From the look on his face, she knew that it didn’t sound great.
“Just one more night,” she said. “It won’t kill us to wait.”
“I know, I know, but…Whoa!”
“What?”
He suddenly laughed. “I’m so stupid.”
“What?”
“I’ll go to the store now! The Speed-D-Mart must carry condoms, don’t you think so?”
“It probably does.”
“And it’s open all night.”
“You don’t want to go over there at this hour,” Sherry said.
He glanced at his clock radio. “Only five after ten.”
“Eight’s too late to be going to that place.”
“I’ll just run in, run out. Be back in ten minutes.” He ducked down and kissed her on the mouth. Then he crawled backward, pausing along the way to kiss her naked body half a dozen times before climbing off the bed. “You just wait right here,” he told her.
He hurried into the living room.
“Don’t forget your clothes,” Sherry called after him.
“Thanks for the reminder.”
She crawled out of bed. Standing in the doorway, she watched Duane hop as he pulled a sock onto one foot.
“Don’t fall and hurt yourself,” she said.
“Time is of the essence.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she told him. “Unless you
want me to go with you.”
He snatched his shirt off the floor. Darting an arm into one sleeve, he said, “You aren’t dressed.”
“I could get dressed.”
“Wouldn’t want you to do that.” Into a sleeve shot his other arm. The shirt flapping behind him, he ran to the end of the couch and plucked his underwear off the cushion.
“I could just throw something on real fast,” Sherry said.
He ducked and stepped into the briefs. “No, no, don’t. Whatever you do, don’t throw something on. Stay just like you are.”
Leaning sideways against the door frame, Sherry put her weight on one leg and let her hip shift out. She smiled and shook her head as Duane sprang into his shorts.
So cute, she thought. Just like an overgrown kid.
Though the air was hot, her skin suddenly grew crawly with goosebumps.
What if something happens to him?
“You really don’t have to do this,” she said. “It’s not a good idea. Things happen at night.”
Done buttoning his shorts, he jerked the zipper up. “I’ll be fine.” He fastened his belt.
“Why don’t you just take everything off and we’ll both get back into bed?”
“Nope.” He looked around, frowning, then gasped “Ah!” as he spotted his other sock. It was on the floor near a leg of the coffee table, half hidden under Sherry’s skirt. He rushed over to it. As he pulled it on, he said, “I’ll be back before you even know I’m gone.”
“Right. Unless you get creamed by a drunk driver or shot in a stick-up or mugged by one of those bums that’s always hanging out in that parking lot.”
“Not gonna happen.” He dropped onto the couch and started to put his shoes on. “Want me to pick up anything else while I’m there?”
“No, thanks.”
“Potato chips? Jerky?”
“Why don’t you just stay here? Forget about the condoms, okay? Let’s just go ahead without them.”
He made a face at her. “Now you tell me.”
She shrugged.
Shaking his head, he stood up. “I’m already dressed.”
“That’s easily corrected.”
She eased away from the door frame and walked toward him.
He watched her breasts, then met her eyes. “I’d better go ahead and pick ’em up,” he said.
“You don’t have to.”
“We might regret it if I don’t.”
“I’ll take my chances.” She reached out and began to unbutton his shirt.
He took hold of her wrists. “It’ll be better this way,” he said, then pulled her forward, raising and spreading her arms until her body pressed against him. He kissed her on the mouth. “Back in ten minutes,” he whispered. “If I’m late, just start without me.”
As Sherry grinned and shook her head, he let go of her and turned around and hurried to the door.
Chapter Two
It’s silly to worry, Sherry told herself. He will be back in ten minutes.
Maybe fifteen.
Hordes of people go to convenience stores day and night. Most of them never run into anything worse than an annoying beggar.
He was right to go.
Thank God I didn’t talk him out of it, she thought. My luck, I probably would’ve ended up pregnant.
Probably?
She let out a humorless huff.
Thirsty, she stepped over to the coffee table. She picked up the glass that she’d used for her Pepsi. The ice cubes had melted, leaving half an inch of amberhued water at the bottom of the glass. She drank it. Though the mixture looked somewhat repulsive, it tasted cool and sweet.
Keeping the glass, she bent down and picked up the popcorn