CHAPTER 62
“So, how was your day?” Ash asked, as we walked into the house library, which seemed to have become our unofficial headquarters.
“Interesting.” Mike flopped down on to a couch and I walked to the other end of the room and sat down, too.
Interestingwas an understatement, though. We’d held each other, naked, in a cave, and then, after that, everything had felt stranger than it had ever felt between us. Because Mike had suddenly just left me there, standing naked, all by myself, without an explanation. We’d driven off in silence together and hadn’t spoken about what had happened.
“Oh? What was interesting about it?” Ash asked. “Find anything useful?”
Mike leaned forward on the couch. “Well, we did go to the cove.”
Ash smiled. “Thecovecove? No-clothes cove?”
Mike nodded. “And we also discovered an underground erotic book ring that is being run out of our town library, and it seems the mastermind behind the whole thing is none other than my future sister-in-law,” he said.
Ash looked over at Emelia. “Told you he would find out, sooner or later.”
“You knew about this?” he asked Ash.
“Those ladies were desperate for some excitement,” Emelia said, “especially when the Viagra ran out in town.”
“The WHAT?” Mike sat up straight.
“Remember just before Joe retired from the pharmacy, before Hector took over?” she said.
“Yes?” Mike sounded like he was bracing himself for something he didn’t want to hear.
“Towards the end, when he went a bit . . . you know, forgetful, he didn’t place any orders for Viagra for months. But, since Hector took over, that’s all fine. Blue pills all round!” She shot Mike the thumbs up and he face-palmed.
“How do you know all this stuff?” he asked.
“I supply the ladies’ weekly book club with eats. It’s amazing what you overhear.”
“And that’s when you decided to start buying them those books?”
She laughed. “It’s not like it’s illegal.”
“Really?” Mike pointed at me. “Take your book out, Becca. Because I’m pretty sure thatthatis totally illegal.”
I scrounged in my bag and pulled out my book and held it up.
“Oh, yes, I remember that one,” Emelia said.
“Wait, give that to me.” Ash laughed and snatched the book out of my hands and opened a random page.
“His scales were both hard and soft to the touch. I ran my hands over the wondrous things, glistening and glimmering in the prehistoric sunlight. I had never known this kind of desire before—so primitive, so carnal and so unexpected. My brontosaurus tilted his head and looked at me with those sexy, reptilian eyes. He was so handsome, and I wanted him more than I had. . . WHOA!” Ash put the book down and looked at us. “Tell me I’m not reading what I think I’m reading.”
Mike nodded. “Apparently, dinosaur erotica is a thing.”
Emelia burst out laughing. “I was just ordering what was requested.” She quickly looked over at Ash. “I’m not into that—promise.”
“Eeewww.” Ash cringed. “I should hope not.” She turned to Mike and me and held the book up. “And they are all reading this stuff?”
I shook my head. “No, some are reading about merman threesomes,” I quickly added.
“What?” Ash looked at me, appalled. “Is bondage and S & M not kinky enough for them anymore?”
“I think it’s cool,” Emelia announced. “I hope I’m still having sex at that age. Just because you get older, doesn’t mean that part of you dies.”
