Anne made a gagging noise. “They’re practically feral. The thing I have to deal with most often is when they refuse to shower or wear deodorant. It’s truly rank.”
“Yep.” Peggy stabbed a figure at Gabe. “This one and his brother both. I was so glad when they got their first girlfriends. They started to groom better.”
Anne turned to him, sniffing the air. “Deodorant does a body good.”
“There’s been a couple of decades between me and my feral stage. You know I shower.” It was a slightly risqué comment, since she’d seen him shower, but his parents didn’t know that for sure.
A tiny smile curled Anne’s lips, and the impish little glimmer in her gaze was just for him. He winked at her.
Of course, he caught the smug look his mother shot his father. Vince waggled his eyebrows in return. “Want to make sure I shower, Peggy? Or should I go feral on you?”
“Race you to the cabin.” His mom hopped up, slung her pants over her arm, and grabbed a bowl of the strawberries and whipped cream that was served for dessert.
Gabe closed his eyes and stuck his fingers in his ears, imitating his teenaged self. “Lalalala, can’t hear you. This isn’t happening. Nope, nope, nope.”
His mother’s perfume surrounded him and then she smooched his forehead. It was muffled, but he heard her say, “Good night, dear. If genetics are good to you, you’ll still be able to get it up like your dad when you’re his age.”
What issued from his throat was remarkably like the noise of a wounded, dying animal. He pulled his fingers away and cautiously opened his eyes. “Are they gone yet?”
Anne nodded, a mix of sympathy and unholy glee filling her expression. “Where’s your trauma level? On a scale of one to ten.”
“Eleven and a half,” he replied drily.
“Fair enough.” She waved a hand toward the buffet. “I think they have champagne to go with the strawberries. Booze helps sometimes when parents inflict this kind of torment on their children.”
She sounded like she spoke from experience, but he’d found she was rather reluctant to discuss her family dynamic, and he didn’t feel like playing her guru tonight. He had better things in mind. “No bubbly for me. I’d rather you distract me in other ways.”
Her gaze met his, no coyness, no hesitation. She said baldly, “Come back to my room.”
“Yes.” He stood, tossing his napkin aside. She slung her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.
At his incredulous glance, she shrugged. “What? We can’t have them showing us up, can we?”
He shuddered. “I’m refusing to think about it.”
“Me too, but I have no problem borrowing a good idea.” She flashed him the kind of come-hither glance that he’d follow anywhere. “Let’s go.”
She exited the dining room with a purposeful stride that would tell no one she was headed for some naughty, full-frontal shagging. Though at this point, it was basically an open secret they were lovers. The boat wasn’t that big and gossip traveled fast. Keeping anything discreet was a problem, and several passengers had seen him leaving her room early in the mornings. Anne didn’t seem to mind that people knew, and he certainly didn’t care what anyone thought of his sex life. They were both single, healthy, consenting adults. There were no rules against their affair. End of discussion.
After handing him the bowl of dessert, she fished inside her purse for her cardkey. A quick swipe and they were through the door. He deposited the strawberries on the nightstand, then went into the bathroom to raid their stash of condoms. When he came back, she’d already stripped down to her underwear.
She pursed her lips. “No sense waiting. Let’s get to the good part.”
“I like you so much.” He grinned and she wrinkled her nose, her standard expression when she was pleased but didn’t want to make a big deal of it.
“Likewise, Warren. Take off your
“Yep.” Peggy stabbed a figure at Gabe. “This one and his brother both. I was so glad when they got their first girlfriends. They started to groom better.”
Anne turned to him, sniffing the air. “Deodorant does a body good.”
“There’s been a couple of decades between me and my feral stage. You know I shower.” It was a slightly risqué comment, since she’d seen him shower, but his parents didn’t know that for sure.
A tiny smile curled Anne’s lips, and the impish little glimmer in her gaze was just for him. He winked at her.
Of course, he caught the smug look his mother shot his father. Vince waggled his eyebrows in return. “Want to make sure I shower, Peggy? Or should I go feral on you?”
“Race you to the cabin.” His mom hopped up, slung her pants over her arm, and grabbed a bowl of the strawberries and whipped cream that was served for dessert.
Gabe closed his eyes and stuck his fingers in his ears, imitating his teenaged self. “Lalalala, can’t hear you. This isn’t happening. Nope, nope, nope.”
His mother’s perfume surrounded him and then she smooched his forehead. It was muffled, but he heard her say, “Good night, dear. If genetics are good to you, you’ll still be able to get it up like your dad when you’re his age.”
What issued from his throat was remarkably like the noise of a wounded, dying animal. He pulled his fingers away and cautiously opened his eyes. “Are they gone yet?”
Anne nodded, a mix of sympathy and unholy glee filling her expression. “Where’s your trauma level? On a scale of one to ten.”
“Eleven and a half,” he replied drily.
“Fair enough.” She waved a hand toward the buffet. “I think they have champagne to go with the strawberries. Booze helps sometimes when parents inflict this kind of torment on their children.”
She sounded like she spoke from experience, but he’d found she was rather reluctant to discuss her family dynamic, and he didn’t feel like playing her guru tonight. He had better things in mind. “No bubbly for me. I’d rather you distract me in other ways.”
Her gaze met his, no coyness, no hesitation. She said baldly, “Come back to my room.”
“Yes.” He stood, tossing his napkin aside. She slung her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.
At his incredulous glance, she shrugged. “What? We can’t have them showing us up, can we?”
He shuddered. “I’m refusing to think about it.”
“Me too, but I have no problem borrowing a good idea.” She flashed him the kind of come-hither glance that he’d follow anywhere. “Let’s go.”
She exited the dining room with a purposeful stride that would tell no one she was headed for some naughty, full-frontal shagging. Though at this point, it was basically an open secret they were lovers. The boat wasn’t that big and gossip traveled fast. Keeping anything discreet was a problem, and several passengers had seen him leaving her room early in the mornings. Anne didn’t seem to mind that people knew, and he certainly didn’t care what anyone thought of his sex life. They were both single, healthy, consenting adults. There were no rules against their affair. End of discussion.
After handing him the bowl of dessert, she fished inside her purse for her cardkey. A quick swipe and they were through the door. He deposited the strawberries on the nightstand, then went into the bathroom to raid their stash of condoms. When he came back, she’d already stripped down to her underwear.
She pursed her lips. “No sense waiting. Let’s get to the good part.”
“I like you so much.” He grinned and she wrinkled her nose, her standard expression when she was pleased but didn’t want to make a big deal of it.
“Likewise, Warren. Take off your
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