“True enough.”
Because this situation isn’t mortifying enough for Kate, TJ and Violet walk into my bedroom, having heard their son’s voice.
“Oh, my,” Violet says, quickly covering Deacon’s eyes with her hand.
“Deacon, what did we say about going into Uncle Jake’s and Uncle Noah’s rooms without permission first?” TJ asks.
“You only said Uncle Jake’s room.” The little boy has a brilliant future as a lawyer.
“Right, but I meant Uncle Noah’s room, too. It was just implied.”
Deacon makes the sound I’m familiar with. I used it quite a few times growing up. It’s the one that says you know the other person is bullshitting you.
“Okay…we’ll give you some privacy now.” Violet steers their son from the room, her hand still covering his eyes.
“Sorry about that,” TJ says. “We had no idea he was up here. Mornin’, Kate.”
She murmurs an embarrassed-sounding “Hey,” and he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.
I collapse back on the bed, succeeding in dragging the sheet off her. “Why we never installed locks on the bedroom doors when we took over the ranch is beyond me.”
“Do you think he saw anything?” She whispers it as if he’s still standing in the room and she doesn’t want him to overhear.
“Nothing that will scar him for life.”
She seems to relax slightly at that.
“Well, I guess there’s no hiding now that we’re having sex.” That gets me backhanded in the chest. “What?”
“We can’t let it happen again.”
Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. “What can’t we let happen again?” I hope she isn’t referring to the sex.
“I can’t stay overnight in your room anymore. I’ll have to return to mine once we’re finished.” She releases a long, frustrated breath.
Good. At least I’m not the only one disappointed with that solution.
“Or I can install a lock on the door.”
“You can do that, but it’ll probably be less confusing for Deacon if I sleep in my room.”
“Even though he knows you slept here last night?”
She nods in the way women do when they believe they’re right, end of story.
“All right,” I say on an exhale. But I can’t completely complain, even though I want to. At least she hasn’t instituted a sex ban on us. Living with her for the next six weeks with no option of having sex would leave me with the worst case of blue balls known to man.
Kate gives me a quick kiss. “I should get up now. You’ve got work to do, and I have a stable to clean and two horses to say hi to.”
I kiss her back. “Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours. Are we still on for your riding lesson?”
“Yes.” She climbs out of bed, slips into her clothes, and casually walks from the room as though Deacon hadn’t just been in here while she was naked. But I know her. On the inside, she’s anything but casual.
I follow suit and get out of bed, addingBuy lock fromhardware storeto my mental to-do list.
26
Noah
