“Do you two need something?” she asks before her eyes lock right onto the highly graphic sex scene depicted on the page. I slam the book shut with Torin’s hand caught in the middle.
“Nope. Nothing at all. Thank you, though. Nothing. Ever… we’re good. So good.”
“That’s good,” she says, looking pleased when I pry the book from Torin and cram it into my bag.
“I can’t believe you thought you’d read that in public,” I hiss at Torin.
Torin seems disgruntled and rather confused. “I can’t believe you’d be embarrassed!”
I ignore him and pull a book out for myself and hand him the book I packed for him. “There’s plenty of sex in it.”
“Yeah, but no pictures,” he says, looking perplexed.
“Then do you want to watch a movie?”
“Do they have the video of you naked on here?”
“Yes, they have that stored on the plane,” I say with enough sarcasm that I hope he understands he’s acting ridiculous.
I open my book, but Kit takes one look at it and decides that she’s never seen anything so boring in her life. I sigh, really wishing I enjoyed audiobooks so I could listen, but every time I’ve tried, I’ve found myself struggling to pay attention. Especially when I had to sit in the dark with nothing to do with my hands. The frustration would build and build, and I didn’t know what to do about it. Why do I get so frustrated by it? I really need to just… accept it.
A hand slides into mine and gives me a tight squeeze before letting go, and I feel the book being pulled from my hands. The armrest between us gets jerked around before I reach out and press the button to lift it up. Then Torin pulls me into him as I hear the rustle of the pages.
He starts to read where I’d left off, and at first, I debate telling him that it won’t work. Whenever an audiobook plays, all I do is fixate on bullshit in my life…
But I don’t say anything because his voice is so soothing. The tension in my body gradually disappears with every word he speaks. I find myself slowly sinking onto him as I lay my head against his shoulder. One of my hands slides through Kit’s fur while she is lulled to sleep, and my other hand touches the hourglass. It’s like the pain in my body is eased by this as I listento his soft words that only I can hear while he reads me a chapter from the book.
“‘He slowly reaches out, hooking his arm around the emperor’s waist, drawing him into his body lined with glistening muscles. His thick cock presses tightly against the smaller man’s hip as his hand slides up his?—’”
I perk up. “This is not the same book.”
“No, no, it is,” Torin assures me. “‘Breathless, the emperor reaches down and grabs the assassin’s hidden staff of pleasure as he whispers, “Fuck me against my throne until I can no longer walk.” And with a flick of the assassin’s hand, the emperor’s clothing is shredded, revealing a beautifully pink little?—’”
“Thisdefinitelydidn’t happen.”
“Of course it did; it’s right here. I wish I could show you. Oh man, they’re doing some super-sexy moves on the next page. You should see the way he’s riding that staff.”
“No, he’s absolutely not. What if someone overhears you?”
“I’m being quiet… but if they do, they’re going to want this book too.”
“Maybe this is your calling. You can gain a following through writing about your sexcapades.”
Torin is quiet for a moment. “Can I really write a detailed book about all the times we’ve had sex? What if I find a painter who willpaintus while we’re having sex?”
“I wasn’t talking aboutus.”
“Well, all the other times I had sex were so insignificant that I can’t even remember them.”
I shake my head. “Your flattery is ridiculous. Please, read the real text.”
“But my flair,” he whines.
“I was really enjoying hearing your voice,” I admit.
I can feel him puff up his chest before he dives back into the book with vigor. It makes me smile as I drop my hand from thehourglass and set it on Torin’s leg. I guess this isn’t as horrible as I once thought it was.
Chapter Nine
