Emily: Hello Kitten (The ‘Hello’ series)

33. Chapter 33

thirty-three

I flip through Adrian’s books and snort. “I’m never reading medieval books to you. I hate that spelling was optional back then.”

He chuckles. “That doesn’t make it easier?”

“Having to figure out if something is actually a ‘u’ or a ‘v’ isn’t my idea of a fun read,” I sass. “Ooh, Sherlock . A mystery night.”

“Which is your favorite?” Adrian asks.

“ A Study in Scarlet , obviously. It’s the only time his power of deduction is thwarted, and it’s by a woman,” I answer.

“Sounds perfect for you, Emily,” he says. I walk over with the book and pout at him. He shakes his head slowly. “Nope.”

“But Sherlock would sound so much better in your voice,” I say lightly.

He sighs, then reaches out to catch me and puts me on his lap. “We’ll see. I expect you to be an excellent Watson.”

I kiss his cheek, almost open the book like our normal routine, then remember my sister is here and currently watching us like a hawk. I clear my throat and stroke over the fancy cover. “Are you just going to watch us, Sarah?”

“Watch, maybe ask some questions,” she says, clearly still annoyed. “Like when is our food going to be here?”

Adrian checks his phone. “Thirty minutes. Feel free to ask anything.”

“Would you still be together if you had met on the first day of class?” Sarah demands.

“I don’t date students,” Adrian replies sharply. “No matter how beautiful, intelligent, analytical, or how well they write. So, no.”

I gape at him. “Rude.”

“You wouldn’t have tried to seduce me. Remember how you looked at me that first day?” he asks.

“Well, yeah, I guess. But maybe, once I graduated,” I mumble as my cheeks flush.

He chuckles and rubs my back. “Thank you for sparing my ego.”

“I don’t spare anything. It’s true. Half of your students are in love with you,” I huff.

“Is that so?” Sarah butts in again, and I wonder if I should’ve kept that for myself.

“I’ve been propositioned for better grades, but I think those are students who have watched too much porn or read the wrong books.” Adrian laughs. “Grades are final. Even if some people want worse grades.”

“It proved you weren’t playing favorites,” I defend.

“Uh-huh,” he grunts.

Sarah looks between us, her fingers tapping impatiently on her leg. “What is my sister’s favorite color?”

I sigh.

“It changes regularly. I can tell by what pen she’s using. Lately, it’s red,” he answers, and I blink at him. How did he notice that?

Sarah keeps trying to get him to slip up, basically interrogating my boyfriend. She huffs and leans back. Adrian doesn’t know everything about me but bounces me on my lap when he doesn’t know the answer, saying we need to have a date where we just ask each other questions.

When the food gets here, I start to go to the door, but Adrian catches me, making me squeal and giggle. He sets me to the side. “Let me be the gentleman.”

“Come on. No way would this give us away,” I say with a pout.

“Go entertain your sister. We don’t want her bored, and you’re better with guests,” he advises.

“A please would be nice,” I tease.

“As if I don’t say please when it matters,” he whispers.

I take another step toward the door and Adrian takes a slow breath. I see desire in his gaze, hot and demanding. “Please, Emily.”

I kiss his cheek and bounce over to Sarah. I sigh. “He’s so good to me.”

“He pays for meals, reads with you, talks with you, and has sex with you.” She snorts. “That’s a friends with benefits situation.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I’m sorry, what do you and your husband do? Each work on your computers separately, only talking when one of you gets up to go get a meal or to make lovey-dovey eyes at each other like at your wedding?”

She blushes. “Emily, I just… I’m not seeing anything you couldn’t have with someone else. This is too complicated.”

“You’ve interrogated him, you’ve been staring us down while we talk about books. You can’t say he’s controlling either when I’m goading him the way I do,” I insist.

“What’s up with that?”

“I’m sure you’ve read some naughty books in your time. Even some kinky ones. What do you think it is?” I counter.

She blinks as her brows crease together, then she blushes. “Emily!”

I laugh at her red face and keep giggling until Adrian comes over. Sarah can’t even look at him now. Adrian rubs the nape of my neck, twisting his finger around my necklace. “Did I miss a joke?”

“Sarah asked why I keep goading you,” I hint.

He covers my mouth. “You’re terrible. Some things should be private, Kitten.”

“Oh, so I should tell her that anytime I go out with my friends, you get worried and send me cute texts but not about how you got me to agree to only drink beer with water between each drink?” I ask playfully.

Now Adrian is as uncomfortable as my sister. I shrug. “What, you’re both older than me, like Sarah keeps saying, so clearly, we can talk about kink and experience and—”

“You are my baby sister!” Sarah gasps.

“And you asked if Adrian and I had sex when I left your rehearsal dinner with him for however long we were gone for,” I remind her.

Adrian rubs his forehead. “What am I getting myself into?”

“See!” Sarah emphasizes.

“Clearly, I’m going to have to punish you for being so liberal with our sex life, Kitten,” Adrian growls, drawing a shudder through my body, and I bite my bottom lip.

My sister falls silent next to me, and I see her blushing all over again. Adrian mentions we need silverware and gets up. I follow as he heads into the kitchen with my gaze before my eyes snap to my sister. “So?”

“Alright, alright. You guys are… a couple,” she grumbles, crossing her arms.

“We’re a good couple,” I emphasize, then edge closer to her and peel her arms open to take her hand. “He makes me happy. We laugh together, tease each other, get a little raunchy, sure, but he sees me for who I am, Sarah.”

“I just… I worry. The age difference, the power imbalance. You even said he convinced you to only drink beer.”

I take a deep breath, glance at our hands tangled together. “I was kind of drugged at a frat when I was mad at him. I went out with the girls, forgot to use my nail polish and… It could have been worse. I was safe, really, but Adrian was willing to reveal we were together to my friends to make sure I was okay when Beth texted him.”

Sarah’s lips part, and her eyes fill with worry as she watches me with horror.

“He wanted to help however he could, but Beth got him to go home. I expected a lecture, expected him to ask what I expected when I was drinking liquor at a frat party, when I was happily getting drunk, but he didn’t do that. He reminded me that it’s not good for me and said that it makes people think they can take advantage, not that it’s an excuse. He’s never once belittled me, hurt me, mocked me, or treated me badly, Sarah. He’s good,” I say.

Her throat bobs. “So, the drinking comment is because…”

“Because I was drinking too much, and it was getting dangerous. So, he made it fun to stop,” I answer.

She peeks over as Adrian gives us each a fork. He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles just like he does before we eat every time. “Need anything else, Kitten?”

“No, thank you,” I say and dig in.

Sarah asks Adrian some general questions, not about me. Then she mentions all the board games he has. He admits that he doesn’t have anyone but me over so he doesn’t have anyone to play with. Instantly, Sarah’s hooked into the conversation.

She and Mark love game nights and they’re eager to rope more people into new games. Adrian beams and rubs my thigh under the table. By the time dinner is done, Sarah is bouncing with excitement and all the worry she had about Adrian being my professor has seemed to have faded.

“We can play Catan online. Next week? Thursday night? I’m sure you can convince my sister to play,” Sarah insists.

“That sounds great,” Adrian agrees. “I can drive you back to campus if you’re ready. If not, we could go get dessert.”

“No, no. I’ll get a cab. If you drop me off, people might get curious,” Sarah says.

I blink at her as Adrian puts a possessive arm around my hips. I’m afraid to get my hopes up. “Are you really not going to tell?”

“I hate admitting this, and you’re still on thin ice, but I won’t tell Mom and I won’t contact the dean. That doesn’t mean I’m going to lie if I’m asked directly, though,” she says seriously. “But I’ll do what I can.”

“Well, stay until the cab comes. I’m sure we can manage to play a game of Uno or a trivia game I have on my game system,” Adrian offers.

“Yeah, I definitely like you.” Sarah giggles.

As she goes to the couch, I stand on my toes and kiss Adrian. “I like you more.”

“Prove it when she leaves,” he dares.

“Make me,” I challenge.