Page 51

Maybe I should go to sleep.

Yes. That's the sensible thing to do.

I get out of bed.

Apparently, my legs didn't receive the instructions.

By the time I reach the bathroom, my heart is hammering.

I knock.

“Yeah?”

“It's me.”

“Everything okay, sweetheart?”

“Fine.”

“Need something?”

Oh, several things.

“Can I come in?”

A pause.

“Door's unlocked.”

I push it open.

Steam fills the bathroom, and behind the shower curtain stands a silhouette that ought to be illegal in at least three states.

Good grief.

I've seen him dressed. I've imagined him naked.

My imagination, it turns out, has been criminally unimaginative.

“What are you doing, Madison?”

“Helping the environment.”

Silence.

“What?”

“Saving water.”

The curtain shifts, and Torch peers around it.

Water runs down his face, darkening his stubble. His hair is slicked back, and his expression suggests he's wondering whether he rescued me from gas poisoning only for me to suffer a complete mental breakdown.

“Sweetheart.”

“What? Conservation is important.”

He stares at me.