Page 50 of Talon
“Just the way you said that,” he said as he shook his head as if shaking himself out of wherever his mind had gone.“I can’t imagine not caring if my mom was alive or not and while I see where you’re coming from, it was just a bit of a surprise.”
She shrugged, not knowing what to say to that, then turned back to watch the flames lick up the sides of the logs and into the darkness.
35
Talonwonderedwhathe’ddone or said wrong as he and Madison headed up to the house at the end of the evening, hand in hand.He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she’d been oddly quiet all evening.
“Did I somehow upset you?”he asked once it was just the two of them and no one around to overhear.
“What?Oh.No.I was just watching everyone.”
“You seemed quiet.Or more quiet than usual.”
She lifted one shoulder and let it fall.“I’m always like that around a crowd I don’t know well.Yes, I spoke up some during dinner, but once we moved outside, the atmosphere changed some, and I was more comfortable watching and listening.I’m sure with time, as I get to know everyone, and they get to know me, I’ll be more involved.”
“It wasn’t me asking about you mom?”he asked, worrying that he’d put her in a mood with his being nosy.
“No.I was quiet and just watching and listening before you came out too.”Her voice didn’t sound like she was upset at all, but he had enough experience with women to know that their words and their tone of voice could be deceiving.He wasn’t sure what to do, but decided to take her at her word, at least for now.
“Want another drink?”he asked as he opened the front door to the main house and held it for her.
“Sure.I’m not quite ready for bed yet.I need to unwind a bit, maybe check a few things online if I can get the wifi password, and I need a shower before we climb between the sheets.”
“Didn’t you shower this morning?”
“I didn’t.I was planning to, but I ended up helping with breakfast and I’ve been busy since.It wasn’t such a big deal, but I wasn’t planning on sitting around a fire.Don’t get me wrong.I love fires.I love watching the flames and the smoke smell is great, as long as the smoke’s not in my face, but I don’t want to take the smokey smell to bed with me.”
Talon nodded.He’d never thought about that.And he’d gone to bed smelling of things way worse than woodsmoke, but then, he really hadn’t had a bed for most of that.For those days, he’d been lucky if he had the luxury of a blanket and an hour or two of quiet, much less a bed.
“Want the beer before or after your shower?And I’ve got the wifi password, just let me know when you’re ready.Or you can give me the laptop and I’ll get it online while you shower.”
“Now is good for the beer.I want to do a couple of things online before I go shower, then I thought maybe you would like to join me in there?”She shot him a flirtatious look.
“I could be talked into showering, you grab your laptop, I’ll get the beer, and we’ll meet in the living room.”He headed for the kitchen where he knew there were a few beers in one of the refrigerators, because he’d put them there while he’d cleaned up earlier.He hadn’t known if she would want one but figured it couldn’t hurt to be prepared.
Two minutes later, he made his way to the sofa and sat in the middle, knowing she liked to sit sideways and prop her legs across his lap, he popped open his can and took a long pull, getting comfortable while he waited for her.
He didn’t have long to wait, as she came out of the bedroom a minute later, laptop under her arm.
“Sorry it took so long, I needed to use the restroom.”
“No worries, Mads.We’re not on a timetable here.Take as long as you like.Our only deadline is breakfast tomorrow morning.”
She scowled at him for a moment as if she wasn’t sure what he meant then shook her head and sat down.He noticed she’d taken off her shoes while she’d been gone and that sounded so good he decided to do the same.But first he waited while she settled in, then popped the top on her beer and handed it to her.When she was ready, he gave her the wifi password then excused himself.
“I’ll be right back.I’m going to use the restroom myself.”That wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t all he was going to do.
When he came back, he picked up his can then sat back down and pulled her feet across his lap.He turned to check in with Mads and make sure she didn’t need anything.Her attention was on the screen, but a small smile curved her lips.
“Find something good online?”
“No.I just like when you pull my legs onto your lap like that.It’s like you’ll take whatever you can to get closer.It feels good.”She wiggled her toes, and he had to resist the urge to tickle them, instead he picked up one and began to knead the sole with his thumb.She groaned and curled her toes before relaxing into it.
“I don’t know why that feels so good.It’s not like I was on them all day today, like I usually am, but that feels amazing.”She let her head fall back and closed her eyes as she let him work the muscles in her foot.
When Talon set down the first foot and started on the second, she lifted her head and went back to whatever she was doing on the computer.By the time he’d finished working the knots out of the muscles in both feet, she’d closed her laptop.He set the second foot down in his lap, as she picked up her beer and tipped it back.From the angle, he could tell she was draining it.
“Here, give me your can and I’ll take care of them while you get the shower started.I’ll be right in.”
