Page 91 of Solanum

She shook her head and held my gaze despite the water continuing to assault us.

"Because I've always loved you, too."

Her smile broadened and she grabbed me in a hug so fierce I thought she might knock me over. I chuckled, kissing her neck and shoulder that poked out from her sopping shirt.

"Hey, Nor?" I asked, wagging my brows at her when she leaned back.

"What?" She giggled with her question.

"Want to take a shower with me?"

She laughed hard, tossing her head back, but I managed to keep her balance. "Yes. On one condition—"

"Oh, we're back to conditions, are we?" I laughed through my question and she nodded. "Okay. What condition?"

"You help me shave because we're going to need a machete."

I cracked up, pulling her back into a hug. "Sold. Absolutely sold."

When we emerged eventually, sans body hair and in dry clothes, we found Anita curled up on the sofa. She held the fluffy blanket to her chin, and she slept somewhat peacefully beside her service weapon perched on the arm of the sofa, her phone resting next to it.

"She's out cold," I whispered, and Nora nodded, releasing my hand to sneak over to her friend.

I followed her and watched while she stroked Anita's hair once. Anita peeked her eyes open and smiled groggily.

"Hey," she said, her voice raspy. "How was your shower?"

Nora chuckled, and patted the couch. "Move over. Let's snuggle while Caroline hunts and gathers."

Anita laughed and lifted the blanket so Nora could climb in.

"Is that my new role? Feeding and watering my harem of blondes?" I perched myself on the edge of the coffee table while watching the two of them.

Nora lay on her back and Anita draped her arm over her lazily. In that moment, neither of them were the strait-laced FBI Agents I knew them to be. Both became exhausted, taxed friends whose worry for each other took its toll.

"She kissed me," Nora whispered to Anita, gnawing her bottom lip.

"Did she?" Anita grinned, keeping up the low tones despite glancing at me. "Wonder what made that happen."

Nora just beamed with cuteness, and the swell of joy she brought me warmed any part of me left cold. My worry for her didn't cease by any means, but for now, it tucked itself aside.

"So, what am I feeding you two lovely ladies tonight? Elk? Eel? Octopus?"

"I could go for octopus." Anita laughed when she said it. "A little pulp al olivo. What do you think, Nor?"

"Gross. No." Nora screwed up her face. "How about Indian food?" She wagged her brows at Anita, then stole her phone from the arm of the sofa above them. "Better check what's on the menu…"

"Give me that." Anita made to snatch her phone back, but Nora held it away from her.

"Nope. Getting the menu. Let's look for the letter M…"

"Nora," scolded Anita, unable to wrestle the phone back.

I laughed at the two of them. "What are you two dopes doing?"

"Here it is." Nora held the phone out and pretended to press buttons. "Marita's Indian cuisine. Right. About here." She tapped the phone and Anita thwapped her elbow.

"Nora Brody, I swear to God—"

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