Page 24 of Taken Off Camera
“A balanced diet,” I counter weakly.
His laugh warms me more than the blankets. “For a college freshman, perhaps.”
I reach out to catch his sleeve. “I thought you went home without saying anything.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.” His Alpha rumble rises, the vibrations soothing me. “You were sleeping so hard that I didn’t want to disturb you.”
I sway toward him, wanting to close the distance.
“Lie back down while I prepare your soup,” he encourages.
With a huff, I pull my blanket up and settle into my pillows.
He doesn’t stand right away. “Are you pouting?”
I jut out my bottom lip. “No.”
His chuckle fills the apartment as he stands and settles into my kitchen as if he’s always belonged there. While preparing soup, he updates me about the weather and the messages from my building manager checking on my condition.
When the soup is ready, I don’t even try to take it. I just scoot to sit up and open my mouth like a spoiled baby bird.
He rumbles with contentment as he feeds me, the firm vegetables and depth of flavor giving away that the soup is homemade and not from a can. Between spoonsful, I ask how his work is going.
When I’m done, he picks up where we left off in my book, and I snuggle onto my side, letting him lull me into sleep again.
By the following morning, my fever has broken, and I’m finally strong enough to leave my bed. With GentlemanX’s guidance, I learn to navigate my apartment blindfolded with him directing me around furniture and steadying me when I falter.
“One step to your right,” he instructs as I shuffle into the living room. “Now, straight ahead to the couch.”
My shin bumps the coffee table. “Ow!”
Strong hands grasp my shoulders, steering me away from the obstacle. “Sorry, that was my fault. A little more to the left.”
When I reach the couch, I collapse onto it and thrust my arms into the air. “Victory!”
“Congratulations.” He claps while laughing. “You’ve mastered walking while blind.”
“A valuable life skill.” I pat the cushion beside me. “Sit with me?”
The couch dips as he complies, and silence follows while I breathe in the clean scent of my soap on his skin, suggesting he’s showered here. I must stink.
“I’m bored,” I announce after several minutes.
He shifts beside me. “Want me to read to you?”
I turn toward him blindly. “Aren’t you tired of doing that?”
“Never.” The cushions lift as he stands. “I’ll be right back.”
When he returns, his weight settles closer than before, our thighs almost touching. “Any requests?”
“Rapunzel, please.”
Pages flip as he finds the story, and I close my eyes behind the blindfold, letting his voice wash over me. He reads beautifully, giving each character a different inflection without crossing into performance.
When the witch banishes Rapunzel to the desert and shoves her lover off the tower, blinding him, I find myself leaning closer, drawn to the vibration coming from GentlemanX’s chest.
Hours pass this way, him reading, me listening, our bodies shifting until my head rests on his shoulder. When he pauses to drink water, his arm slides around me, snuggling me closer, and the casual intimacy steals my breath.
