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Her lips tease mine, not quite kissing.
“Whatever you want,” I tell her in a daze.
Her ears swing back and she flat-out grins at me, pulling away far enough we can stare into each other’s eyes. Hers sparkle. “You won’t mind?”
I catch her waist, and pull her hips to mine. “I just want to be with you.”
Her eyes soften. Her tail wraps around my forearm, stroking and giving me a slender python’s squeeze. She starts to speak—then closes her mouth. She shakes her little horns and tries again, putting the tiniest bit of distance between us. “Can I interest you in crafting with me?”
I stare at her, wondering if she’s not trying to protect herself. She should. We should really stop spending time together at all. Save ourselves both the heartbreak.
I think all this and say, “I know how to crochet.”
She blinks at me. “You’ve dazzled me. I have watched a few of the humans on the preserve while they loop yarns together, but I do not yet know how to crochet; would you please show me?”
I take her hand and lead her to the hall closet. “You bet your sweet ass I will. And wait til you see my awesome yarn collection.” I slant her a forced grin. “Technically, it’s Kerry’s. She taught me how to make mittens, and we sit together every year for like three days before Christmas and speed-hook pairs for all the kids.”
Inara is watching me with a look I like a whole lot. “The more I get to know you, the more and more I admire you, Matthew.”
I nearly bite my tongue in half, trying to keep words from spilling out of my mouth.Yeah? Well I’m falling the fuck in love with you, woman.I keep telling myself that we’ve got an expiration date, and that I need to remember that so it hurts less when you leave. But sweetheart, it ain’t workin’. You’re going to break my heart, and I’m going to let you. Because I’d rather have you for a little while than not at all.
I hand her the first basket of yarn, dip close, and kiss her on her cute as fuck blue nose. “Right back at you. Ready to make mittens?” I give her a sheepish grin. “It’s actually all I know how to do.”
But Inara doesn’t care. She shines like the sun. “I would love to!”
And I’d love to do anything, as long as I’m doing it with you.I give her another smile, memorizing her every feature, absorbing her delight, engraving her deeper on my heart. “Awesome.”
CHAPTER 17
ELAINE: You haven’t texted anyone but Mom in days. Are you okay?
ME: I’m doing really good. Sorry I’ve been MIA. How are you, Mike, and the kids?
ELAINE: We’re great, but I’m getting the sense we shouldn’t be talking about me. WHY have you been MIA? Do you have a new girlfriend?
ELAINE: You’re hiding her from us, aren’t you?
ME: I’m not hiding her
ELAINE: OMGOODNESS YOU REALLY DO HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?!
It takes thirty seconds for my phone to blow up with texts from Kate, Kaley, Kerry, our mom—plus more from Elaine.
(Who is actuallyKinleyElaine, keeping in with the K-themed names. But she hated her name growing up, despite everyone telling her it was pretty. She likes it now, but she’s been Elaine for thirty years, so it’s what she goes by with family and friends.)
I turn the sound off on my phone and let them wig out, mostly because it’ll drive them nuts not to be given details, and the opportunity to bug them just doesn’t crop up as often when everyone lives apart as adults. I have to take advantage of things like this when I can.
“Your phone is shivering,” Inara informs me as we walk hand in hand in a hobby store. Inara can feel the vibration setting because my arm is around her shoulder, her wrist twisted back so we could lace our fingers and achieve maximum hand-holding. In her free hand, she’s clutching a shopping basket handle, the contents of the basket lightly banging against our thighs as we stroll.
“Don’t I know it,” I murmur, smirking because I’m having fun winding up my family. My sisters haven’t had anything to get this riled up about in forever. And my mom? Last time I braved checking my messages, she’d sent me a picture of a baby’s onesie.
Good Lord.
We’re here at a hobby shop so Inara can blow her paycheck on everything she’d love to try her hand at. Plus, we had two hours to kill before work today, and from much experience I know it’s possible to kill that time real damn easy in a craft store. So far, Inara has oohed and ahhed over the embroidery threads, a pile of which eventually made their way into her basket, and she’s perused the bolts of fabric and picked out the wildest patterned material I’ve ever seen. Wildest textiles too. Fake leather, spandexy stuff, cotton, tulle, silk—she got a couple yards of everything, but she especially favors things that are jewel toned or include lace. She has sewing needles that she brought with her that she can use, she said, but she also spent time looking at the store’s selection of sewing machines.
She’s excited at the idea of making her own clothes ‘using Earthen technology.’
She’s fuckin’ cute.
