“I love you. That was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ll show you something sweeter when I get you home,” I say.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: SAM WASHINGTON
When we get home I drag Hugh into the bedroom.
“Do you want to see the greatest thing?” I say.
“Sure, show me what you’ve got there little lady,” he says with a mischievous grin.
“Mhmmm...there will be plenty of time for that after- first I want to show you something I’ve got locked away.” I get out of bed and go to the hallway closet. I take out the box with Owen 2.0. I tiptoe back to the doorway. “Close your eyes,” I say.
“They’re already closed.”
“Keep them closed, then.” I silently stalk across the floor until I’m at his side. When he opens his eyes I wave Owen 2.0 wildly in his face.
“What the hell?” He sits up and puts a pillow over his face. “Keep that thing away from me!”
I feel like if I start laughing I’ll never be able to stop, so instead I swat him across the thighs with Lacey’s gift.
He doesn’t even try not to laugh. He throws the pillow away, grabs the vibrator out of my hands, goes to the window, and dangles it outside. He’s laughing so hard that I’m worried he’s going to fall out. “Get away from the window!” I scream. “You’re going to die!”
He looks at the vibrator. “You really want it that bad?”
“No! I just don’t want you to die, you oaf!”
“Then come clean, quick. Why did I open my eyes to find you wielding this thing at me?”
“Come back to bed. I’ll tell you. You can leave him there.”
“Him?” Hugh smiles, drops the vibrator on the bedroom floor, and comes back to bed. He pulls the covers up to his chin. “I’m just protecting myself, in case you have any more surprises in store for me.”
“No, but I’ll give you the story. Right after I dumped Owen, I had drinks with Lacey.”
“You don’t say.”
“I do. And Lacey, to help me get over my problems, caring soul that she is, gave me a little present.”
“And that’s it, I presume?”
“Oh yeah. Want to hear its name?”
“I assumed it was named Hug
h.”
“Close. That was the gadget formerly known as Owen 2.0.”
Hugh snorts. “I bet Owen would love to hear that. We should have taken it tonight. You could have waved it in his face like you did in mine.”
“But that’s not the real story,” I say. I love it that Hugh can joke this easily. There is nothing like a man who is so secure that he doesn’t need to flaunt or exaggerate his own masculinity.
“Do tell.”
“I’m getting there.” I lean over and give him a kiss. He sighs and burrows deeper into his pillow. “So, you know that night at the cabin when you were out hitting the bag? The first time when I was there?”
“I remember it well. I was out there because there was a woman in my bed upstairs. I wanted to sneak in and do something savage to her.”