Page 33 of Take My Love

That’s unusually nice of her.

“I’ll probably head to bed at ten, so that should give you enough time to get your clothes out of the dryer before I need it.”

And there it is.

“Sounds good. I’ll do it as soon as I’m done eatin’.”

Posey takes her sandwich and soup to the small table in the kitchen. I join her, but we’re silent as we eat. As soon as she’s done, I take her dishes and rinse them in the sink. While I load them in the dishwasher, she gets the coffeemaker ready and scheduled for tomorrow morning.

“Look at us actin’ like an old married couple,” I tease.

“Sounds ‘bout right. No sex and sleepin’ in separate beds.”

I bark out a laugh. “Do you ever let your guard down, Posey? Or let yourself laugh and have fun?”

“Of course I do.” She wipes down the counter where she spilled a little of the water. “Just not usually ‘round men.”

I’m sure that was meant to be an insult but it makes me chuckle anyway.

Posey disappears for the next few hours to edit her videos while I do my laundry and organize my closet to fit my new clothes. Since there’s no TV in my bedroom, I sit in the living room and watch a rerun of an older show, hoping if Marjorie’s really here, she’ll approve and not mess with me.

At quarter to ten, Posey emerges with a white sheet mask on her face, her hair pulled back in some oversized headband, a pink plush robe that goes to her knees, andgoat stuffies on her feet. She walks toward the laundry room with her massive comforter in her arms.

“What’re those?” I pause the TV and grin when she walks through after putting her blanket in the dryer.

“Slippers. Christmas present from Bellamy. Aren’t they cute?” She taps them together.

“Adorable. I wonder if they have my size so we could be roomie twins.”

“Afraid they’re sold out. They were a seasonal one-time sale,” she states quickly without apology.

“Hmm.” The corner of my lip tilts up at how bad of a liar she is. “Too bad.”

“Yep. Thank you for dinner, by the way. I forgot to say that and didn’t want you to think I was ungrateful. It was good.”

“You’re welcome, but I’d never think that about you.”

“Okay…” She bites her lip. “Well, good night. As soon as the dryer’s done, I’m gonna go to sleep.”

“You look cute.” I wave my finger around my face to indicate hers. “You have an extra?”

“You wanna wear a face mask?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind sharin’ one with me. The dirt and dust from the barn can’t be good for my skin.” I rub over my jawline dramatically so she’ll take pity on me.

“Okay, hold on.”

She leaves and returns a minute later with a small package.

“Lean your head back on the couch and close your eyes,” she orders, and I happily oblige.

The cold wetness causes me to shiver as she smooths it across my forehead and cheeks. The pads of her fingers slideunder my chin, rubbing the serum into my facial hair and down my neck.

Even if she’s not meaning to, her soft touch drives me wild. It’s taking everything in me to breathe normally.

“How long do I gotta keep this on?” I mumble, barely able to open my mouth.

“Fifteen to twenty minutes.”