Her blush deepened and she pushed her glasses up. “Um, this type of book is called reverse harem.”

I repressed my smile, feeding on her discomfort. “One woman, many guys. I see. How does it happen? One at a time? All at once?” I tilted my head. “How would that work? Logistically?”

She blinked her owlish eyes. “Aiden King, are you playing dumb?”

My grin broke free. She tried to cover up an eye roll, but she giggled. I managed billions of dollars, but making my wife laugh right now was a bigger accomplishment.

I reclined in my seat. “Vanilla sex, huh?”

The blush returned but she sighed. “We often buy books off of curated lists. Usually, they tend to be by well-known authors, books from bestseller lists, authors or books that have won major awards, you know, something along those lines. There are a ton of romance categories and those readers tend to be prolific. They burn through our physical and online stock and then give us feedback on what they’d like to see. I noticed a theme emerging that the books were too tame.”

“They want more Fifty Shades?”

“Yes and no. They want more variety than just the most popular of the most popular. They want more heat.”

I dropped my voice a few notches. “Heat?”

Scarlet now, she scowled at me. “Heat.”

I’d push for a definition, but I wasn’t making just Kate squirm in her seat. If I kept talking to my wife about the sexual content of books, this flight would be the most painful I’d ever experienced. Add in the bedroom in the back that I doubted she’d want me to haul her into, and I was in hell.

Shirley saved me. “Everything’s ready. Can I get you anything before takeoff?”

I kept my gaze on Kate and the extra sparkle in her eyes after our conversation.

“No, thank you, Shirley,” Kate said.

Shirley hated doing nothing for an entire flight. I tried to have at least one task for her each time. “Did you have time to hit up the new bakery in town?”

The older woman beamed. “Oh, yes. I’ve been dying to go there and you gave me just the reason. I have a nice assortment of sweets and baked goods I think you’ll both like.”

“Thank you. Can’t wait.” Kate’s gaze was on me as Shirley went to her jump seat and buckled in. I’d never cared what Shirley packed for snacks or meals. This was a first-time request for me. And I liked the way surprise lightened the brown in Kate’s irises. I made sure to capture her gaze when I said, “I bet there’ll be plenty of non-vanilla options. Enjoy your book.”

I deliberately broke the connection and reached for my laptop bag. Messing with my wife was my new favorite hobby.