Текст книги "Reapers and Bastards: A Reapers MC Anthology"

Автор книги: Joanna Wylde

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 8 страниц)

“So aren’t you gonna ask?” Silence fell between us, then she opened her mouth.

“So why are you called Horse?”

“’Cause I’m hung like one,” I replied, unable to control my smirk. She blushed hard and ducked in the car. I had to jump back and away as she jammed it into gear and peeled out of the driveway.

Now that was fun.

And weird.

I still wanted to nail her, probably more now than before. But that little exchange—bite and all—that’d been better than the average blow job.

Go figure.

________

“The money’s all there,” I said, clicking through the list of accounts. I glanced over at Jeff, who sat by the kitchen bar smoking a little glass pipe. He’d gone from jittery to stoned in the time I’d been outside with Marie. Hadn’t seen that coming. Pic must’ve really wanted the asshole to shut up, because normally he’d never tolerate someone getting faded before business was finished.

“Of course it’s all there,” Jeff said lazily. “I already told you. It was just a little mistake and I fixed it. I don’t know why you got so worked up about it.”

“I got worked up because I thought you were stealing,” I replied. “And you know what happens to people who steal from the club. We need to go over the rules again?”

Jeff took a long hit, then started coughing, smoke shooting out of his nose in little puffs. He grabbed his beer and sucked it down before answering.

“You don’t have to keep threatening me. I knew what I was getting into. We’ve been working together for nearly two years and I’ve never screwed you, have I? Trust needs to go both ways.”

Max snorted and for once I didn’t consider telling him to shut up.

“Tell me about your sister.”

Jeff’s face sobered and he set down his pipe.

“Marie’s been through a lot,” he replied. “She doesn’t need any more trouble, Horse.”

“Who hit her?”

“Her husband,” Jeff said. “Always hated him. She left his ass, thank God. She deserves a little happiness. No offense, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave her alone.”

“Now you’re telling me what to do?”

Jeff straightened, and for the first time in a year he looked almost like a man instead of a weasel.

“She’s a good girl, Horse,” he said firmly. “She’s been through hell, she’s finally free, and she doesn’t need anyone new in her life. She needs to get a divorce and go to school and then meet some nice guy with a steady job who’ll treat her like a queen. Let it go.”

“Damn, that almost sounded like something a decent human being would say,” Max muttered. “I think we may have a body snatchers situation going on here.”

“Think what you like,” Jeff said, shrugging. “But it’s the truth. She’s rid of Gary and pretty soon she’s gonna realize she’s free to do anything she wants. I won’t have her wasting that freedom on some biker who’ll treat her like shit. And don’t bother waiting for her to come back. I already texted her and told her to stay away.”

I shrugged, not entirely surprised. When a chick bit my ear and told me to fuck off, it wasn’t usually a sign I’d be getting laid that night. My cock might be pissed about it, but I’d started to realize just how much more I wanted from Marie. Hot pussy crawled out of the woodwork at the club, nothing special about it . . .

A sweet girl like her was a hell of a lot harder to find.

Jeff sat waiting, apparently expecting some sort of violent outburst, so I gave him a nice big smile, just to fuck with his head.

“Tell her I said good-bye,” I told him. “I’ll be back before long to check up on things. I’ve got what I need, should be able to monitor the rest from home.”

I looked to my brothers to make sure he hadn’t missed something. Max cracked his knuckles and Picnic nodded, satisfied.

“I don’t want to breathe in any more of Jeff-hole’s secondhand smoke,” I said. “You ready, Pic?”

“Sure,” Picnic replied, and Max pulled himself up off the couch, stretching. Thankfully, Jeff kept his stupid mouth shut as we went outside.

Night had fallen, and while the air was still warm, it didn’t hold the punishing heat we’d experienced earlier. Riding home across the desert wouldn’t be half bad.

I kicked my bike to life, following my club president down the long driveway through the apple trees.

Hadn’t been such a shitty trip after all.

Hopefully, Marie wouldn’t tear up my other ear too bad during our next fight.

Marie’s Bread Recipe

Ingredients

4 ½ teaspoons (or two packets) of rapid rise yeast 2 ½ cups warm water

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

7 cups all-purpose flour

2 handfuls mixed grated cheese (your choice—I often just grab an Italian mix) 1/4 cup (approximately) grated parmesan 2 large spoonfuls chopped garlic (slightly less if using fresh garlic, although I often use the prepared chopped garlic in a bottle for convenience—if it’s a squeeze bottle, I do two very large gloops) Italian herb mix 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water Corn meal

Preparation

Note: I use a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook to make bread. If you make the bread by hand, follow basic bread dough preparation instructions out of any cookbook.

Put warm water and yeast in mixing bowl and allow to proof (3-4 minutes). Follow with flour and salt, then add in oil, two handfuls of cheese, garlic, and a generous shake of Italian herb mix. (I’ve never measured this, but don’t be afraid to pour it on—the recipe makes two loaves of bread, which means you want to put in plenty.) Allow dough hook to mix until the bread is fully kneaded. (About four minutes on my machine.) Place bread in a greased bowl and allow to double in size. Punch down, then divide into two parts. Using a rolling pin, spread each dough ball out into a rectangle, then roll up along the long side to create a skinny loaf. Place on a baking pan that’s been lined with foil, greased, and sprinkled with cornmeal. (Be sure the seam is on the bottom.) Allow to rise until double in size.

Before baking bread, make four thin slices diagonally across the top to give it some texture, then sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then remove from oven. Brush with egg white mixed with cold water to create a glaze. Cook for an additional five minutes then allow to cool before slicing.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The top request I get from readers is for a short story about Horse and Marie, telling what happened to them after Reaper’s Property. “Skunked” is that story. If you haven’t read Reaper’s Property, you can still read “Skunked”—it doesn’t have any plot spoilers, aside from the fact that Reaper’s Property ended with them together as a couple, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise for most romance readers.

“Skunked” takes place several years after the end of Reaper’s Property. I got the idea late one night after something rather unpleasant happened with our dog . . .

SKUNKED

HORSE

Christ, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this tired.

We’d been on a five-day run to Boise and had spent the night before camped out. I was tired, grumpy, and more than a little horny—something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the bitch who’d kept grabbing for my cock at the last clubhouse we’d visited. I’d managed to fight her off, but this celibacy shit was getting old.

I wanted my old lady, and I wanted her now.

Turning down our driveway, I saw Marie’s car in front of the house. She hadn’t answered her phone all day—this wasn’t like her. I’d assumed if something was really wrong, someone would’ve gotten hold of me. Still, it was a relief to find her at home. I wanted a cold beer, a hot shower, and a blow job.

Could only accomplish two of the three on my own.

Parking my bike, I decided to leave my saddlebags for now and head toward the house. The door wasn’t locked. I stepped into the living room, looking around for her. The lights were on and so was the TV, but no sign of my girl.

“Marie?”

Nothing.

I passed through the living room and started down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“Babe, you in here?”

“In the back,” she replied, her voice faint. Entering the kitchen, I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she seemed out of it—almost dazed.

“What the fuck’s going on?” I asked. She jumped, looking toward me with something like fear in her expression. Jesus, had someone hurt her? A burst of adrenaline rushed through me—nobody touched my woman. I’d fucking kill them. She didn’t say anything, though. “Marie?”

She shook herself, almost as if she needed to wake up.

“Sorry, I was sort of lost in my thoughts.”

“What’s going on?”

She stared at me for several seconds, her mouth tight. “We need to talk.”

Great—words every man loves to hear. So much for my “welcome home” blow job.

“About what?” I asked warily.

“Sit down,” she murmured, glancing away from me. “You want a beer?”

Up to that point, a beer had been damned high on my list of priorities. Now? Not so much. I pulled out a chair at the big wooden block that served as our kitchen table and sat down with a thump, leaning back. Then I crossed my arms over my chest.

“So let’s talk,” I told her, forcing myself to stay patient. Marie swallowed, then reached for the cup of tea sitting on the block in front of her, taking a nervous sip.

“Okay, so here goes,” she said quietly, refusing to look at me. “We’ve got some big changes ahead of us. You need to remember that it just happened, babe. It’s not like I did it on purpose. Please remember that.”

She shot me another quick look, her face full of dread. Put that together with the puffy eyes and I realized we were in the shit. Deep shit. Had she cheated on me? Rage roared through my soul, drowning out my ability to think.

Whoever the fuck the guy was, I wouldn’t just kill him. I’d kill him slow. Wasn’t sure what I’d do to Marie. Jesus. Never saw it coming, not even for a minute. I’d thought my wife was happy.

“Tell me,” I ordered her, my voice cold. I forced the feelings down, burying them deep under a layer of ice. Hold it together, don’t do anything stupid ’til you hear her out.

“Okay, so while you were gone I—”

A piercing howl tore through the kitchen from behind the house, followed by a series of agonized, terrifying yelps.

Marie’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. “That was Ariel!”

Another howl tore through the air. Sure as shit, she was right—that was definitely our dog. Good God, of all the fucking times for the mutt to go apeshit. Marie was halfway to the door when I caught her, instinctively jerking her behind my body as I pulled out my gun.

“Stay inside,” I told her. “Could be anything.”

Full of dark purpose, I reached for the door handle—irony, anyone? Here I was, ready to do anything to protect this woman, even though she’d probably cheated on me. Fuck it. Opening the door, I looked outside cautiously.

The smell hit me first.

Jesus.

Christ.

Skunk. Fucking dog had found a skunk. The harsh reality sank in as Marie moaned behind me.

“That is the worst smell on earth,” she said. There was a rustling in the bushes, and then Ariel burst out into the open, racing toward us.

“Down!” I shouted at him, because the dog was about two seconds from jumping me and then I’d reek, too. Ariel fell back cowering, whining up at us even as waves of stench radiated off of his body.

The stink was strong. Seriously strong. My eyes started burning and I felt the tiny hairs inside my nose standing straight up. I opened my mouth, hoping that bypassing my nose might do some good. This only made things worse because now I could taste it.

“I think I’m gonna puke,” Marie whispered behind me. “Shit, what should we do? Have you ever had to clean skunk off him before?”

I shook my head, frustration mixing with the anger that still filled me. “No, I remember my mom cleaning off a dog when I was a kid, but I’ve been lucky out here. I’ve smelled skunks but never had one get too close to the house. Fuck, I got no idea what we should do. Hose him off?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let me look it up, see what I can find.”

“We could just shoot him,” I grunted, glancing down at my gun. “Of course, we’d still have to deal with a skunked dog corpse.”

“Please tell me you aren’t serious.”

I glanced back to find her holding a hand over her mouth. There was a distinctly green tinge to her skin, and as I watched, she gagged.

“Just go look it up,” I said, the words short. “I’ll stay out here, keep him calm.”

She stepped back into the house, and I blinked, eyes still watering. It wasn’t just a smell. No. This was a tangible, evil presence wafting around my body like something out of a horror movie.

After what felt like hours, Marie stuck her head out the door again.

“I found a recipe.”

“Tomato juice?” I asked. “Or is that just an urban legend?”

“They say tomato juice does nothing. But we can blot him with paper towels, and then wash him with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and detergent—there’s lots of sources saying that it works.”

“Do we have the stuff?” I said, frowning at the dog. How long would it take to wear off? Probably weeks . . . Fuck.

“Yeah, we have everything except rubber gloves,” she said. “I could go to town and get them, but apparently there’s about a ten minute window. At that point, the smell will set in and then we’ll be screwed. We’re supposed to start by blotting off the oils.”

I closed my eyes, a condemned man.

“Give me the paper towels.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Take off your club colors first,” she said softly. “Otherwise you’ll get skunk on them.”

Shit—that’d go over just great at the clubhouse. I turned toward her, tucking the gun back into my pants. Then I pulled off my leather vest with my Reapers MC patches on it. Folding it carefully, I started to hand it to her, then hesitated. Marie waited, frowning at me, and I thought about what she’d said earlier. Had she cheated on me?

The dog had distracted me for a minute, but now the anger came flooding back.

“What were you going to tell me?” I asked her bluntly.

“Let’s take care of the dog first,” she replied, eyes dropping. “We’ve only got a few minutes, Horse. The stink is already working its way down into his fur. We need more time for this discussion, okay?”

No, it wasn’t okay. Ariel whined, and the unholy smell grew stronger as he crept forward to lean heavily against my leg. Marie gagged again, eyes blinking rapidly from the fumes.

Fumes or guilt?

“Tell me the fucking truth. Did you—”

Marie’s face twisted and then she turned away and started retching. I reached for her hair, planning to hold it back or something, but then I remembered I was pissed at her so I stood back. Ariel whined again, flopping to his back and showing his stomach.

Frustration burned through me, and suddenly I couldn’t keep still.

“Goddammit!” I shouted, kicking the side of the concrete steps. The dog cringed harder as a wave of intense pain radiated up my leg. Fucking hell, had I just broken my toe? Sure as shit felt like it. Marie heaved again, then managed to stand up, wiping off her mouth with the bottom of her shirt.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but I’d had enough.

“Get me the fucking paper towels,” I yelled. “And make up the cleaning shit!”

She ran into the house, returning less than a minute later with a roll of paper towels. I shoved my cut at her, snatching the towels and plastic garbage bag out of her hands in an awkward shuffle. Marie disappeared back inside, still gagging.

Leaning down, I started blotting the dog. You’d think my sense of smell would have deadened by now. No such luck. The towels soaked up the oily spray, which seemed to have hit the dog square in the face, transferring it to my fingers in the process. My eyes watered and I wondered how well the stupid mixture Marie was fixing would actually work.

This fucking sucked.

“Here’s the cleaner,” Marie said, stepping back outside. She carried a large glass measuring bowl that had a handle and spout. A milky, watery mixture sloshed inside, along with two kitchen sponges.

“Bring it here,” I snapped, wondering if I’d ever get the taste of skunk out of my mouth. Marie set it on the ground next to me, kneeling as she grabbed a sponge and raised it to Ariel’s sad face.

“The article said to be careful of his eyes,” she told me, starting on his nose. I picked up the other sponge and started working on his ear. This wasn’t exactly made easier by him slithering around on his back, as if our attempts to clean him were the cruelest torture in history.

“I’m being careful,” I replied through gritted teeth, squeezing the sponge. The mix squirted out of it, straight toward his eye. Marie glared at me, reaching for a paper towel to dab around the area. The dog blinked, but thankfully he seemed to have closed his eyes in time. Marie gagged again.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I demanded. “It’s a fucking skunk, deal with it.”

“It’s making me feel sick,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. Great, now she was getting pissy? I was the victim here. “It smells bad, okay? I can’t help it.”

“You don’t see me puking,” I snarled. Ariel moaned.

“You’re scaring the dog!”

Oh, fuck her.

“I come home to find you cheated on me, and now you’re giving me a lecture?”

Marie’s mouth dropped.

“Excuse me?” she asked, her voice a dangerously low whisper.

“You heard what I said.”

“You fucking asshole,” she sneered, shaking her head slowly. “I didn’t cheat on you, Horse. Although maybe I should, since you obviously don’t trust me for shit. Of course, attracting another guy might be a little difficult, seeing as I’m currently carrying your child.”

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Marie nodded slowly, a nasty smile twisting her mouth. “Yeah, you heard me right. I’m the pregnant one and you’re the asshole. So, far as I know, neither of us is a cheater, although I find it a little unnerving that that’s the first place your mind went. It’s been a weird day, Horse. I took the test about half an hour before you got home—after puking my guts out for the last ten hours. It’s a bit of a mind fuck, and I was trying to figure out the best way to tell you, since we’d agreed that we would wait a couple more years. Surprise, Horse. You’re gonna be a daddy.”

Then she flipped me off and I had to concede the point.

I was a total asshole.

“You’re seriously pregnant?” I asked slowly, sitting back on my heels. The anger had disappeared, but the adrenaline still swirled around me, making it impossible to think.

“Yes,” Marie said, rinsing out her sponge as she started working down Ariel’s side carefully. “Can you help me get him up? We have to get his back, and I’m worried he’ll grind the oils in if he keeps doing this.”

I stared at her blankly. “We need to talk.”

Marie rolled her eyes.

“No shit. I think I mentioned something about that, remember?”

I winced, thinking about what I’d said to her.

“I’m sorry.”

“And I’m cleaning a dog covered in skunk oils that have another two or three minutes before they set in,” she replied pointedly. “You know, your dog? Stop just sitting there and help clean Ariel.”

“He’s your dog, too,” I protested, then shut my eyes, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. I couldn’t think. There was a baby inside Marie. My baby. Holy fuck, there was gonna be a baby coming out of her and it would be my kid.

Mine.

I pictured her holding a little pink infant, nursing it in the living room while I stood over them protectively. The thought of it was enough to cut through the fog, and I had a sudden, magnificent realization.

“Your tits are gonna get huge,” I blurted out.

Marie sat back, blinking at me.

“You accuse me of cheating while we’re scrubbing skunk off the dog, I tell you you’re going to be a father, and all you can think about are my tits?”

I shook my head at her slowly. “Marie, babe . . . you know I think about your tits all the time.”

Ariel snorted and the stench rose thick between us. Marie shook her head slowly, and for long seconds I thought I was screwed. Then I caught the first hint of a smile. A real smile.

“You’re hopeless,” she said quietly.

“I know what I like,” I countered, grinning back at her. “You’re gorgeous, you know—it fucks with my head, and I’m kind of a moron to begin with. How far along are you?”

“I think about ten weeks, although I’m not totally sure. I had my last two periods, but they were really light. Spotting, more than anything. That threw me off.”

“This is amazing,” I said, feeling my stupid smile getting bigger. My baby. I wondered if the kid would be a boy or girl. Fuck, did it matter? “Christ, I love you.”

Leaning forward over the dog, I tried to kiss her. Panic crossed her face, and then she was turning again, gagging and heaving.

“You have morning sickness,” I realized. She ignored me, and Ariel whined, staring at us with big, sad eyes. I needed to get moving. If we didn’t get the dog clean, the smell would stick around for weeks—Marie couldn’t handle that.

Not with morning sickness.

“Go inside,” I told her. “Just strip off your clothes out here and I’ll take care of them. Clean up and go to bed—you need rest.”

She pushed herself up and rolled her eyes, weak but determined.

“No, I want to help you,” she said. “Despite you being a dumbass, we’re in this together. If you smell, I smell.”

“You’re crazy,” I said bluntly. “No sane person chooses skunk over bed, so get those clothes off and go inside. My baby hates skunk smell. Don’t fuck it up for him.”

Marie laughed.

“And how would you know that?” she asked, raising a brow.

“Everyone hates skunk smell. Just go . . . be pregnant somewhere. Wherever it smells the least.”

Marie rolled her eyes.

“Horse?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s not even nine p.m. yet,” she pointed out gently. “I’m knocked up, not a hundred years old. And you need help—we’re running out of time.”

Fuck. I looked down at the dog, whose mouth lolled open in a grin. Then his tongue caught a taste of the skunk-cleanser mix, and suddenly he was twisting his head around, smacking his lips, trying to get rid of it.

“I’m killing you when we’re done here,” I told him.

Ariel gave me an anxious whine.

Marie laughed, grabbing her sponge as she started scrubbing again. I wanted to push the point with her, but she was right—we were out of time—so I grabbed my own sponge. I lifted it to the dog’s side, watching as it bubbled up through his fur, hopefully taking the stink out with it. My mind was still racing, though.

Marie was pregnant.

I’d been a jealous asshole.

Babies were scary.

Marie’s tits were gonna get huge.

“You’re thinking about my boobs again, aren’t you?” she asked.

I looked up at her, busted. “No.”

She raised a brow, and I shrugged because of course I was thinking about her boobs, and we both knew it.

“It’s okay—I’m kind of excited about it, too.”

“Then why were you crying?” I asked, suddenly remembering what she’d looked like when I’d come in. “You do want the baby, don’t you?”

“Of course I want the baby,” she said, her face puzzled. “And I didn’t even realize I was crying. Must’ve been the hormones or something. But I was nervous about telling you—this isn’t what we planned.”

I shrugged.

“Waiting was your plan, not mine. I just wanted you to be ready before we started trying, that’s all.”

“So you’re ready to be a daddy?” she asked, looking up at me. “Because it’s a big deal . . . Everything is going to change for us.”

“Life is change,” I pointed out. “And I like the idea of you all big and round with my kid in you—it’s cute.”

Marie frowned. “I’m gonna get fat.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“Carrying a baby is not the same as getting fat,” I pointed out reasonably. “And I think it’s sexy.”

“You get turned on by pregnant chicks?” she asked, her voice dry. “I know you’re a perv, but this is a new one. How long have you had this fetish?”

Dipping my sponge back into the mix, I laughed.

“Don’t worry, it’s recent—specific to you. I’m fuckin’ crazy about you, babe. You know that, right?”

Marie smiled at me, and I swear to God, she started glowing like some pregnant lady cliché, right in front of me. Beautiful. My beautiful, beautiful girl . . .

“I love you,” I said, my voice dead serious.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back. “I even love your dog. But let’s get him clean, sound good?”

Nodding, I agreed, although the smell wasn’t even bothering me that much anymore. How could it, after getting news like this?

_______

By the time we finished, we reeked. Both of us.

I had a feeling it was worse than we realized, because I’m pretty sure at least half the nerves in my nose had committed suicide. Our clothes were outside in the plastic garbage bag, along with the paper towels and the sponges. I’d wanted to throw away the bowl, too, just on general principles, but Marie wouldn’t let me.

Apparently pregnancy can make women stubborn.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of closing the windows,” Marie mumbled around a mouthful of toothpaste as I stepped out of the shower. She sat on the toilet, still wrapped in a towel from her own shower. Normally we’d clean up together, but tonight she was obviously exhausted, and I wasn’t sure I could handle a slippery, naked Marie without fucking her. Hell, I was so tired I’d probably drop her or something. Not that being exhausted had ever slowed me down before, but things had changed.

There were three of us now.

Right on cue, I felt that dumbass grin take over my face again.

“It’s not that bad, we can handle it,” I said, shrugging. She raised a brow.

“Go into the bedroom, and then tell me that again.”

I wrapped the towel around my waist and stepped out into the hallway, heading toward our room. As soon as I opened the door, I realized she was right—we’d fucked up. The windows had been open on all three sides when the skunk hit, and now the place was so thick with stench that you could practically see toxic green tendrils hanging in the air. The windows were still wide open, which I guess made sense at this point—the damage was done.

Fucking great.

Walking over to the dresser, I found a pair of briefs and pulled them on, followed by jeans and a shirt. Then I grabbed one of Marie’s pretty panty and bra sets (damn, but I loved those) and a sundress before heading back to the bathroom.

“Here you go,” I told her, setting them on the counter. Then I turned away, because the last thing she needed was me shoving my dick in her face. (And now I was thinking about my cock in her mouth . . . Fucking great—I officially had the worst timing on earth.) “I settled Ariel out in the barn for the night. We’re gonna go get a hotel room.”

“We don’t need to do that.”

She stood up, and I turned to find her dressed.

“You’re knocked up, you puked all day, and the house smells like a skunk died in it. We’re getting a hotel room.”

Marie walked over to me, then wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against my chest.

“Are we really okay?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

I hugged her back, running one hand up and down her back.

“No, we aren’t okay,” I said softly. “We’re trapped in a skunk house full of toxic fumes. But once we get away from here, I think things will be perfect. And just think about what a great story we’ll have to tell the kiddo.”

Her hand slipped down to my ass, giving it a squeeze, and I groaned.

“Speaking of, you sure you don’t wanna celebrate the baby before we head out?”

Groaning, I caught her butt and pulled her into me, rubbing my dick against her stomach. God, I wanted to be inside her . . . Then it hit me—my kid was inside her, too. Right next to where I planned to shove my cock. I jerked away, because that was a mind fuck I wasn’t quite ready for. Shit. I’d have to find a way to wrap my brain around that.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, frowning. I shook my head, realizing this wasn’t a conversation we needed to have just yet.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said quickly, staring down into her face. Her brown eyes were deep and her beautiful, curly brown hair was hanging around her face and across her shoulders. God, but I loved this woman. Right on cue, my dick made its needs known, and I realized that wrapping my head around things might not be so difficult after all . . . I just needed to let the right head do the thinking.

I grinned, leaning over to kiss the tip of Marie’s nose. Then I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs. The sooner we found a room, the sooner we could celebrate. “C’mon. Let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve had enough of being skunked.”