She rolled onto her back. “Mari Rhodes,” she said with deliberation. She smiled, and her eyes sparkled. “I like it.”

Joe turned on his side, pulling his arm out from under her and propping up on an elbow. “Don’t tell me you haven’t tried it out before now.”

“Nope,” she answered without a pause, but her eyes were full of mischief.

“Is that right?” He ran a finger lightly up her side, and Mari shivered. “You know, I think I now have a pretty good mental map of all your ticklish spots.”

She squirmed as his fingertips pressed into the curve of her waist ever so slightly. “Joe, that’s not fair!”

He grinned. “All’s fair in love and war, sweetheart.”

She jumped and giggled as he dug his fingertips in a bit more. “That is actually a misquote.”

“Oh, really?” He started to walk his fingers up her rib cage.

She laughed and twisted away from him, but he caught her around the waist and hauled her against him. “You’d better set me straight. I wouldn’t want to go around misquoting somebody.”

“John Lyly,” she giggled, grabbing his hand. “Stop tickling me, and I’ll tell you the real quote.”

His hand stilled, and Mari took a breath. “The actual quote is, ‘The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.'”

“Hmm, seems a bit wordy to me.”

“Well, wordy or not, that’s what Lyly wrote, and anyway, is tickling love or war?”

“Definitely love,” Joe growled behind her ear.

“Funny, it feels like war to me.”