Read Obsession (Southern Comfort) for Free Online

somebody?  I can go distract him with a hamburger.”
    “We were just discussing the abundance of mistletoe in here…oops,” Sam said as Molly turned fussy and started chewing her fist.  “Sounds like somebody else is hungry.  I better go feed her before things get ugly.”
    After Sam took the baby and wandered off, Justin realized she hadn’t finished explaining what she’d meant.  Not that it was what he’d actually call important.  Amazing hands?  Hell, what surgeon didn’t?  And if they didn’t, they were in the wrong profession.
    Putting that out of his mind, he turned to catch Josh saying “…sling. Boy that brings back some bad memories.”
    Kathleen arched a brow at Justin.  “See? You guilting me into this thing is going to traumatize my co-worker.  He’ll have bullet-riddled flashbacks to the day he was shot, wake up screaming in the night, lose sleep, perform poorly –”
    “Hey, my performance is excellent.”
    “ – on the job.  Really, for Josh’s sake, I think I should avoid wearing the sling during working hours.”
    When Justin just stared at her she said “Fine.  Fine .  But his impending mental breakdown is all on you, buddy.”
    Buddy.  Justin really hated that word.
    “Maybe if you push her down again,” Josh said around a mouthful of Chex mix he’d snagged from Kathleen’s cup “you could incapacitate something more useful, like her mouth.”
    “Harding!” someone called from across the room, and Josh lifted his hand in acknowledgement.  “Cripes, I think there was a bum over on East Bay your family forgot to invite, Kathleen, but otherwise the whole city is here.  I’ll catch you guys later.”
    “So,” Kathleen said when Josh had left.  “Read any good books lately?”
    “You really are a smartass, you know.”
    “I’ve never understood that.”  Kathleen shook her hair back , those coppery strands sliding against the long stem of her neck, the nearby tree lights teasing out the red and gold until it all blended together like flame.  Her blue eyes sparkled, her skin gleamed creamy and fair against the dark sweater that hugged her gentle curves.  There were buttons on her right shoulder.  One, two, three…
    “Understood what?”
    “Why, when someone is running their mouth, do people call them a smart ass?”
    Justin wondered if they’d simply pop open if he slid his finger along her collarbone.  “Because there’s no curse word for mouth.  You can call someone a smart mouth, but it just doesn’t have the same, slightly offensive connotation.  If you want to accurately convey your annoyance, you have to swear . ”
    “Smart bitch?”
    “Not a body part.”
    He watched her pop a candy coated pretzel in her mouth as she considered.  She was wearing lip gloss tonight.  When the light hit it just right, it sparkled.  “Well, we know we can’t say smart dick, because it’s not really a curse word, and it’s also an oxymoron.”
    “I would argue, but the poor decision making skills of the penis are universally acknowledged.  It does, however, invoke wonder and awe in other arenas.”
    Kathleen stopped chewing.  “Are these arenas on the planet Wishful Thinking?  Because I’m thinking it’s more indifference and irritation.”
    Justin opened his mouth.  Closed it.  No good could come of offering to show her where she’d gone wrong in her thinking.
    “See?” She poked him in the chest, the corner of her mouth quirking into a smile.  It looked like candy, that damn lip gloss.  Like a Charms lollipop.  The kind that was sour at first, and got sweeter as you licked it. “As soon as we start talking about the penis, you lose the ability for coherent speech.  Really, the next time I have to subdue a male suspect, I’ll just drop that word, like an anatomical bomb.   Should wrap things up pretty quick ly.  Damn, I’m almost out of Chex mix.”  She looked mournfully into her cup.  “I’ll just –”
    He didn’t think.