Page 60 of Love Without Demands

“Yep, for thirty years, the last twenty in the emergency department.”

“Bet you’ve seen a lot,” he said, shoveling a shrimp into his mouth with chopsticks.

“A lot of things in people’s butts,” she replied dryly, and Cruz choked on his food. Mom pounded him on the back. “It’s true. People will stick anything up there. We had one last week that had a giant dildo stuck in the backside.” She motioned with her hands to show us exactly how giant it was.

“Wow, and it just got stuck in there?”

Mom took a bite of chicken and then pointed at him with her chopsticks. “If you’re going to stick something in your anus, the key is to make sure you can get it out, either with a handle of some sort or a wider base. My motto isflared base for that dark, dark place.”

“Words we should all live by,” Cruz noted with a grin. “What’s the weirdest thing anyone’s ever stuck in there?”

“Oh, let’s see. In the animal category, I’d have to say an eel. Damn thing was seventeen inches long and had bitten throughthe colon, requiring surgery. The person said they didn’t know how it got in there.” Mom rolled her eyes. “Most of them either say that or that they accidentally fell on something and it went up their hole.”

“And they think the medical staff will believe that? That people are just walking around naked and accidentally falling on things at the perfect angle?”

Mom shrugged. “They’re embarrassed that they’re having to go to the hospital for such a personal issue. We had one last month with a cell phone in her butt. Damn thing rang every three minutes.”

“Gives a whole new meaning to the term butt dialing,” Cruz quipped, and Mom and I burst into laughter.

My mother wiped tears of mirth from beneath her eyes. “Okay, enough of all that. Can we watch a movie? I haven’t seenBridesmaidsin forever.”

Even though we’d watched the movie last weekend, Cruz readily agreed. “Sounds great, Tabby. I love Princess Melissa.”

“Of the McCarthy Islands,” I retorted, and we shared a smile.

After we’d laughed our way through the movie, Mom stood. “I’m going to hit the sack. It’s been a long day.”

“Mom, I put some earplugs in the bathroom for you. It’s much noisier in the city, and it took me a couple months after moving here to be able to sleep well.”

“Thanks, honey,” she said, kissing me on the top of my head before doing the same to Cruz. “It was so nice meeting you, Cruz. Thank you for dinner.”

“Any time, Tabby,” he replied, and we watched her head down the short hall and into my bedroom, closing the door behind her. “Your mom is awesome.”

“She’s the best,” I agreed.

He moved closer, eating up the space between us, and took my hand. “Can we talk for a minute, Tink?”

My heart did an entire gymnastics routine in my chest at his proximity, but I nodded. “Sure.”

“About last weekend…”

“When I molested you in the hot tub?”

He chuckled. “The way I remember it, it was pretty damn mutual.”

“Seemed that way to me too.”

“I just want you to know I don’t regret it at all.”

“Why do I feel abutcoming?”

His smile was soft as he tucked one of my curls behind my ear. “ButI think we need to take a step back. Not because I want to,” he added quickly, “but because I think it’s what’s best for you.”

“You don’t want to see me anymore?” I asked, trying not to let the hurt bleed into my words.

Cruz’s head shook side to side. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Tink.” His sweet smile soothed my ruffled feathers. “I still want us to hang out and be… friends. I just think we need to take the sex stuff off the table for a while.”

“So friendswithoutbenefits?”

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