Page 82 of Passionate Defense

As she felt the tension pass, she nodded.

“Good. Because like Pinocchio’s nose, when you gush, it’s not really a lie you can hide.”

She smacked him playfully on the arm. Then she yelped, clinging to his shoulders when the room around her seem to tip as he sat up with her in his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re hitting the shower,” he said as he carried her to the bathroom.

Ethan ended up washing her hair and soaping them both from top to bottom when fatigue set in for Lanie. So maybe she was only 99.9 percent recovered from her flu. Afterward, feeling as limp as a rag doll, Ethan had to dry her off, carry her back to the bedroom, and change the linens. When he snuggled up behind her in the crisp, sweet-smelling sheets, he reached for the lamp on the bedside table and plunged the room into darkness.

“Nap, but just for a while. You need to eat and rehydrate.”

She lay there for several minutes, enjoying the feel of his warm body wrapped around her. The heat he emitted was better than an electric blanket and dragged her toward sleep. She fought it. Snuggled up with him was just too good, and she didn’t want to miss out by sleeping through it. Besides, all she’d done for the past five days was sleep.

“Dr. Fischer is a sham.” Her words, said in a whisper, did little to disturb the serene silence in case he was already asleep.

“Hmm? What was that?” he asked, his voice a deep sexy rumble in his drowsy state.

“Dr. Fischer, he’s really a Mr. Hyde. A deranged madman with a medical fetish, not to mention an obsession with toys, and all things kinky. Who knew?”

“Complaints? I’ll have to practice using more conservative techniques. Missionary comes to mind, under the covers, in the dark. We’ve never done that. Sounds like a blast. We can try it out after dinner.”

“People actually do that?” She gasped in mock horror. “Now that’s what I call deviant.”

Her hand found his where it rested on her waist. She intertwined their fingers and curled them into her chest, resting them between her breasts and over her heart. With his face in the bend of her neck, she felt the movement of his lips and knew they had turned upward into the sexy smile she so loved. With that image in mind, she drifted off to sleep in utter contentment.

Chapter 18

THE SUN HAD DIPPEDlow on the horizon by the time Ethan headed out to his car at the end of a long week. He pulled out his phone and dialed Lanie, smiling as she answered on the first ring.

“What’s our dinner plan, beautiful? I missed lunch and I’m starved.”

“I didn’t have time to shop. How about Mariano’s?”

“Perfect. I haven’t had my favorite appetizer in quite some time.”

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