postcards from the magazines are floating,
but I wouldn't have guessed the chocolate." He couldn't help himself. He
deliberately moved, ever so slightly, so that his arm rubbed hers.
"Cheap
chocolate."
"Ah."
He noticed that her Kill That Clutter! book
lay on its side looking extremely soggy. Too bad she was taking this disaster
so well. He would have been more than willing to comfort her if she'd been
inconsolable at the loss of this junk. He'd about decided that his former decision,
whether noble, cowardly, or stupid, was a mistake.
Eve
gazed into the washing machine. "I keep thinking of that scene out of Titanic."
"Yeah."
Charlie nodded. "I hated that scene." Agreement caused his shoulder
to bump hers. He longed to run his tongue down the curve of her neck and along
the line of her shoulder. Then he'd nip her very gently before following the ridge
of her collarbone back to the hollow of her throat.
"I hated that scene,
too."
He
thought it was a good sign that they agreed on which scene they hated.
"But the scene in the car, where you see her hand against the steamed-up
glass ..."
"Very
hot." She continued to stare down at the muck in the washing machine, but
her breathing changed. "Have you ever been on a ship?"
"No."
"No
matter where you are, you can still feel the vibration of the engines. I'll
bet they felt it there, in the car, the whole time. Very erotic."
"Mm." Where was a
cruise ship when a guy needed one?
"We
should turn this machine back on and see what happens."
A
working washing machine had been part of his earlier fantasy. He could back
her up against it and they'd both feel that vibration running through them as
they ...
Oh,
hell, what was he thinking? That was the kind of sexual experience that stayed
with a guy forever. One up-against-the-washing-machine moment and he'd give up
on Hoover Dam to stay in Middlesex for the rest of his life. Guaranteed. He
wasn't Rick, so he'd be crazy to try and act like him.
"Let's do it."
Eve reached for the knob.
"Wait."
Charlie had to come up with a way to derail this impulse. Fortunately, he
glimpsed something in the washer. Stuck between the pages of her clutter book
was a type of metal fastener he'd been needing for a repair on his mother's
garbage disposal and he hadn't gotten around to picking one up yet.
He
plucked it out of the glop. "Did you get this for the hovercraft?"
She
paused and looked at him for a full five seconds as the sexual heat budding
between them began to diffuse. "Uh, no. I thought I might need it under
the dashboard, but I don't think it's quite right. I need the next size up,
probably."
"Can I have it?"
"Be
my guest. There's some other hardware stuff in there, too."
"Really?"
"Sure. I'm always
collecting pieces of hardware."
He
gazed at her in wonder. "Don't tell me you're one of those people who get
their kicks strolling through a hardware store."
"Maybe."
She smiled at him, but it was fondness rather than lust in her blue eyes.
" 'Fraid so."
She
really had the most amazing mouth, and he wouldn't have to move very much to
reach it. Just one kiss. A kiss wasn't the same as washing machine sex. He
could handle one little kiss. A haze descended over his brain as he leaned
forward, focusing on that wide, welcoming mouth...
"Oh,
Charlie." She sighed and reached up to cradle his head. The phone she was
holding banged against his ear.
He
reached for it. "Here, let me have that." He was thinking of dropping
it into the washing machine, so it wouldn't ring any more and disturb them.
"Uh-oh!"
She backed away from the machine, which meant backing away from him, too.
"I almost forgot! I have to call Eunice and see if Rick's over
there."
The
haze began to clear from his brain. "Is someone looking for him?"
"Manny
is. He said Rick wasn't answering his cell." Eve punched a number into the
phone.
"Did
you tell him that Rick might be over at Eunice's house?"
"No,
because I didn't want Manny and Kyle running over there. Who knows what's
but I wouldn't have guessed the chocolate." He couldn't help himself. He
deliberately moved, ever so slightly, so that his arm rubbed hers.
"Cheap
chocolate."
"Ah."
He noticed that her Kill That Clutter! book
lay on its side looking extremely soggy. Too bad she was taking this disaster
so well. He would have been more than willing to comfort her if she'd been
inconsolable at the loss of this junk. He'd about decided that his former decision,
whether noble, cowardly, or stupid, was a mistake.
Eve
gazed into the washing machine. "I keep thinking of that scene out of Titanic."
"Yeah."
Charlie nodded. "I hated that scene." Agreement caused his shoulder
to bump hers. He longed to run his tongue down the curve of her neck and along
the line of her shoulder. Then he'd nip her very gently before following the ridge
of her collarbone back to the hollow of her throat.
"I hated that scene,
too."
He
thought it was a good sign that they agreed on which scene they hated.
"But the scene in the car, where you see her hand against the steamed-up
glass ..."
"Very
hot." She continued to stare down at the muck in the washing machine, but
her breathing changed. "Have you ever been on a ship?"
"No."
"No
matter where you are, you can still feel the vibration of the engines. I'll
bet they felt it there, in the car, the whole time. Very erotic."
"Mm." Where was a
cruise ship when a guy needed one?
"We
should turn this machine back on and see what happens."
A
working washing machine had been part of his earlier fantasy. He could back
her up against it and they'd both feel that vibration running through them as
they ...
Oh,
hell, what was he thinking? That was the kind of sexual experience that stayed
with a guy forever. One up-against-the-washing-machine moment and he'd give up
on Hoover Dam to stay in Middlesex for the rest of his life. Guaranteed. He
wasn't Rick, so he'd be crazy to try and act like him.
"Let's do it."
Eve reached for the knob.
"Wait."
Charlie had to come up with a way to derail this impulse. Fortunately, he
glimpsed something in the washer. Stuck between the pages of her clutter book
was a type of metal fastener he'd been needing for a repair on his mother's
garbage disposal and he hadn't gotten around to picking one up yet.
He
plucked it out of the glop. "Did you get this for the hovercraft?"
She
paused and looked at him for a full five seconds as the sexual heat budding
between them began to diffuse. "Uh, no. I thought I might need it under
the dashboard, but I don't think it's quite right. I need the next size up,
probably."
"Can I have it?"
"Be
my guest. There's some other hardware stuff in there, too."
"Really?"
"Sure. I'm always
collecting pieces of hardware."
He
gazed at her in wonder. "Don't tell me you're one of those people who get
their kicks strolling through a hardware store."
"Maybe."
She smiled at him, but it was fondness rather than lust in her blue eyes.
" 'Fraid so."
She
really had the most amazing mouth, and he wouldn't have to move very much to
reach it. Just one kiss. A kiss wasn't the same as washing machine sex. He
could handle one little kiss. A haze descended over his brain as he leaned
forward, focusing on that wide, welcoming mouth...
"Oh,
Charlie." She sighed and reached up to cradle his head. The phone she was
holding banged against his ear.
He
reached for it. "Here, let me have that." He was thinking of dropping
it into the washing machine, so it wouldn't ring any more and disturb them.
"Uh-oh!"
She backed away from the machine, which meant backing away from him, too.
"I almost forgot! I have to call Eunice and see if Rick's over
there."
The
haze began to clear from his brain. "Is someone looking for him?"
"Manny
is. He said Rick wasn't answering his cell." Eve punched a number into the
phone.
"Did
you tell him that Rick might be over at Eunice's house?"
"No,
because I didn't want Manny and Kyle running over there. Who knows what's
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