Page 95 of Mayhem
“If I don’t hear your alarm go off, Cruz, wake me so I can make you breakfast before work.”
“You don’t have to do that, baby.”
“I want to, and I know that you’ll be tempted not to do so if I don’t hear it, but you should know I won’t give you any for a while,” Erin stated, then gasped. “Don’t bite me,” she demanded, and Paetyn chuckled.
“Maly, I’m not too tired to bend you over and spank you.”
“I think you are,” she countered. “Ow,” she then stated, and Paetyn could hear the pout in her voice. “I said don’t bite me.”
“Then you shouldn’t have pinched me,” Cruz shot back.
“Go to sleep, children,” Paetyn stated, and Erin huffed before laughing.
“I’ll wake you, baby. I promise,” Cruz stated.
“Thank you. Goodnight,” she responded, wiggling between them to get more comfortable.
“Goodnight,” they replied in unison. Paetyn closed his eyes and soon was drifting off.
25
Paetyn allowed Erin to pull him along as they walked through Denver Botanic Gardens. The week had passed quickly, and since they’d kept her in bed last weekend, breaking in their playrooms, they’d taken her out. It was to spend time with her, but it could also be considered a celebration for her. She’d hired the two artists she’d liked and set a date for her opening event.
The gardens were extensive, with multiple exhibits, collections, and a plethora of programs offered. They weren’t taking in all the collections since it would take them almost two hours, depending on how long they spent at each one.
They were currently taking in the living plant collection in the cactus and succulent section. The fragrance from the flowers and plants permeated the air. They stopped at an area containing white flowers with red tips.
“This has to be a typo, right?” Erin asked.
“What does it say, Maly?”
“It says you can eat this plant, but the top of these blossoms look pointy.”
“I don’t think you should eat them, but if you’re out in the wild feeling dehydrated, you could chew on the petals. It’s a succulent, so it should hold some water,” Paetyn offered.
“Maybe that’s what they meant because I don’t think I’d eat that.”
They continued to the other six sections of that collection before moving to the art statues outside. At each one, Erin stopped to take them in and took a couple of pictures of a few. Paetyn knew she would enjoy the sculptures more than the flowers because she was a creative.
When they reached the piece entitled Colorado, which was made with Colorado sunsets in mind, Erin took a couple of pictures before she requested they take a picture with her.
Once they finished looking at all the pieces outside, they went inside to look at those hanging on the walls as accents to other plants. They made their rounds through the building, taking in everything Erin wanted to see. When they left the gardens, Cruz headed towards the zoo.
“I got a good tattoo idea while we were there,” Erin stated from the backseat, where she’d insisted on sitting.
“What was it?” Paetyn asked.
“It’s hard to explain, but once I draw it, I’ll show you.”
They pulled into the parking lot of the zoo twelve minutes later. Paetyn opened the backdoor for Erin, and she smiled up at him after taking in where they were. They’d told her they planned on taking her out; however, they hadn’t given her the destinations.
“It’s been years since I’ve been to the zoo,” she stated as Cruz came around the car and joined them. “If nothing else, we have to get a picture with the Elephants,” she said.
“We can do that, Maly.”
They went to the entry booth, and Paetyn paid their admission. When they walked in, she looked between them.
“Where to first?”
