Tameka's Smile

Chapter Five

At her words, Tameka felt him tense against her back. The fingers toying with her nipple stilled.

“In a bit,” he finally replied, and went back to playing with her breast.

She raised her hand and covered his, holding it still. “No, now,” she quietly commanded, a hint of steel in her tone.

His chest vibrated and she could have sworn he growled.

She didn’t care if he was angry. It was imperative that she be alone at home where she could think. “You promised,” she reminded him in that same soft voice.

He hesitated, then sighed as he disentangled their bodies and rose from the floor. Tameka moaned as another after-shock rocked her body, then grimaced at the gush of fluid that coated her inner thighs as a result of his withdrawal. She needed to clean up before dressing.

She tried to rise and quickly muffled a whimper as her body refused to cooperate. Chad watched her struggle, probably waiting for her to give up and lay back down. Fat chance! She was getting out of here if she had to crawl.

“Stubborn woman,” he muttered under his breath as he reached down and lifted her to her feet. When she swayed, he held her steady until she was sure her legs would hold her.

“Would you hand me my clothes?” She didn’t trust herself to bend over. She avoided looking directly into his face as he reached down, collected her clothing and shoes, and dropped them into her outstretched hands. “Thank you.” She clutched them to her chest and went into the bathroom.

After washing their combined cum from between her legs, she dressed and braced herself to face Chad again. She knew he wasn’t happy about being forced to take her home. Well, tough.

She wasn’t exactly thrilled with him herself for using sex to try and manipulate her.

Tameka exited the bathroom, still moving slowly. With every fiber of her being she wanted to say yes to whatever Chad wanted, lie down across that big, comfortable-looking bed and sleep for hours, but she couldn’t, not yet and not here. She couldn’t afford to relax her guard, or she’d weaken and her body would make the choice for her. Relationship decisions based on physical lust were never sound. She had a long list of former clients who could attest to that fact.

Chad took her by the elbow and escorted her to the truck.

Once there, he lifted her into the cab and made sure she was settled before closing the door. She appreciated his assistance even as she resented the tingle of arousal his touch stirred to life.

Instead of walking around the truck as she expected, she watched in the side view mirror as he walked over to the cruiser and popped the trunk. What was he…? Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten about her tires. It felt like weeks ago instead of just this morning that he’d changed one tire and brought the other to town with him to be fixed.

He really is a good man and a great catch, if I do say so myself. You could do a lot worse, but I doubt you’ll find better.

Tameka shot straight up in her seat and looked around.

Great, now she was hearing voices, one that sounded suspiciously like Momma E. If things kept going the way they were, she’d be the one needing therapy.

The voice laughed. You’re not crazy, child, just mule-stubborn like your daddy.

“And you,” Tameka muttered, then slapped a hand over her mouth. I’m having hallucinations brought on by extreme tiredness and stress, she diagnosed. Obviously this thing with Chad had her more on edge than she’d previously believed.

You’re not hallucinating, Meka. I’m here.

Tameka closed her eyes and stated calmly and clearly,

“There are no such things as ghosts and werewolves. Once you die, that’s it. Werewolves and ghosts are simply stories created by imaginative people to entertain the masses. They are not real.” She nodded her head once emphatically to punctuate her words, then opened her eyes, having reaffirmed her beliefs.

The voice laughed heartily and the sounds of slapping could be heard, like the way Momma E used to smack her leg when she had a good chuckle. Oh my precious child, there are more things in heaven and earth than what can be explained by your five senses and intellect. Soon enough you’ll believe.

Chad opened the door and got in. Reaching for the ignition, he suddenly paused and sniffed the air, looking around.

“Everything alright?”

Tameka let his odd behavior pass. She just didn’t have the energy to deal with anything else. “Fine. I’m just tired.”

“We can stay here and rest,” he offered.

“No, thank you. I want to go home.” At the look on his face, she found herself rushing to explain. “I need space, time to think.

I can’t do that with you around.”

He seemed to consider her words. Finally, he nodded.

“You’re right. I’ve been pushing too hard these last few days. I got carried away and neglected to give you space. I’ll do better.” Tameka had no doubt that he would. He appeared to be making a mental checklist of the things she needed to make a relationship work. She was sure if she could see into his mind, under her name would be a bullet point that read: needs space.

He started the truck and left her to her thoughts as requested. She huddled in the corner and kept her eyes closed, mind racing while Chad stopped to get her a new tire before taking her home.

She’d always believed psychosis to be a gradual thing. Day by day, incident-by-incident, little warning signs that were missed until one day, sanity was but a fond memory. Who knew it could come in a flash? Maybe all the indications were there and like so many of her previous patients, she’d ignored them.

‘Cause really, what sane woman walks away from a lucrative practice to do hair? She’d rationalized by saying that she was simplifying her life, but what if—as her family supposed—it was more?

Hmmm, so this is what a mental breakdown feels like.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, she got out and headed for the house. Peace, quiet, and most of all sanity, were just a few steps away. She craved them so desperately she was on the verge of running.

“Meka.” Chad’s arm came around her waist, halting her as his body molded to hers from behind. He leaned down and murmured into her ear. “Please, don’t push me away. Give us a chance.” He licked one of the passion marks on her neck and her entire body trembled violently as desire fired to life. With a whimper, she collapsed against him.

Chad must have taken that as a sign of surrender. Who knows? Maybe it was. She didn’t complain when he swung her up into his arms, carried her into the house, and deposited her on her feet by the bed. He quickly divested them both of their clothing. Tameka stood as docile as an asylum patient on strong meds while he pulled back the covers.

When he finished, he scooped her up, laid her in the middle of the bed and climbed in beside her. He pulled her into his arms and arranged her body so that her head lay pillowed on his chest, tugging on her leg until it lay tangled with his own. “Sleep, baby.

Things will make more sense after you’ve rested.” He stroked her back in soothing motions.

She yawned—a big, jaw cracking one. Even wolf-man knows I’ve lost it. She closed her eyes and let Morpheus take her away.

When she woke later that night, Chad was gone. Tameka immediately missed him and wished he’d stayed, but she’d asked for space and he was giving it to her. She wouldn’t complain.

She

was grateful—darn

it!—that he

was being

so

accommodating. Really, she was.

Grumbling at her own lack of conviction, she showered, threw on a multi-colored caftan, and went to the kitchen for something to eat. She was craving red meat all of a sudden. Must be because she’d missed lunch.

She thawed two seven-ounce T-bones in the microwave, seasoned them, and stuck them under the broiler. While they were cooking, she searched the refrigerator for something to eat with them. Maybe a salad…

She cut up various vegetables into a bowl, paused to flip the meat over, and then wrapped the bowl in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. Once she smelled it cooking, she decided all she really wanted was meat. Too hungry to wait, she pulled the steaks from the oven much earlier than normal.

After forking them onto her waiting plate, she sat at the table with a tall glass of sweet tea and dug in. When she came up for air, all that remained were the bones sitting in a puddle of pink-tinged juice. Tameka rubbed her stomach contentedly. Why had she always insisted that her steaks be well done? Medium-rare was delicious.

She cleaned her mess and was debating on a movie to watch when she heard a car drive up in front of the house. Wonder who that is? Didn’t sound like Chad, and no one else came visiting.

Occasionally, people used her driveway to turn around, but this car was too close to the house, which sat a good ways back from the road.

She went to the kitchen window and peeked out. A woman living alone out in the boonies couldn’t be too careful, especially when the nearest neighbor was a quarter mile away. Tameka relaxed and went to the door when she saw Lulu’s familiar form exiting a light blue Lincoln Continental. When she opened the door, Lulu paused on the first step leading to the porch.

“Lulu,” she greeted cautiously.

“Well, at least you’re still speaking to me. After earlier, I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome,” Lulu told her with a smile.

Tameka pushed the door open wide in a silent invitation to enter. “You didn’t really do anything, other than lock me in the closet.” She was still confused about how Lulu managed it. The lock was on her side of the door. She didn’t remember seeing an additional one on the outside. She mentally shook her head. That was neither here nor there compared with everything else that happened today.

“Sorry about that. There wasn’t time to explain and your presence was only making matters worse.” Lulu stopped in the doorway. “I didn’t come to visit. Your grandmother gave me a letter to give to you, just in case. I promised her I’d pass it along.”

She held out a white, legal sized envelope with Momma E’s handwriting on it. Tameka took it before raising puzzled eyes to Lulu. “I don’t understand. Why did she leave this with you and not the lawyer, along with everything else?”

“Emma said you’d only need this if you moved here and became interested in one of the local men. Chad qualifies, so here I am.”

“But why…?”

“Read it, child,” Lulu interrupted. “Then ask your questions.

I’ll be more than happy to answer them—after. I have to go. See you at the shop tomorrow.” She turned and walked away, leaving Tameka pondering this strange turn of events.

She closed the door as Lulu drove off and went and sat on the couch, flipping the letter over and over in her hand. A letter from Momma E, reaching out to her from beyond the grave. She suppressed a shiver. Tameka stared at it, wondering what thoughts were going through her mind as she wrote it. Did Momma E. know these would be her final words to her beloved granddaughter?

Meka! For God’s sake, just read the letter. I declare!

Tameka jumped, then slid her thumbnail under the seal, opening the envelope. If reading this letter would get rid of the voice in her head, she’d do whatever it said. She determinedly ignored the soft chuckle she heard in response.

Tameka,

If you’re reading this, it means that you did what I’d hoped you’d do—moved to Refuge and met your mate.

As you probably guessed, I had more than one reason for wanting you to come here. I knew you’d love the scenery, the quiet, and the people. I was hoping that here you’d find a man to complete you. One who’d love you the way my Ned loved me.

The men in Refuge are different. They’re more, as I’m sure you’ve come to realize if you’re reading this. They’re shapeshifters. My Ned was one as well, something you never knew. He said the moment we met on the ship he knew I was the one—his One—his true mate.

The idea of love finding me again at my age should have been ridiculous. Your father certainly thought so, but I learned that you’re never too old to love. So there I was, at the ripe age of sixty-two, embarking on the hottest love affair of my entire life.

You probably think I’m crazy, think we’re all soft in the head, but the truth is shape-shifters do exist. They’re real, Meka.

I know with your logical, college-educated mind that it’s difficult for you to believe, but there’s an easy solution. Ask your man to shift for you, and when he does, accept. Don’t argue.

Don’t question. Just accept that God made all types of species—

of which humans are just one—and that this man was made for you.

Accept the gift of love that you’ve been given. You’ll never find another man who’ll love you like he can. He’ll be a good husband and father to your children, and he’ll always be faithful to you. It’s embedded in his DNA. God has allowed you to find your soul mate. Don’t blow it. This man might not be what you think you want, but he’s what God knows you need.

Love Always,

Momma E

Tameka read the entire letter three times. Shape-shifters, please. There must be something in the water here causing mass hallucinations. She made a mental note to buy bottled water on her next trip to the store. Didn’t matter how clean and fresh the water tasted, it must be tainted.

Meka, her name was sighed. Call him. Ask him to shift. Then you’ll believe.

“Call Chad. Ask him to come over and prove he’s a werewolf?”

Shape-shifter.

“Whatever. Have him come over and shift. He won’t be able to do it.” She knew he wouldn’t, and when he couldn’t, she’d have her proof that they were all delusional.

Or, he’ll shift and prove that we’re not.

Well, there was that, not that Tameka thought it would happen. She’d call, invite Chad over, and ask him to prove what he was. When he admitted that he couldn’t, she’d have her proof and the voice—she stubbornly refused to refer to it as Momma E—would have to shut up and leave her alone.

Tameka picked up the handset sitting on the table beside her. Her fingers shook a little as she dialed the number. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. He’s not a werewolf. He won’t be able to shift. Case closed. I’m right.”

“Meka, what’s wrong?” Chad answered.

She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “Can you come over, please? I’d like to ask you something.”

“You can’t ask me now?” He sounded puzzled.

She winced. “I’m sorry. You’re busy. This can wait.” God, how stupid could she be? The man did have a life. Who knew what she was interrupting?

“Tameka, I asked you to marry me, remember? That gives you certain rights. There’s nothing more important in my life than you. If you need me to come over, I’m on the way. See you in a few.” He disconnected the call.

She laid down the phone and put her face in her hands.

Chad always knew just what to say to turn her to mush. No man had ever said that she was so important to him that he was willing to drop whatever he was doing and come running, just

‘cause she’d called. Admittedly, beginning with her father, she’d seen the worst of men in their lives and relationships. As Momma E. was fond of saying, the only good thing her father ever did was produce Tameka. They say that females unconsciously attract men that are the same as their paternal parent. That must be true, because all of the men she’d met to date were ne’er-do-wells like dear old Dad.

Chad was different, but then he had his own issues. The man thought he was a werewolf, for crying out loud. She wasn’t sure how to handle it. She began to pace her living room, periodically rubbing moist palms on her caftan. Remembering that she was naked underneath, she headed for the bedroom to change, or at least add a bra and panties.

Too late. Chad’s truck pulled to a stop next to hers in the drive. He climbed out, looking yummy in a white t-shirt that molded his chest like every woman’s fantasy, and faded blue denim jeans that lovingly displayed every bulge, including the one between his legs. She snapped out of her stupor and raced to the door as he disappeared from view, opening it at the first knock.

“Hi,” she greeted him breathlessly, restraining the urge to throw herself into his arms.

Chad had no such hesitation. He snagged her by the nape and pulled her up to meet his descending mouth. As his kiss weakened her knees and flooded her womb with warmth, he kicked the door closed with his foot.

When they came up for air, her right leg was wrapped around his calf and his hands were cupping her hips, grinding her pelvis into his erection.

“Question,” he panted as she placed baby kisses all over his face and licked the strong column of his neck, enjoying its salty flavor.

“Hmmm?” She was more interested in getting him out of his clothes than conversing.

“Meka…” He groaned when she hit a particularly sensitive spot and his hips bucked against her. Drawing strength from somewhere—she didn’t know where—he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from him. “You had a question that was too important to ask over the phone,” he reminded huskily.

Tameka gazed back at him, dazed, her body in full control.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, she managed to pull her thoughts together long enough to remember why he was here.

“Oh, yeah.” She took a few steps away from him and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from reaching for him.

“I remember now.”

She sighed and paced before turning to face him again.

“Lulu dropped by earlier and handed me a letter Momma E

wrote, in the event that I moved to Refuge and met someone. In it, she suggested that I ask you to shift, to prove to me that you are what you say you are, since she knew I wouldn’t believe.

That’s why I called. I want you to do whatever it is you do. Shift for me. Please,” she added as an afterthought.

Chad hooked his thumbs into the front two loops of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. “Are you sure?” Tameka nibbled on a fingernail while she considered how to respond. Then she decided she might as well be straight with him. “To be honest, I really don’t think you can. I’m not sure if I want to be proven wrong, or right.” Either way, things between them would change after today. That, she discovered, was the source of her fear. Despite her protests to the contrary, she didn’t want to let Chad go and she just may have to if she discovered he was mentally unstable.

“If you’re certain this is what you want me to do.” The expression on his face said he was giving her one last chance to change her mind.

She seriously thought about just letting it go, but knew this had to be done. “I’m sure.” She went and sat on the couch, prepared to wait however long it took for him to admit the truth, that he wasn’t what he claimed to be.

Chad reached up and pulled off his t-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Not that she minded, but the sight of all that hard muscle was distracting, to say the least.

“Undressing so I can shift.” He toed off his shoes and stripped off his jeans. No briefs. Darn, she wished she’d known when she was rubbing up against him.

“You ready?”

“Sure.” She leaned back against the couch. Might as well get comfortable. This could take awhile.

He did something and his image seemed to shimmer.

Tameka sat forward. There was a popping sound, and then the biggest white wolf she’d ever seen in her life stood on the other side of her coffee table on all fours, staring at her with Chad’s eyes.

She was up and over the back of the couch before she even realized she was moving. The jarring thud when she landed on her head brought her back to her senses. It was only the grace of God that she hadn’t broken her neck when she landed. While she lay there dazed, rubbing the back of her head and doing an internal check to make sure she wasn’t hurt, the wolf—Chad—

stuck his muzzle over the couch, a concerned look in his eyes.

At the sight of him, she scrambled back on her elbows and heels until her head bumped up against the wall. “Di-did I ever me-mention this small problem I have with du-dogs? It’s nothing ma-major. I’m just deathly afraid of them,” she finished shakily.

The wolf tilted its head to the side, right before it disappeared from view. Her breath caught in her throat when he came walking around the side of the couch, heading straight for her. Dear God, she’d always told her patients that it’s best to face your fears head on, but all she wanted to do was get up and run. It took everything she had within her to sit there and let him approach.

This, unbelievable as it may seem, was Chad. He’d never hurt her. Why she was so certain of that, she didn’t stop to question. Nor did it stop her from shaking with fear.

He crouched down onto his belly and approached her slowly, not stopping until he was close enough to nudge her leg with his nose. With a mind of their own, her legs drew up tight against her chest and she closed her eyes. When nothing happened, she peeked out.

He must have been waiting, for he immediately scooted forward and touched his nose to her thigh again. Tameka took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She could do this. Hesitantly, she reached out and lightly patted his head, ready to draw back in an instant. When she stopped, he gently bumped her hand with his muzzle, twice.

“You like that, huh?” Taking the hint, she rubbed him again until her fear disappeared. “Your fur is so soft.” Tameka stretched her legs out into a more comfortable position and Chad immediately laid his head in her lap. “Don’t slob on me.”

He gave her a big lupine grin, displaying rows of sharp fangs. She stared at them for a moment, then muttered, “If you did that to scare me, too late. I already know you won’t hurt me.” He made some sort of snuffling sound that she supposed was laughter. In his eyes, she could see humor and approval. He was pleased that she’d conquered her fear. Chad rose to his feet and walked forward until he was straddling her body.

Tameka was forced back onto her elbows by his sheer size and proximity. As she leaned back, Chad followed her down, shifting as he did until she was covered by a huge, naked, and aroused male.

He pinned her with a hungry stare and licked his lips, reminding her of the wolf he’d just changed from. “Anything else you’d like me to do?”

The wet tip of his arousal brushed against her inner thigh.

“Uh…”

“Because I really…really… really want to do something for you.” He lowered his face until he was only a breath away.

“I…uh…” She couldn’t think with him so close. He was short-circuiting her brain synapses. She moved restlessly beneath him, arching and rotating her hips, squirming lower to get his hardness right where she needed it most.

“Yes?” He moved so that he lay between her legs with the satiny, rounded knob of his erection prodding her entrance, and leaned forward to nibble on her bottom lip.

Tameka moaned and lifted her legs to curl around his waist, opening herself for penetration. “Fill me.”

“Like this?” He eased the tip of his cock inside and stopped.

“Chad,” she whined. His weight had her pinned, preventing her from arching to take him deeper.

“More?” He arched an eyebrow.

Eyeball to eyeball as they were, Tameka was sure he could see the fire shooting out of her eyes as she narrowed them, conveying the frustration she was feeling. She loosened her legs from his waist and planted her feet, flat on the floor. Then she reached down and dug her nails into his butt. “Quit playing with me,” she growled.

Chad nipped her lower lip, and then pulled it into his mouth, soothing it. “You’ll have to do better than that, baby. We shifters like a little pain with our pleasure.” He raised his head and grinned at her.

“You like pain, hmmm?” With no warning whatsoever, she dragged her blunt nails straight up his back, hopefully taking off a thin layer of skin.

Chad flinched and a growl rumbled up from deep within his chest. He grabbed her hands and slammed them down above her head, holding her in position with one large hand capturing both wrists. His eyes began to glow. “My baby wants to play?” Tameka wasn’t sure what got into her, but the glowing of his eyes signaled his imminent loss of control and knowing she was the cause of it turned her on like nothing else. She struggled against him, not to get away but to see what he’d do.

“Maybe,” she finally responded, panting with her efforts.

“Think the big, bad wolf can handle me?”

There was a tiny voice in her head screaming, What the hell are you doing? It was the same voice of caution that had resulted in her playing it safe all of her life, until she walked away from her job and everything it represented that she’d come to hate.

Now she was here in Refuge having conversations with her dead grandmother and taunting her naked, werewolf lover into doing his worst. Yep, sanity had definitely left the building.

Chad tightened his grip and pressed more of his weight down on her. “You know what happened to Little Red, don’t you, when she tried to take on the wolf?”

“She kicked wolf butt?” Tameka asked with another useless jerk of her body.

He licked the side of her neck all the way to the underside of her earlobe in one long swipe, then murmured in her ear. “No, he devoured her.”

With those words, he gave her a pretty compelling demonstration of what old Red must have enjoyed with her wolf.

Tameka gave as good as she got, even as in a small corner of her mind she marveled at how aggressive she was being. This wasn’t like her at all.

Later, after they’d finished rolling around on the floor and showered, Chad sat on side of the bed with Tameka kneeling behind him, examining the wound on his shoulder. “I still can’t believe I did that. I’m so sorry. Does it hurt?” Chad couldn’t hold in the grin, but he was careful not to let her see it. “Meka, I’m fine. It’s just a little bite.”

“Little! Chad, I drew blood. Look at it. Well, you can’t but I can see each tooth mark. I’m putting antibiotic ointment on it. I don’t care what you say. I don’t want it to get infected.” She moved to get off of the bed.

He caught her by the waist and tumbled her onto his lap.

“Leave it. I told you it wouldn’t. I heal really fast. Always have, so stop worrying. I like it. Feel free to do it again, anytime.” She shook her head. “You may not have lied about being a werewolf, but you’re still insane.”

He laughed, but suddenly grew serious. “Are you okay with what I am?” It was his biggest fear, that she wouldn’t be able to accept all of him.

She laid her head on his shoulder. He could almost hear her thinking. Finally, she answered. “In a way, yeah, I think I am.

It’s almost a relief. It means rethinking everything I’ve been taught to believe. That part sucks, but the rest just might be doable. I can honestly say I’m glad you’re not a man.” He stiffened in shock, pushed her off of his lap and onto the bed before standing. “I’m not an animal.” Anger filled him as the memory of the one woman he’d dared to reveal himself to calling him a savage beast.

Tameka braced herself with her hands to keep from tumbling off the bed and looked at him with unfeigned dismay.

“No! I would never call you an animal. Why would you think…oh. No, Chad. That’s not what I meant.

“Right.” He looked around on the floor for his clothes before remembering he’d left them in the living room. He turned and headed for the door.

“Chad, wait! Let me explain.” She ran around him and leaned her back against the door, blocking the exit.

He gave her his coldest stare, knowing it would terrify her but at that moment, not caring.

Tameka placed her hands on her hips and got right up in his face. “Don’t you look at me like that,” she snapped. “Damn it, Chad. Sit your ass on that bed and listen to me!” She actually stomped her foot at him.

He felt his eyebrows shoot to his hairline. Even his wolf stuck its ears up, interest piqued. He walked slowly to the bed and sat down as instructed, his face impassive, but inwardly he was stunned. No one ever spoke to him like that. No one.

Tameka paced before him covered only by a purple towel wrapped around her body. Her agitation reached him through their bond, powering through his hurt and anger, demolishing it.

“I told you I used to be a psychologist. My specialty was marriage and family. The courts referred most of my clients to me. Where I lived, anyone seeking divorce—especially if there were children involved—had to go to mediation first, to see if divorce was really necessary. I also had a lot of clients referred to me by the State, counseling parents whose children had been removed from their homes because of abuse.” She turned eyes so full of pain and despair toward him that his wolf howled inside. “The things I saw people—men—do to each other in the name of love…” She visibly shuddered and hugged herself. “If that’s love, I don’t ever want to be loved,” she finished softly.

Just when he was ready to go to her, she seemed to pull herself together. She sent him a small smile tinged with sadness.

“When I say you’re not a man, I’m giving you a compliment.

I’ve seen what we humans are capable of. We’re the animals, not you.”

He did go to her then and wrap his arms around her, hugging her close.

She relaxed against him with a sigh. “The irony is you looking to me to know how a family should operate.” She laughed, but didn’t sound amused. “I can tell you what not to do, but that’s about it,” she finished grimly.

He leaned back and gazed down at her, puzzled. “I thought you grew up in a two-parent home.”

She laughed again, this time with humor. “My parents are a joke. The only good thing about my family was Momma E.

That’s why I went into family practice. I knew there had to be a something better than the way I was raised.” And instead she encountered worse. As a cop, first in the military and now as a civilian, Chad had seen enough domestic violence and just plain cruelty to have a very good idea of what his mate had spent years dealing with. He pulled her back to him and rested his chin upon her head. “Maybe between the two of us, we can figure this family thing out—together.” He held his breath, waiting for her to contradict him, and/or express some form of denial. When she just snuggled into him and yawned, he let out the breath he was holding and relaxed.

“Go to bed. I’ll lock up the house.” He turned her toward the bed and gave her a light slap on her bottom.

“You’re staying, right?” She grabbed him by the forearm before he could walk off.

“Yes, I am.”

“Good.” She dropped her towel and climbed into bed.

Chad quickly locked up and joined her. As he pulled her into his arms, she spoke, her voice little more than a murmur.

“Maybe you need to leave some stuff over here. You know, so you don’t have to rush off to change every time you stay over.” He smiled in the dark, recognizing the invitation for what it was. “I’ll do that.”