Page 6 of Brazen Mistakes

“Long, and it’s only three. I got roped into taking Jade shopping for last-minute gifts, and Trish tagged along. The two of them together spent more time arguing than shopping. We just got back. I’ve never been so glad to have a lock on my bedroom door.”

I laugh, dragging off my long sleeve and leaving it with the envelope on the island in the kitchen before heading back to my room to pick out the perfect jammies for the rest of my day. “So you get a little break, then?”

“I’ll go down to help with dinner around five. Then there’s Vespers at ten. And I’m pretty sure my sisters want to pass out on the living room floor while listening for the reindeer on the roof, like we did when we were little. So I’ll take this break and use it to do what I want to do the most.”

“And what’s that?”

“Talk to you.”

My heart stutters. After the weird conversation with Trips earlier, and the persistent panic living just under my skin since Chicago, this is exactly what I needed to hear. “I’d love to talk with you all night, RJ.”

“Then I’d better make sure my room is stocked with everything I need, because I’m not going anywhere, sugar.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “Perfect.” I clear my throat.

The tight silence doesn’t last long. “How’syourday been going?” he asks.

I pull out my favorite sweats, my oldest track t-shirt, and some fuzzy socks from the basket in my bookcase masquerading as a dresser. “It’s been going. I just got home from a run. It’s snowing here.”

“Really? No snow here yet, but it’s probably coming our way soon.”

“Probably. I was going to take my second shower of the day, but now that you called—”

“Don’t stop on my account.”

I freeze. Is he saying what I think he’s saying? “Don’t stop and don’t hang up?”

“Hmm, you know what? Don’t stop, don’t hang up, and tell me everything you’re doing.”

“Video chat?”

“Nah. Talk dirty to me, sugar.”

I swallow. “Well shit. Are you sure?”

There’s a pause, then RJ’s voice drops, lower, resonant, husky. “I’ll be a fly on the wall. What would you do if I wasn’t on the phone? If you were totally and completely alone? And maybe just a little bit lonely?”

I scrunch my pajamas in my hands. “Well, I guess the first thing I’d need for this lonely night is sexy pajamas, which I don’t even own.”

“It’s all in our imagination, sugar. What do you wish you had to wear?”

“Maybe something with lace or silk?”

“Mmm. Hot. What color?”

Black is what’s expected, but I love color. I consider the pinks and greens of my room, but they’re not quite right for this game. “I guess something bold.”

“Red?”

I imagine myself in a negligee made of silk and lace, but it’s not red in my mind. “No, I’m thinking of a rich, dark purple.”

Rustling echoes down the line, and RJ’s low hum makes me shiver. “That sounds gorgeous.”

“I have to shower first,” I say, my pajamas still crumpled in my hands.

“The highlight of my afternoon.”

I chuckle as I head to the bathroom, turning on the shower and waiting for it to heat up.

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