Page 42 of Paper Hearts & Plot Twists

Before Emily had a chance to rationally think through these options, Miles’s moving pressed something impossible to ignore against her ass and Emily jumped as she let out a squeak. She scrambled from the bed and hurried into the bathroom without glancing back. The door slammed closed, and the sound reverberated through the space. Miles was the one with a hard-on, but she felt like she was the one who needed a cold shower.

Emily started a shower. She needed time before she went back out and saw Miles, his sexy smirks, and his HARD body. No, she’d enjoy the spray of the water, and the time to think and breathe, and give herself a chance to figure out how to be somewhat normal around him after last evening and this morning.

She spent over twenty minutes under the spray of the shower and frowned at the prunes her fingers were turning into. She finally turned off the spray when she couldn’t justifiably stay in there any longer, stepped out, and got dressed. Clothing was her armor and would protect her from everything, even her own feelings . . . at least that’s what she told herself. She finally braved opening the bathroom door.

The room hadn’t changed. She didn’t know why she thought it would have transformed in the short time she was in the bathroom, but maybe it was because she felt as if she’d been transformed. Miles looked up at her from the desk, looking comfortable in his clothes as he sat in front of a table full of breakfast. Emily gave him a tenuous smile, and he returned the gesture tenfold. She was in trouble, she was in very big trouble, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to get out of it.

Chapter 31

Sleep drifted away, replaced by awareness of the world around him. Miles blinked and realized his sleep felt exceptionally different than usual, or his bed felt different. A slow grin stretched across his face as he realized Emily was pressed against him, sleeping soundly.

He adjusted his arm, wrapping it up and over her waist. He closed his eyes and pressed his face close to her neck, breathing in her clean scent, unbothered by her curly hair tickling his cheek.

He dozed until he was woken rather abruptly by a squeak, followed by Emily scurrying from the warmth of his arms into the bathroom. He fisted himself and continued to lie in bed, blinking the sleep and confusion from his eyes. Miles dropped his head to the pillow with a groan before he mustered the energy to pull himself from bed. He was starting to accept he was going to have a permanent erection as long as he was roommates with the beautiful, charming, and intelligent woman. He let out a sigh as he tried talking his body into behaving. It wasn’t going to happen.

Emily acted like a spooked animal, waking to find him pressed against her. He hadn’t done it on purpose. His body, in sleep, had sought hers. She’d torn out of bed like she’d never woken up to feel a man pressed against her, ready for a morning romp. He wondered if she’d simply been embarrassed or if she never had woken beside a man. She’d said she’d only had two relationships in her life. How innocent was she? He’d been trying to make his interest in her obvious over the last couple of days, but he wasn’t sure if she was simply rebuffing him politely, or if she was completely oblivious. He’d never been in a situation where his attention toward a woman wasn’t reciprocated. Should he come out and tell her he wanted her?

As Emily took a long shower, Miles dressed and retrieved breakfast when they knocked on the door. He sat at the table and nodded resolutely, deciding he’d have to be more obvious with his interest and intentions if he wanted to get anywhere with Emily, as he most definitely did. If she said no, that would be the end of it. He knew women, and the way she looked at him told him she was interested . . . or so he thought. She was so damn innocent, not his usual type . . . which made him like her even more.

He glanced up as soon as Emily entered the room and gave her his trademark smirk. It was time to shine, time to give her all of the charm that had made him a fan favorite at book signings. Emily returned the gesture with a soft smile, and Miles’s smile grew.

“Breakfast arrived while you were gone,” Miles said. He waved a hand toward the table and the spread of food and coffee. “Breakfast always tastes better when shared. Want to join me and see if that’s true?”

“I can’t turn down an offer like that,” Emily said, her skin flushed as she approached. Miles stood, pulled out her chair, and swept a hand for her to sit. Emily blushed and took a seat, allowing him to push her chair in. He strode back to his seat and joined her, a little nervous at how much he liked this domestic scene.

“What’s next on your agenda for the conference?” Emily asked. Her eyes closed in delight when she picked up her coffee mug and took a sip of the steaming liquid. She looked so at peace in this moment, her nervousness gone. They could do this. There was something between them. He just needed to get past her fear.

“I have a panel today. I’d love to see your smiling face there to support me,” Miles said. He buttered one of the biscuits and added a generous helping of strawberry jam on top before passing the treat over to her on a small plate. Her eyes widened and the delicious pink tint he really loved covered her cheeks.

Emily set her coffee mug down and picked up the plate with the treat. He couldn’t remember ever buttering a woman’s biscuit before. This thought nearly made him burst into laughter. He wanted to butter her biscuit . . . over and over again. His lips turned up as she replied. “I wouldn’t miss it,” she promised. “Do I get a sneak peek performance?”

“Is my smiling face not enough of a sneak peek?”

“Almost, but a pretty face means nothing without a smart mouth,” Emily told him. She turned to her plate and cut a bite of the biscuit. “This is seriously the perfect breakfast food.” She closed her eyes with each little bite as if she was in ecstasy. That wasn’t helping solve the problem in his pants. Her little sighs were killing him.

“You have a crumb,” Miles whispered. He was already leaning over the table, and he gently swiped his thumb over her bottom lip.

She opened and closed her mouth twice before saying, “H-how do you like your breakfast?” She was deflecting, but he’d let her get away with that for now. She wanted him, that’s all he needed to know. He’d proceed with caution.

“I love the eggs and bacon, and of course a side of your company,” Miles responded with a wink. He took another bite of his meal.

“My company is a full serving, not a side,” Emily teased. She was fidgeting now. Miles longed to grab those hands of hers, pull her into his lap, and kiss her worries away. It was too soon for that; he could be patient.

Miles laughed, “You aren’t wrong about that.”

He leaned back and started making plans. He wanted this woman. He needed to figure out how to approach her about it. Their time was running out and he didn’t want to miss this opportunity. He’d have to think fast.

Chapter 32

Miles lounged in his chair. He was sitting to the far right at the table, the fourth person in the Fantasy panel discussing common fantasy tropes and subversions. This panel was a powerhouse of writers and names. Present were Brandon Sanderson, Tamora Pierce, himself, and Sarah J Maas. He was excited for both the chance to interact with these other authors and the chance to share his insight on the topic. Sometimes writing occupied so much time he didn’t get to interact as much as he wanted with the greater author community.

“I really love the change of subversions for magical races I’ve started to see take place,” Tamora said after Sarah answered a question about her fae in the Crescent City series.

“Like monsters as love interests and good guys?” Sarah asked.

“In a way,” Tamora responded. “That’s only a minor piece though. There’s been such an expansion on what different magical races and species can be. Back in the times of Tolkien, it seemed certain things like trolls and orcs were just bad, but now authors are giving such diversity. I really loved reading Legends and Lattes. The cozy fantasy movement is such a nice surprise.”

“What is cozy fantasy?” Miles asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

---