Free The Royal Pain by MaryJanice Davidson Page B

again.”
    â€œIt’s no good, Shel. And I’m not saying this to challenge your male ego in any way. It just…doesn’t work for me anymore.”
    â€œNot even by yourself?”
    â€œNot even by myself.”
    â€œSince…” He thought about what he’d seen in the news, way back. “Since those terrorists or whatever almost killed your dad? And your brother had to take over the country? Since then?”
    â€œI guess,” she said stiffly. “I didn’t mark the date on my calendar when I stopped having orgasms.”
    â€œHmm.”
    â€œIt’s no big deal, Shel.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œIt really isn’t.”
    He rubbed her thigh, thinking. “But you could come before, right?” He tried to remember how old she was. Twenty-four, twenty-five? “I mean, you weren’t a virgin last year, right?”
    â€œRight. And that’s all we’re saying about it.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œShel.”
    â€œBut if you give it some thought—”
    â€œShel.”
    â€œI’m just saying, we could probably figure this out.”
    â€œDr. Rivers.”
    â€œOooh, I love it when you go all gritty and steely on me.”
    Thankfully, she laughed. “Shut up, you ass.”
    â€œAnd as a matter of fact, I do have to get up early tomorrow. Everyone has to get up early on Tuesdays. It’s like a law.”
    â€œWell, then.”
    He sat up. “What’d you do with my pants?”
    â€œCheck over by the lamp.”
    â€œWhich one? There’s a hundred of them in this place.” He tripped over something and stifled a curse. “And they’re all off. Are you laughing? You’d better not be laughing.”
    â€œNo, Dr. Rivers,” she said gravely.
    He finally found them and in short order had dressed, then sat on the bed to tie his shoes. “It’s no trouble to stay,” he said, somewhat lamely, because she obviously wanted him to leave.
    â€œYou don’t have to.” He could see her smiling in the gloom of the room. “I’m glad you came over.”
    â€œYou’ll see me again.”
    â€œOh, that’s not necessary.”
    He bent and kissed her. “You will, though.”
    He could feel her gaze on him all the way to the door.

Chapter 18
    J enny rapped on the bedroom door. Alex glanced at her watch and smiled. “Put it through,” she called through the door. “And go to bed, for the love of God!”
    Her bedside phone beeped. She folded the magazine in half, dropped it beside her, and picked up the phone. “I was sound asleep,” she said by way of greeting.
    â€œYou lie like old people drive, m’dear.”
    â€œHi, Dad.”
    â€œI hoped I was waking you up. You know what time it is there?”
    â€œYes, Dad.”
    â€œWell, what time is it? That wasn’t rhetorical; Edmund took the clocks out of here—”
    â€œTrying to keep you in the office during salmon season?”
    â€œâ€”and my damned watch stopped.”
    â€œDad, buy a battery-operated one. Honestly. It’s three-thirty.”
    â€œDamn! What’s Jenny still doing up? Isn’t what’s-his-name, that guy we hired last year—”
    â€œReynolds.”
    â€œYeah, how come he’s not answering on third shift?”
    â€œJenny had a hot date. And, being Jenny, she can’t take an evening off without punishing herself, so I guess she’s pulling an all-nighter.”
    â€œJenny had a hot what? ”
    â€œDad, seriously, did you really call me in the dead of night to get all the gossip on the staff?”
    â€œSure. Edmund won’t tell me shit.”
    â€œThat’s because you go around trying to fix things. I can’t imagine anything worse than finding out the King of Alaska is meddling in your love life.”
    â€œAw, shaddup. So, did I interrupt you getting ready for