trickled down to her bare legs. "Next time maybe you'll get up when I tell you."
"I'm not dressed! You have to let me get my clothes. And I need makeup. My hair—I have to brush my teeth!"
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a flattened pack of Dentyne.
She snatched it from him, and as she took out a piece and put it in her mouth, last night's events replayed in her mind. She searched his face for some sign of remorse but saw none. She was too tired and depressed to pick another quarrel, but if she just let it go, everything would still be on his terms.
"It's going to be hard for me to fit in here after what happened last night."
"You're going to have a hard time fitting in no matter what."
"I'm your wife," she said quietly, "and you're not the only one who has pride.
You publicly embarrassed me last night, and I didn't deserve it."
He said nothing, and if it hadn't been for the slight tightening at the corners of his mouth, she might have believed he hadn't heard her.
She removed the gum from her mouth and folded it in the wrapper. "Please pull off the road so I can get my things from the trailer."
"You had your chance, and you blew it."
"I wasn't awake."
"I warned you."
"You're like a robot. You don't have any human feelings at all, do you?" She tugged on the bottom of
the T-shirt, which kept hitching up.
His gaze settled in her lap. "Oh, I've got human feelings. But maybe not the ones you want to hear about right now."
She busied herself trying to adjust the T-shirt. "I want my clothes."
"I woke you in plenty of time to get dressed."
"I mean it, Alex. This isn't funny. I'm practically naked."
"You don't have to tell me that."
Maybe if she'd had more sleep, she wouldn't have felt so snappish. ''Am I turning you on?'
"Yep."
She hadn't expected that. She thought he'd give her one of his put-downs.
Recovering from her surprise, she glared at him. "Well, that's too bad because I'm not interested. In case you haven't heard, the brain is the most important sexual organ, and my brain isn't interested in having anything to do with you."
"Your brain?"
"I do have one."
"I never said you didn't."
"Your tone inplied it. I'm not stupid, Alex. My education may have been unorthodox, but it was amazingly comprehensive."
"Your father doesn't seem to agree."
"I know. He likes telling everyone I'm badly educated because mother used to take me out of school so much. But if she was going on an interesting trip, she believed I'd benefit if I went along. Sometimes a few months would pass before she'd remember to send me back. Even then, she didn't always return me to the same school she'd taken me out of, but she still made sure I was learning."
"How did she do that?"
"She'd ask whoever she was visiting or entertaining to spend some time with me and teach me a little of what they knew."
"I thought your mother hung out with rock stars."
"I did learn a lot about hallucinogenics."
"I'll bet."
"But she spent time with a lot of other people, too. Princess Margaret taught me most of what I know about the history of the British royal family."
He stared at her "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. And she wasn't the only one. I was raised around some of the most famous people in the world." Only the fact that she didn't want him to think she was bragging kept her from mentioning the rather spectacular scores she'd received on her SATs. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop making your little digs about my intelligence. Anytime you want to discuss Plato, I'm game."
"I've read Plato," he said, with a gratifying degree of defensiveness.
"In Greek?"
After that, they rode in silence until Daisy eventually dozed off. In her sleep, she searched for a comfortable pillow and found it on Alex's shoulder.
A stray lock of her hair flipped up in the breeze and grazed his lips. He let it play there for a while, brushing across his mouth and jaw. She smelled sweet and expensive, like wild-flowers growing in the middle of a jewelry
"I'm not dressed! You have to let me get my clothes. And I need makeup. My hair—I have to brush my teeth!"
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a flattened pack of Dentyne.
She snatched it from him, and as she took out a piece and put it in her mouth, last night's events replayed in her mind. She searched his face for some sign of remorse but saw none. She was too tired and depressed to pick another quarrel, but if she just let it go, everything would still be on his terms.
"It's going to be hard for me to fit in here after what happened last night."
"You're going to have a hard time fitting in no matter what."
"I'm your wife," she said quietly, "and you're not the only one who has pride.
You publicly embarrassed me last night, and I didn't deserve it."
He said nothing, and if it hadn't been for the slight tightening at the corners of his mouth, she might have believed he hadn't heard her.
She removed the gum from her mouth and folded it in the wrapper. "Please pull off the road so I can get my things from the trailer."
"You had your chance, and you blew it."
"I wasn't awake."
"I warned you."
"You're like a robot. You don't have any human feelings at all, do you?" She tugged on the bottom of
the T-shirt, which kept hitching up.
His gaze settled in her lap. "Oh, I've got human feelings. But maybe not the ones you want to hear about right now."
She busied herself trying to adjust the T-shirt. "I want my clothes."
"I woke you in plenty of time to get dressed."
"I mean it, Alex. This isn't funny. I'm practically naked."
"You don't have to tell me that."
Maybe if she'd had more sleep, she wouldn't have felt so snappish. ''Am I turning you on?'
"Yep."
She hadn't expected that. She thought he'd give her one of his put-downs.
Recovering from her surprise, she glared at him. "Well, that's too bad because I'm not interested. In case you haven't heard, the brain is the most important sexual organ, and my brain isn't interested in having anything to do with you."
"Your brain?"
"I do have one."
"I never said you didn't."
"Your tone inplied it. I'm not stupid, Alex. My education may have been unorthodox, but it was amazingly comprehensive."
"Your father doesn't seem to agree."
"I know. He likes telling everyone I'm badly educated because mother used to take me out of school so much. But if she was going on an interesting trip, she believed I'd benefit if I went along. Sometimes a few months would pass before she'd remember to send me back. Even then, she didn't always return me to the same school she'd taken me out of, but she still made sure I was learning."
"How did she do that?"
"She'd ask whoever she was visiting or entertaining to spend some time with me and teach me a little of what they knew."
"I thought your mother hung out with rock stars."
"I did learn a lot about hallucinogenics."
"I'll bet."
"But she spent time with a lot of other people, too. Princess Margaret taught me most of what I know about the history of the British royal family."
He stared at her "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. And she wasn't the only one. I was raised around some of the most famous people in the world." Only the fact that she didn't want him to think she was bragging kept her from mentioning the rather spectacular scores she'd received on her SATs. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop making your little digs about my intelligence. Anytime you want to discuss Plato, I'm game."
"I've read Plato," he said, with a gratifying degree of defensiveness.
"In Greek?"
After that, they rode in silence until Daisy eventually dozed off. In her sleep, she searched for a comfortable pillow and found it on Alex's shoulder.
A stray lock of her hair flipped up in the breeze and grazed his lips. He let it play there for a while, brushing across his mouth and jaw. She smelled sweet and expensive, like wild-flowers growing in the middle of a jewelry
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