Chapter 22 #2
She huffs. “That’s not gonna last.” An apt judgment given Blake’s dating history and tendency to fall hard and fast. And blind.
“That’s what I told him. He’s probably gonna show up on my doorstep any day now, moping.” I better stock up on ice cream. The full-fat version.
“So, this new roommate, what’s he like?”
It’s a good thing the camera is still aimed at Fiona, otherwise Lia would witness my no doubt stupid expression. “He’s great. Reminds me of Fiona, actually.”
“Your roommate reminds you of a rabbit?” She scoffs. “Does he drop shit everywhere too?”
“Fiona doesn’t do that!” And neither does Jamie, but I don’t bother clarifying that. “And you’ll understand what I mean when you meet him.”
“Whatever you say.” She sounds rather disinterested, and for some reason it grates. “I still don’t get how you can live with a stranger.”
“He’s not a stranger. And plenty of people do it.”
“Because they’re broke, not because they enjoy it, you weirdo.” She shakes her head, then winces when the movement aggravates something. “I’m still convinced you’re adopted.”
Oh, the burden of being the extrovert in a family of people-haters.
It’s quite the irony that I ended up in a job where I work from home, while everyone else works in fields that require lots of communication.
Life is funny like that. All the more reason for me to always have a roommate, or I’d become a complete hermit against my will.
“You just say that because you can’t get over the fact that Mom and Dad love me the most.”
“They do not!”
“Do too.”
“Bullshit!”
The banter goes on strong for a good while, Fiona having dozed off on my chest in the meantime. But at some point, Lia The Formidable Lawyer-To-Be runs out of retorts and lets out a pained groan.
“I hope at least this stupid headache goes away soon.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I can’t even catch up on the workload I’ve missed, because if I try to read I get nauseous. Been listening to audiobooks for three days straight; it’s all I can do.”
“And that’s bad? I remember you reading with a flashlight under the covers til the wee hours of the morning, hoping Mom wouldn’t find out.”
A nostalgic smile curves her lips.
“Never thought the day would come that I’d say this, but I’m getting fed up with them.” She sighs. “I swear, if I hear ‘steel rod’ or ‘hot iron bar’ one more time, I’m gonna go nuts, and not in a good way.”
Funny that she mentioned about getting nauseous… “Well, I am gonna go nuts if you don’t stop talking. Also not in a good way. TMI, please.”
“God, you’re so delicate.”
And she has no empathy for her big brother. “You can always listen to something with a little more substance, you know?”
“I mean, there was plenty of substance—”
“I’m hanging up.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Jesus. Girl can’t have any fun.”
“Girl can, my little sister can’t.” She sticks her tongue out at me, so I do the same. Thank God we’re both functional adults. “I’m probably gonna regret keeping this conversation going, but I just remembered—Jamie reads spicy romance.”
Lia’s eyes widen excitedly. “No shit!”
“No shit. I even recognized one of the books he owns. I think you have one with the same cover.”
“What cover?”
“Fantasy?”
“Very helpful.”
“Give me a break. It’s not like I’m a gay porn lit connoisseur.”
“Well, that’s your loss.”
I guffaw, though she might have a point. I am, after all, a connoisseur of one gay man in particular, and it is pretty fucking awesome.
“Seriously, what does the cover look like?”
“Magical?” She gives me an unimpressed look, so I blurt out whatever I can recall.
Sure, I could take a pic in Jamie’s room, but I don’t feel like barging in without his knowledge, especially since he seems so protective of his…
literary inclinations. “Purple and green, and I’m pretty sure one of the characters is, like, a fairy? But kind of a dick?”
Lia gasps. “Bound and Tamed?!”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
She whistles. “Oooh, your roommate has taste.” I try not to think too hard about what that means. “Okay, you convinced me! I’m gonna give it a re-read. Well, a re-listen.”
“I thought you were tired of them.”
“That was before I remembered what a sexy beast Soryn is.”
Okay, time to stop this conversation here.
“Right. I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Thanks. Bye!”
She wastes no time hanging up, and I try not to dwell on the fact that I just inadvertently sent my little sister off to listen to porn.
After throwing up in my mouth a little, curiosity gets the better of me.
I Google Bound and Tamed, and am not at all surprised to see the high number of ratings and reviews when various links start popping up.
I give the reviews a quick sweep, but most of them are confusing.
I mean, what’s breeding have to do with the story? Does it have cows, or what?
I exit the reviews and instead look specifically for the audiobook version. I could have a listen at the gym today, see what Jamie likes so much about it. I will definitely not be thinking about who else likes the book…
After I’ve found the purchase link, I download the file onto my phone to listen to after work. Geez, this shit is eight hours long. Guess I won’t get very far in the story, but at least I’ll become familiar with the characters. Find out who this Soryn is, and what makes him so hot.
The plan is simple: finish work, pop earbuds in, make my way to the gym while listening to the book that makes Jamie all hot and bothered. You know…for research purposes.
It starts out okay. The narrator has a pleasant voice and good range, making it easy to distinguish between the characters.
The story itself is fairly fast paced. The main character, Luke, wakes up somewhere he doesn’t recognize—in the fae world—and learns very quickly that he’s been brought there to serve as a pleasure slave to the Fae Prince.
Oof, not the way you wanna start your day. Or maybe you do? I guess it depends.