“Penny for your thoughts.”
I blink, looking down at Piper. She’s still snuggling up against me, and the forkful of food I’d been preparing to feed her is suspended in mid-air. Josh’s chewing is the only thing I see as I blink again, trying to banish the sudden thoughts that have invaded me.
“I was just thinking about I’d forgotten how adorably vintage you are,” I say, kissing her curls. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone use that expression other than you.”
She giggles. “Penny for yourrealthoughts.”
“Well, I was just hesitating between shoving you stomach down on the table and fucking you from behind, or asking another question.”
“Quill!”
I’m back to being addicted to the splotches of red that paint my cricket’s face every time she’s embarrassed, and seeing Josh’s clear discomfort is just icing on top. I know I’m an asshole for acting like this with him, because as Piper said, hedidsave my life. And, far more importantly, he savedherfrom the fate that clearly awaited her, and that I was helpless to prevent.
Seeing him shoot that man and save Piper pushed him right past the divide that separates the very few things I care about from the rest of the world, and put him firmly in the territory of people who do matter.
Still, it’s a lot of fun to make him uncomfortable.
“I think asking another question would be the better idea,” snaps Piper in answer to the thought I’ve just shared. “At least until Josh finishes his meal.”
“Oh!” Josh swallows the last bite of his steak, and I click my tongue at how slow he is. He hasn’t even touched half of his steak yet. If I have to wait for him to finish, we’ll be stuck here for all eternity. “Sorry!” he chirps. “I’ll go.”
“Great idea,” I tell him.
“No,” huffs out Piper. “Stay, Josh. Don’t let Quill bully you. He’s just a mean bully.”
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” I tease, poking her in the rib, and her glare turns into a hiccup of laughter.
“Uhm.” Josh looks at her and at me, then stands and takes his plate, preparing to leave.
“Didn’t you hear her, Josh?” I say through gritted teeth, because Idowant him to go. But not as much as I want to prove to Piper that this time around, things will be different. This time, I’ll listen. “Piper wants you to stay, so stay.”
“Right.” He looks more confused than ever as he sits back down.
Piper gives me a radiant smile, which makes Josh’s presence more than worth it.
“What’s your question?” she asks.
Fuck. Back to that.
I sigh, because there are definitely a few questions I want answered, and that I reallyshouldget answered. I do have a to-do list, after all, and I’ve never ignored a to-do list before. I’m a list kind of person, and right now, the list of things that I have to deal with are searing through my eyeballs, leaving an imprint on the back of them that I know will drive me crazy if I don’t mark them done.
“I was wondering,” I begin, taking a gulp from my glass of water, “how long it takes people to die of starvation.”
“What? Quill!”
“A few weeks. The thing people die from first is dehydration. That takes three days.”
Josh is the one who speaks those last words, and I glance up at him, my eyebrow raised. “You sure have a lot of random knowledge.”
“My parents are CSI fans,” he shrugs.
“A few weeks,” I repeat thoughtfully. “I should be okay, then. The soldiers left them with some food and water and there’s probably still some left. I guess they’ll survive for a while.”
Piper stares at me. “Whowill? What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering, I ask Josh, “How about dead bodies? How long before they start to stink?”
Josh doesn’t look half as uncomfortable now as before, when I was talking about fucking Piper in front of him. He shrugs again. “Hard to say. It really depends on a whole lot of conditions. If it’s winter, and the heater wasn’t on, maybe…”