Page 67 of Yours, Finally

His deep voice warmed me up further. "You look mellow. Good."

I opened one eye to watch Jake sit on a stool by the feet of the tub. He held my book in his big hands.

"I don't think I can read my book now," I said. "I may take a nap."

"You won't have to read it. I will."

Both my eyes opened at that. "What? You're reading it to me?"

"Yes. I'll be your narrator this evening." With unaffected movements, he opened the pages to the bookmark I used. He read it and chuckled. "Coffee on ice and books with spice." His gaze on me shone with humor. "I bet I can find better ones for your birthday."

"Excellent. I collect them."

"Perfect. Now, what have I missed in the story?"

"Ash and Maia. He's coaching her on how to seduce the guy she's had a crush on for years. He's falling fast for her, but she's in utter denial."

"Sounds fun. Okay. You relax now. Ready?"

I closed my eyes. "Ready."

He took the job seriously. His deep voice showed emotion where needed; he made the sounds described on the text. Once every several minutes, I would watch him read the book to me; a concentration frown wrinkled his brow, while his lips danced around every word. Then I would close my eyes again, and get lost in the moment.

The water or the bliss of the moment of both, they had me floating in space and time as he read one chapter, two.

He stopped for a moment and took a sip of my wine. "I need some of this, if you don't mind."

"It's okay. I'm too comfy to move and have some myself."

"We can't have that." He closed the book and helped me have some of the wine. "There you go."

"You're really trying to make me forget about every book boyfriend I've ever had."

"Am I succeeding?"

"You're very close to success."

He let me have another sip of the wine, before kissing me and putting the glass on the counter.

He sat back on the stool and arched an eyebrow my way. "Are you challenging me, Vi?"

"Depends. Is it working?"

He opened the book with a smirk on his lips. "I'm too easy, I think. So maybe I'll do another chapter, then I'll go make us a meal. See if that gives me the prize."

I chuckled, and let him read me more.

"No, Maia. Kissing isn't supposed to feelstrange. You're not supposed to be thinking of how weird his tongue feels on yours. That means you were in your head and, if he were doing a good job, you would not be in your head."

If I were kissing her, I would make sure she forgot her name.

"That's not real, is it?" she asked. "I don't think a kiss could have the power to shut off my brain. I always thought that was an exaggeration."

I ground my teeth. "Oh, it can have that power.Believe me. A good kiss makes you weak in the knees. It makes you forget to breathe."

"I find that hard to believe, to be honest."

Her face twisted in real confusion, and it only made me more irritated by the second.