Page 239 of Come Back to Me

She uses me to prop herself up. “I-I want to pick the wallpapers.” The words bleed with her nerves, but there’s a lot of curiosity there too.

“Sure.”

This whole thing is a trust exercise anyway. I know how much it means for her to give me permission to photograph her like that.

“I want pictures with you in them,” she orders.

“Can do.”

“And I curate the best ones to go on my phone.”

I rub my nose. “I mean, there’s more chance Callan or Zee will see your screen…”

She squints at me again, but her initial reason forgotten, she hands over the phone after tapping the power button.

“I’m hot,” she declares. “You’re hot. So they’re in for a treat. And if they don’t like it, they shouldn’t be looking anyway.”

Why does she never say what I think she will?

I choke out a laugh. “There is that.”

Nodding, she grabs my arm as a clear punctuation point on that topic and drags me over to a wall of crystal dildos.

“I didn’t realize there’d be so many.”

“Yup. They have them shaped like penises, tapered, with bumps or untapered?—”

“Is that safe?”

“That’s what the ER is for.”

“Because every successful orgasm ends with a doctor pulling a red jasper dong out of your cooch.”

“Hey, life is for living.”

“So, personal safety during sex is my responsibility. Got it.”

Her lips twitch. “I’m all about the experience.”

“Apparently.” I glance over the wall of cocks. “You like green.”

“Yeah, but a green dick... it’s giving monster vibes.”

“True. Don’t ask me why Cole told me, but that’s a thing as well.”

She hums—the tone’s happy and amused. “He’s getting married.”

“Yup.”

“Callan’s organizing the whole shebang.”

“He is?”

“Yes. This Thanksgiving. At the ranch.”

My eyes bug. “What? Since when?”

“This morning. Cole called and asked Callan. Zee said he agreed.”

---