Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)(64)

“Are you sure?” She looked over at Noah’s room with unease.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I reminded her.

“Yes, but that was before—”

“Before what, Liv?”

“Before the sex,” she said, whispering the last word so softly that it was barely audible.

I pulled her hand to my lips and slowly kissed each of her knuckles with care.

“Stay,” I said again.

“Okay,” she relented.

She trailed behind me as I led us to the bedroom. It wasn’t late, but if she was going to sleep in my bed, I would take advantage of that situation right away.

Letting the door click in place behind us, she looked around and grinned. “You know your son is still very much awake down the hall, right?”

“I’m aware,” I said, walking toward her.

“And you know these old houses have super thin walls, right?”

“Yep.” My hands slipped around her waist, and I picked her up.

Like clockwork, her slender legs wrapped around my torso, and I felt her melt into me.

“What are we doing?” she whispered in my ear.

“We’re going to read a book,” I said in my most seductive voice possible.

Her head lifted, and her eyes met mine. “Come again?”

“Oh, I plan to, but give me an hour or so.” I grinned. “For now, I wanted to show you one of the many perks of a relationship.”

Over the last week or so, I’d been doing this quite frequently, constantly reminding her of the joys and certain extras one received when committed to another. Last week, I’d dropped off lunch for her at her office. Her secretary had been out for the day, so we’d also locked the door, and I’d shown her how much fun a desk could really be. On Monday, when she hadn’t felt well and refused to go to a quack doctor, Noah and I had spent the evening taking care of her even though she wouldn’t touch half the stuff I recommended. Instead, she’d stunk up the house with some crazy scented oils.

“Oh, yes, another perk. How is reading one of those? I can do that on my own,” she argued.

I walked us to the bed, bent forward, and slowly let her body dip into the mattress.

“Yes, you can, but then you wouldn’t get to listen to my sexy voice doing it.”

“You’re going to read to me?”

“We’re both going to read out loud.” I grinned.

“Like kindergarteners?”

“I’m fairly certain grade-school kids have never touched the book I picked out for us.”

“Oh.” Her eyes gleaned with interest. “Now, I’m intrigued. Is it sexy?”

Reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I pulled out the book I’d ordered online after a particular late night of sexting with Liv. In an attempt to keep myself from running out the door to do a repeat of our window encounter, I’d come up with the perks idea.

It was no secret that Liv was experienced in the bedroom. How experienced? I didn’t f*cking want to know. For most of her adult life, she’d convinced herself that relationships weren’t for her, and it was now my job to show her otherwise. Ever since lunch, I’d been showing her the many benefits of dating Jackson Reid.

Tonight, we would be reading in bed—with a twist.

“Erotic poetry?” Liv glanced at the title of the book I held in my hand.

“Were you expecting something with whips and chains?” I asked, flopping down on the bed with her.

“I never know what to expect from you,” she answered, rolling to her side.

“Exactly. Now, who wants to go first?” I gave her a challenging look.

“Give me the damn book.” She laughed.

Cracking the cover, she flipped through the first couple of pages, and she began searching the text of the poems, obviously trying to find the perfect one. Her eyes rounded and bugged as laughter tumbled from her mouth. Obviously, not all of them were great.

“Found it,” she finally said. “It’s an old one.”

“Good. Now, wow me.”

“‘Enthralled,’” she said, “by Alfred Bryan.”

“Teach me to sin— / In love’s forbidden ways,” she recited, her voice almost a whisper. “For you can make all passion pure; / The magic lure of your sweet eyes / Each shape of sin makes virtue praise.”

My skin tingled with every sound she made, and my mouth watered in anticipation of what was to come.

“Teach me to sin—” she repeated.

Dear God I wanted to.

“Enslave me to your wanton charms, / Crush me in your velvet arms / And make me, make me love you.”

My fingers inched toward her, reaching out to touch the exposed flesh where her shirt had crept up.

“Make me fire your blood with new desire, / And make me kiss you—lip and limb, Till senses reel and pulses swim. Aye! even if you hate me, / Teach me to sin.”

By the time she finished, I was nearly panting. Our eyes locked, and I saw that she was just as affected as me. Every word she’d recited was literary foreplay. When she’d read those words of lust and passion, her voice had turned into liquid sex, and I was suddenly dying of thirst.

“I really hope Noah’s asleep by now,” I said, pulling the book from her hand and tossing it to the floor.