He ran a hand over his damp hair. “Thanks to you, I feel like a new man. I can’t believe you washed my socks and briefs.”
She saved what she had typed on the laptop and shut it down. “I figured you wouldn’t want to put on dirty socks and drawers after your shower. I had to put in a load of dark clothes, so it was no trouble.”
Gage leaned over and kissed her. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
She scrunched up her pert nose. “No problem. Maybe one of these days you’ll return the favor.”
“I doubt that, because you know your limits.”
Tonya stared into his eyes when he sat next to her, marveling how strangely beautiful they were. Now they appeared more green than gray. “I’m not going to lecture you about drinking, because you’re a grown man and you’re more than aware that your actions have consequences. But if we go out again and you want to get into a drinking contest, then I want you to give me the fob to your car, because there’s no way I’m going to let you get behind the wheel.”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that.”
“Don’t apologize, Gage, because there were a few occasions when I had too much to drink and I had to stay over at a hotel because I couldn’t make it home.”
The lashes that touched his cheeks came up. “When?”
“At prom. Even though I wasn’t old enough to drink, someone managed to sneak bottles into the suite. It was the first time that I had alcohol, and after a couple of glasses I was pissy-eyed drunk. My date called my parents to tell them I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with me, so we were going to stay at the hotel until the next day.”
“What did your parents say when you showed up the next day?”
“Apparently I didn’t look well, so I assumed they believed me. It wasn’t until years later that my mother told me she knew I’d been drinking because all she could smell was mouthwash.”
Gage dropped an arm over Tonya’s shoulders. “Why is it parents always know?”
She smiled. “I suppose they know what tricks they played at that age. I usually spend Christmas and New Year’s with my daughter, but she said she had prior commitments for the holidays. This is the first time since she was born that we didn’t celebrate those holidays together, and intuition tells me that she’s involved with a man.”
“Does that bother you, Tonya? That your little girl is now a woman.”
“No. She’s twenty-one, and when she graduates in May she will become totally emancipated. I told her I’ll help her out financially to get an apartment and a car, but it’s up to her to find gainful employment. She’ll graduate with honors with a degree in economics.”
Gage whistled softly. “That’s heavy. Does she have any jobs lined up?”
“She said a professor at Georgia State wants to hire her as his assistant, but she has to have at least ten graduate credits.”
“Is she willing to take his advice?”
Tonya nodded. “She’s already applied to their graduate program, and based on her current grades they should accept her.” She rested her head on Gage’s shoulder. “Are you ready to eat?”
Cupping the back of her head, he pressed a kiss to her ear. “I’m ready for breakfast in bed.”
She laughed softly. “Sorry, darling, but it’s too late for breakfast. The best I can do is offer brunch.”
“Brunch in bed?” he whispered in her ear.
“What if we have brunch in bed at your place and breakfast in bed here?”
He flashed a wide grin. “I like the sound of that. The next time we go out you can stay over at my place. Just make certain to bring an overnight bag, because I’m not adept when it comes to washing lingerie.”
“What if I make it easy for you and don’t wear panties?”
Gage covered his mouth, smothering a groan. “Don’t, Tonya, because I’m very visual.”
Tonya laughed when seeing his strained expression. “I’m sorry about that.”
He dropped his hand. “No, you’re not. Now if I have to resort to masturbating I’m going to curse the hell out of you when I ejaculate in the shower or sock and not you.”
Tonya’s mouth dropped open, completely stunned by his bluntness. “No, you didn’t just say that,” she whispered.
