Part 24 (2/2)
”Sleeping with her?”
”Not exactly.”
”What does that mean? Heavy petting?”
Deo laughed. ”We kind of have this thing.”
”You said that already, sweetie. Your vocabulary is a little lacking today.”
”I can't get her out of my head, and if I don't get her into bed soon I'm going to do more than fall off the roof.”
Pia squeezed Deo's hand. ”I thought there was something when I saw the way she looked at you this afternoon.”
”What way?” Deo studied Pia intently.
”When you fi rst walked in she got really still, for just a second, and looked at you...how should I say this. Like she wanted to swallow you whole.”
Deo groaned.
”How long has this thing been going on?”
”I don't know. I think maybe since the fi rst time I saw her.”
”Uh-oh.”
Deo closed her eyes. ”You got that right.”
Pia kissed Deo's cheek. ”She's beautiful. And I really like her.”
”It's not like that.”
”Deo, sweetheart,” Pia murmured. ”If you told her about Gabe, then this is like nothing you've ever experienced before. You know that, right?”
”I'm not like you, Pia. I don't do relations.h.i.+ps.”
”I know.” Pia stood up and dusted off the back of her slacks, then * 178 *
Winds of Fortune smiled at Deo. ”Of course, you've never had any reason to before.
Bring her to the party this weekend.”
”No f.u.c.king way.”
”Never say never,” Pia called back over her shoulder. ”Love you.”
”Yeah,” Deo muttered, wondering how it was Pia always got her to tell her everything. Even the things she didn't want to admit to herself.
y ”Can you believe it?” Tory said to Nita as they walked up the hall together, leaning into the examining rooms and turning off the lights as they went. ”We're actually done at a decent hour. Both of us.”
”I think this is the fi rst time that's happened in almost two months.”
Nita shrugged out of her lab coat and stepped into her offi ce to hang it on the coat tree. She had an hour before she was due to meet Deo, and she was inordinately pleased that she could go home and change into something more casual than what she wore to work. It seemed foolish, because they weren't actually having a date.
”I don't know about you, but I'm going to make the most of it.”
Tory waited while Nita collected her bag. ”I'm going to fi nd Reese and make her take me out to dinner. How about you? And don't tell me you're going to stay home and read a book.”
Nita fl ushed, imagining herself saying, I'm meeting a woman for s.e.x. ”I'm having dinner with Deo. To talk about the house.”
”Ah. A business dinner.”
”Yes,” Nita said quickly. It was a business dinner of sorts. They were going to deal with the unfi nished business between them. Clear the air. Scratch the itch that had been driving them crazy. Driving her crazy, at any rate. She still wasn't certain why Deo would bother when there had to be any number of women who would likely volunteer to scratch her anywhere she needed it.
”I hope she's taking you to Porto's. It's her cousin's restaurant.
Really hard to get into during the season.”
”I'm beginning to think that Deo has a family member available to fi ll every need.” Nita laughed as she and Tory entered the deserted waiting area. Randy was still behind the reception counter working on the computer.
* 179 *
RADCLY fFE ”Don't stay too late,” Tory called to him.
He waved. ”Don't worry. I'm out of here in fi ve minutes. I can still catch the last hour of the tea dance.”
Tory held the door open for Nita, then followed her out into the parking lot. ”I hope you have a great time tonight.”
”It's not a date,” Nita clarifi ed.
”I haven't forgotten that conversation we had about a certain gorgeous someone you weren't really attracted to,” Tory teased gently.
”Oh G.o.d,” Nita said, stopping by her car. ”I don't know why I'm pretending with you. I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing with her.”
”Maybe that's good,” Tory said. ”Maybe it's better not to have expectations, either good or bad. That way, whatever happens will just be true.”
”Wouldn't that be nice,” Nita whispered as she slid into her car.
She rolled down her window and waved as Tory unlocked her Jeep.
”Have fun with your sheriff.”
Tory grinned. ”That's my plan.”
* 180 *
Winds of Fortune
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