Chapter 95

“What?”

“Nothing. Don’t buy that.”

“What? Why not?”

“You sit right there,” Jason said, and went off down the hall in the direction of their bedroom. Colby, mystified but willing, sat. Behaved. Tapped a foot against the bar stool, not impatient but intrigued. The bar stool, intrigued as well, sympathized.

Jason came back. Barefoot, in sweatpants and a white T-shirt, he filled up the universe with protective happy glee. He was holding a book, and balancing a small discreetly elegant box atop that. “Told you not to order it.”

“Oh! How did you—it’s not out yet!” Colby plunged off the bar stool and dove for creamy thick paper, illustrated steampunk romance, airships and pirates and love under solar sails. He dimly registered Jason tucking the box out of the way, but was preoccupied. “Oh, you’re beautiful, aren’t you…oh, you feel marvelous, that texture…you’re magical!”

“Me or the book?”

“Both! How did you manage this?”