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He left me on the bed and I put away my eReader and waited. I heard the water run as he brushed his teeth. He stood in the doorway to the en-suite bathroom and watched me as he brushed, white foam on his mouth.
"How was your day?" he managed around the toothbrush.
"Fine," I said. "Claire took me to lunch."
"How did that go?"
I shrugged. "The food was good. I ate too much. Sefton was there."
Drake stopped brushing and frowned. "He had lunch with you?"
I shook my head. "No," I said quickly. "He was there with his girlfriend."
Drake harrumphed at that. "Awfully coincidental. Nairobi is a big city."
"But the expat crowd is pretty incestuous, according to Claire."
Drake shook his head and went back to the sink. After he finished rinsing, he came to bed and crawled under the covers, snuggling close to me.
"And did he pester you? Or was he busy with his woman?"
"He was so polite when he came up to speak to us, I almost thought he was a different person."
"I may have to duel with him," Drake said, nuzzling my neck. "Rapiers at Dawn. Set him straight."
"He was fine, Drake," I said. "I told him to lay off, and it seems that he has."
"Good. But I'll still sharpen my sword."
I gasped when his lips trailed along my collarbone. Maybe there was enough energy in Drake that we might actually have sex.
Then he sighed heavily and laid his head on my shoulder, his arm around my waist, one thigh thrown over my legs. "I have to crash," he murmured.
"I know," I said and stroked his hair. "You've had a long day."
"I promise I'm all yours tomorrow night," he said again. "I feel so guilty leaving you alone all day."
"Don't feel guilty," I said. "This is your life. I want to be a part of it, whatever tiny little sliver of it you give me."
"Kate, you aren't merely a tiny little sliver in my life," he said, and rose up so that he was leaning over me. "You are my life. The surgery and teaching? They're my calling. I do both because neurosurgeons, especially those with a specialization in robotics, are in short supply. I'm needed. I feel like I can't say no when the need is so great."
"My need is so great, too," I said, smiling, thinking of the last time we made love. "Maybe I'll have to find a substitute. One named Robert, perhaps."
He frowned. "Robert?"
"You know, B-O-B." I smiled. "Battery Operated Boyfriend."
He shook his head and finally, his expression changed, but he was still guarded. "I always think of it as Big. For a minute, I thought you were serious and was wracking my brain for someone named Robert."
"Drake, how could you even imagine?"
"I can imagine a great deal, Kate. You have to remember Maureen left me for Chris."
He bent down to kiss me before reaching over and turning off the bedside light. Then, he sighed heavily in the darkness. "I know it's hard, Kate. Bear with me. I'm doing the best I can. Things are really busy right now."
"I know. I'm doing the best I can right now, too."
We snuggled down together, him spooning up behind me, his arm around my waist, hand under my breast as he liked.
