“What’s hunh supposed to mean?”
“Looks to me like I’m not the only one who’s cynical about true love.”
I sunk my teeth into a piece of pizza. “I’m starting to think John Lovey was a nut.”
Diesel gave a bark of laughter and took a long pull from his bottle of beer.
“Eeh?” Carl asked, pointing to the pizza box.
Diesel gave him a second piece and cut a slice off for Cat.
“Do you want me to help read through the papers you took off Reedy’s desk?” I asked Diesel.
“No, but thanks. I left them in my apartment. I’m going to spend the night here watching the game and guarding your body.”
“How much of the night are you talking about?”
“The whole night. All of it. And then some.”
This was a real dilemma. I didn’t want another Wulf encounter in the middle of the night, but I also didn’t want a Diesel episode in the middle of the night.
“The whole night might not be a good idea,” I said. “It’s, you know, awkward.”
That got another smile. “Afraid you can’t keep your hands off me?”
“It’s not my hands I’m worried about.”
“Better my hands than Wulf’s hands,” Diesel said.
“That’s true, but it wasn’t the answer I was hoping to hear.”
The game was in overtime when I went to bed. I brushed my teeth and went with the least seductive outfit I could find . . . a lightweight T-shirt and black Pilates pants. I crawled into bed, and Cat took his position at my feet. I shut the light off, and heard Diesel on the stairs.
“Bruins won,” he said, coming into the bedroom, carting the Van Gogh with him.
“What’s with the picture?”
“I didn’t want to leave it downstairs where it could get snatched.”
“You could have slept downstairs with it.”
“I don’t fit on the couch.”
“You don’t fit here, either.”
“True. But I fit better.”
Carl looked over the edge of the bed. “Eep?”
Cat rotated his head and looked slitty-eyed at Carl. Cat wasn’t big on sharing his bed with a monkey. Probably, he wasn’t crazy about sharing it with Diesel, either.
Carl inched his way around the bed to the point where he was farthest away from Cat, carefully climbed onto the bed, and sat hunched, trying to make himself small.
“Does Carl sleep with you when you’re home?” I asked Diesel.
Diesel stripped his T-shirt over his head and kicked his shoes off. “No. He has his own bedroom. You only have one bedroom, so he doesn’t know where to sleep.”
“Like you.”
“Honey, I know exactly where to sleep.”
His jeans hit the floor, and I told myself to look away, but I couldn’t force myself to do it. Diesel naked was a masterpiece of male perfection. I was tempted to turn the light back on, but I was afraid that would be too obvious. He dropped his boxers and slipped under the covers next to me.
“This thing that happens when two people with special abilities get together. You want to explain that to me again?” I said to him.
“One of them loses all their special abilities. No way of knowing ahead which one will be the loser.”
“And just exactly what is it that triggers this power outage? I mean, does there have to be penetration? Does there have to be an exchange of body fluids?”
“Exchange of body fluids is a given, beyond that it’s a gray area.”
“How about contraception? A condom would contain body fluids. What then?”
I could feel Diesel smile. “You want me bad.”
“I do not! That’s ridiculous. I’m just asking.”
He slid his arm around me and nuzzled my neck. He was warm, and he smelled great, and I liked the way he felt pressed against me.
“How about we just fool around a little,” he said.
“Is that allowed?”
“Probably.”
“Is that probably like the I probably can defuse the alarm system?”
“Yeah, it might be similar.”
I heard rustling in the dark room and realized Carl was creeping across the bed, trying to get closer to Diesel and me, trying to find a place to sleep. At the same time, there was movement at the foot of the bed. Cat was uncurling, slowly stalking Carl.
“Maybe you can find a place for Carl to sleep,” I said to Diesel. “I don’t think Cat likes having a monkey in his bed.”
“They’re fine,” Diesel said. “They’ll figure it out.”
“Yes, but . . .”
YEOWL.
EEeeeee!
Cat pounced on Carl, and Carl went postal. There was a lot of screeching and hissing and growling and monkey bitch slapping. I dove under the covers, and I felt Diesel roll over me. I peeked out and saw he had Cat and Carl by the scruffs of their necks, holding them both at arm’s length.
I switched the light on, and Diesel marched out of the room, still holding Cat and Carl. Minutes later, Diesel returned to bed and shut the light off.
“Is everything okay?” I asked him.
“I have Carl on the couch in the sleeping bag, and Cat is in his bed in the kitchen.”