Inez laughed. "Turn into something real crazy, hear, and see what happens."
"I rest my case," Rider said, beginning to collect his spent weapons. He glanced at Bobby and Dan, then over to Jose and J.L., finally settling his gaze on Berkfield. "You better tell
'em, medic."
Berkfield laughed. "Every man for himself. I'm already in the doghouse."
"Oh, no you're not," Marjorie said softly, going to him.
"You might wanna school some of us old heads on how you just pulled that coup, Richard," Shabazz said laughing, giving Marlene a hopeful glance.
"Oh, so now everybody's got jokes," Marlene muttered, but a smile escaped despite her clear determination to remain peevish.
Relieved laughter finally overtook the room, which Damali knew the brothers were angling for. Even Carlos had to laugh as they watched each man cop a plea and try to jus
tify the previous bullheaded move that could have gotten him killed or worse. But now that the apparent danger was over for the moment, the bravado and banter were back.
"All right, people, listen up," Marlene said, rallying the group in a no-nonsense tone. "You senior squad know the drill, but I'm repeating this for the newbies. Strip at the door; drop your gear into a plastic bag that has my special anti-demon blend in it Let your partner tie up the bag, pray over it, anoint the top, and set it outside so the sun will hit it in the morning. You don't bring that mess deep over your threshold before sealing it up, and you stop at the door and say out loud, 'No demon may enter in the name of the Almighty,'
before your partner walks through that door to strip."
Marlene's gaze traveled to each male face, making sure they got it, but waited until their wives nodded. "Okay. This is critical. Shower that splatter off you first, and bomb the drain with holy water behind it. Use my special white bath soap - wash your hair, everything - then, and only then, do you step into that white bath tub." Damali hung her head back. "Maaaan ... as soon as you all leave I'm gonna have to smudge this whole suite out with white sage and be casting out vibes 'til dawn,
practically." She looked at Carlos hard. "See ... y'all just don't know." Holding her purple silk robe up and off her body by two fin gers, Marlene looked at each female Guardian hard. "Same deal with your clothes. We hugged 'em, don't know what could have been attached, gotta do the shower and bath routine, too."
"Aw... maaan ..." Inez grumbled under her breath and then elbowed Mike in the ribs.
"Like I said, meaner and hit harder," Rider said with a sigh. "Okay, we know. This is not a drill."
* * *
shabazz hung his head back and groaned as Marlene stood in the shower with him and scrubbed his locks down to the scalp. Shower spray beat on his chest as Marlene's soapy hands got down into the places that made him close his eyes.
"I swear you do this kinda stuff, man, just so I'll wash your hair," Marlene fussed, her body loosely spooning his as she reached up to be sure she didn't miss a spot.
"Can you blame a man?" he said, breathing out another soft groan and tilting his head as she paid attention to a particularly sensitive area. "Oh, yeah ... right there." She laughed and scratched his scalp harder. "You need to stop."
"I'm not doing anything," he said, reaching back to stroke her slick hip. She swatted him and turned him around. "Douse."
She looked down and then quickly looked back up. He laughed.
"What can I say - I'm a tactical."
"Douse," she repeated, trying to ignore the shiver that claimed her stomach. "No exchange of nothin' in this shower. You still have to get a bath, and you know it - how many battles have we been in and cleaned up after?"
"Maybe that's why I go to war so much, ever thought of that?" he asked with a half-smile.
"This is the best part... and knowing I can't act on impulse in here and have to wait, really messes a brother up."
She stared at him and fought a smile, also fighting the way his voice and the tone it contained had made a familiar ache creep between her legs. Just watching him stand there under the spray, eyes closed, thick arms lifted as he rinsed out his black-coffee locks, each muscle group a complex steel cable network that moved as his fingers scrubbed... water cascading down his ebony chest... each section a defined block of pure muscle right down to the bricks in his abdomen, and Lord have mercy anything lower, she had to look away.
"Turn around and let me wash your back," she said more quietly than intended. He obliged and she slicked her hands with more lather that released eucalyptus and myrrh around them.
"Oh, man, Mar... this is the best part," he murmured, dropping his head forward while his voice bottomed out. He leaned into her touch as she pulled at tight muscles. "Yeah, right there, my draw-shoulder. Damn, woman, that feels so good..." Her fingers kneaded down either side of his dark chocolate spine after she took her time pressing out the hard cords across his shoulders. As she made her way down his back, pressing her thumbs against either side of his vertebrae, she could see a blue-white arc beginning to flicker in his locks, but then die out as though he were trying his best to suppress it Just witnessing that did something to her and she had to redouble her efforts to stay focused on the cleansing.
Despite her best attempt to remain clinical, the sounds he released almost made her forget her own instructions, espe cially when she hit the small of his back and he arched, plac
ing both hands on the tile wall. She was caught up, and she knew it, yet still couldn't keep her hands from paying homage to that special dip he had in his spine, the one that came just before the high rise of his firm ass ... all muscle. Then her fingers found the cord that began the rise, each thumb kneading in an opposite direction until he was breathing in short pants.