The Marriage List by Jean Joachim Page A

remain angry but couldn't. His kiss stole her
anger away.
    "Stop that," she said, pushing him away.
"You're trying to make me forget."
    "Am I? I thought I was enjoying kissing my
girl," he whispered.
    "This is how you made your money, isn't it?
Sweet talk, charming people into getting your own way."
    "If I had my way, we'd be back in our bedroom
in the cabin doing something completely different than arguing
about a dumb list." His eyes made contact with hers while his hand
touched hers tentatively.
    "So what exactly was that third item on your
list," she asked, casting her gaze at the rock for a second before
looking into his eyes. She linked her pinky with his.
    "Sure you want to know?"
    "I asked, didn't I?" she said, turning angry
eyes on him.
    Grey shifted his weight and cleared his
throat before he explained the third item on the list. Carrie
stared at him in disbelief, then she burst out laughing.
    "I can't believe you've basically told all
your friends and family how I feel about sex…that I'm as horny as a
man. And then you sit there telling me I'm foolish to be
embarrassed!"
    "Oh, I thought you were really laughing
there, for a minute. Actually it is funny if you look at it from a
different perspective…"
    "From what perspective? I can't face the
other three horsemen and your sister…your sister who was too
embarrassed to even make reference to it…and her husband who
probably knows all about it…" Tears spilled over and streamed down
cheeks flushed with humiliation.
    "What's wrong with being sexy?" Grey said,
taking her in his arms.
    "It's private. What goes on between you and
me is private," she stated.
    She gave him token resistance but stopped
when he wouldn't let her go. Carrie loved being in his arms. She
felt safe, loved and protected. She closed her eyes and let those
feelings wash over her again.
    "Let them all be jealous that we are
so…so…compatible," he chuckled.
    "Compatible! You've told them I want sex all
the time! Which isn't true, by the way," she said, then turned her
face into his chest.
    "I never told anyone that…or mentioned
anything we do together. I spoke of you that way and I wouldn't,"
he insisted.
    She burrowed her face into his shoulder while
her breathing returned to normal.
    "Let's not let this ruin our weekend, Carrie.
We're here in this great cabin with Jenna…and I could tell you
plenty of embarrassing things about her…and Bill, too. I just might
if they give you a hard time. Let's be together and be in love,
honey," he said, stroking her hair.
    Carrie was seduced by him as always. His
soothing manner, his sense of humor and his sexy, hard body coupled
with his desire for her…she found him irresistible. When she moved
back and looked up at him, his mouth came down to cover hers in a
passionate kiss.
    "I'll try," she said, wiping her cheek with
her fingers.
    Grey pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket
and dried her tears. He pushed off the rock to his feet then
offered his hand to Carrie. She took it allowing him to pull her
up. They turned to find their way back to the cabin, Grey with his
arm around her shoulders and Carrie with her arm around his
waist.
    They arrived at the cabin to find Jenna and
Bill had put out some cheese and crackers and opened a bottle of
wine. A small fire was getting started in the fireplace. They
turned and looked at Carrie and Grey as they walked in the back
door. Jenna's eyes didn't meet Grey's. Grey took a piece of paper
out of his pocket, wrote something on it and walked over to the
fireplace.
    "Here it is, The List," he said.
    Then he ripped it into pieces and tossed it
into the fire.
    "And I forbid anyone in this room from ever
mentioning it again."
    Bill poured two more glasses of wine and
handed one to Carrie and one to Grey. Then he raised his glass in a
toast. Jenna joined him.
    "I'll drink to that," Bill said, taking a
healthy sip of his wine.

Chapter Thirteen
     
    "When your work schedule calms down, maybe
you can come up to my