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water bra thingies?”
    “What if it is? Come on.” She went for his mouth again.
    “You don’t need that fake thing. You have perfectly good breasts.”
    “The darts are big on this blouse. I need some padding. Just ignore it.”
    “Right,” he said. He shifted her body so she was lying on the sofa and he was half on top of her. Lovely, but she kept thinking this was just the next step in his usual mating ritual.
    “You’re so beautiful,” he said.
    “Is that a line?”
    “Of course not. You are beautiful. Your contacts show off your eyes. Crystal-blue. Nice shape—kinda almond.”
    “Thank you.” It was glorious to hear compliments like that from Ross. This situation had tremendous potential.
    “Remember the time that guy licked your eyeball and swallowed the lens?” Ross said.
    “Yeah,” she said. “Never date a man who still lives with his mother at age thirty. They get strange.”
    “Enough talk. We’re losing momentum here,” he said.
    “Right.” She pulled him down for a kiss.
    “Mmm,” he murmured, “that’s what I’m talking about.”
    She felt a momentary thrill, then she noticed a lump behind her head. She reached around and fished out transparent red bikini panties. She held them out. “Either you’ve got some explaining to do about your wardrobe or one of your ladies left a souvenir.”
    He shrugged. “Suzee forgot, I guess.”
    “How could she forget her underwear?”
    “Ah, honey, I get them so hot they forget their own names.”
    “Pul-eeze. You may be good, but, trust me, a woman knows where her underwear is at all times. She left this to mark her territory.”
    “I don’t know…Suzee’s kind of scatterbrained.”
    “I thought you didn’t date bimbos.”
    “I don’t as a rule, but she can do the most amazing things with her tongue.”
    “Could you stop raving about the sexual skills of other women? I feel like I’m being haunted by the ghosts of lovers past.”
    He took the panties from her and tossed them over his shoulder. “Forget other women and their clothes. Let’s get you out of yours.” He slid his fingers under her blouse, but maybe because she was nervous or because he was Ross, his fingers stimulated her tickling reflex. She jerked away, giggling. “I’m ticklish there.”
    “Oh, hell,” he said. “How about here?” He pushed his fingers higher.
    “That’s okay, but…” She tried to hold it in, but laughter burst out.
    “Are you trying to make me feel bad?”
    “You got the tickle thing going. Let me get on top.”
    “Somehow I knew you’d want that.”
    She ignored the dig and wiggled out from under him, but missed the edge of the sofa and fell to the floor with a squeak, dragging him with her. “Ouch,” she said. “Your elbow’s in my boob.”
    “Sorry. How can you feel a thing with that inner tube in there?”
    “Cut it out.” She went for his ribs and he laughed and jerked away, so she tickled him in earnest. He returned the favor, and they were soon rolling on the floor laughing and tickling each other.
    “This is hopeless,” Kara said, pulling herself to a sit.
    “I’ve just begun to fight,” Ross said. He leaned in and kissed her, slow and sweet. Then he moved his tongue in a way that reminded her of the eyeball licker and she laughed into his mouth.
    “You’re giving me a definite case of shrinkage,” he said. “Lucky for me, I know I’m a stud.”
    “Lucky for all the women on your speed-dial, you mean.” She grinned at him. He really was sweet and very sexy, with his longish dark hair tousled across his forehead. She touched his face. “This just feels too silly. Thanks for trying, Ross. You’re a good friend.”
    He sighed with regret. “Too bad.” He slid his hand across her left breast. “I’d love to get under all that water.” He straightened her collar and patted it. “At least we worked some of the starch out of your blouse.”
    “Yeah.”
    “The kissing was nice, don’t you think?” He