sleeping in Jake’s silky pajamas. The very idea gave her a lust attack. She chose one of the sleeping bags and laid it the length of the couch.
“They zip together, you know,” Jake said.
“Not tonight, they don’t.”
Jake started to get undressed.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Getting undressed for bed.”
“Aren’t you going to turn off the light? Aren’t you going to wear pajamas? Don’t you have to brush your teeth, or something?”
“Nope.”
“Terrific.” She jumped into her sleeping bag and turned her face to the back of the couch.
“I thought you liked watching men undress,” Jake said, smiling, enjoying the moment.
Berry grunted and burrowed deeper into her bag.
“Last chance to look,” he offered in a loud whisper.
“Oh! Ugh!”
Jake made some chicken sounds, flicked the light switch, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Too bad she wouldn’t look, he thought. He was wearing his boxers with the big red hearts and pink cupids. His sister had given them to him as a gag Valentine’s Day present, and they’d become his instant favorite. They were awesome.
Berry listened to him position his own bag as close as possible to the couch. There was a rustle of material and the sound of a zipper. In a short time the room was filled with quiet, regular breathing. He was asleep. What nerve! She peeked over the side of the couch and watched him.
He was wickedly tasty-looking, and she had to admit, he really did bring out her voyeuristic tendencies. He also was beginning to bring outother tendencies—like maternal instincts, wifely musings, and lonely dissatisfactions. There was more to this than sex, Berry realized. True, there was an instant magnetism between them, but it would have died a quick death if she hadn’t liked him. He was kind. He was fun. He was brave.
She tapped his bare shoulder.
“Mmmm?”
“Jake, are you awake?”
“I am now.”
“Why do you want to make love with me?”
There was a soft groan. “You woke me up to ask me that?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s like asking someone why they want to climb a mountain, and they say because it’s there.”
The instant he said it he knew it was wrong. What he meant to say was that she came into his life and it was love at first sight. And if not first sight, definitely second sight. He had no clue where the mountain-climbing thing came from. He must have been dreaming about Everest.
“Jeez Louise,” Berry said. “I’m just some mountain to conquer.”
“No! That’s not what I meant. You woke me up. I wasn’t thinking right.”
“Me either,” Berry said. “Criminy, I’m such a dope.” I actually was liking this guy, Berry thought. I was getting all gushy inside thinking about us together. And now it turns out I’m a mountain !
Jake stared into the darkness. Gonna take some work to dig myself out of this one, he thought.
Slam!
Berry awoke with a jolt and sat up in her sleeping bag.
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Jake opened one eye and looked at Berry. “We have elephants upstairs? The circus come into town last night while I was asleep?”
“I think the ladies are up.”
Jake looked at his watch. “It’s five-twenty.”
The lights flashed on upstairs, and footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Jake groaned, crawled out of his sleeping bag, and stepped into the clothes he’d dropped on the floor the night before. He flipped the light switch, and Mrs. Fitz stood blinking at them.She wore her new flannel nightgown and pink furry slippers, and her hair stood straight out from her head.
“Lord,” Jake whispered to Berry, “she looks like she’s been electrocuted.”
Berry bit her lip. “Something wrong, Mrs. Fitz?”
“I need tea.” And she shuffled off toward the kitchen.
Next, Mrs. Dugan stomped down the stairs, gave Berry and Jake a cursory glance, and huffed after Mrs. Fitz. There was a flurry of banging pots and clattering silverware from the kitchen. A few
“They zip together, you know,” Jake said.
“Not tonight, they don’t.”
Jake started to get undressed.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Getting undressed for bed.”
“Aren’t you going to turn off the light? Aren’t you going to wear pajamas? Don’t you have to brush your teeth, or something?”
“Nope.”
“Terrific.” She jumped into her sleeping bag and turned her face to the back of the couch.
“I thought you liked watching men undress,” Jake said, smiling, enjoying the moment.
Berry grunted and burrowed deeper into her bag.
“Last chance to look,” he offered in a loud whisper.
“Oh! Ugh!”
Jake made some chicken sounds, flicked the light switch, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Too bad she wouldn’t look, he thought. He was wearing his boxers with the big red hearts and pink cupids. His sister had given them to him as a gag Valentine’s Day present, and they’d become his instant favorite. They were awesome.
Berry listened to him position his own bag as close as possible to the couch. There was a rustle of material and the sound of a zipper. In a short time the room was filled with quiet, regular breathing. He was asleep. What nerve! She peeked over the side of the couch and watched him.
He was wickedly tasty-looking, and she had to admit, he really did bring out her voyeuristic tendencies. He also was beginning to bring outother tendencies—like maternal instincts, wifely musings, and lonely dissatisfactions. There was more to this than sex, Berry realized. True, there was an instant magnetism between them, but it would have died a quick death if she hadn’t liked him. He was kind. He was fun. He was brave.
She tapped his bare shoulder.
“Mmmm?”
“Jake, are you awake?”
“I am now.”
“Why do you want to make love with me?”
There was a soft groan. “You woke me up to ask me that?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s like asking someone why they want to climb a mountain, and they say because it’s there.”
The instant he said it he knew it was wrong. What he meant to say was that she came into his life and it was love at first sight. And if not first sight, definitely second sight. He had no clue where the mountain-climbing thing came from. He must have been dreaming about Everest.
“Jeez Louise,” Berry said. “I’m just some mountain to conquer.”
“No! That’s not what I meant. You woke me up. I wasn’t thinking right.”
“Me either,” Berry said. “Criminy, I’m such a dope.” I actually was liking this guy, Berry thought. I was getting all gushy inside thinking about us together. And now it turns out I’m a mountain !
Jake stared into the darkness. Gonna take some work to dig myself out of this one, he thought.
Slam!
Berry awoke with a jolt and sat up in her sleeping bag.
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Jake opened one eye and looked at Berry. “We have elephants upstairs? The circus come into town last night while I was asleep?”
“I think the ladies are up.”
Jake looked at his watch. “It’s five-twenty.”
The lights flashed on upstairs, and footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Jake groaned, crawled out of his sleeping bag, and stepped into the clothes he’d dropped on the floor the night before. He flipped the light switch, and Mrs. Fitz stood blinking at them.She wore her new flannel nightgown and pink furry slippers, and her hair stood straight out from her head.
“Lord,” Jake whispered to Berry, “she looks like she’s been electrocuted.”
Berry bit her lip. “Something wrong, Mrs. Fitz?”
“I need tea.” And she shuffled off toward the kitchen.
Next, Mrs. Dugan stomped down the stairs, gave Berry and Jake a cursory glance, and huffed after Mrs. Fitz. There was a flurry of banging pots and clattering silverware from the kitchen. A few
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