Laundry

Over the next week, Talon noticed a decided shift in their relationship.

Physically, Talon would walk Wren back to her room each night after training. He would work out for another hour, trying to release the pent-up energy from their training sessions, only to fail each night once he was alone in his bed with nothing else to do but think about the woman across the hall.

When had she gone from a mousy nuisance he did not even want to look at to the star of his triple X-rated dreams every night?

By Thursday evening, he was short-tempered, disgusted at his weakness, and positive it would be a repeat performance tonight.

***

“We are leaving in the next hour. Get moving, Evan,” Carrie said, standing in the parlor doorway with her hands on her hips.

“What is going on?” Wren looked up from the book she had borrowed from the library.

Training was over, and she had found a book she wanted to read while doing some research for her tutor.

“Oh, that is right.” Emerald appeared with a bag in her hand. “I knew I forgot something. We are leaving for our biannual trip,” she said as she leaned forward, dropping her bag with a sigh.

“We are allowed to leave for a weekend every six months. It’s time off for good behavior.”

“We are not in jail, Emerald.”

“Feels like it,” Emerald said, sending Carrie a glare.

Carrie and Michael had been gone for the last couple of days, sent off to take care of a Being nest, and Emerald had begged them to take her and Evan to no avail.

“You are too young.” Emerald mimicked Carrie’s voice. “Not until you are done with high school.” Emerald flopped down on one of the couches.

“You people suck. What is the point of all this training if we rarely get to use it?”

“So when you finish high school, you can use it,” Carrie said, not playing into Emerald’s tantrum.

She did this every time this weekend came up. Spending time with just Evan twice a year set her teeth on edge, and she made sure the rest of the household knew it.

Emerald turned her attention back to Wren. “You do not need to worry.” She stood as Evan appeared in the hall behind Carrie.

“We will be back by supper on Sunday, and Talon will be here with you.”

“Huh?” Wren was still at a loss.

“Hey Carrie, why can’t Wren and Talon go with us? It would be so much more fun if they came too,” Emerald asked.

“You know she is not allowed to leave the premises until her training period is over. It is too dangerous.”

“How much longer is that?” Wren asked. She had lost track of how long she had been here.

“Three weeks.”

“That is stupid. They should get to come.” Emerald started to pout.

“Would you get moving, and you too, Evan, or we are going to miss the flight.” Carrie took hold of Emerald’s shoulders and steered her toward the door.

“They are not ready for this weekend.”

“They would be if they got to go.” Emerald mumbled to herself as she headed out to meet up with Evan.

“I am sorry that you cannot come with us. Talon will be here, so you will not be completely alone.”

~Maybe they will get somewhere if we are not around as a distraction.~

***

“Do not worry about me,” Wren said, smiling. ~Two days of uninterrupted piano time, here I come,~ she thought with glee.

Another thought entered her mind at the same time. “Why don’t you all leave any laundry you have in the laundry room, and I will get it washed while you are away?”

“You do not have to do that,” Carrie exclaimed.

“It is okay. I want to. You will not have time when you return. I have the time and was already thinking of doing some cleaning this weekend.”

She hadn’t, but if no one was going to be around, it would be a good time to do some deep cleaning. These bookshelves needed a good dusting.

“Leave them out. I will get them back to your rooms when you return. Just please…put your porn and toys away,” Wren joked as Michael and Eric came into the room, just catching the last few words.

“Porn? What kind of conversations do you ladies hold when we are not around?” Michael asked.

Wren shook her head, embarrassed that they had overheard her comment. Of course, they would come in at that moment.

“I was just telling Carrie here that you should leave your laundry out so I can wash it. I will even put it away, but I do not want to see any of your naughty habits.”

Michael laughed out loud. “Sure, you want to take this on?”

Wren shrugged. “Why not? It will give me something to do besides sit around and stare at the walls all day.”

“Something I see you do all the time.” Eric rolled his eyes. The woman never stopped. Now she wanted to do their laundry.

“Just set it out.” Wren shook her head. “And leave the porn in the drawer.”

A saucy grin crossed Michael’s face as he gave her a wink. “Sure thing, sweets.”

“Let’s go.” Eric was already heading to the door. “We do not have a lot of time. Thanks!”

Wren had the distinct impression that she just might eat her words.

“Have a great weekend.” Carrie gave her a small smile. “Take this time to rest yourself.”

“I will.” Wren was already planning her time without all the distractions the rest brought to the house.

It was going to be a glorious weekend.

***

Within the hour, they were all gone, and Wren could finally take a deep breath.

She was not worried about Talon intruding on her time. He would probably lock himself in the gym. Those glorious muscles did not build themselves. She blushed at the thought of those muscles pulling her close, and a familiar flutter began deep in her body at that thought.

~Maybe I should take a cold shower first.~

“What was that for?”

Wren turned to see Talon coming down the stairs.

She had hoped he would not be around so she could really have some time alone.

“Why could you not have gone with them?”

“Trying to get rid of me as well?” he asked innocently.

“Absolutely.” He was becoming more and more comfortable invading her personal space, and she was both irritated and excited by it.

She needed some space from him so she could get herself back under control.

Letting this man in would be a dangerous game that she would lose.

He stepped in close. “The reason I did not go with them is that I do not care to watch them being all lovey-dovey. It is hard enough to deal with it here, but it only gets worse when we take this vacation. I do not need to spend three days as the fifth wheel, and you are not available to come and entertain me.”

Wren flushed at his close proximity and even more by his last comment.

“I see,” she replied stiffly. She turned and headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, “Enjoy your weekend.”

She paused at the door. She may as well include him.

“Leave your laundry out. I am doing everyone else’s, so I might as well do yours at the same time. It will save time and energy.”

***

Talon stared after her.

“Laundry?” ~She wants to do MY laundry?~ “I think not.”

Still…she had just offered to do his laundry without batting an eye if he was not mistaken. He watched her leave, and an inexplicable feeling of disappointment clutched his chest.

Did she plan on avoiding him this weekend? ~Wait, I should be glad that she wants space.~ Even as the thought crossed his mind, he acknowledged the lie for what it was.

^THE NEXT DAY^

“You really are doing all of their laundry.”

Talon stood in the door of the laundry room the following morning. He did not know what he was thinking. He had brought it here, knowing that she would be around.

He was an idiot.

“Yup.”

“Why are you mixing them? Won’t you put them back wrong if you mix them?” He watched her sorting colors and towels.

“Why not just do one at a time?”

“Why so many questions?” she said. He was such a man.

“Couple of reasons.” She went back to her sorting, picking up one of Carrie’s bikini bottoms and throwing it into a pile before moving on to a pair of Eric’s slacks and putting them in another pile.

“First, no one has enough to do their loads without wasting lots of water. Second, I have only mixed the couples. Since they are boy/girl, it will be easy to sort back out.”

She went to work on Evan’s and Emerald’s clothes next.

“So you have decided to cooperate, huh?” Wren continued, not looking up from her sorting.

“I thought I might actually have to enter your room and take it from you.”

Talon gave her a scathing look. ~She wouldn’t dare…right?~ He let out a sigh.

“Where is your laundry?”

“Over there, why?” Wren pointed to a pile. “Checking out the colors of my underwear?”

~Did she just…~ Talon shook his head. To think he had thought her dull and mousy.

“Since you are doing it by couples, I should go ahead and put mine with yours, duh.”

He dropped his clothes on top of hers, looking around at the different piles. There was a lot here.

“Let me help.” ~What am I doing? Did I just offer to help?~ He bent down and started separating their clothes.

“I assume we are doing lights, darks, and towels? Any other piles I need to make?”

“Nope.”

Talon stopped suddenly, holding a bright red string bikini thong. He could only stare at it, his brain frying at the thought that she had been wearing this at some point.

Color started to stain his cheeks, and his lower body began to stir. He stole a glance at the woman next to him.

This was what she wore underneath those too-big, plain clothes? He would never be able to look at her the same.

“Does it bother you to touch others’ dirty clothing?” he asked, wondering what pile to put it in. ~What little cloth there is, is lacy and very see-through.~

“Nope. I did my family’s laundry for years before I moved away. It is not a big deal.”

“Umm.” Talon felt his face growing hotter. “Where would you put this?” He refused to look her in the eyes when she glanced over.

“Goes with colors.” Wren continued to sort, then stopped, turning to look at him again.

~Is the man embarrassed?~ “Does it bother you to touch my undergarments?” she asked, taking in his red face and averted eyes.

~Oh my. He is cute when he is embarrassed.~

“Of course not!” He blushed even more. “It’s just that…” He could not continue his thought.

“Yes?” Wren asked, enjoying the show.

Laughter threatened to escape as he squirmed under her steady gaze. ~This is fun.~ Finally, the man was human!

“Good lord above, woman, it is a thong!”