“I don’t mind,” she said, and kissed his lower back, right above his butt. Then she ran her tongue up his spine and blew on the spot.
“Five secs,” he said, his skin tingling He was harder than he’d been last night, if that was possible. He hurried into the bathroom. When he returned she was all smiles. They had twenty-five minutes before Irma arrived.
****
Dena stood under the shower with Zeke. She hated to leave him, but there was enough stuff going on at Three C’s that she couldn’t risk the ire of Irma or Manny. She’d already set off Rocky yesterday. God forbid he should see her leave the hacienda. A tiny shiver ran through her body. One night of lovemaking and she’d almost forgotten about him.
“What time does Rocky start work?” she asked, and soaped up Zeke’s chest. She slid against him, enjoying the sensuous feel of slippery bodies. Ready for more action, yet there was no time, she stepped away and brushed the wet hair off his forehead.
“Around seven,” he said. “Why?”
“Nothing.” She shook the water off her face and stepped out of the stream. “Just, you know…”
“Worried you’ll run into him?”
“Yep,” she said, and grimaced. “I wouldn’t want him to judge me. He’s done enough of that already.”
“Yeah, he’s a stickler for the Christian path.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
Zeke frowned then he kissed her forehead. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a woman.”
“Is he gay?”
Zeke turned his back to the water, his beautiful shoulders rose in an exaggerated shrug. “I don’t know. He didn’t seem to be in high school. What made you ask that?”
“His fingernails are clean and neatly manicured. I want to say he even buffs them or has a clear lacquer on them.” She stood to the back of the shower out of the stream from the shower head.
Zeke stared at her, his mouth open.
“Don’t you think that’s odd for a man of the land?” she asked, and tilted her head.
He laughed loudly. “I have no idea. Maybe it’s just something he’s particular about. It doesn’t make him gay.”
“I know. I really didn’t mean that. But, think about his nails. What does that mean?”
Zeke pressed his lips tight for a moment. “Maybe that he’s not doing much work around here?”
“You could be right. I never see him during the day.”
Zeke reached up, turned off the faucet, and stepped out of the shower stall. He handed her a towel. She wrapped it tight for a few seconds then rubbed her body dry. Her hair was saturated. Not that it mattered. She sopped up some of the water with the towel and pulled her hair into a tiny ponytail.
“Five minutes,” Zeke said, and pointed to the clock. “Or your reputation will be in shreds.”
Dena laughed, leaned in, and kissed him. He still wore his towel tied around his waist. He spread foam on his face, ready to shave. She hurried back into the bedroom, pulled on her clothes, and stuck her head around the bathroom door.
“See you around noon?”
“Yeah,” he said, held the razor mid-air, the white foam scraped from one cheek. He rinsed the razor. “And don’t worry about Rocky. I’ll check on him.”
He’d never seemed more adorable. She gulped and prayed this could last forever, because it hit her hard, she’d fallen in love with Zeke and she wanted to spend the rest of her life sharing moments just like this one.
He continued to scrape off the foam, rinsed the razor under the vanity faucet again. “You’d better get going. I might get a chance to have lunch with you.”
“Good.” She tossed him a smile and hurried out of the room, grabbed her keys and shoes, and took off down the hall.
On the verandah, she stood for a moment. Everything was still. She took several long breaths, let them out slowly. Life was good. Better than good, it was exquisite.
The mountains shimmered in browns and golds; the sky was already blue with thin threads of orange that heralded the sun’s rise. She wondered again at the Santa Rosa Mountains, how they changed color at least a dozen times a day. Then she remembered Irma would turn into the private road any minute.
She let go of her daydream, slipped her shoes on, and sprinted toward the casita. Halfway there, she slowed and moved carefully. Something wasn’t right. Once inside the casita there was nothing distinctively out of place, but little things were not exactly the way she’d left