Page 10 of Control Line

Chapter Four

Why the fuck did I tell her I was declared dead? I should’ve just told her about my obvious mental deficiency instead.

Barney didn’t like his business out there for everyone. He was a private person. But, as pointed out before, death changes a person.

Through three different heat levels and way too much cornbread, Zamantha was still talking to him differently. He couldn’t explain it. She seemed engaged. The conversation was light and the laughs adequately placed, but something was off.

Barney turned the chili off for the night. It would do the rest of the marrying of flavors under the cover of night.

“So that’s it, huh? I burned my mouth more than I care to admit, but I didn’t see any purple dinosaurs.”

Barney smiled again. He’d laughed more in the few hours he’d known Zee than in the last year. Barney could think of worse ways to pass the time on Yogi than between the thighs of such a beautiful woman. He just needed to get her on board with his summer plans.

Time to turn the charm up to eleven.“Ah, but that’s not it.” Barney rose and grabbed a couple more bottles of beer, opening them along the way. Zee thanked him and took a swig. Of course, he was picturing her lips elsewhere while swallowing other things.

Instead of taking his seat back on the recliner, he stepped over her legs propped on the coffee table and took up residence next to her on the couch.

When she lowered the bottle and he wrenched his eyes from her mouth, he tapped his bottle to hers before taking a sip.

“You see, the key to the perfect chili is marriage to develop the optimumintensity.”

“Marriage? Well, do tell, master chef.”

“See, that’s where all the other people go wrong. A chef doesn’t make a perfect chili, a minister performs the perfect marriage of meat and heat. He leaves them alone all night toconsummatethe marriage, if you will. Thenboom, you wake up the next day, turn the fire on slow. And by lunch time, all the hallucinogenic properties have manifested.” Just like he imagined actual marriage was like. Intense and blazing, yet they all go crazy in the end.

Barney took another pull from his beer while Zee shot hers from her nose and started choking. He was concerned for all of two point five seconds until he realized she was laughing.

“Oh my god.” She continued to laugh when she stood, crossed her legs, and waddled away. “I have to pee or I’m going to wet my pants. Holy crap.”

Barney listened to her laughing the entire time, causing a wicked grin to take over his face. The way to a man’s heart may be through his stomach, but a way to a woman’s bed was through her funny bone.

When she returned, she was still chuckling a little, causing his lips to curl upward. “Well, on that note, I think I’m going to call it a night. It’s been a long day.”

It was disappointing she was leaving, but he didn’t expect to win her over that fast. Barney was not above putting in the work. Having her in his bed would be worth the effort to make the next months. . .interesting.

“Allow me, my lady,” he said, extending his arm.

She raised a questioning eyebrow. “You know, I could just go through the bathroom.”

“Bite your tongue. I will not have it said I didn’t walk you home after feeding you purple dinosaur.” Barney watched her work through if she should or shouldn’t. One thing about Zee he’d learned, she did nothing without forethought, and she was practically incapable of major deception. If her mouth didn’t say it, her face would.

When she smiled, he knew he’d won this round. She hooked her hand around the crook of his elbow. “So, you’ll come tomorrow?”

“Not like I have a lot of choice; you’ll be in my front yard. Besides, you’re the second person to invite me.”

“Second?” That stung a little.

“Yeah, I met Emerson. She not only invited me, but she also informed me about Yogi patrol and the shared bathroom situation.”

“Hahaha, so you didn’t know?”

“Nope, not a clue. And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have taken the place if I’d known. Even though it is perfect to launch my business.”

They were at her door in no time. “So, are you that opposed to sharing a bathroom? I thought all you military types were used to that.”

“Barracks life doesn’t offer a lot of privacy, at least not at first, but when I heard I would share a bathroom with a complete stranger, it was shocking to say the least. I know it sounds weird, but there is a vast difference in others versus other.”

“Well, good thing we’re not strangers anymore. However, we’re notuse my razor on your legstype of friends yet either, so keep that in mind.” She laughed again, so his jokes were hitting the mark. As she scaled back her mirth, she tucked a ghost hair behind her ear, blushed, and looked down at her feet.

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