Page 31 of Say Yes

“And at the moment,” she continued, “I’m feeling especially mean.”

Just as the dog had reacted to Satan, Gavin backed up, keeping a wary eye on Sara. “I…ah…”

“I wanted you yesterday, Gavin, but noooo. You wouldn’t give in.” She began stalking toward him, and he continued to back up. “I also wanted you last night. Jeez, I practically begged you. But you couldn’t relent then, could you? Oh, no. But now today, oh sure, now you want to!”

Gavin stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Sara, what in the world is the matter with you?”

“I can’t today, you ass.”

Ignoring her insult, he asked carefully, “What do you mean, you can’t?”

Her face felt hot already, but she didn’t care. What a dirty trick. Offering himself when she couldn’t accept. Lord, men could be so obtuse. “Think about it, Gavin. It’ll come to you.”

Her tone had been laced with so much sarcasm, he shouted in return. “Think about what? You’re not making any sense. You said you wanted me, well, I want you, too. So what’s the problem?”

“I wanted you last night. I’ll want you again in a few days. But not until then.”

Gavin went still, his frown clearing as understanding dawned, and then slowly, he began to grin. “You’re on your period? That’s what this is all about?”

Sara punched him in the shoulder. It hurt, like smacking her knuckles against a rock. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”

“Honey—” He reached out for her but she dodged away.

“And don’t try to placate me. I’m not in my best of moods at this time of the month.”

He bit his lip. “Yeah? I’d already guessed as much.”

“Oh, this is so unfair!” she wailed, and the little dog jumped up and chimed in, throwing her head back and howling in a high-pitched, excited whine. Satan decided he’d had enough of all of them, and lifting his massive head, he let loose with a loud, commanding roar.

That was evidently all it took, because Gavin started laughing, and then he couldn’t stop. He looked at Sara between his bursts of hilarity, met her outraged gaze, and fell against the wall, holding his sides, roaring every bit as loud as Satan.

Disgusted, Sara stomped from the room. If he was enjoying himself so much, he could just do it without her. She heard him struggling to control himself as she neared her bedroom, and right before she slammed her door shut, he said to the animals, “Now look what we’ve done. You guys better start thinking of a way to apologize, or we’ll all be sleeping outside tonight.”

Sara thought that wasn’t a bad idea at all.

* * *

GAVIN GAVE HER FIFTEEN minutes to calm down. No more, because he was afraid she’d go to sleep again. And no less, because after all, he wasn’t a complete fool, despite his recent conduct.

He opened the door without knocking, very cautiously peeked inside and saw Sara curled up on the mattress, holding her middle.

Gavin walked quietly into the room. “I fixed you some warm tea and a sandwich. The tea always helped my sisters.”

Very slowly, Sara turned on the mattress to face him. “Needless to say, I feel like a fool again.”

“Nope, not this time. It’s my turn.” After setting the food on the nightstand, he reached out and touched her cheek. “I am sorry, babe. Here I was making grand plans for a day together, and you weren’t feeling at all well. I should have realized.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “Grand plans?”

“Never mind. How do you feel now?”

“Men aren’t supposed to be understanding about this sort of thing, Gavin.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve got three sisters, and believe me, they forced understanding down my throat until I choked on it. I had no choice at all.”

Sara moaned and turned her face away. “This is too embarrassing.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Gavin caught her shoulders and hauled her upright, plumping the pillows behind her. “Here, drink your tea.” Gavin watched her sip carefully. She still blushed, but of course, she had no way of knowing how he enjoyed taking part in her womanliness.

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