Page 56 of Every Rose

Chapter Eighteen

It was amazing how quickly they fell into a routine. He’d text her if he had some time, she’d text him if she wanted company. He gave her a copy of his schedule so she knew when he was available. She worked around his basketball nights and he finished a shift exactly as she was heading home from book club.

He stuck to the rules she’d set down perfectly. He didn’t invite her out for dinner or movies or to anything involving his friends. Their conversation was almost always about work or something interesting one or the other had seen or done. After that one conversation about love, they stayed off personal topics.

He never spent the night and he never invited her to his place. The only entire night they’d spent together had been the night of Theresa and Harvey’s wedding. It was fine, of course. Practical. But she’d never said he couldn’t spend the night. They never talked about it. Turned out there was a lot they didn’t talk about.

She was surprised when James mentioned he’d taken Matt shooting again and Matt had invited him to join the Wednesday night basketball game any time he was available or in the neighborhood.

The next Wednesday, Matt texted her after basketball:

Hot and sweaty. You interested?

She smiled, feeling her girl parts start to hum in anticipation.

I’ll start the shower

When he arrived, he kissed her and she kind of liked the salty sweat taste and the heat coming off his skin. Still, she handed him a blue fluffy towel and pointed him to the bathroom. “I bought you a present,” she said, “It’s in the bathroom.”

He sent her a quizzical look and then headed to the bathroom as directed. “You got me a razor?” He shouted through the closed door.

“Yep.”

“Is that a hint?”

“Yep.”

“It’s pink.”

She grinned at the door. “I know. Congratulations, you helped support a cure for breast cancer. And the guy at the drug store said it shaves really close.”

“If I was shaving my legs.”

She heard the water blast on and went to turn the bed sheets down in her bedroom and set the lighting to exactly the way she liked it. Bright enough to see what they were doing but dim enough to disguise any hint of cellulite that her periodic jogging spells hadn’t erased.

He was always fast in the shower. This time he probably took a couple of extra minutes and sure enough, when he entered her bedroom wearing nothing but a towel, she saw how smooth his face looked and figured the guy in the drug store hadn’t led her astray.

He stalked forward menacingly, tossed the towel and grabbed her, rubbing his freshly-shaven cheek against her neck. “This smooth enough for you?”

“Yes.”

He picked her up and tossed her on the bed, so she shrieked in surprise.

“Are you sure it’s soft enough?” he asked. Then he pulled her silky robe off and rubbed his cheek against her belly.

He’d found a ticklish spot so she giggled and squirmed. “Yes.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” He rubbed his freshly-shaven face against her breast.

“Yes,” she sighed.

Afterward, she said, “Was James at basketball?”

“No. Why?”

“No reason. He mentioned you and he have been shooting and you invited him to your game. I was surprised you never said anything.”

“Hey, I’m playing by your rules here.”

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