Again, he seemed to be reading her mind, as he didn't put up a struggle and simply handed her the soap.
"They said they had them covered through the night," Carlos said as her hands soaped his shoulders and hurriedly slid down his spine.
"Yeah.If something had kicked off, I think they would have come to get us."
Carlos chuckled as she turned him around to do his chest. "That would have been really messed up, too."
She watched him build lather in his hands to begin to wash her. "You knowwhat, we're not even going to talk about last night until we get home." She turned around quickly so that he would only soap her shoulders and back, not her br**sts.
"Good idea," he said, sliding his hands down her back, then over her backside.
"Turning around or changing the subject?" She couldn't resist the question.
"Both."
They laughed, parted, and dunked themselves.
"This reminds me of those free days during our honeymoon, you know that?" she said, wading in the water up to her neck.
"C'mon, D.Why'd you have to go there?"
She held up both hands in front of her."My bad."
"You know, you need to stop messing with a brother," he said, coming closer to her and making her back up. "I've been under some serious stress."
"I'm not trying to stress you," she said, evading his grab and then laughing as she stumbled up and out of the water.
She ran to the huge armoire dripping wet, delighted to watch the puddles she left with each footfall simply burn away. "Is that cool, or what?"
"Very cool, especially if you're a dead man walking." Carlos pulled himself out of the water and caught the thick terry towel Damali flung at him. "Trust me when I tell you, having seen both, this side lives way better than the other half."
"I'll take your word for it," she said, snooping in the many alabaster jars and pots lining the vanity. Carefully sniffing each one, she selected a fragrant body cream. "Oh . . .man . . . smell this."
Carlos shook his head, tugged on his jeans, and definitively zipped them. He turned away quickly and began pulling on his Tims. "Uh-uh.Please get dressed, baby.For real."
"Oh, I'msorry, " she said, hurriedly slathering on lotion.
He put his hands on top of his head and walked away to the other side of the chamber to stare down at the gorgeous meadow below. Listening to the cream hit Damali's damp skin was nearly enough to make him drop fang. But he stilled his mind by remembering what she'd just done, thinking of all the hurt over the years that she'd siphoned, healed, and drawn out of his soul. He was truly blessed, especially given where he'd come from.
The more he stared at the jewel-green meadow painted with wildflowers, and the more he became aware of the cool breeze wafting off the surface of the winding, clear stream that ran through it, the more reverent he became. The peaceful lull of pristine nature was so close that it felt like he could reach down from the balcony and touch it, and a familiar refrain jumped into his consciousness.
. . . He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,He restores my soul . . .
His wife's touch wasn't jarring, but he hadn't heard her come up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist for a moment and then laid her head against his shoulder blade. He brought her around his body with a gentle lead, and then turned her to stare out at what he saw, encircling her.
"Look at it, D," he said in an awed rush. "If this is just Mid-heaven . . ."
"Can you imagine being so arrogant and so out of your mind that you'd start a war up here?" she said with a quiet gasp.
He shook his head."Not at all."
"The angels wept," she whispered. "And so did God . . . and a third of the entire company of Heaven fell to start the legions of darkness."
"That's why we've gotta go back and do our part." He planted a kiss on the top of her head, but her palms covered his, lowering them from her waist to her abdomen.
"This is why I can tell you, through faith, it'll be all right." She turned and stared at him without blinking. "Carlos, if I am pregnant, this time our child was made in heaven. We've got two-thirds of an angel company left to protect it, not to mention both Neteru Councils-since it was made in their Pharaoh chamber." Her gaze burned as she continued to stare at him. "How many children of destiny were spared by the minute so-called happenstance of fate? If this kid comes through us, with all the love andall the struggle . . . this child has a purpose."
Her simple truth rendered him mute for a moment. "I believe you, D," he finally said, once his vocal cords would respond. "That is so profound . . . I wasn't really focused on the venue when, you know . . ."