Page 67 of The Sleepwalker
‘That’s true .?.?. Does it show?’
‘No.’ She laughs.
‘Well, my muscles have definitely been aching,’ he says, massaging his shoulder.
‘I can help with that,’ she says, getting to her feet.
Erik sees her breasts sway beneath the gold fabric of her top, and he quickly looks away. She moves around the table, and he feels a shiver pass down his spine as she pauses behind him.
Embarrassingly enough, what he said is true. He has started working out since he met Moa. He goes down to his son’s old gym in the basement almost every day, and his muscles really have been aching.
She massages the back of his neck, pressing down on his shoulders and squeezing the muscles.
‘Oof,’ he sighs.
‘Did that hurt?’
‘It’s OK, just—’
‘Are you scared of me?’
‘No.’
She kisses his cheek from behind, then steps to one side and looks down at him.
‘No?’
‘I’m pretty tough,’ he says.
‘You don’tlooktough.’
‘Do so.’
‘We can have a safe word,’ she says, her face solemn.
‘What?’
Moa roars with laughter.
‘Sorry, I’m only kidding. God, I just wanted to startle you,’ she says, covering her mouth to hide her smile.
‘OK.’
‘Erik? I was only kidding.’
He catches her hand and presses it softly to his lips. She gently caresses his neck, running her fingers slowly through his hair.
Erik’s phone is lying on the table in front of them. It is set to silent, but the screen lights up with a message from Joona.
I need your help.
Moa picks up the phone and hands it to Erik. She apologises for accidentally reading the message, but says it could be important.
‘Thanks.’
‘A patient?’
‘No, a friend .?.?. A detective.’
