Page 64 of The Safest Place She Knows

“Excellent. Ifyou can make the clothes go somewhere close, I would do it now.”She straddled him and ran her hands under his shirt but wassuddenly no longer there. She grinned. “I think I am getting thehang of this.”

He laughed andthen groaned, and a heavy gasp followed.

Iris smiled.She was getting the hang of this.

Cuddled againstOren, she sighed.

“What is it,Iris?”

“I think thatfrog is staring at us.” She looked at the little green peepingTom.

“It is.”

The sun wasdown, and the moon was edging up out from behind the trees. The airsmelled of freshly cut grass and honey.

“How did Ymerget all of the landscaping done?”

“He threw moneyat it. That’s his move.” Oren was smiling. “Brexel negotiates withit or just moves it into place. I wait until everything settles,and then, I step up.”

“Clever.” Shewas curled up against him with her knee draped over his thigh.

“It has landedme here, so I am sticking with it.”

She sighed. “Iguess we have to go in search of dinner.”

He chuckled.“They are holding it for us. The boys have eaten.”

“Oh, good. I amgoing to jump in the lake.”

“Why?”

“I passedsticky ninety minutes ago. Now I am developing my own polymer.”

He laughed.“Right. Lake it is.”

She groaned,sat up, eased off the bed, and walked to the lake, jumping in andholding her breath at the cool shock of it. She swam a few feetout, floated, and then returned to the shore where Oren waswaiting, fully dressed with her clothing over one arm.

She waded outof the water, and he flicked his fingers to dry her off with a puffof air from an unseen source. She pulled on her clothes and yankedon Brexel’s shirt as a final touch. “I really need to walk. My legshave to remember what to do,” she muttered as she focused on thehouse in the distance, “They have spent way too much time in theair today.”

Oren laughedand walked with her. She had regained coordination and was walkingsemi-normally by the time they arrived at the house.

Brexel lookedat them. “She insisted on walking?”

Oren chuckled.“Yes.”

She stalkedinto the kitchen and got a glass of water, chugging it down beforedoing it again.

When that wasdone, she went to the fridge and went looking for food. Ymer cameup behind her as she was scouring the visible offerings. Shecouldn’t decide.

“What are youlooking for, Pet?”

She whirled androared in his face, “I don’t know!”

He blinked andbacked off. Brexel hooted with laughter, and a fruit salad appearedon the counter with a fork in it.

Oren blinked.“What am I missing?”

Ymer sighed.“Brexel mentioned that Pet gets hangry. I thought he wasexaggerating.”

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