Together Again(23)
Afterwards, they lay facing each other as she traced around his eyes and mouth with languid fingers and he nibbled at her hand. The expression on his face was one she’d never seen, in spite of all the years she’d known him. It was tender, affectionate, maybe … maybe what? It couldn’t be anything more than being caught up in the moment. Could it? She wanted to know. “Tony, what … ?”
There must have been something in her voice that gave her away; his expression changed as if she’d used a remote to flip the channel. In place of the expression she didn’t recognize was the seductive smile of the Tony she’d known all her life. She wondered if what she thought she saw was only a trick of light.
He gently kissed her forehead and whispered, “So, the girl-next-door is not only beautiful and smart but very, very sexy.”
She paused for a beat or two, trying to understand what was going on, finally deciding to follow him in playing it lightly. “And the boy-next-door is as good at everything else as he is at kissing.” When she moved to cuddle into him, she felt something crinkle under her. She rummaged around and brought out the empty condom wrapper, presenting it to him like it was Exhibit A. “And he’s always prepared, apparently.”
He laughed. “I’ll take care of it,” and headed for the bathroom.
When he got back in bed, he pulled her close against him, his expression still inscrutable.
“If I’d known how the week was going to end I might not have dreaded the trip so much,” she said.
“Surely after Mary Ellen’s wedding you could see this coming, pardon the pun. Aren’t you the girl who’s smarter than the teachers?”
“Terrible pun and what do you mean, ‘smarter than the teachers’?”
He turned her onto her back and began kissing his way from her temple down her jaw line over her cheek to her mouth. “Isn’t that what the yearbook said about you?”
She pushed him back so she could see his face. “You’re joking. You looked up what was in the yearbook about me?”
“I couldn’t let you get away with that embarrassing speech in front of my mother’s house, could I? Took me forever to find the damn thing.”
He kissed the pulse in her throat. “Smarter than most of the teachers.” He returned to her mouth. “Likely to succeed at whatever she does.” His hand began moving down her thigh. ‘Would argue with the devil himself.’ I’d say that description still works.”
She grabbed his hand and held it still. “I don’t argue with everyone.”
“Yes, you do.” His mouth found one breast. “You always have.” He went to the other breast.
“No,” she said, pulling back from him. “I don’t.”
“Is there any way I can get you to stop arguing about arguing?”
She let go of his hand and he figured it out.
• • •
About two A.M., he kissed her and said, “I better go.”
“Can’t you stay?”
“Not a good idea. You have friends around, people you work with … Greer.”