“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” he whispered, lips brushing the top of my head lightly.
“You don’t have to be somewhere?”
“There’s nothing I can do until the fire department finishes with the scene. Emergency response gets priority over your dead intruder.”
“Dead intruder?” I echoed, before remembering.
Civil War.
Petticoat.
The blood on the floor.
I swore under my breath.
Calvin tightened his arms around me. “Shh. Later. We’ll talk about it later.”
And later it would be, because soon enough the apartment was dark and silent. Pop retired to bed, and Calvin and I squeezed onto the couch. Calvin was on his back and I was wedged on my side, half pressed against the back cushions and half laying on his chest.
Go figure, I was wide-awake now.
Wide-awake with such a level of exhaustion that it was prohibiting me from sleeping.
I held my cell, propping it up on Calvin’s chest. I squinted and typed with one thumb—or rather, I tried, fumbling my way through the search phrase:Bufglo blooc brck.
I pulled my phone closer to read, squinting even against its decreased brightness.
Did you meanBologna Block brick?
I grumbled and tried again.
Did you meanBuffalo Block brick?
Yes. Yes, I did.
I clicked the amended search and pulled up several websites about the history of bricks in America.
Calvin reached down, grabbed my phone, and leaned over to set it on the coffee table.
I tilted my head up to look at him. His eyes were closed. “Sorry.”
He grunted.
“I can’t sleep.”
“I know. I can hear you thinking.”
I put my head down on his chest and was lulled into a sort of peace by listening to Calvin’s heartbeat. I ran my hand up and down his bare chest, slowing to enjoy the feel of chest hair between my fingers. Just the right amount. I moved to rub one of Calvin’s nipples, and despite both of us being tired beyond belief, I was proud that his body reacted to such a small touch.
“Hey,” he said, voice thick. “Not here.”
I raised my head to look at his shadowed face. “Not into exhibitionism?”
“What?”
“Maggie.”
Calvin turned his head, looking across the room at the dog bed, but Maggie was fast asleep, lying on her back with her paws lazily sticking up in the air. She snorted and snored peacefully. “I’m not fooling around on your father’s couch, with him one room away.”
