Nobody's Baby but Mine(61)

“Time for good ol’ Goofy to make himself scarce so the grown-ups can play.”

“I don’t want to play with you, and don’t you dare try to pull off my nightshirt, you arrogant ass!”

The mattress sagged as he straddled her thighs. “And you’ve got a very nice one yourself, I couldn’t help but notice. What say we take a closer look?” He reached for the hem of the nightshirt.

“Don’t, Cal.” She slapped her hands down, but even as she pressed the garment to her thighs, she knew she wanted to let him take it off her. Why couldn’t she? They were married, weren’t they?

Still straddling her, he leaned back on his right calf. “You don’t seriously think we’re going to live here for three months without getting intimate.”

Her heart pounded, her body pulsed with need, and her brain cried out the truth. He didn’t have the slightest bit of affection for her. She was nothing more than a sexual convenience. She gritted her teeth. “Have you forgotten that you don’t like me?”

“True, but one thing doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the other. You don’t like me, either.”

“That’s not exactly so.”

“You do like me?”

“I don’t dislike you. You’re probably a decent person. In your own twisted way, I know you think you’re doing the right thing about all this, but I just wish you were different.”

“Dumber.”

“That. And not so big. Everything about you is too big for me—not just your body, but your personality, your bank account, your temper, and, definitely, your ego.”

“Don’t you talk to me about temper! I’m not the one going around trying to electrocute people. And if we’re throwing out things that are too big, what about that gargantuan brain of yours?” He drew his leg over her and resettled himself at the end of the bed, where he leaned against the bedpost.

She knew she’d done the right thing, but it was still painful. She pointed out the obvious. “To you, I’m just an available body.”

“You’re my wife.”

“A technicality.” She sat up so she was leaning against the headboard. “You want me to be unpleasant to your parents and stay away from your friends but, at the same time, you expect me to make love with you. Can’t you understand how I might find that a little demeaning?”

“No.” He gazed at her, and his flared nostrils and tight lips dared her to argue with him. He was going to take his stand, even though he knew it was indefensible.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you feel like that since it’s typical of the way celebrity athletes traditionally treat their groupies. Women are good enough for a quick romp in bed, but not good enough to be part of a big shot’s life.”

“Are you saying you want to be part of my life? That’s pretty hard to believe, Professor, considering the fact that you don’t seem to like anything about me.”

“You’re deliberately misinterpreting. I’m merely saying that I refuse to sleep with you at night knowing you don’t like me, especially when you want to keep me locked up during the day. Don’t deny that you’d behave differently if one of your bimbos had done what I did.”

“None of my bimbos is smart enough to plan what you did! And I don’t have any bimbos!”

She lifted one eyebrow. “A man like you wants his wife to be a reflection of himself. You want youth and beauty standing next to you because that’s how you want everyone to see you, as young and healthy, a perfect physical specimen who doesn’t have a worry about anything, certainly not about Kevin Tucker taking away your job.”

He threw his leg over the side of the bed and stood. “This is the most boring conversation I ever had.”

“Just another sign of how incompatible we are because I think the conversation’s pretty fascinating. What are you going to do when your playing days are over, Cal?”

“I don’t have to worry about that for a long time.”

“I’ve seen you limp when you get out of the car after you’ve been sitting for a long time, and I have a feeling those thirty-minute showers I hear you take in the morning aren’t about personal cleanliness. Your body has taken a beating, and it’s not going to do it much longer.”

“Now you’re an expert on orthopedics.”

“I know what I see.”

“I’m not buying you a car.” He headed for the door.

“I didn’t ask you to,” she called after him. “I intend to buy my own.”

“No, you’re not.” He poked his head back in the door. “And I am taking you to bed.”