Page 119 of Use Me Up

Kane answers the phone. “Hannah,” he says, his voice indulgent and rich. It’s the voice he always uses for me, and I preen a little as I hear it.

“Hey,” I say. My voice is different, too, a little breathy, a little bit quiet.

“How’s the watch working out for you?” he says. He got me a smartwatch the last time I saw him. He’s always getting me stuff, and all of his communications are things like that. What are your measurements, Hannah? What is your bra size, Hannah? You like e-ink for reading, right, and what do you think about this device that would let you use an e-ink screen for the internet?

“It’s great,” I say, grinning. “I told you it was great. I sent you a whole bunch of thank you messages, didn’t I? And I feel like I was demonstrably grateful the last time I saw you.” My voice is teasing, going throatier. It’s easy to flirt with him.

“You did.” His voice has also dropped in register.

“Kane,” I say, “you know Gatlin could not live without you, don’t you?”

“Oh, God.” Kane’s voice changes entirely. “He called you. Of course he called you. You two, you are worse than women.”

“I am a woman, Kane.”

“You know what I mean.”

I giggle. “Okay, no, I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m guessing he faithfully reported every single thing I said about you to you?”

“Well, not a lot of direct quotes,” I say. “But listen, first of all, he’s crazy, because Ellis and I are going to come to you. Or, well, I am, and Ellis can make up his mind to be wherever he wants, whenever he wants. I was talking to you about my trust fund, you remember. We were talking about investments. Buying a house is a good idea.”

He lets out a breath. “True. We were talking about that.” Kane likes giving me advice. He’s older than me. Maybe there’s a little vibe between us, not quite a daddy-little girl thing, because that would sort of gross me out, but some kind of vibe where he spoils and cares for me, and I like sitting in his lap and telling him thank you and that he’s too good to me. Maybe, even when it’s not sex, there’s a lot of me asking Kane’s advice and blinking my big eyes at him and hanging on his every word. He is, you know, very fucking sexy. “It is a good idea, and I guess it makes sense for you two to have a house here.”

“I would not let Gatlin close his studio,” I say.

“I didn’t say anything to him about that,” Kane mutters.

“And, um, the other stuff?”

“What other stuff?” Kane’s voice is guarded. “Because I don’t know how he made it sound, but I do really care about you, Hannah. Talking to you right now, I realize how much I actually miss you.”

“Um, the baby stuff,” I say. “You know that Gatlin wanting a child doesn’t mean that you’re not enough for him.”

“It’s not about that!” he protests. “I don’t like change is all. Everything is just fine the way it is, and I don’t want anything to be different.”

“Oh, be serious,” I say. “You love surprises.”

He chuckles softly. “Maybe I like surprises.”

“This isn’t even a surprise,” I say. “You have time to get used to the whole thing.”

“Well, if I don’t have to leave my patio, maybe it’s not so bad,” he says. “Did he tell you what I said about the patio?”

“He did not,” I say.

“Well,” Kane says, “good.”

“Do I want to know about the patio?”

He laughs on the other end of the line. “It’s good to hear your voice, Hannah.”

“Good to hear yours,” I murmur.

“I’d like you closer,” he says. “I’d like you more accessible.”

“Well, then, there aren’t any problems here, are there?” I’m grinning.