Page 66 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
The sigh turned into a moan as her armswound around his neck. Einstein had a fleeting thought of privacyand cupped her ass in both hands, lifting so her knees were cockedon either side of his waist. He turned them and made his way thefew steps to the door, backing against the surface to push itwide.
Every sound she made went straight to hiscock. Each breathy moan he captured in his mouth, the keening whineat the back of her throat, and her whispered rendition of his namewhen they broke apart for the barest of breaths.
She squirmed against him, and he pulled backto stare down into her lust-drunk face, eyelids drooping tohalf-mast not doing a thing to hide her beauty. The sight of herkiss-swollen lips filled him with pride and a sense ofpossession—I did that to her.“Baby?” He whispered thequestion, and when she squirmed again, he suddenly remembered thewhy of them vacating their place on the couch. “Oh, sweetie, I gotyou.”
Einstein slowly relaxed his arms, and shewent with the movement, the trust she had in him shining throughher eyes. The moment her toes reached the floor, she lunged upwardsagain, crashing their mouths together, and he kissed her deeply.Hands to her waist, he set her away from himself, grinning andshaking his head when she pouted prettily. Still breathingunsteadily, he prompted her, “You had to pee, remember?”
The blush that crept across her collarbonesto her neck and then up to her cheeks was endearing.
“Yeah.” She tipped her head towards thedoor. “I’m just gonna.” Marian rolled her eyes. “You know.” Herhands flew up and covered the bottom part of her face, eyes wideabove the too-late barrier. “I mean, I don’t want you to know.”
“Baby.” He curled a hand around the back ofher neck, thumb brushing along the edge of her jaw. “I know.”Bending closer, he waggled his head, whispering, “And I don’tcare.”
“Well, I do.” She straightened and pulledout of his grip, the rosy color on her cheeks deepening. “I’ll beright back.”
“Baby, just so you know—” He waited for herto look back at him. “I’m gonna need the room next, and I don’tcare if you know. Wanna stay in there and chat with me? I’m coolwith that.” Lifting a hand at the adorably horrified expression onher face, he grinned. “Not that I’m expecting that level of comfortwith you yet. But just saying, when you get there, it’ll be nobiggie.”
“Oh my God.” The scandalized whisper wastossed over her shoulder as she darted into the bathroom.
The door closed quietly. A moment later, thelock clicking was one of the loudest sounds he’d ever heard.
She’d locked him out.
With his jaw clenching tightly, he rubbed athis sternum where his chest burned.
She locked me out.
Frown creasing his brow, Einstein moved tothe hallway and into the nursery, all set up and ready for Myrt andBane’s newest addition. Quietly testing the knob on the connectingdoor, which turned easily in his hand, he nodded in satisfactionand waited for the tell-tale sounds to cease, followed by typicallouder water noises. When the faucet for the sink turned on, heopened the door and pushed inside. Spots of water and soap sudsdotted his shirt and vest when Marian whirled to face him, mouthopen in shock as her wet hands rose in a protective gesture.
“Einstein—”
“Don’t lock me out, baby. I’ll alwaysrespect a closed door.” He tried not to let her see how he heldback a sigh, chest still aching as he pushed down disappointment.“The fact you don’t already know that tells me a lot ofthings.”
“I didn’t—”
“I know, sweetie. I know.” He stepped acrossthe small room and thumbed the lock, then opened the door, onlythen closing the way he’d entered. “Finish washing your hands. I’llonly be a minute, and we can go downstairs to get some food.”
Her head came up, mouth snapping closed asher jaw firmed. Einstein watched as she swallowed hard beforeturning back to the sink. Dashing her hands under the still-runningwater, she locked her gaze with his through the mirror’s reflectionas she rinsed off the remaining suds. “It’s not like you to becruel.”
“What?” He didn’t understand, but agut-twisting feeling of guilt rushed over him.
Grabbing a hand towel crumpled on thecountertop, Marian methodically wiped at her hands as she spoke.“Punishing me for something I didn’t know was a test isn’t fair.For the past few years, I’ve shared bathrooms with growing boys andgrown men, and locking the door is a habit, not a statement. Beforethen, it was survival.” She tossed the towel back to the side ofthe sink as she turned to face him, head still held high. “The factyou don’t already know that tells me a lot of things.”
After throwing his words back in his face,she stepped backwards through the door, grabbing the edge. Justbefore it latched into place, she hesitated and broke the pose,head dipping. “The way you decided we couldn’t discuss it tells memore. Maybe I don’t know you like I thought I did.” Then the doorclosed as softly as it had before.
When he exited the bathroom a minute later,it was to find an empty room, no one waiting.
Chapter Eighteen
Marian
Three weeks later, Marian was not surprisedto find that nothing about her life had changed.
She slept in the small downstairs room,alone.
She ferried the boys to their events,freeing Bane to stay with Myrt as she closed in on the last fewdays before the birth.
She worked, and the not changing thing hadbeen harder here, because Noah wasn’t the same.
