Page 57 of Sweet Oblivion

Is he serious?

“Because seeing that—you—like that... That’s not an everyday thing for me, Ryker,” I finally manage to tell him before he steps out of the shower, and I look away again.

Please let him be grabbing a towel.

I peek back at him. Because seriously, I can’t help myself.

Maybe let the towel be out of reach.

Maybe I’m finally hitting my ho phase.

Who knows.

“Has it ever been?” he asks.

“Has what ever been?” My eyes dip down for a fraction of a second, and I gasp. “Ryker... are you?—”

“Pierced?” he finishes, and apparently, there’s a whole new level of red I can achieve, judging by the heat slamming into my face. Great. He tilts his head slightly, his grin growing as he studies me. Not teasing. Not pushing. But definitely curious. “Yes, wife. It’s called a Jacob’s ladder. I answered your question, now you answer mine.”

A Jacob’s what?

“What question,” I sputter, trying to wrap my mind around his easy declaration.

What the hell is a Jacob’s ladder, and why do I want to look again more than I want to breathe?

Ryker wraps a towel around his waist, and I want to cry and sigh a breath of relief all at once. “Has it ever been an everyday thing for you, Lane?”

“Has what been?” I ask, playing dumb because I don’t want to answer this question.

“Lane,” he says softly as I hesitate.

And for some reason I’ll probably never understand, I tell him the truth. “No.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Somehow louder than any words could be but also empowering because it doesn’t feel like judgment.

Maybe I owe him this truth.

Maybe I owe it to myself.

“I’ve never... been with anyone,” I add, the words quiet, but Ryker’s eyes tell me he read every single one of them.

I brace myself, unsure what to expect. How he’ll react. I’m ready for the gamut.

Surprise.

Judgment.

Laughter.

Revulsion.

But I don’t get any of that. I should have known I wouldn’t. That’s not Ryker’s style.

He nods. Just once. Slow. Like he respects what I’m saying. “Okay.”

That’s it?

Okay?