seemed to resemble bacon. “How’d you do that?” he asked suspiciously.
“I’ve got long arms,” she said. “They reach all the way to the galley.” She stopped and it was her turn to be suspicious. “Say, who do you think’s in here with you?”
Cain turned his head, grinning lazily. The lips were just under his nose now. Lisa’s eyes were dreamily half open. Since her lips were so convenient, Cain kissed them. Half asleep, he enjoyed the sensation. He kept on enjoying it until he felt an arm reach up and grasp his head and draw his face down hard.
After a moment he sat up with a yelp. He was wide awake. “Stop that. I was just saying good morning, damn it.”
“You’re so utterly moral, Cain,” she said. She sounded as if she were wallowing in luxury. “I wonder who’s making those good smells for us.”
“The cops, probably. They want us to be strong when they give us the works.” Cain lay down again. It was a chilly day, overcast, and the blankets felt good. He snuggled under the covers, enjoying the warmth of Lisa. He wasn’t awake after all or he wouldn’t have just lain there calmly. But after last night, there was no point in running.
Lisa said, “I suppose you’d better marry me now that we’re so thoroughly compromised.”
“Coffee and bacon,” she said sniffing again.
“You’re already married,” he said. Only his forehead was out of the covers.
“We can go to Idaho. What’s a little bigamy in Idaho?”
“There aren’t any laws in Idaho,” Cain admitted. His voice was muffled by the blankets. “But that’s no reason to go there and get married.”
“Married people don’t have to testify against each other.”
“Uhm,” Cain said. “It’s a thought.”
“Do you want to marry me, Cain?”
“No,” Cain said.
“Do you want to eat breakfast?”
Cain’s head came out like a gopher out of a hole, the last question having been asked by a different voice. He twisted around and saw the bright, wide-awake features of Honor Ryerson peering down from above.
“It’s ready, cap’n. And it’s past noon, so get up and eat.”
Cain looked again at Honor and then felt the comfortable warm lump of Lisa at his side. He said, “Er …” He took a deep breath. “On deck?”
“Not in bed,” she said flatly. “And the sun is trying to come out.” The doors closed, plunging them into semi-darkness.
Cain said, “Two tickets to Idaho coming up. Turn around,” and bounced out and grabbed his clothes and wriggled into them. Then he did a broad jump over the bunk, landed in front of the head and popped in. When he came out Lisa was dressed and the bunk was folded back. She took her toothbrush and disappeared. Cain stripped quickly, put on swimming trunks, grabbed a towel, and went on deck. The sun was indeed coming out, burning away the clouds and lying warm and pleasant over the faintly ruffled surface of the water.
He dived over the railing, splitting the water cleanly, took a few underwater strokes, surfaced, blew, and stroked back to the boat. He climbed on board, towelled himself, and grinned at the bright day. Honor was busily and silently setting breakfast on the portable deck table.
“Swim always sets me up for breakfast,” he ventured.
“Other things too, no doubt,” she said icily.
“Now, look …”
“I know,” she said. “There’s only one bed and you both were tired and you slept.”
“That’s the truth.”
She turned and an impish grin was on her features. “Knowing you, Cain, I couldn’t doubt it. Besides, it’s not my business.”
Lisa came on deck and Cain went down to dress. He hurried, not knowing quite how Lisa and Honor were going to react on one another after this. Lisa was regally sipping orange juice when he arrived and Honor came up and slammed a plate of toast on the table and sat down.
The breakfast was superb. Cain commented on the bacon, the eggs, the coffee, until Lisa urgently thrust a piece of toast whole into his
“I’ve got long arms,” she said. “They reach all the way to the galley.” She stopped and it was her turn to be suspicious. “Say, who do you think’s in here with you?”
Cain turned his head, grinning lazily. The lips were just under his nose now. Lisa’s eyes were dreamily half open. Since her lips were so convenient, Cain kissed them. Half asleep, he enjoyed the sensation. He kept on enjoying it until he felt an arm reach up and grasp his head and draw his face down hard.
After a moment he sat up with a yelp. He was wide awake. “Stop that. I was just saying good morning, damn it.”
“You’re so utterly moral, Cain,” she said. She sounded as if she were wallowing in luxury. “I wonder who’s making those good smells for us.”
“The cops, probably. They want us to be strong when they give us the works.” Cain lay down again. It was a chilly day, overcast, and the blankets felt good. He snuggled under the covers, enjoying the warmth of Lisa. He wasn’t awake after all or he wouldn’t have just lain there calmly. But after last night, there was no point in running.
Lisa said, “I suppose you’d better marry me now that we’re so thoroughly compromised.”
“Coffee and bacon,” she said sniffing again.
“You’re already married,” he said. Only his forehead was out of the covers.
“We can go to Idaho. What’s a little bigamy in Idaho?”
“There aren’t any laws in Idaho,” Cain admitted. His voice was muffled by the blankets. “But that’s no reason to go there and get married.”
“Married people don’t have to testify against each other.”
“Uhm,” Cain said. “It’s a thought.”
“Do you want to marry me, Cain?”
“No,” Cain said.
“Do you want to eat breakfast?”
Cain’s head came out like a gopher out of a hole, the last question having been asked by a different voice. He twisted around and saw the bright, wide-awake features of Honor Ryerson peering down from above.
“It’s ready, cap’n. And it’s past noon, so get up and eat.”
Cain looked again at Honor and then felt the comfortable warm lump of Lisa at his side. He said, “Er …” He took a deep breath. “On deck?”
“Not in bed,” she said flatly. “And the sun is trying to come out.” The doors closed, plunging them into semi-darkness.
Cain said, “Two tickets to Idaho coming up. Turn around,” and bounced out and grabbed his clothes and wriggled into them. Then he did a broad jump over the bunk, landed in front of the head and popped in. When he came out Lisa was dressed and the bunk was folded back. She took her toothbrush and disappeared. Cain stripped quickly, put on swimming trunks, grabbed a towel, and went on deck. The sun was indeed coming out, burning away the clouds and lying warm and pleasant over the faintly ruffled surface of the water.
He dived over the railing, splitting the water cleanly, took a few underwater strokes, surfaced, blew, and stroked back to the boat. He climbed on board, towelled himself, and grinned at the bright day. Honor was busily and silently setting breakfast on the portable deck table.
“Swim always sets me up for breakfast,” he ventured.
“Other things too, no doubt,” she said icily.
“Now, look …”
“I know,” she said. “There’s only one bed and you both were tired and you slept.”
“That’s the truth.”
She turned and an impish grin was on her features. “Knowing you, Cain, I couldn’t doubt it. Besides, it’s not my business.”
Lisa came on deck and Cain went down to dress. He hurried, not knowing quite how Lisa and Honor were going to react on one another after this. Lisa was regally sipping orange juice when he arrived and Honor came up and slammed a plate of toast on the table and sat down.
The breakfast was superb. Cain commented on the bacon, the eggs, the coffee, until Lisa urgently thrust a piece of toast whole into his
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