Nick nodded his understanding about her reading location preferences, even if that wasn’t a problem he’d ever really had. But his entire career rotated around books, so it wasn’t like he was neglecting other work to read. Unless it was housework, sometimes that feel by the wayside, but that was why he paid a cleaning service when he was at home. Not everybody could afford or opted for those, though. He watched her walk to the bedside and tried not to notice how petite she looked next to it. That was quite a bit of bed for one single lady. Maybe he would get to stretch out on it sometime. “I think I’ve heard of that one, yeah,” Nick said with obvious approval. He didn’t miss the indication that he was her favorite Nick, and that was pretty nice. He ambled in a bit closer, but he was careful not to crowd her. “Sounds good, I’ll have to give it a try. Hmm ... I’ve been reading some Philip K. Dick for fun, which sounds impossible, and I should probably go easy on the mindfucks while I’m here, but ...” he trailed off and chuckled, giving a shrug, then half-grinned at her. “Please forgive the ego, I have to ask ... which of mine is your favorite?”
Addie was extremely aware of his presence, especially with her bed right there, but he definitely wasn't crowding her. She liked the way her pulse quickened when he got closer and she had to admit it was nice to feel the butterflies in her stomach. It had been a while since those had made an appearance. She held her book in her hands for a brief moment before her eyes widened with obvious pleasure. "The Man in the High Castle is one of my favorite books. I read it in high school... the Nazi sign on the cover certainly drew attention carrying that down the hall. I had two teachers stop me to make sure I wasn't reading Nazi propaganda." Addie rolled her eyes, but didn't seem bothered by it. Addie had been stopped by teachers in high school all the time, for a variety of reasons. She was pretty sure some of them thought she was hiding body parts in her locker. It had been kind of ridiculous, because she didn't think Silas ever got the kind of crap from people in school that she had. People had liked Silas.
Setting her book back down on her nightstand, Addie turned her attention back to Nick, really liking how she had to look up at him. He was so tall, and it did really pleasant things to her insides. "As for my favorite Nick Cooke... I think When Ghosts Speak is my favorite book of yours. Doing what I do, I feel pretty connected to the afterlife, and hauntings. But I also love the book you wrote on American murder houses. That one made me sleep with the lights on for a few nights while reading it. You write about things I've never seen from other authors, and I can tell you really dive into your research. Plus, you're a really fantastic writer. You paint such vivid pictures, which is probably why I have to sleep with the lights on when I read your stuff." Addie paused, her smile widening. "How is that for your ego?"
Nick laughed at the teachers and gave a derisive shake of his head. Establishment goons were always trying to stifle meaningful, subversive art. Hearing that a Dick novel was one of Adalyn’s favorites in highschool made him like her even more. Nick had always been a voracious reader, but it had taken him a while to really get into books like that. She was obviously intelligent, and that was always a turn on. It definitely wasn’t an honorable feeling, but listening to her name off all of the things she liked about his writing was even more of a turn on. Nick gazed down at her with a little smile curling his lips, then laughed again. “It’s uh ... very inflated at the moment,” he told her, something a bit suggestive in the word. Smirking, he took a sip of tea. “Thank you though, honestly. I always take it as the highest compliment when someone tells me I kept them awake at night.”