Page 121 of Nothing to Fear

“Socks on or off?” she asked, squeezing his ankles.

“Your call, Mistress.”

“If they stay on, you’ll only get so close to me.”

“Off it is,” he said, toeing off one then the other like a professional.

“Okay,” she said, finding her laugh. “Bet you’re happy your boys put that TV up for you now.” She nodded at the nightstand. “The remote’s on your side, pick whatever you want.”

“Where are you going?” He caught her hips before she could retreat. “What happened to ‘with you’?”

“I’m going to get my purse and something for us to drink.” And to lock the front door. “Are you hungry?”

“Haven’t had much time to go grocery shopping.”

“I have pasta, some sauce, or I can go out foraging?”

“Not out, stay in, we can order something. Are you in the mood for something specific?”

She screwed up her face. “I don’t want anything greasy.”

“Okay, pick, any restaurant in the city.”

Her fingers combed through his hair. Damn, he was like a work of art yet approachable; soft, with just the right amount of hard.

“That’s not the way restaurants work,” she said. “Typically people go to them.”

“Either we take the bed with us, or we make it worth their while.”

“Bribe them to deliver?”

“Whatever your heart desires, baby, I’ll have it brought here with bells on.”

“Okay,” she said and pushed away with another laugh. “Go lie down, I’ll get my phone and we can check out our options.”

She grabbed what they needed. By the time she got back upstairs, Darroch had the TV on pause and the pillows stacked to keep them close.

“I went with action. We’ll watch the panty melter next.”

“You have a head injury, stop thinking about sex. Good thing I knew you before this or I might think it was a symptom.” She tossed her phone to the bed beside him. “Will you call your mom and let her know you’re alive? Please.”

“Then she won’t bother us later,” he said and winked. “Good plan, Batman.”

She pulled her blouse from her skirt and drew the zipper half down before taking the pins from her hair.

“Check she’s okay with you staying here.”

“Been a long time since I asked my mom’s permission to have a sleepover.”

“You have better facilities at the house.” She paused. “Maybe you would be better at home. Though we are closer to the major hospitals here.”

“Stop worrying, baby, and lose the clothes.”

Her head turned toward the mirror and there was his reflection in the center at the top of the bed, eagerly awaiting… Why would a man like him—no, he didn’t like her thinking that way.

“You’ve seen me in less plenty.”

“Never gets old,” he said, tapping her phone to fill the air with ringing.

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