Page 67 of The Body in the Backyard

“At least they’re not having phone sex,” Nick said, leading the way to their room on the opposite side of the house.

“What a day,” Riley said as she opened the bedroom door. “From a dead body to attack chickens to mung bean stew.”

“To hot sex in the back seat of a car.” Nick closed the door behind him and leaned against it.

“It’s amazing how a couple of orgasms will put the rest of the day into perspective.”

“What do you say we keep the fun going?” he asked with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. “I dug up one of Brian’s old laptops. We could watch one of thoseThin Manmovies and eat nuggets in bed.”

“You get me. You really get me.”

18

7:50 a.m. Saturday, November 2

Nick woke up feeling amorous. Which is to say he woke up feeling like he normally did.

They’d stayed up late watchingThe Thin Manon an ancient laptop with a CD drive. Riley had been right, as usual. He’d loved the black-and-white private investigator with his fancy mustache and snarky banter with his wife. He definitely needed to grow a mustache. It was a sign from the universe.

Nick’s plan for the perfect day came together as Riley snuggled closer to him in her sleep. They would enjoy a little morning delight, fall back to sleep for another hour or so, then he’d collect their check from Griffin and go buy that new TV again so they could watch the next movie.

It would be the perfect day…as long as he didn’t think too hard about the fact that they shared a roof with several unhinged over-the-hill individuals who had trashed the house with an aggressive happy hour.

He was just putting step one of his plan into motion by waking Riley up with sexy neck nuzzles when the bedroom door flew open and bounced off the wall.

“What in the fucking fuck?” he demanded, yanking the covers over his naked lower half. No matter how many times he went to bed wearing shorts or underwear or pajamas, he always woke up naked. His sleep stripping had been a source of teasing in junior high during sleepovers, but as an adult, Nick found sleeping naked saved time.

Lily smiled serenely at them, a tray laden with breakfast foods clutched in her hands.

“Come back and murder us tomorrow,” Riley said sleepily.

Burt lifted his head with a grumbly yawn.

“I made you two breakfast in bed,” Lily said, tottering into the room and sloshing orange juice everywhere.

Nick face-planted on his pillow. “Riley, will you please explain to Lily that she can’t just barge into people’s bedrooms even if she does have food?”

“Lily, you can’t just barge—is that bacon?” Riley asked, sitting up.

“A moat. I should have dug a moat,” Nick complained, even though the bacondidsmell good.

Riley patted his sheet-covered ass. “What’s with the hotel-style service?” she asked Lily with a yawn.

“Oh, I’m the distraction while everyone else cleans up so you don’t realize what a mess we left after happy hour,” she explained.

“Too late. We already saw it. You’re all getting evicted,” Nick said.

“Is there anything more delectable than a grumpy, naked man in the morning?” Lily asked.

“I can think of several things. One of which I was about to do before you kicked our door in,” he complained.

“This bacon is good, Lily,” Riley said.

“I know! I nibbled on two slices on the way up. Scootch over,” their elderly room service attendant ordered.

Riley wriggled into the center of the bed, and Lily hopped in next to her, propping herself up on pillows. “Ahh. Isn’t this nice?”

The mattress dipped again as Burt belly-crawled onto the bed, wriggling his way toward the breakfast tray. The king-size bed was getting stupidly crowded.