"I know what's on my menu," he all but growls. I love it.
"Later," I tell him, stepping into the jean skirt. I locate my cowgirl boots and stuff my feet into them.
Stepping into him, I run my hands through his hair. "Don't stay out too late, Cowboy." I'm two paces away when he smacks my ass.
"You're lucky I'm letting you leave this hotel room at all," he says, his tone thickened by a kind of arrogance I have a hard time leaving behind.
I stand in the open door and look at him. He's tall, and big, and I want to know what it feels like to be under him. To havehim inside me. Next door, the sound of a door opening. Kerrigan will be here any second to walk downstairs with me.
My gaze travels south, down Dom's body, to the place where I started our day. Then I meet his eyes, lick my lips slowly, letting my mouth shift into a smile and a wink.
Dom palms his chest. Strides forward. I know what he's going to do. Haul me in and lock the door. Sink to his knees.
Just before he gets to me, I step backward and close the door.
"Hey, Cecily," Kerrigan says from two feet away.
"Hey, Kerr," I say, loudly.
Kerrigan eyes me like a police investigator. "Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
We start for the elevator at the end of the hall. "You're breathing heavily. Did you?—"
"No. You know we can't have sex."
"There are a lot of stops between point a and point z. I know something went down in the motor home last night. Probably Dom from behind, if the crushed loaf of bread on the counter was any indication."
I remember the bread, but I have no memory of what precise moment I squashed it. "Oops."
"I knew it," Kerrigan says loudly, victorious. "What a hussy."
I lift my nose in the air. "I prefer the term 'soiled dove'."
Kerrigan hits the button for the elevator. "Help me understand. You and Dom like each other, that's clear. I can smell the attraction coming off the two of you. It's like a master class in sexual tension."
"What is it that needs understanding?" I ask, as the elevator doors open. We step on, and I press the button for the lobby.
"Dom has you feeling all kinds of ways, your chemistry is undeniable, and he can stand to be around your family for long stretches. If you try to explain that to a stranger, they wouldprobably tell you it sounds like you've been dating for six to twelve months and are thinking about getting serious."
"Except for the teeny, tiny fact we are already married."
"And that's where I need help understanding. What are you going to do, get an annulment and never see this guy again? Dom's great, Cecily. Like really,reallygreat. Rare." The elevator door opens, delivering us to the lobby. Rainbow, my grandma, and my mother stand near the doors leading to the street. "All I'm saying," Kerrigan says in a low breath as we walk over, "is that you need to adjust your camera lens. Pan out. What does life look like for you and Dom once this is over? Is it an annulment and you two return to opposite sides of the country? Or do you think you might have a shot at something great?"
"Um," is all I manage to say. Kerrigan has given me a lot to think about.
She waves her hand. "I know, I don't usually have that much wisdom. It's disorienting."
Her sentence makes me pause. I hear myself in it. The way she makes fun of herself before I can. I don't typically make fun of myself, but I have other defense mechanisms. Most notably, staying away from my family and approaching every interaction with my fists raised.
"Kerr," I say, my arm shooting out to stop her. "You have plenty of wisdom. And I appreciate you sharing it with me. What you said was very insightful, and you've given me a lot to think about."
She's quiet for a long beat, then says, "I'm not sure how to respond. I'm not used to you being this nice."
"Credit should probably go to Dom. He gave me one hell of an orgasm last night."
"Poor loaf of bread didn't stand a chance."
