Chapter 423 Reading Together
Katniss's heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. She tried to change the subject quickly.
"Hey, did Desmond get sent back?"
As soon as she said it, she regretted it.
She was so anxious that she brought up Desmond, the last person she wanted to think about right now.
He was such a downer.
But weirdly enough, thinking about Desmond, that annoying guy, helped calm her a bit.
Still, she worried that Maximilian might be annoyed by the mention of Desmond.
Maximilian raised an eyebrow, keeping his cool, and reached for his phone.
His team had already sent him a message.
After reading it, he said, "He's already on the plane."
Hearing Maximilian's calm tone, Katniss let out a breath. "That's good."
Changing the topic did help ease the tension.
However, whenever she thought about how Emma had used Desmond to threaten Maximilian, she felt a wave of discomfort.
She disliked Desmond, and she figured Maximilian, who had been even more disgusted by Desmond, must dislike him even more.
"Desmond won't have another chance to sneak back, will he?" she asked, figuring she might as well get it all out in the open.
"Don't worry, he won't," Maximilian said softly, holding her a bit tighter.
Katniss finally felt at ease.
Without Desmond causing trouble, Maximilian would probably have a much easier time.
"Want to sleep?" Maximilian whispered in her ear, his voice deep and husky.
Katniss quickly shook her head, remembering how hard Maximilian had worked that afternoon.
Her body still ached slightly. "It's still early. I want to read for a bit."
Her eyes were wide and sparkling as she looked at Maximilian, making her look incredibly enticing.
Maximilian licked his lips but eventually said, "Then I'll read with you."
"Read together?" Katniss tilted her head, puzzled.
Maximilian nodded and carried her to the study.
Katniss let Maximilian carry her, having grown quite accustomed to it.
At first, she hadn't been used to it, but after so many times, it became normal.
Leaning against Maximilian's chest, Katniss wondered what he meant by reading together.
She imagined herself reading a book while Maximilian worked on some documents beside her.
It seemed quite cozy.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice when Maximilian brought her into the study.
It wasn't until he carried her to the bookshelf that she realized he had brought her to choose a book.
The study's bookshelf was large, mostly filled with books Maximilian had placed there during renovations, hardly touched since.
Only brought a few books that Katniss had. Katniss had come to Starhaven for training and had brought some medical books from Luminous City that she hadn't finished.
She kept them here and occasionally read them.
But she had been busy the past few days, and it had been a while since she last read.
Scanning the shelf, Katniss reached for one of her books.
Just as she was about to ask Maximilian which book he wanted, he carried her out of the study.
"You're not getting a book?" Katniss asked, surprised.
Wasn't he going to read, too?
Maximilian answered matter-of-factly, "We'll read together."
It was then that Katniss realized Maximilian meant they would read the same book.
"Should I get a different one?" Katniss asked quickly before they left the study.
She had chosen a medical book, thinking Maximilian would pick something else.
Maximilian carried her straight to the balcony, his voice low. "No need."
Once on the balcony, Maximilian sat her down and covered her legs with a blanket, making her more comfortable in his arms.
Katniss adjusted to a more comfortable position and opened the book to the bookmarked page.
But before she could start reading, Maximilian took the book from her. "I'll turn the pages for you."
He tucked her hands under the soft blanket.
The last rays of the sun disappeared below the horizon.
The balcony light came on, and Katniss nestled in Maximilian's arms like a contented cat, watching as he held the book and occasionally turned the pages.
At first, she asked him to turn the pages, but soon she got lazy and just tapped his hand lightly.
Her hands were warm under the blanket, and a slight movement of her fingers was enough to get Maximilian to turn the page.
It was so comfortable.
But it was so comfortable that she started to get sleepy.
Just as her eyes began to droop, Maximilian's voice, tinged with jealousy, sounded in her ear.
"Is it that interesting?"
Katniss felt Maximilian kiss her earlobe, the warmth chasing away half her drowsiness.
Though the sleepiness faded, the laziness Maximilian had indulged in remained.
Along with the laziness was the fluttering feeling from Maximilian's warm breath.
Katniss turned and kissed his cheek boldly.
She pulled back after a brief touch.
"It's not that interesting. I don't want to read anymore."
She had suggested reading, but it was hard to focus while in Maximilian's arms.
Even though she recognized the knowledge in the book, it felt distant to her distracted mind.
"Then, shall we sleep?" Maximilian's eyes sparkled, looking at Katniss more brightly than usual.
Just as Katniss was about to answer, her phone rang.
It was Katniss's ringtone, breaking the moment.
Maximilian's expression darkened, wanting to ignore it.
But Katniss was quicker, getting up to grab her phone.
Maximilian watched her, then followed as she answered the call.
Seeing it was a landline number, Katniss answered casually.
But hearing Dylan's voice, she immediately hung up.
"Who was it? Why did you hang up?" Maximilian asked, putting the book aside.
Katniss's expression soured. "Dylan."
Dylan had been bothering her repeatedly.
She had already made things clear to him, and she didn't understand why he was contacting her again.
So, she didn't let him speak and hung up right away.
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