Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) Read Free Page B

you.”
    He nods slowly.
    I squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry to throw everything on you. First my mother and now my friends. I sometimes forget how overwhelming all of this must be for you.”
    He kisses my cheek. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. All these people are important in your life, so of course I’d like to meet them.”
    “We’re going to double date later this week with Macy and Andy.”
    His eyebrows knit. “Double date. The term sounds familiar.”
    “It means when two couples go on a date together. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” I rest my head on his chest. His skin is so smooth, his muscles so hard. “I love that we can do everything together.”
    He strokes my hair. “I love that, too.”
    “Do you want to go shopping for some clothes?”
    He sniffs himself, then laughs lightly. “I think it’s time for me to take a shower.” As a genie, he never washed himself.
    I get to my feet. “I’ll get you a towel.”
    In the bathroom, I show him how to turn the knobs to adjust the temperature of the water. I point out the soap and shampoo. We’ll have to buy some guyish shampoos when we go shopping later.
    I eye his pants. “Um…I guess I can quickly wash them. Just hang them on the door after you take them off.” My cheeks heat up. I can’t believe I’m talking about him taking off his pants. He’s got nothing on under there, since he told me he doesn’t wear underwear and doesn’t understand the point of it.
    “Okay,” Sebastian says. “Thanks.”
    I test the water. “This seems comfortable enough. Take your time and enjoy.”
    He holds me close. “Thank you for taking care of me, Lily. I love you, so so much. I know I keep saying it, but I really do.”
    I kiss him before leaving the bathroom. As I sit on the couch, I cover my face with my hands. I can’t believe Sebastian is taking a shower in my apartment. It seems so…intimate. Like we’re a real couple living together. I guess we are—it just feels surreal. My genie, my Sebastian, is here to stay for good. We can have the life I’ve dreamed of. Sure we have a lot of things to work through, but at least we’re together.
    “Lily?”
    The bathroom door is slightly opened, and his hand is sticking out, holding the pants. I take them from him and load them into the washing machine. It’ll take some time until they’re washed and dried, so I leave him my robe near the door. I’m not sure it’ll fit him, but it’s the loosest one I own. My cheeks burn at the thought of him wearing my clothes. It’s another one of those things that real couples do, sharing everything.
    I make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch while I wait for my man to finish with his shower. When I catch sight of him standing in the doorway, I nearly lose my balance. He’s wearing the towel, slung low on his hips. His chest glistens with water and his hair kisses his cheeks.
    I’ve never seen him wet before. He looks beautiful. Like a magical, exotic being from another world. Also, he has no hair on his chest or legs, like he hadn’t when he was a genie. I wonder if he’ll never grow body hair. I can’t say I mind him not having any. I’ve always loved touching the smoothness of his chest.
    His face flushes. “The robe didn’t fit.”
    “Oh…um…” I can’t believe the way I keep staring at his chest. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. Maybe because he’s here and is real, and that makes everything more…real.
    He looks down at himself, as though he’s wondering what the hell I’m looking at.
    “I could have used my magic to make the robe bigger, but I didn’t want to ruin it,” he says. “Lily? Is something wrong? Did I not tie this thing right?” He pulls at his left side, where he tied the towel.
    I blink, snapping out of it. “No, you did. I’ve just never seen you wet. You look hot.” I press my lips together. Oh my god. Can I be more lame?
    His face is still a shade of pink. I love how he blushes when I