Naughty Desires

“It’s damaged.” Chris puts his phone down and comes around the table to stand beside me, pointing at the smashed corner of the package. “Look here. Does Dr. Steadman know someone tampered with the box?”

“Yes. He said it would be fine.” My pulse kicks up a notch as Chris pulls the package toward him, his long-dormant curiosity piqued by the dentist’s mysterious present. He is so close I can feel the heat of his body, breathe in his scent. If I move an inch to the side, I will feel his skin on mine.

I ache for his touch so much it hurts.

Chris stopped touching me shortly after he was laid off. He lay on his side of the bed and I lay on mine, and every time I tried to cross the barrier between us, he would gently move my hand away, telling me he was tired or ill or not in the mood. Although I never confronted him, I knew the excuses for the lies they were, and I relive them each night when I lie on my side of the bed alone. 

“Let’s check it out.” I hand him the scissors and he cuts the twine around the package. 

“It’s probably dental supplies,” he says, his gaze flicking to the television.

“He said it was naughty,” I offer.

“Naughty?” His eyes widen. “What did he mean by that? I’ve heard the rumors. Dan told me about him the other night at the bar.”

“What did he say?” I almost wish I had my bestie, Alexis, on the phone, because I know she’s going to make me repeat the conversation word for word. She thrives on gossip, especially anything to do with Revival’s hottest dentist.

Chris gives an exasperated sigh, but he snips the tape. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“But it had something to do with naughtiness?”

“Actually . . . ” He tears the paper away. “It had to do with kink.”