Page 33 of Soaring and Saucy

“You don’t mock me, and I won’t tease you.”

“What do you like to snack on?”

“Well, you, for starters…” he said nonchalantly as her mouth dropped open in shock at the blatantly sexualized comment. “But I prefer Oreos dipped in those Frito Lay bean dip cans.”

“That’s disgusting – at least I can blame my weird tastebuds on pregnancy.”

“I’m a freak. So what? Nobody steals my snacks on the ship.”

“They probably clear the room.”

“That’s when I fart after all those beans,” he chuckled – and she burst out laughing wildly. “Hey man, those beans are lethal and will do it to you. I promise to open a window to save my wife’s delicate nose.”

“Well, thanks for the visual, Prince Charming,” she giggled, feeling better at being around someone who was turning out to be exceedingly crass and refreshingly blunt despite the sex appeal that seemed to just roll off of him.

“I knew you thought I was special,” he grinned, winking at her. “Now eat up, that’s my baby brewing in that sweet little belly, and I have it on good authority that my little man is hungry.”

“A boy, huh?”

“If it’s a girl, I’m gonna be a mess,” he smiled shyly, looking at her through his lashes. “I mean, can you see me playing Barbies with a little girl and painting tiny toenails?”

“I could,” she said hoarsely, realizing it was true. If they could figure this out somehow, Lance could be the sweetest person. It was so easy to picture him sitting there on the floor with a little girl putting eyeshadow on her Daddy. “I really could, you know? Is that so bad?”

“Nah,” he mumbled thickly before smirking. “Those little white tights and ruffled butts though that you see on commercials and magazines - those things are adorable. We’ll have to get her some.”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe,” he agreed and pointed at her plate again. “Eat, please… and thank you for picking me up at the airport, allowing me to stay on the couch. I really do appreciate it, and know this is strange – but I think we can figure this out together. Don’t you?”

Stephanie didn’t answer. She simply took a bite of the weird hot dog/biscuit combination and chewed. All those fears, insecurities, and questions were still there within her. Life couldn’t be straightened out in an hour, a day, or a weekend. It would take time to see how things went between them – and time was something that was already ticking away.

They finished eating in silence. She kept stealing glances at Lance, curious as to what was going on in that head of his. He was so quiet, so calm, which seemed so out of character for him. The one time she’d met him, he’d been so vibrant and outgoing, almost like he was putting on a show, but now?

Now, she didn’t know what to think of him.

“What are you thinking?” Lance asked quietly, almost as if he could read her mind. She jerked her eyes upward to meet his, hoping she didn’t look guilty at the moment.

“Well, what are you thinking?” she asked bluntly, knowing it was coming out accusatory, but she really did want to know. She just didn’t know how to ask him or how to start that conversation.

A slow, soft, decadent smile touched his and seemed to ignite a warmth in his soul that glowed from his eyes, and she swallowed as a shiver of awareness raced up her spine, making her toes curl.

“Princess,” he whispered huskily, “you don’t want to know what I’m thinking about right now. It would shock you to your core, and I don’t think we are there yet in our relationship.”

“Freak…” she hissed under her breath, getting up to put her plate in the sink, only to hear his wonderful laughter roll over her, filling the room.

“Babe, you say that like it’s a bad thing. I’ve never hidden my intentions from you once,” he replied, turning in his seat at the table to look at her. “You asked, so I answered in a roundabout way. Do you really want to know what I’m thinking about?”

“Not anymore,” she sputtered, turning on the faucet full blast to drown out anything he might say next.

“Why, princess - is my sweet…”

Stephanie interrupted him, singing the theme song to Sesame Street loudly just to cut him off and keep from hearing him. That show played all the time at the bank on the small television in the waiting room because it was ‘safe’ – and she knew all the words long before a child ever became a blip on her radar.

Only to feel Lance touch her hand.

She jumped nervously, jerking her hand away from his. How had she completely missed him rising from the table? He managed to sneak up behind her, and she melted as his voice joined hers, singing. He slowly touched her elbows, gliding his rough hands ever so gently down her forearms, pulling her hands from the water that was still running. It was like she was under some spell, completely enthralled, as he began to sway with her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

“What are you doing?” she asked as he continued to sway and hum the song, resting his chin on her shoulder.

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