Page 65 of You Can't Fight Lightning
He disappeared and then I could hear movement in the kitchen.
After a moment, I heard him singing.
Did it get any better?
I closed my eyes. I wasn’t sure. But for the moment, I was going to enjoy every bit of it.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
“What?” I sat up quickly, trying to get my bearings.
“Why don’t you have something to eat, and then we can go back to sleep, or whatever you want?” His smile held a promise of all the naughty things.
“What did you make?”
He didn’t reply, but held out a plate.
“Oh, my god. You made the feta.” I looked up. “How did you manage this?”
“Okay, this might have been a little razzle dazzle.” He looked like I’d just caught him stealing the crown jewels.
I laughed. “I don’t care about it. Come over here. I’m starving.”
We sat in bed, eating, and when honey dripped onto my fingers, he sucked it off.
My entire body, from the core of me down to my toes, went up in flames. “You can’t do that. I’ll never eat again if you do.”
He laughed, a rich full sound. He still sounded happy. “I’ll make sure you eat. You need to keep your strength up.”
I joined him in laughter.
We ate every bite.
“So what comes now?” I asked without looking at him as I used my finger to scrape up the last of the honey on the plate.
“What do you mean?”
“How does this work? With you, I mean?” I looked at him then. I wanted to see his face.
“I don’t know.” He didn’t try to hide his lack of an answer. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Never?”
Z shook his head. “No. I wasn’t usually interested in anything… well…”
“Long term.”
“Exactly.”
“I won’t put up with competition. It’s either me or you go on your way.”
“Why would you think there would be competition?” He set the plate on the bedside table.
“Because that’s kind of your thing, isn’t it? Love ‘em and leave ‘em, lots and lots of women. As well as your wife.”
“As I told you, Hera and I have never been in a real marriage. None of our children were conceived by us being together. But you are right. I have a long history of loves.”
“Lovers.”
