Page 33 of Audiophile

I’m shivering from the cold, and the frogs are an intense chorus all around us, but it doesn’t matter. Standing next to Reed is like curling up in front of a fireplace: welcoming and desperately needed after being caught out in the snow. He tugs me into his chest and I wrap my arms around him. Touching him is natural. Easy.

“You’re an amazing woman, Petra. Tonight was supposed to helpyoulive, but you remind me that I can too. That I have value beyond DKP.”

He’s anything but inconsequential. He woke me up. He brought sunshine back into my life. “Your value hasnothingto do with your job, Reed Alexander.”

Reed squeezes and lets go. “Can I repay you?”

“Oh please, I owe you. I didn’t need to see the bill to know how expensive dinner was.”

Reed shakes his head. “For my newfound hope. I have an idea: a limited sexual experience to help you explore that side again. Before you protest, it doesn’t involve sex or seeing you naked.”

A thousand scenarios flit through my head that make me dizzy. “There’s a lot we could do without you seeing me naked.”

Reed smirks at me with that damn dimple. “Is that an offer?”

“No!” I push him away so he can’t notice the way he heats my skin.

“Just consider it. You already listen to my voice, which makes it easy. You get in the bath and relax, the way you always do, but this time it’s me you’re listening to.Real lifeme.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“C’mon, Petronia.” His soft caress of my name throws me. “It’s harmless. Pretend you’re listening to a recording.”

“But you would hear me.”

“I would.” His nod is serious. “You’d be dipping your toe into the water. Literally.”

I clear my throat, searching for logic. “That’s a terrible pun. I—we can’t. I live with my parents—”

“I have a bathtub,” he says, and I freeze. He grows taller, as if my pause boosts his confidence. “I’ll be outside of it. Just talking.”

My breath comes out in clouds, but under my clothes I’m as hot as August in Los Angeles. His hand glides up my neck to my jaw, jostling Natalia’s name as he goes. It cuts through the haze obscuring my reasoning. I remember his rule about pretending. “No. Goodnight. Not-a-date is over, Reed. Take me back to my car.”

There’s a flash of pain across his face that I don’t understand, but Reed shrugs and opens my door. “Of course. Forget I brought it up.”

Once I settle into my seat, my brain overloads. I’m quiet for a couple blocks as I consider what I want. What if I can move past the awkward? Attraction isn’t a problem, and we’d win awards for chemistry. Reed already knows more about my sexual preferences than Nate did. But Livi messed me up with the kissing questions. I miss being kissed more than anything. More than sex.

Iwantto be kissed as though I’m the most important person in the world. I’m not that for Reed, but he blurs the world out of focus. He’s white noise, but in a person. Comfort. Safety.

“Okay,” I rasp.

“Okay, what?”

“Take me to your hotel.” If he protests, I’ll overthink this. “Are you taking back your offer?”

Reed grins at me. “No way.”

“Are you going to attempt to convince me to have sex with you?”

“I mean, oral sex. But auditory-oral notoral-oral,” he teases. His dimple is extra deep with joy.

I burst out laughing. “God, tonight would be completely different if I weren’t an audiophile. Alright, let’s test your idea.”

Reed reaches over to lace our hands together. “It’ll work—your fork mishap at dinner has me convinced. And while you might be an audiophile, you definitely have an aural fetish.” I flush, and Reed brings our hands up to kiss my knuckles. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, Petra. I do too.”

I fight to keep my nerves at bay as we walk through the lobby to his room, hand in hand.

“I don’t have wine,” he says as he unlocks the door, “but Idohave puppy chow.”

---