Marie Sexton - Between Sinners And Saints Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked, looking down on him without cracking a smile, although Levi could see the mischief in his blue eyes. “All urban legends start with a kernel of truth.”
Levi laughed, and Jaime moved to his side to work on his left arm. “Do most people talk or just lie here?”
“Either one is fine.”
“You won’t actually let me fall asleep, though, will you?”
Jaime smiled, although he didn’t look up from Levi’s hand as he rubbed between his fingers. “Once we get to your psoas, we’ll do some movements. Probably on your lumbar as well.”
“And by ‘do some movements,’ you mean you’re going to be sadistic and hurt me, don’t you?”
Jaime just smiled.
“Okay then, we might as well talk.”
“Fine,” Jaime said as he moved to the other side. “What would you like to talk about?”
“Sex?” Levi asked, just so he could watch Jaime blush.
“No.”
“I have to work tonight,” Levi said. “Why don’t you come by and see me?”
“Don’t start that again, Mr. Binder.”
Levi laughed. “You’re no fun at all.” He meant it as a joke, but he was surprised to see Jaime wince a bit. He’d actually struck home with his barb, although he hadn’t meant to.
“Tell me about your family,” Jaime said, before Levi could decide whether or not to apologize. “You said you’re from South Carolina?”
“Yes. Georgetown.”
“Are you an only child?”
Levi laughed. “Not even close. I have three brothers and two sisters.”
“Are you out with them?”
“Yes.” But he couldn’t keep the sadness from his voice when he said it, and he knew by the way Jaime glanced up at him that he had heard it.
“And?” he prodded.
Levi sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“It always is when it comes to family.”
“Are you out with your family?”
Jaime frowned. “I guess not technically.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go ahead and work on your psoas now, shall we?”
And so Levi spent the next few minutes working through exercises, while Jaime pushed on his abdomen and then on his hip. It still hurt, although not quite as much as before. Then Jaime rubbed his thigh, which was incredibly painful. “Are you the oldest?” Jaime asked him, as he worked.
He knew Jaime was just trying to distract him from the pain, but he decided to let him. “No. I’m the fifth, actually.”
“Tell me about them.”
Levi sighed. He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about his family, but it did help keep his mind off his discomfort. It also helped keep his mind away from how close Jaime’s hands were to his groin. “My oldest brother Isaac is a real estate agent. I guess he must be about thirty-seven now. Then there’s Jacob. He manages the tire department at a Sears. Then my sister Ruth. She has a bachelors degree in psychology, but she’s a stay-at-home mom. She’s married to an orthopedic surgeon.”
“The one who told you to get a massage?”
“Yes.”
“I like him already.”
Levi laughed. “Me too. After Ruth is my brother Caleb. He’s only two years older than me. He works at Ultimate Electronics. Then there’s me. And then after me is my sister Rachel.”
“That’s a pretty big family.”
“You have no idea. Between them all, my parents have nineteen grandchildren.”
The number shocked Jaime enough that his hands stopped moving. “Nineteen?” He shook his head. “Are you Catholic?”
“Mormon.”
“No way. You’re Mormon?”
Levi sighed. People always reacted the same way. He hated this conversation. “My family is,” he said, unable to hide his bitterness. “I’m not.” Not anymore. It wasn’t that he had ever technically left the church. His name still appeared in the rosters, and home teachers still called him occasionally to see if they could visit. But any comfort Levi had ever found in his religion had been stolen from him by their view of homosexuality.
Jaime was watching him with a puzzled look on his face. Then he smiled, and Levi saw a mischievous glint in his eye. “So,” he said,