Along Came Trouble(58)

It was kind of fun.

“So we have a deal?” he said at last.

“Let’s hear it.”

One more time, he ticked off each item on his fingers. “Lots of sex. Sleepovers allowed, but only when Henry’s not home. Dates to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, but not this weekend, and not if they interfere with your work.”

She interrupted him. “And both parties to agree they’re meaningless.”

He shook his head. “I’m not agreeing to the meaninglessness of anything, Ellen. You think what you want. I’ll think what I want.”

“And never the twain shall meet.”

“We’ll see about that.” Touching his ring finger, he said, “I can ask you personal questions, but only one per orgasm, and no saving them up to ask a bunch at once. I have to ask them within an hour, or they expire. You can ask me personal questions whenever you want—”

“But I won’t.”

“—and I’ll answer them. Quit interrupting me. I can interact with Henry as I see fit, under your supervision, provided I promise not to become his new best friend and then abandon him, which I would never do anyway, because it would be cruel. Oh, and I’m not allowed to give him presents.”

“You’re not allowed to give either of us presents.”

“Right. All gifts are forbidden. Did I miss anything?”

“We’re not going to call it ‘making love.’”

He sighed. “You’re going to make a thing out of that?”

“Yes.”

“All right. What do you want to call it, ‘nookie’?”

She laughed. Even when she was exhausted, wrung out from lack of sleep and a stressful day, from hot sex and waging war, Caleb could make her laugh. She liked him. He was a good guy. A sexy, funny, smart, solid guy. Also, a piranha.

“I was thinking ‘boffing.’”

He rose onto his hands and knees and started crawling toward her. “Yeah, because that’s sexy. C’mere, baby. I wanna boff you.”

She giggled. “How about, ‘Let’s make whoopie’?”

“Sounds like you want to bake a cake.” He straddled her thighs and kneeled above her. “I want to play hide the bone.”

“That’s gross.” She smacked his chest, and he captured her hand in his.

“I promise, it wouldn’t be gross. It would be a lot better than gross.” Kissing her fingertips, he added, “But we’re out of condoms, and you need some sleep. I’m going to head home. In just a minute.”

He took her head in his hand and kissed her, gently and slowly and quite thoroughly, and by the time he was done she was ready to let him call it whatever he liked if he’d just stick around for some more of it. But he was already pulling away.

“It’s been a pleasure negotiating with you, Lawyer Callahan. I’ll be back in the morning.”

She watched him put on his shirt. Watched his capable fingers work the buttons, untie his empty shoes, put them on, and lace them up again. He smiled at her from the doorway, telling her to lock up after him, and she smiled back and sank down the headboard into the pile of pillows behind her and stared as he disappeared down the dark hallway.

Two thoughts chased each other around in her head.

When they’d been negotiating, he could have kissed her like that anytime he wanted, and she would have given in. But he hadn’t.

And also, now that he was leaving, she really didn’t want him to go.



Caleb stopped at the end of the drive to talk to Cassie and Eric. He’d tucked his shirt in before leaving the house, but given the fact that Ellen had come outside scantily clad earlier and then the two of them had disappeared indoors . . . Well, it was none of their business anyway.

“Everything quiet out here?”

Cassie yawned. “It’s been a nonstop party since you went in there, boss. Chicks with Mardi Gras beads, guys rolling pony kegs down the street. You wouldn’t believe it.”

Frowning, Eric said, “We had a couple cars down here to turn around, but that’s it.”

A mid-career cop Caleb had lured off the force, Eric took the job seriously. Cassie was younger, one of Katie’s friends, lively and smart. He’d wondered before if he’d made the right decision hiring her. Eric had never complained, and Cassie did have some experience working as a mall cop, but Caleb suspected she talked too much, and when she was talking, she wasn’t watching and listening, which is what he paid her to do.