Chesapeake Blue
Page 5
"Did you draw her naked?"
"I did about a dozen figure studies. She was a natural. Totally relaxed, completely uninhibited."
"Man, you're killing me."
"And she had the most amazing…" Seth paused, his hands up to chest level to demonstrate.
"Personality," he said, dropping his hands. "Hi, Anna."
"Discussing art?" she said dryly. "It's so nice of you to share some of your cultural experiences with Kevin."
"Um. Well." The killing smile she was aiming in his direction had always made Seth's tongue wither. Instead of trying to use it, he fell back on an innocent grin.
"But tonight's session on art and culture is now over. Kevin, I believe you have homework."
"Right. I'll get right to it." Seeing his history assignment as an escape hatch, Kevin bolted. Anna stepped into the room. "Do you think," she asked Seth pleasantly, "that the young woman in question would appreciate being whittled down to a pair of br**sts?"
"Ah… I also mentioned her eyes. They were nearly as fabulous as yours." Anna took a shirt out of the open drawer, folded it neatly. "Do you think that's going to work with me?"
"No. Begging might. Please don't hurt me. I just got home."
She took out another shirt, folded it. "Kevin's sixteen, and I'm perfectly aware his major interest at this time is naked br**sts and his fervent desire to get his hands on as many as possible." Seth winced. "Jeez, Anna."
"I am also aware," she continued without breaking stride, "that this predilection—while hopefully becoming more civilized and controlled—remains deep-seated in the male species throughout its natural life."
"Hey, you want to see some of my landscape sketches from Tuscany?"
"I am surrounded by you." Sighing a little, she took out yet another shirt. "Outnumbered, and have been since I walked into this house. That doesn't mean I can't knock every one of your stupid heads together when necessary. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Show me your landscapes."
LATER, when the house was quiet and the moon rode over the water, she found Cam on the back porch. She stepped out, and into him.
He wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder against the night's chill. "Settle everyone down?"
"That's what I do. Chilly tonight." She glanced up at the sky, at the ice points of stars. "I hope it stays clear for Sunday." Then she simply turned her face into his chest. "Oh, Cam."
"I know." He stroked a hand over her hair, rubbed his cheek against it.
"To see him sitting at the kitchen table. Watching him wrestling with Jake and that idiot dog. Even hearing him talking about naked women with Kevin—"
"What naked women?"
She laughed, shook back her hair as she looked at him. "No one you know. It's so good to have him home."
"I told you he'd come back. Quinns always come back to the roost."
"I guess you're right." She kissed him, one long, warm meeting of lips. "Why don't we go upstairs?" She slid her hands down, gave his butt a suggestive squeeze. "And I'll settle you down, too."
Chapter Two
RISE AND SHINE, PAL. This ain't no flophouse."
The voice, and the gleeful sadism behind it, had Seth groaning. He flopped onto his stomach, dragged the pillow over his head. "Go away. Go far, far away."
"If you think you're going to spend your days around here sleeping till the crack of noon, think again." With relish, Cam yanked the pillow away. "Up."
Seth opened one eye, rolled it until he focused on the bedside clock. It wasn't yet seven. He turned his face back into the mattress and mumbled a rude suggestion in Italian.
"If you think I've lived with Spinelli all these years and don't know that means 'kiss my ass,' you're stupid as well as lazy."
To solve the problem, Cam ripped the sheets away, snagged Seth's ankles and dragged him to the floor.
"Shit. Shit!" Naked, his elbow singing where it had cracked the table, Seth glared up at his persecutor.
"What the hell's with you? This is my room, my bed, and I'm trying to sleep in it."
"Put some clothes on. I've got something for you to do out back."
"Goddamn it, you could give a guy twenty-four hours before you start on him."
"Kid, I started on you when you were ten, and I'm not close to being finished. I've got work, so let's get moving."
"Cam." Anna strode to the doorway, hands on hips. "I told you to wake him up, not knock him down."
"Jesus." Mortified, Seth tore the sheet out of Cam's hands and clutched it around his waist. "Jesus, Anna, I'm naked here."
"Then get dressed," she suggested, and walked away. "Out back," Cam told him as he strode from the room. "Five minutes."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Some things never changed, Seth thought as he yanked on jeans. He could be sixty living in this house, and Cam would still roust him out of bed like he was twelve.
He snagged what was left of a University of Maryland sweatshirt and dragged it over his head as he stalked from the room.
If there wasn't coffee, hot and fresh, somebody was going to get their ass seriously kicked.
"Mom! I can't find my shoes!"
Seth glanced toward Jake's room as he headed for the stairs. "They're down here," Anna called back.
"In the middle of my kitchen floor, where they don't belong."
"Not those shoes. Jeez, Mom. The other shoes."
"Try looking up your butt," came the carefully modulated suggestion from Kevin's room. "Your head's already up there."
"No problem finding your butt," was the hissed response. "Since you wear it right on your shoulders." Such familiar family dynamics would have made Seth smile—if it hadn't been shy of seven A.M. If his elbow hadn't been throbbing like a bitch. If he had had a hit of caffeine.
"Neither one of you could find your butts with your own hands," he grumbled as he sulked down the steps.
"What the hell's up with Cam?" he demanded of Anna when he stalked into the kitchen. "Is there any coffee? Why does everybody wake up yelling around here?"
"I did about a dozen figure studies. She was a natural. Totally relaxed, completely uninhibited."
"Man, you're killing me."
"And she had the most amazing…" Seth paused, his hands up to chest level to demonstrate.
"Personality," he said, dropping his hands. "Hi, Anna."
"Discussing art?" she said dryly. "It's so nice of you to share some of your cultural experiences with Kevin."
"Um. Well." The killing smile she was aiming in his direction had always made Seth's tongue wither. Instead of trying to use it, he fell back on an innocent grin.
"But tonight's session on art and culture is now over. Kevin, I believe you have homework."
"Right. I'll get right to it." Seeing his history assignment as an escape hatch, Kevin bolted. Anna stepped into the room. "Do you think," she asked Seth pleasantly, "that the young woman in question would appreciate being whittled down to a pair of br**sts?"
"Ah… I also mentioned her eyes. They were nearly as fabulous as yours." Anna took a shirt out of the open drawer, folded it neatly. "Do you think that's going to work with me?"
"No. Begging might. Please don't hurt me. I just got home."
She took out another shirt, folded it. "Kevin's sixteen, and I'm perfectly aware his major interest at this time is naked br**sts and his fervent desire to get his hands on as many as possible." Seth winced. "Jeez, Anna."
"I am also aware," she continued without breaking stride, "that this predilection—while hopefully becoming more civilized and controlled—remains deep-seated in the male species throughout its natural life."
"Hey, you want to see some of my landscape sketches from Tuscany?"
"I am surrounded by you." Sighing a little, she took out yet another shirt. "Outnumbered, and have been since I walked into this house. That doesn't mean I can't knock every one of your stupid heads together when necessary. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Show me your landscapes."
LATER, when the house was quiet and the moon rode over the water, she found Cam on the back porch. She stepped out, and into him.
He wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder against the night's chill. "Settle everyone down?"
"That's what I do. Chilly tonight." She glanced up at the sky, at the ice points of stars. "I hope it stays clear for Sunday." Then she simply turned her face into his chest. "Oh, Cam."
"I know." He stroked a hand over her hair, rubbed his cheek against it.
"To see him sitting at the kitchen table. Watching him wrestling with Jake and that idiot dog. Even hearing him talking about naked women with Kevin—"
"What naked women?"
She laughed, shook back her hair as she looked at him. "No one you know. It's so good to have him home."
"I told you he'd come back. Quinns always come back to the roost."
"I guess you're right." She kissed him, one long, warm meeting of lips. "Why don't we go upstairs?" She slid her hands down, gave his butt a suggestive squeeze. "And I'll settle you down, too."
Chapter Two
RISE AND SHINE, PAL. This ain't no flophouse."
The voice, and the gleeful sadism behind it, had Seth groaning. He flopped onto his stomach, dragged the pillow over his head. "Go away. Go far, far away."
"If you think you're going to spend your days around here sleeping till the crack of noon, think again." With relish, Cam yanked the pillow away. "Up."
Seth opened one eye, rolled it until he focused on the bedside clock. It wasn't yet seven. He turned his face back into the mattress and mumbled a rude suggestion in Italian.
"If you think I've lived with Spinelli all these years and don't know that means 'kiss my ass,' you're stupid as well as lazy."
To solve the problem, Cam ripped the sheets away, snagged Seth's ankles and dragged him to the floor.
"Shit. Shit!" Naked, his elbow singing where it had cracked the table, Seth glared up at his persecutor.
"What the hell's with you? This is my room, my bed, and I'm trying to sleep in it."
"Put some clothes on. I've got something for you to do out back."
"Goddamn it, you could give a guy twenty-four hours before you start on him."
"Kid, I started on you when you were ten, and I'm not close to being finished. I've got work, so let's get moving."
"Cam." Anna strode to the doorway, hands on hips. "I told you to wake him up, not knock him down."
"Jesus." Mortified, Seth tore the sheet out of Cam's hands and clutched it around his waist. "Jesus, Anna, I'm naked here."
"Then get dressed," she suggested, and walked away. "Out back," Cam told him as he strode from the room. "Five minutes."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Some things never changed, Seth thought as he yanked on jeans. He could be sixty living in this house, and Cam would still roust him out of bed like he was twelve.
He snagged what was left of a University of Maryland sweatshirt and dragged it over his head as he stalked from the room.
If there wasn't coffee, hot and fresh, somebody was going to get their ass seriously kicked.
"Mom! I can't find my shoes!"
Seth glanced toward Jake's room as he headed for the stairs. "They're down here," Anna called back.
"In the middle of my kitchen floor, where they don't belong."
"Not those shoes. Jeez, Mom. The other shoes."
"Try looking up your butt," came the carefully modulated suggestion from Kevin's room. "Your head's already up there."
"No problem finding your butt," was the hissed response. "Since you wear it right on your shoulders." Such familiar family dynamics would have made Seth smile—if it hadn't been shy of seven A.M. If his elbow hadn't been throbbing like a bitch. If he had had a hit of caffeine.
"Neither one of you could find your butts with your own hands," he grumbled as he sulked down the steps.
"What the hell's up with Cam?" he demanded of Anna when he stalked into the kitchen. "Is there any coffee? Why does everybody wake up yelling around here?"
