She smiled a little, then finally peeled the tissue paper back enough to work her hands inside. She grasped her gift and pulled it out, holding it in her hands. It gleamed in the morningsunlight.
She cocked her head and looked at me kindasideways.
“It’s a vase,” I said, like anidiot.
“For a second,” she said, “I swear to God, I thought it was gonna be a gun or something. You know, for my ‘protection.’”
“That why you were handling it like a bomb about toblow?”
“I just wanted to savor it,” she said, looking embarrassed. She gazed at the vase. “It’s beautiful,Jude.”
“You know, to replace the one Ibroke.”
Her green eyes hit mine, and it shocked me, deep, like it often did. “We broke ittogether.”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “It’s not a big deal. Jessa helped me pick it out. She said you’d likeit.”
She was turning it over in her hands, carefully. “It’scrystal.”
“There’s a gift receipt inside. If it’s not what youwant.”
She tucked it carefully back into the box. Then she gripped the back of my neck and stood up on her toes to kiss me. My arms went around her, holding her up, and my mouth slammed over hers, and what was probably meant to be a sweetThank you for the giftsort of kiss turned into the deep, dirty, nasty, wet sort of kiss they put at the beginning of a really goodporno.
“It’s the best… present… ever…” she said, in-between sucking face with me. “And now you can buy me more flowers… to go init…”
Then her phone startedbuzzing.
She ripped away, her lips swollen and wet. She frowned a bit. “Damn.”
“Ignore it?” I held her against me, but she tried to wriggle away, looking apologetic. I released her and she fished the buzzing phone out of herpurse.
“Shit,” she mumbled, as I adjusted my hard-on in my jeans, “it’s mymom.”
“You’re not gonna answerit?”
She raised an eyebrow, likeMaybenot.
“It’s Christmas Eve,” I remindedher.
She kinda grumbled under her breath—something aboutAnd now he’s Mr. Nice Guy…?—and finally picked up the phone. “Hey,Mom.”
I listened, and even though I’d never met Roni’s mom, the way the conversation rolled, Roni’s end kinda clipped and guarded, I figured out a whole lot of shit about their relationship, fast. At least, Roni’s side ofit.
“Yeah. I’m not sure yet, Mom. I was maybe gonna meet up with Jessa…” Her eyes metmine.
When?I mouthed ather.
Tonight!she mouthedback.
I shook my head at her,slowly.
She turned away. “Yeah, I’m here. I can maybe let youknow—”
I plucked the damn phone out of herhand.
“Cindy?” No, I’d never met her, but I knew the woman’s name. Knew a lot about her,actually.
“Hello?” Roni’s mom said. “Who’sthis?”
