Emma: Friends and Lovers (F&L Story #1)

Emma: Part 5

"We're off to bed," Daniel said, following a giggling Chloe to the master bedroom. Eve stretched out on the floor, shaking her head at them and rhythmically kicking my ankle out of boredom. The lake house presented little for entertainment, and after scouring every room, the attic, and the garage, we came up empty for a television. The only radio was so ancient that a clothes hanger acted as an antenna and the only reception we could get was a Christian rock station that had Eve scowling at the little box and seriously pondering if it was floatable. Michael sat above me on the small couch, reading of all things. Frankly, I didn't know he could read.

"Whatcha got there?" I asked, tilting my head up to peer at the book's cover in the dim light. A half-naked man curled muscular arms over another one of those busty blondes and the bold script said, Temptation's Curse. Michael licked his finger and turned the page, intently scanning the words with a grin. "Is that what I think it is?"

"What is it?" Eve asked, flipping through a magazine by her elbow.

"He's reading a bodice-ripper," I said, covering my amused grin behind my fingers. Michael tipped the corner of the paperback down to wink at me. Eve reared up on her knees and stole the book from him. "Let me see that," she said and read a few lines, her eyes growing to saucers as she mouthed the words.

"Holy cow manure," she gasped...and licked her finger to turn the page.

"Hey, I was reading that," Michael said and grasped the book from her. She promptly swiped it back and soon, they were each tugging on a side, trying to read as the same time.

"At least, come down here so we can share," Eve said, huffing at him and prying his thumb off the end of a paragraph. Without taking his eyes from the book, he slid down to sit between us with our backs to the couch. "Hey, Emma," Eve said, "switch on that lamp, will you?" I sighed and reached over Michael's head to pull on the chain cord of the lamp on the other side of the couch...Eve's side. When I dropped to the floor again, my breast brushed the side of his face and he looked at me and Eve grunted to turn the page and I nudged him to comply, which he astutely ignored to glance between my face and my chest, so I nudged harder and he turned the page without paying much more attention to Eve or the book.

But one word caught my eye. In bold, black, slanting letters, the word of a certain male anatomy jumped out at me. I leaned in closer to read the section and my chin came in contact with his shoulder. I said, "Ouch," and rubbed my chin, and he said, "Would you rather sit in my lap?" I shook my head and focused on some guy named Damien and his heroine, named Chastity - who comes up with these names? - and the remarkably well-described scene beside a mountain stream and all the hot and steamy body parts coming together in a disgustingly short climax.

"If you can't do your job," Eve growled at Michael, "let go of the book." I glanced up from the end of the chapter to lock gazes with him.

"Read something you like?" he asked huskily, and that was the perfect moment for a distinguished and steadily repeating thump, thump, thump to sound from the back bedroom, complimenting Chloe's muffled giggles and squeals of delight. Eve tried to hold in her laughter, but that was too difficult of a task for the non-self-controlled people of this world. Michael never cracked a smile.

Eve sidled the book from his fingers and stood, saying, "I'm taking Damien to bed. See you guys in the morning." And when her bedroom door clicked shut, Michael kissed me.

*****

Maybe I shouldn't have bit him, I thought, staring at Michael's muscular back as he loaded up the pontoon the next morning and gingerly touching my bottom lip where he had bit me back. Last night, he gruffly said, "Good night, Emma Jane," dabbing at the smear of blood my teeth drew and turned away from me. I had not choice, but to go to my own bedroom and leave him to make up a pallet on the floor of the living room.