Tracy

051:

"Till what?" He allowed her to minister to him, fluffing his pillows, and straightening the thin blankets.

"Till we go to Egypt and go scuba diving. Oh--- that's right--- you can't go, you broke your leg playing daredevil on the slopes, oh, and the little matter of the war in the middle east. Yeah, I guess that rules out Egypt. Never say it was me that wigged." She sat on the edge of the bed, and finally scooted closer and leaned up against his pillows. He wondered not for the first time where she'd learned this familiarity. It hadn't showed up until recently--- but she'd become completely free with his person, and pretty much with her own around him too. He didn't understand this aspect of her. Almost like a walking contradiction. One moment uber modest, the next filling his senses with erotic womanliness.

"Egypt?"

"You asked me to go to Egypt and go scuba diving with you, don't you remember?"

"No." He smiled. "You're making it up."

She wriggled in close to him, actually laying her head on his shoulder, her hand on his t-shirt covered chest. "The first night you were here, totally gagging and sick, and out of your mind in pain. You don't remember?"

"I remember wanting to die." He held her fingers over his heart and reveled in her proximity. "How are you justifying this in your mind, pray tell, almost married madam."

She sighed, a very deep and heartfelt sigh. "I'm not. I shouldn't be here."

"Yes, you should." He held her there, held her close as she would have got up to leave. "I need you."

"You don't need me. Austin said he knows you better than me, and that you're dangerous, and not to be trusted. I guess you guys have shared a past like I have with my band."

"I've known him a long time, and we've had some good times, that's for sure. But he's a whole new man, investigating God and all that." Richard smoothed the skin of her wrist and arm, drawing circles from unseen freckle to unseen freckle. He knew her freckles now like the back of his own hand.

"He says he came in here the other day, or came to the door and thought he heard us kissing."

Richard grunted. "Wishful thinking, that."

"He said when he came in I was on the bed as we studied, and you were looking down my shirt."

A quiet snort accompanied the chuckle this time. "I was, and it was a very enticing display if I do say so myself."

She leaned back, one hand pressed to her chest. "Keep your eyes to yourself."

"Did he also tell you he thinks I'm his sick, throwing up, gagging, smelly, whiny baby friend who constantly calls for water?"

"That's a given." She nestled back beside him. "You make a very poor patient."

"I am the exemplary patient. Having to sit here while you go off to the set with him every day, knowing that very soon will be the scene when he actually does get to kiss you--- and it will be his dream come true, and I will be a jealous green-eyed monster."

"I'm not at all sure I can do that scene, in all honesty, Richard." She said seriously and sat up. "Maybe I should stay home more and take care of my invalid patient."

"There will be no using me as your excuse, dear. What do you mean you can't do it? Austin says the filming is going better than he planned. You only need two to three takes per scene, versus fifteen. He says you are a dream to work with."

She snorted now, scooting away from him, catching her shirt beneath her and pulling it tighter across her chest. The arm holes were long, and she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. He swallowed harder, watching the undulating reflection of moonlight on that very tantalizing skin.