Eve - Iris Johansen [29]
“It’s time we left,” John said. “You said that you wanted to be back by five.” He used his teeth in a last teasing kiss and lifted his head. “Now or never.”
She sat up and shook her head to clear it of sleep. “I must have been sleeping hard.”
“It was the rain.” He smiled. “And other things.” He pulled her from the bed and sent her to the bathroom with a slap on her derriere. “Ten minutes.”
She was out in seven and carefully packed the silk wrap in her bag. “Thank you again for this.”
“Oh, I enjoyed it.”
She remembered the feel of the silk against her breasts. “So did I.” She moved toward the door. “Let’s go.”
The rain had stopped, but it was still misty as they reached the car.
She cast a look back at the motel.
“It wasn’t so bad, was it?” John asked as he intercepted her glance. “It’s just a place. We made what we wanted of it.”
And what they had made was a wild and unforgettable sensual memory. “Not bad at all.” She got into the passenger seat. “But I still like the reservoir better. Maybe it won’t rain tonight.”
He got into the car. “It had better not. I want it right. We don’t have that much time left.”
She stiffened, her gaze flying to his face. “How long? When do you have to report for basic training?”
“Four days.” He started the car. “We both knew it was coming.”
Yes, but she must have blocked out the approach of the inevitable ending. “Where are they sending you?”
“I’m not sure. I signed up in Milwaukee, so I have to go back there. They’ll probably send me to a camp in Wisconsin.” He frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it.”
“But you are thinking about it, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.” She drew her sweater closer to her body. “And we should think about it. It’s going to take a little time to get used to the idea. It feels … different than it did when we first talked about it.”
“Then you think about it,” he said roughly. “Tear it apart and tell yourself how smart and practical we’re being. All I can think about right now is that next week I’m not going to be making love to you.”
“It isn’t making love.”
“Whatever. Screwing you. Any word you want to use. It’s the same result.” He was silent a moment. “What if it is making love? Neither of us knows what that’s like. What if this is it?”
“Just because it seems different? It has to be because we just know each other better.”
“Maybe.” His hands were tightening on the steering wheel. “Yeah, but it does feel different. And I don’t like it.”
She didn’t know how she would feel after he was gone, either. Her body had become so accustomed to him that it he seemed part of her. “We have four days.”
“Big deal.” Then he grimaced. “I’m acting like a kid. Like I said, I didn’t expect to feel like this.” He looked at her. “Chemistry is supposed to wear away. It didn’t do it. We need more time.”
“Well, we don’t have it.”
He was silent. “Maybe you could come with me and stay near the camp.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “So I could put my life on hold and make myself available to you? Hell, no.”
“Okay, I know I was out of line. I’m not thinking too clear.”
She wasn’t thinking clearly, either. For an instant, she had actually considered it. No, not considered. There wasn’t anything that resembled cool consideration in the way she was feeling. “And I’d be interfering in your life, too. I won’t do that, and I won’t give up my plans to follow you around and be your private whore.” She was shaking. “Someday you’d leave me, and I’d end up somewhere in another development like the one where I grew up. That’s not for me. We do what we said we’d do. It’s over when you get on that plane and go off to basic training.”
He muttered a curse and didn’t speak for a long moment. Finally, he said quietly, “Okay. I know I’m not being fair. I’m reaching out and grabbing what I want. I told you once that you couldn’t trust me if I wanted something bad enough.” He glanced away from her. “I’m even tempted to try to persuade you to do what I want. I might be able to do it. I have those four days, and I have some pretty potent weapons on my