Love And Protect

Her question didn’t require any thought. Hell, if Keith thought they could both get a week or two off on such short notice, he would suggest they book something now and leave Monday morning. “Let’s do it.”

“Any preference on where we go?”

As long as it included a tropical location and some sandy beaches, the place didn’t matter to him. “I don’t care as long as you bring a few of those outfits you had on earlier, and we have a king-sized bed.”

“Do you think about anything besides sex?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, you. All the time.”

“Is that so?” She didn’t sound convinced.

He didn’t share his feelings often. Tonight, he’d make an exception. “Who else would I think about?”

“Your friends? Maybe your family?”

“I don’t love them.” Leaning closer, he brushed his thumb across her shoulder and pressed a brief kiss against her lips. “I love you.”

Maddie’s eyes widened slightly, and Keith knew she hadn’t expected to hear him say those three words tonight.

Keith hoped to hear something along the same lines from her. But instead, she asked, “You don’t love your family?”

The woman could be impossible sometimes. “Maddie, you know what I mean.”

Taking his hand, she entwined their fingers. “I love you too, but…” Maddie paused as if to torture him, because no one wanted the word “but” in the same sentence as “I love you too.” “You need to work on that. It’s not healthy to focus on the same thing all the time, no matter what it is.” She patted his cheek and grinned. “Maybe you should try to be more like me and find a hobby to occupy your thoughts. I’ll even help you make a list.”

“And what’s your hobby?”

“Cooking.”

Things like stamp collecting and knitting came to mind when he thought of hobbies. Cooking was something a person did because you had to eat.