Page 86 of Time Served in New York
“Now go wash off your war paint and get comfortable. I’ll stay here with our girl, then we’ll snuggle up together and get some rest.”
“I don’t think I can sleep.”
“Then you can lay here in my arms, and we’ll watch our little girl dream, okay?”
“Okay.”
I leaned over Boo’s sleeping form and gave my wife a kiss. “I really do love you, Maylee.”
“And I love you.”
21.
FRANKIE
“Are you ready yet?” Christopher called out from the living area. “We were supposed to be there 10 minutes ago!”
“You knew exactly what you were getting into when you proposed to me, Christopher. Why are you yelling all of a sudden?”
“This is exactly what men are warned about all their lives. You put a ring on it and everything changes,” he said as his eyes roamed from my head to my boots and back up again. “Although, I put the ring on the most beautiful woman in the world, so I’m okay with it.”
“This is vacation Frankie,” I reminded him. “Work Frankie likes to be early, but vacation Frankie doesn’t really care. And just so you know, we’d have been on time if you hadn’t joined me in the shower.”
“The sounds you were making sure didn’t sound like complaints,” he boasted as he slowly walked toward me. I could tell by the look on his face that he was about to try and make usmuchlater, so I held my hand out and shook my head. “Come on. Vacation Frankie doesn’t give a shit, remember?”
“All of my personalities care right now because I’m a little tender in some places that need a little rest, if you know what I mean.”
Christopher’s grin was cocky as he slowly nodded. “Hell yeah. Wore it clean out, didn’t I?”
“You clearly know nothing about female anatomy,” I grumbled as I turned to go back into the bedroom and put on my jewelry.
Christopher caught me around the waist and pulled me back into his body right before he nipped at my neck with his teeth. “I clearly do or you wouldn’t have let me do all those things to you last night and then again this morning.”
I couldn’t suppress the shiver his gravelly voice so close to my ear caused, and I felt myself melting into his arms.
“Nope! Not gonna do it!” I said as I pushed away from him and rushed into the bedroom. “Keep your hands and lips away from me for at least four hours, mister.”
“Four hours?” Christopher asked as he leaned against the door frame and watched me. “I can deal with four. Maybe.”
I smiled at his reflection and teased, “If I can last that long, you can too.”
“Why are you getting all fancied up if we’re just going to breakfast?”
“We have one more adventure we can’t miss,” I explained. “I promised the girls we’d take the subway, and we haven’t been able to do that yet.”
“That’swhat we’re doing today?”
“If the girls are up for it, then yes, that’s what we’re doing today. After yesterday, I’m sure the guys aren’t going to let us out of their sight, so that means you’re probably going with us.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure when this feeling’s going to go away.”
“What feeling?”
“Mind-numbing terror is probably the best description for it. I’ll probably feel better once we get back to Texas, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“The girls and I can take care of ourselves, sweetheart. You know that.” I shrugged and tried to pretend I wasn’t affected by yesterday’s events when I said, “We were working our way around him to get the gun and then we’d have taken care of the problem ourselves.”
“One or more of you would have gotten shot in the process,” he said angrily. “That is not acceptable odds.”
