Had I gotten too fat on the trip? I hadn’t been able to work out and there’d been plenty of pizzas ordered in for lunch at Quantico. Maybe Dave was disgusted with my being a little extra lumpy. Stretched out next to Dave, I pulled the sheet to cover up a bit. I didn’t want him to think there was a beached whale lying next to him in bed.

When I reached down to try and arouse him again, he grabbed hold of my hands. “Don’t do that!”

His sharp tone took me aback. He held my hands together halfway down his torso. “Just don’t.”

“Okay, I mean, sorry, I understand you have a lot on your mind.”

He rolled onto his side, facing away from me. I felt so hurt and shut out that I just stared at his bare back. I didn’t want to cry. I hated crying in front of a guy. I took in deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, just like in yoga. I wanted to talk more, but after flying all day I was beat. Dave’s back to me was his signal that there would be no more conversation about what just happened.

Dave rolled back toward me and pulled me to him. “Don’t worry, it’s only temporary.” He brightened. “Hey, do you think you could kick out of work early tomorrow?”

“Mmm, I’ve been out all week, and there’s so much going on with the Marilyn episode.” I traced my finger on his doughy tummy. No six-pack here, but that would be kind of gross. I didn’t have a six-pack, so why should I expect someone I was dating to be able to bounce a quarter off his?

Dave grabbed my wandering finger again, holding my wrist still. “Make it work.” His hazel eyes were sparkling now. “I have a surprise for you. Something special I’ve planned for a while.”

“Can you give me a hint?”

“Just dress comfortably. I’ll pick you up at work. You’ll love it, I promise.”

He was so adorable that I almost forgot about Mr. Softy. “Okay, I’ll make it work. . . .” I said. Then he pulled me toward him for a salty kiss.