Page 182 of Duty and Desire

“I went to the store yesterday. Does this mean, while you’re waiting, you’re gonna adjust all the smartwater and Nakeds in the fridge so they’re facing forward like you did on Tuesday?” Mag inquired.

“Of course,” I answered.

“Can I clone you?” Mag asked.

“No,” I answered through a smile.

“Bummer,” he muttered through his own smile.

I headed to the stove to grab the greasy skillet, ordering, “Eat. Go take on the mountain. But leave some of it for other nature lovers.”

They did the first part.

But before they took off to do the last, I got warm hugs and a few kisses on the top of my head (this relaying precisely how much it meant to them I gave a shit about Mo, which in turn relayed to me precisely how much they loved Mo), and Auggie, the last one out the door, called to me, “Everything’s gonna go good tonight, Lots. But we’ll see you later for the pep talk.”

Later for the pep talk?

“Be cool,” he bid and then the door closed on him.

Again,pep talk?

They were gone, so I couldn’t ask, and they thought I was awesome, and they might not think that if I ran to the door, opened it and shrieked, “What do you mean, pep talk? Do I need a pep talk?”

So I didn’t do that.

I cleaned the kitchen.

And I tidied the fridge.

All while I waited for Mo.

“Be betterif you were in here with me,” Mo groused.

He might be right.

But from where I was sitting on the bathroom counter watching him in the shower, he wasso very wrong.

“I already took a shower,” I reminded him.

“Another reason we’re gonna have words,” he muttered irritably.

“Dude, you totally cheated me by falling for me and then catching the bad guy before I had the chance to sit in the bathroom while you showered. Throw a girl a bone,” I replied.

His silver eyes turned to me while water sluiced his big body, making it all wet and slippery.

“I would, if you got your ass in the fuckin’ shower with me.”

I grinned at him.

He scowled at me and turned back to face the water.

I settled in to enjoy the show.

He’d squirted bodywash in his hands and was rubbing it on himself when I said, “You know, I have no clue if I would have fallen for you before you went into the Army.”

Slowly, his arms crossed on his wide chest, his hands soaping his pits, he stopped moving except he turned his head to look at me.

I kept talking.