I’m so caught up in my musing that I miss Walker grabbing a copy of my latest romance book and thumbing through the pages. Damn it! Now, I deeply regret tabbing all the spicy scenes.
“Walker! Personal space. Leave my book alone.” I bark out, irritated at his lack of consideration for my belongings. He, of course, ignores me. Typical.
“Wow Mads. What the hell are you reading? This is straight up porn just in book form?” Because of course he went straight for the tabs.
I’m going to kill him. My face flames as all the guys look at me. Kenji, with a knowing smirk, already knows what I read, as we’ve discussed it often. Walker with surprise and a little ‘ew gross, because he’s my brother. Liam, however, is wearing a distinctly different face. There’s curiosity and surprise, but alsoa hell of a lot of interest, and is that heat I see? Damn. Why do I like that so much?
“What I’m reading is none of your business! Besides, maybe you should read a romance or two. It might help you keep a girlfriend longer than a week.”
“Woah, shots fired.” Kenji quips.
“Hey, I have no problem with women. I’m a catch, I just don’t want to be caught yet.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“Why can’t women watch porn like a normal people?” Walker whines.
“You mean men. Women don’t watch porn, our version is a romance novel. Women are different.”
“What do you mean?” Liam asks, as if he’s actually curious about the answer.
“Look, guys are visual, so porn works for you. Women need more than an emotionless visual. It’s hard to explain, and it most definitely doesn’t apply to all women, but for me, I need the love story, the yearning emotion behind it, and the happy ending. That’s why I like romance novels.”
“Hmm, I’ve never really thought about it that way.” Liam murmurs, and it’s as if I opened up a whole new door for him, and damn, if that doesn’t feel good. We smile softly at each other. My heart beats a little faster.
“That’s stupid. Why are women so complicated. Why can’t you just be normal?” Ladies and gentlemen, my brother, the jerk.
“Then we’d be more like men. Is that really what you want, Walker?” I ask.
“Of course not, but it’s such a pain to deal with all the emotions, Mads.”
“Says my emotionally unavailable brother! Maybe you need to read one. God knows the women in your life would appreciate it.”
“Yeah, well now that I know it’s all porn, that’s a possibility.” He responds. If I could roll my eyes harder, I would.
“You’re such an asshat.” I’m completely over his “bro dude” attitude. Although I know he’s just doing it to get a rise out of me. For some reason, it’s catching me the wrong way tonight.
“I think it’s interesting. I’ve never even thought about why women read romance. It’s kind cool to know there’s something out there that explains things. I feel lost half the time.” Liam confesses, looking sheepish.
“Do you like to read?” I ask. How do I not know that? I can’t believe we’ve never discussed it before, especially with how long I’ve known him.
“I don’t love it but I do love a well-done audiobook. I just finished listening to Mark Messier’s book, No One Wins Alone. It was excellent.” Audiobooks. Interesting. I know just the book to suggest.
“Oh, I can recommend a fantastic audiobook for you. I’ll send you a text with the name and author. It’s a hockey romance so it should be right up your alley.” I smirk. I just wish I could watch him listen to that first spicy scene. His facial expressions would make my whole day.
“Those are a thing?” he asks, eyes wide and mouth ajar. I find his disbelief amusing.
“Those are absolutely a thing. Big thing actually.” I decide I won’t go into all the MM and reverse harem books. He seems to be shocked enough for now.
“Well, now I’m curious. Thanks, Mads.” He gives me a grateful smile, and I feel a tiny stab of guilt that I might blindside him, but not enough to change my mind about my recommendation.
I get up to grab some more water. Kenji gives me a meaningful look as I walk past him.
“What?”
“You’re kind of evil.” he says quietly. I look over. The boys don’t notice. They’re already talking about practice tomorrow. I smirk.
“Maybe just a little.” I wink at him.
