Chasing favors

Jamie and Malone face some difficult situations together.  One of the components that makes their relationship work is a sense of playfulness.  Here’s an example of that with a scene from Chasing Favors.

“Malone, are you telling me that my efforts to elevate your heart rate aren’t sufficient to ensuring your good health?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “You know how to get my heart racing. But there are other aspects required for a full-body workout.”

“Maybe you need to rethink your routine,” I teased from the doorway.

He was sitting on the side of the bed about to reach for his tennis shoes. Now Malone flashed a wicked smile. Before I could move, he lifted me off my feet.

“Malone!”

“Hold still. I’m going to do a set of curls with you horizontally across my arms.” He shifted his grip. One arm was beneath my knees. The other was under my shoulder blades.

“Don’t drop me!” I started to reach for his neck.

“Keep your arms at your sides, Jay.” He turned around now so that he was holding me over the bed.

Slowly he did a curl, rolling me in his arms as if his hands were reaching for his shoulders. On the third curl, Malone dipped his head and kissed my stomach through my shirt. Then he released me, dropping me onto the mattress from shoulder height. I bounced, laughing in delight.

“We’ve just created a new exercise.” He fell on the bed beside me.

“What are you going to call it?”

He gave it some thought. “Curling the vixen.”

“I’m a vixen?”

Malone nodded.

“Hope that’s one you’re only going to do at home.”

“Only with you, Jamie.” He gave me a kiss that got my heart racing, then slid off the bed. “I gotta run.”

“Sure, leave me all hot and bothered,” I muttered.

Malone grabbed his shoes and went out the door. “To be continued.”

“It damn well better be.”