This isn’t jail. You’re not my prisoner.” Then, realizing things are just too tense, I go to him, wrap my arms around him, and kiss him on the lips. “You’re not my prisoner. Yet.” And smiling, I kiss him again.

Tension broken, Nathan kisses my forehead. “You and the girls go have fun tomorrow. Have a girls’ day. Hit your Asian nail place and have manicures, pedicures, and lunch. The girls love that.”

Nathan sees the light in my eyes. “But no shopping,” he adds. “The girls have enough. Deal?”

“One outfit?”

“Taylor.”

“A cheapie outfit?”

“Baby, you wouldn’t know cheapie if it hit you between the eyes.”

I grin. “You like my good taste.”

“I like being able to pay the bills, too.”

I reach for him, wrap my arms around his lean waist. “Fine. Cheapie nails and cheapie outfit.” My hands slide down to his still amazing butt. “How about we leave the dishes until morning?”

An eyebrow quirks. “You’re not too tired?”

“Not if you turn off the water right now.”

“What about the kids?”

“That’s never stopped us before.”

Making love with Nathan is as good now as it was sixteen years ago when we slept together for the first time. Nathan was always good in bed. He was a USC quarterback after all, and he’d dated a lot of women before he ever met me. Although I wasn’t crazy about all the women chasing him, I secretly liked that he was experienced. He knew how to please me. He’s always pleased me. Sometimes I worry that I enjoy sex more than I should. I know a lot of my friends don’t have sex with their husbands anymore. Lucy being a case in point.

“Are you awake?” Nathan asks, running his hand down my back.

“Mmmm,” I answer sleepily, shifting in his arms, putting a little more space between our warm, sticky bodies. I love making love. I’m just not as good at cuddling afterward. It’s hard for me to sleep when Nathan holds me too close.

He’s still stroking my back. “We need to talk.”

I open my eyes, stare at the bedroom wall and the window with the taupe shades drawn against the night. “About what?” I ask, immediately wondering again if it was Nathan Lucy was sleeping with.

“Our finances.”

A wave of relief rushes over me, and I almost laugh. “What about our finances?”

“We’re spending too much money.” He’s found the small hollows in my lower back, and he traces them lightly over and over.