Page 79 of Only With You

Julianna lifts her head, staring at me like she’s plotting my death. God, I missed those disdainful looks of hers.

“Ask your stupid question,” she grumbles.

“What gets you off?” It’s a normal question, but she looks at me like I’ve asked her something bizarre.

Her silence prolongs and for a moment, I think she’s not going to answer.

“No judgment?” It’s almost inaudible, but I manage to hear it.

It feels inexplicably warm all of a sudden. What the hell am I thinking I’m going to achieve with this question? I get nothing out of it.

“No judgement. I promise,” I earnestly reply in a thick rasp.

And I mean it, because I don’t break promises.

“I, um,” she stammers and then shakes her head. Determination flares in her eyes as she rolls her shoulders back. “Someone using me as they please, demeaning me, calling me…” She thickly swallows. “Names. That’s what gets me off.”

I don’t breathe. I don’t blink. I don’t move. I’m a heartbeat away from sporting a hard-on.

“Names?” My voice is hoarse and my dick twitches.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what kind of names I’m talking about.”

I do. I just wanted to hear her say them.

“You fantasise about being degraded?” My grip on the mug tightens.

“I guess that’s the term for it…right?”

“Right…”

After a beat of silence, she cuts through the searing tension wrapping around us. “It’s my turn.”

“Yeah, ask.”

23

JULIANNA

I can’t believeI willingly admitted that.

I can’t blame alcohol this time or whatever poor excuse my brain is desperately trying to come up with.

My admittance makes my body tingle and my face burns under the heat of his stare. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, or if he’s thinking anything at all. He said he wouldn’t judge me and true to his word, he hasn’t made a single comment or looked at me like I’m some kind of freak.

Chill out.He’s clearly unaffected, so I shouldn’t be bothered.

“What are you majoring in?” I ask and feel proud of myself for sounding nonchalant, because internally, I’m freaking out.

He stares at me seemingly impressed, or maybe stunned I asked that and not about his chromesthesia. I still want to ask, but he looks a bit on edge, uncomfortable even. Never thought I’d see Landon look out of his element, and while I enjoy throwing him off, I don’t want to do it like this.

“Mathematics and Musicology.”

“Two majors? On top of basketball…wow. That’s impressive.” And something I wish I could do, but I can barely manage with one degree. I can’t imagine trying to do a second one.

He shrugs, aloof. “I guess.”

“You guess? You have no idea what I’d do to be able to double major, especially in Music—wait.” I pause, comprehending what he just said. “Aren’t Mathematics and Musicology part of the graduate program?”

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