Page 75

Mari laughed and then clapped her hand over her mouth, remembering suddenly that Buck had fallen asleep next to her.

Mari turned on her back and saw that the bed was empty.

It was a letdown.

A sudden emptiness that settled in her chest. Looking over the edge of the bed onto the floor, Heath’s clothes were missing.

I guess he really did leave.

“Mari?”

“Hmm?”

Reiko’s tone had gone from a wincing groan to something softer, more sedate.

“You okay?”

What could she say to that?

I had sex last night and he’s gone now.

I thought he’d stay.

Neither one was something she wanted to say no matter how real her thoughts were.

“Mari?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” She felt her back teeth grind together.

“That wasn’t convincing at all.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a big girl and I can deal with it.”

A soft, deep voice came through the phone. “You want me to make you breakfast?”

Mari smiled in spite of how she felt.

Reiko’s morning was going better than her own.

“Mari, I-”

“You go have breakfast. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Uh…”

Before Reiko could say anything more, Mari ended the call and put the phone back down on the bedside table.

Turning onto her back in bed, she moaned a little.

She was tender in a few places.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

Reaching out her hand she picked up the pillow that Heath had used the night before and wrapped her arms around it.

It smelled like him. Some kind of soap with a clean, fresh scent.

And something herbal, like a soft mint or something similar.