Page 59 of You Rock My World
Should we play on a call?
Josie
No, I’m too shy. I can only handle texts
Dorian
Nothing about this game seems shy to me
Josie
Trust me
Just spill, what would you do?
I have to think. What would make Josie lose it? How can I torture her back? My gaze lands on my nightstand and a slow grin spreads on my lips.
Dorian
I’d grab a fantasy paperback from my nightstand and read a fight scene aloud to you using my *seduction voice*
I’d make the gore sound particularly dirty and bring the hero’s sword thrusts to life so vividly, you’d feel each one
I hit send and, two seconds later, my phone rings.
I smile as I pick up. “I thought we weren’t playing on the phone.”
“You have a devious mind.” Josie sounds parched. “I have a request.”
“What request?”
“Would you—would you read me a bedtime story?”
“Let me guess, are we going for fantasy?”
“I believe I was promised a fight scene.”
“What about me? Don’t I get to ask a ‘what would you do’ question?”
“You will tomorrow night. Now read, please?”
I grab the book I was in the middle of, go back a few chapters, and, setting my voice extra low and coarse, I start reading. “Cassian didn’t much care for mud, but the battlefield seemed determined to drown him in it.Thickandsucking, it clung to his boots like a jealous lover, slowing every step. He twisted his blade free of a gutted enemy, ignoringthe wet soundit made, and stepped over the body, directly into moremuck.”
Josie groans on the line. “Oh my gosh, this sounds sooo dirty.”
“Should I stop?”
“No, please, I’m already invested in this Cassian character. Go on.”
I continue, “Thesludgemade every movementtreacherous, but Cassian moved with practiced efficiency. His sword found purchase inthroats, bellies, and heartswith grim regularity. He navigated the carnage, more inconvenienced than disturbed, his bootssquelchingwith each step. Once, he nearly slipped on a severed arm, its fingers still twitching as if unwilling to accept their new situation.
“Still there?” I check on Josie.
“Yep.” She yawns. “And I’m never falling asleep without a bedtime story from you again.”
“Ah, enjoying yourself?”
“I’m so turned on, it’s embarrassing. Is Cassian hot?”
