Page 12 of Deadly Forever

Mandy made a disgusted face, annoyed. James expected her to give him grief for his actions – which seemed so long ago given what they’d been through – but she reacted in an entirely different way.

“I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work on me,” Mandy said, pressing her lips together and glancing around to make sure the rest of their family wasn’t eavesdropping. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s fine. I’m not going to force you.”

“Great,” James said, adopting a breezy tone. “That makes me happy. Are you going to get lobster or crab legs tonight? Seafood is your favorite, after all. You’ve been through an ordeal. You should stuff yourself with whatever you want.”

Mandy refused to be swayed by the conversational shift. “I said I wasn’t going to force you to do it right now,” Mandy clarified. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to force you when we get home.”

James made a face. “Baby, I thought we could hop in the hot tub and worship each other when we get home. That’s what I want to do.”

Mandy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Not until we talk.”

“Well, since you believe I’m upset, I think I should be able to dictate the terms of our evening,” James countered. “I want to get naked in the hot tub. There’s no need for some long, drawn-out conversation. I’m honestly fine.”

Mandy didn’t believe that for a second. “We’re going to do both,” she said after a beat. “We’re going to talk and get naked. If you want to do them at the same time, that would probably be most efficient.”

James opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He could read the obstinate tilt of her chin and knew there was no way she would cede this conversation. In fact, she was so adamant and determined to get her own way he knew she would pick a riotous fight if it came down to it. He had no intention of indulging that personality quirk.

“Fine,” James gritted out, tugging a hand through his hair. “We’ll talk and get naked. Does that make you happy?”

Mandy shrugged, noncommittal. “I’m happier,” she replied. “And as for the crab legs and lobster, I’m getting both. I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot of fuel to keep up with whatever it is you plan on doing once we get home to get out of this conversation.”

James didn’t want to smile – it would only encourage her, of course – but he couldn’t help himself. “I love you, wife.”

Mandy returned the smile and gripped his hand, her expression earnest. “I love you more.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It’s not a competition.”

“Then why do you want to win so desperately?”

Mandy’s grin was rueful. “I already won when I found you,” she explained. “I just want to keep up my winning streak for as long as possible.”

“Cute.” James pressed a kiss to the corner of her upturned mouth. “I still love you more.”

“We’ll see.” Mandy’s tone was breezy.

“We definitely will,” James agreed.

“CAN I ask you a question?”

James groaned as he leaned back on his bed later that evening, a towel wrapped around his waist. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at the ceiling and ignored Mandy as she hovered in the doorway between their master bedroom and bathroom.

“Absolutely not,” James replied, shaking his head. “Get in bed. Don’t bother putting on pajamas either. You’re not going to need them and they’re just going to get in the way when I wake up happy to see you tomorrow morning.”

Mandy wasn’t impressed with his attitude. “I’m being serious.”

“I’m being serious, too,” James said, propping up his head as he stared at his wife. She was naked, the towel she wore from the hot tub into the house resting on the floor. “If you put pajamas on I’m simply going to rip them off when you get over here.”

His grin was mischievous, but Mandy didn’t fall for it. “I want to ask you a question.”

“Baby, you asked me thirty questions in the hot tub,” James reminded her. “It was really hard to concentrate on them because you were naked, too.”

“Would you like me to put on a robe?”

“Absolutely not.”

“James.” Mandy sounded petulant. Sometimes James enjoyed that game because she expected him to kiss the feigned bad mood right out of her. He knew tonight was different, though.