“Whew,” he said. “You clean up good. You don’t look like the same girl.”She frowned right before she laughed. “Do women usually thank you for saying things like that?”

“Are you all right to drive without me talking you home?” He laughed a little. “You know what? I can’t remember doing this before. Talking to a woman for over an hour on the phone.” “You can’t possibly expect me to believe that,” she said. “I know you’ve had a million women!” “Not like you, Jilly. I was always looking for women who would take me to bed. It never occurred to me to look for a woman who would take me to heart.”

“Why do I have to earn it by being good? Don’t you feel like bragging?”“It’s better when you beg,” he said, his voice low. “It’s always better when you beg.”

“The door jerked open and he glowered at her. "What do you want?""Hey! Why are you mad at me? I just want to talk to you.""I don't want to talk," he said, pushing the door closed. With inexplicable courage, she put her booted food in it's path. "Then maybe you can listen.""No!" he bellowed."You're not going to scare me!" she shouted at him.Then he roared like a wild animal. He bared his teeth, his eyes lit like there were gold flames in them, and the sound that came out of him was otherworldly. She jumped back, her eyes as wide as hubcaps. "Okay," she said, putting up her hands, palms toward him. "Maybe you do scare me. A little."-Ian and Marcie”

“But what if you don’t like Chico?” she asked him, her brow furrowed. “Will you be there? Because if that’s where you want to be, I’ll find plenty to like.”

“Wow,” she said. “Do you realise how wonderful you sound?”“Yes, I do,” he said with a firm nod. “And I think I’m underappreciated.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?""Well, you can take a nap, read a little of my book, or close your eyes. Or you could stare--get the thrill of your life.""She put her hands on her hips. "You really wouldn't care, would you?""Not really. A bath is a serious business when it's that much trouble. And it's pretty quick in winter." He started to chuckle. "What's so funny?" she asked, a little irritated."I was just thinking. It's cold enough in here, you might not see that much."Her cheeks went hot, so she pretended not to understand. "But in summer, you can lay in the tub all afternoon?""In summer, I wash in the creek." He grinned at her. "Why don't you comb the snarls out of your hair? You look like a wild banshee."She stared at him a minute, then said, "Don't flirt with me. It won't do you any good."-Marcie and Ian”