Page 74 of Love Scenes

“And what brings you to my door?”

“I believe I made an appointment.”

“Ah. Yes. How could I have forgotten?” He leans out to check that the hallway is clear. Then he scoops me up and tosses me over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold.

I feel calm, the way I do when I’ve finally made it home after a very long day. It’s a sharp relief that requires a contented sigh, which might be ridiculous to do when I’m halfway upside down,my head pressed into the middle of Joe’s back, but I don’t care. I do it anyways.

Joe sets me onto the bed with a gentle hand, holding me close until I’m in a comfortable upright position. Then he kneels on the floor, propping my left foot onto his knee.

“The woman of the night,” he says as he slips off my heel.

“And being treated accordingly, I see.”

He switches my leg and slips off the other shoe.

The television isn’t on. There is no music playing. Only Joe and me immersed in hotel room quiet after a long, loud night. I allow myself to relish this peace, collapsing back onto the bed with my legs hanging off the edge, staring up at the ceiling and seeing nothing but my own happy memories. After the gigantic roller-coaster drop that was the gala, we have to ride up again, cautious, leaned into the incline.

The bed shifts. Joe rests on his back beside me, fingers stitched together across his chest, staring up like he wants to see exactly what I see.

“Can you believe we survived?” I ask him.

“Honest to god, I came in here and splashed my face with water. Still not sure how it’s possible I not only did that, but did that sober.”

“Same.”

I start to match his long, full breaths, finding contentment in this quiet mirroring game. I scoot closer until I can fit my head into the crook of his neck. He smells faintly like expensive cologne, something smoky sprayed into the air and walked through once. He also has that scent that’s undeniably him, sweat and skin and soap. I nuzzle in, draping an arm over his body.

“I didn’t even think about how I sounded up there. Haven’t thought about it until right now,” I say.

“You were glorious.” He readjusts to tuck an arm beneath me, stroking my shoulder with his thumb.

My pointer finger brushes up against one of the few remaining buttons of his dress shirt. With one hooked swoop, I unbutton it, granting myself access to more of him. “Maybe Emmy is right. We should start a band.”

He lets out a gentle snicker. “I don’t think so.”

On a looping figure eight, I get the last two buttons, one of which fights to stay tucked into his pants. My finger pushes downward to hook around it until the shirt opens completely. Satisfied, my hand rests on his belt, an intentional, baiting gesture. “Why not?”

“For one, luring me onto the stage will get old. Eventually you’ll run out of good things to say.”

“Hmm. I guess I should pad out my list then.” I lift myself up, putting a leg over until I’m perched on top of him, sitting on the open expanse of skin above his belt. My dress hikes up so much it’s pooling in front of me, sequins spilling onto his abdomen.

“Let’s see. What is good about Joseph Donovan?” I lean over, pressing my fingers into his chest, my loose curls hanging toward him. “You’re right. This is very tough already. His face? Impossible to look at. And his stomach? For one, it’s hard to sit on.”

His hands are quick to grip the sides of my thighs.

“Ah, yes. That’s much better,” I tell him. “I guess his humor has a way of getting me.”

“Finally. Proof that I amuse you.”

“Sometimes.” With my pointer finger, I draw lazy circles on his chest. “I very much appreciate the way he loves to learn.”

He wears a half grin, faint smile lines creasing into his cheeks. “I am a great study.”

“Hmm. What else?” I squint my eyes. “Honestly, if I can’t comeup with anything, I can always borrow some of my lines fromThe Seeker.I had a great monologue about trust in the season three finale. Something tells me he’d love that as much as my own words.”

“When Colfax leaves you at that warehouse and says he’ll be back, and you think he’s not coming after all, and then he does?”

“What is wrong with you?”