Page 84 of The Score

"Okay, here goes." She clears her throat. "You were right. Quitting was a great idea."

I smirk. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me without arguing."

"Oh, shush!" She laughs, hard. "As if."

I chuckle. "What made you see the light?"

My eyes dart to her reflection on the window, but I blink and look away.

"I wouldn't have had time to take my parents everywhere had I been working. Today alone we had two appointments for my dad and my DNA test."

I smile. Despite how difficult things have been emotionally since the wedding, this is one wonderful thing resulting from it all. It helps with the nerves about her dad's situation, and the unpredictability surrounding everything.

"Good," I say. "Take some time and recover. Cart your parents around, spend time with them, then rest. You'll figure out what comes next another time."

"I suppose that sounds about right."

Fully clean and appropriately cold, I turn off the water. Soon I've dried up enough, and wrap my hips in my towel.

I round the wall, and find Pen leaning close to her reflection, tweezers in hand.

"Oh," she says. "Right on time."

Her eyes travel over my form in the mirror. I try not to make much of it. I simply reach for my moisturizer and rub some on my face. She follows my movements as if mesmerized.

"Your turn?" I ask.

I'm losing my cool, and this is dangerous at another level. Better for everyone if she gets going and we keep busy. I have enough wisdom to know that.

She straightens and nods. "Yeah. Yes. Well. Don't want to be late!"

Pen leaves the tweezer on the counter. Like we've been doing this for years, she rounds the wall and disappears into the shower area. Before I know what'shappening, she's throwing pieces of clothing onto the floor, right where I can see them.

She's getting naked just a few steps away from me… and all I want to do is round the damn wall and help her. Touch her. Kiss her. Please, I have to kiss her.

This pang in my chest— it glows. It grows. It gives me away.

Fuck.

I close my eyes. My hands land on the counter. My head hangs between my shoulders. Whatever I've been trying to tell myself goes out the window. My reasoning had been shallow and skin deep. I'd placed my hopes in it, but it only took some basic intimacy to show me how wrong I've been.

The truth is, I'm looking at Pen like a friend never would. That line I knew so well between us got blurred on our wedding day. I've been trying to keep it all caged but to no avail. And no matter what I try to read or how many shows I stop watching, my heart doesn't believe my alibis.

Hell, that organ doesn't care. It sees the kiss we shared and screams at me. And now I'm too aware of all the ways in which I want to have my wife.

The kiss, the need, the desire… they're all mixed, and they all have to do with Pen.

I can't let this affect us, but how the fuck do you contain an explosion?