwich.

“Sorry I fell asleep,” she said. “You could have woken me up.”

“You needed rest,” he said. He sat up, but didn’t shift away from her. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I like having you here.”

He was looking down into her eyes, heat and intent in his gaze, and his body and its delicious weight were so, so close. If she swung her legs to the left she could easily slide into his lap. She could press her mouth to his and see if his lips were as soft as they looked, and if his kisses would live up to the way he was looking at her.

She could think of lots of things she might explore with Jamal, but she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to take that first step. She stared at him, hoping he would understand that though she didn’t move, she was trying her hand at unspoken delegation.

His hand slowly slid up her denim-clad shin, fingers curving down over her calf. When his palm reached her knees he tugged at first one and then the other, guiding her legs over his thighs. His other hand slid behind her back, cradling her. Maybe she was still dreaming. What the hell had been in that grilled cheese?

“I . . . I . . .” Ledi felt as if her entire body was under a magnifying glass in the midday sun. She was pretty damn sure that her clothes might turn to ashes and fall off at any moment, and from the way Jamal was looking at her, he wouldn’t be opposed to that.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he said. She could see the reflection of the television screen in his eyes as his mouth moved toward hers. LIMITED TIME OFFER was emblazoned there, in reverse, then AS SEEN ON TV, which made sense because no way was hooking up with sexy neighbors something that happened in Ledi’s world.

“Okay,” she whispered.

His lips pressed into hers, proving her theory that all it took was a millisecond for a world-changing discovery to take place. Hooking up with sexy neighbors was something that was possible on this plane of reality, and it was fantastic.

His lips were incredibly smooth and lush as they brushed over hers, just the lightest touches of skin against sensitive skin that shouldn’t have sent a rush of sensation through her body, but did. His beard was rough against the sensitive skin of her chin and cheeks, a counterpoint to his gentle kiss. Her mind blanked at the intense reaction to just that slight pressure, and then her reflexes kicked in, reminding her that being kissed was one thing and kissing another. She returned the pressure of his mouth, tongue darting out the slightest bit to allow herself just a taste of him. A taste was all she could afford with a man who affected her like this.

Fuck.

She pressed into him harder, trying to regulate the sensation, control it in some way, but his fingers stroked her back and she moaned, her self-control slipping away when he groaned and gripped her thigh more tightly.