Page 84 of Mark my Words

He was supposedly headed toward the hotel, and then the airport, but no one had heard from him directly.

Kristine and I had adjoining rooms on a different floor than everyone else’s at the hotel, so we parted at the elevator with instructions from Diana to meet up with her later to head to the first venue.

I spent the next several hours working on the manuscript, making some good headway and wondering what Kristine thought as she looked through the same pages. Her style was completely different than mine, but I knew she’d have some clever suggestions for the few plot holes I’d picked up as I read through.

The shower had turned on briefly in her room, but she was otherwise silent as I continued to work. After this morning, I knew she wouldn’t answer if I knocked on the door, but she had a few days to cool off. I wasn’t giving her the option to back out of our plans at the end of the week.

Thankfully our incomplete team was able to get to the book reading and keep to the schedule even if we were down an author. At least Evan already had a reputation for being reclusive to pass off as a temporary excuse for his absence.

“She’s doing amazing,” Kristine whispered as we watched from our spots at the side of the room during Chase’s reading. You’d never have guessed the events of the last twelve hours as her confident voice rang out, flawlessly reading the passage I’d picked out for today. Knowing you’d helped an author polish a powerful passage in their book was a heady feeling.

Chase and Evan’s styles complemented one another; this book was the best of their strengths, her descriptive language combined with his ability to weave a plot.

“She’s got this,” I smiled, oddly proud that we got to be an integral part of this process.

When she finished reading, and Diana opened the floor for questions, I cringed when Kristine’s hand shot up.

“I’ve got a question...”

“Go ahead,” Chase nodded.

“So when developing a book like this, a certain amount of research goes into making sure things seem believable.” Kristine paused, her eyes scanning the room and her body tensing as she spotted something across the room. I followed her gaze, and my eyes widened as I watched Evan sit in a seat toward the back.

“Go on,” Chase’s voice rang out over the microphone, and my eyes returned to her as Kristine finished asking her question.

My attention was split, half-listening to Chase’s answer and watching Evan. A small hand clasped mine, and I glanced down at Kristine, our eyes meeting for a loaded moment as we watched everything unfold.

Evan’s hand shot up, causing Kristine to squeeze my hand as he stepped into view. My pulse raced as we watched them meet in the center of the aisle, Evan pulling Chase in for a passionate kiss.

“Get a room!” Kristine yelled, but when she looked back at me, her eyes were full of something other than hostility for once. Maybe she wasn’t as far away as she seemed sometimes.

“So you two are the brains of the operation?” Kelly, Evan’s elder sister, joked from her seat down the bar where we’d escaped after our professional obligations were fulfilled.

“I’m more of an editing ninja. Get in there, fix the chaos, and move on,” Kristine tittered. Of course, she would downplay her skills. She avoided outright boasting in the office but was more than competent at her job.

I’d been dragged out to a local restaurant a few blocks away from our hotel with Kelly and Kristine after the two lovebirds had disappeared for the night at the end of the book signing. The three of us were seated at the bar, the two women bantering like they were the best of friends. Kelly was curious about our jobs, but Kristine was playing down her part in the editing process.

“But you could be an editorial samurai,” I smirked as I tilted my bottle back and winked at her.

“I generally try to avoid swords,” Kristine laughed, making eye contact with me behind Kelly’s back.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were a lesbian.” Kelly’s comment caused me to sputter loudly, choking down my beer as she swiveled on her barstool to face me. “You alright there, Sam?”

“Yup,” I breathed heavily before I took another sip, trying to cool the burning in my throat. “I’m good.”

Kristine still smirked at me, enjoying my discomfort at Kelly’s comment. I could vouch firsthand that Kristine was definitely not a lesbian. Bi, maybe—we hadn’t exchanged our complete partner history—but she most certainly liked dick. I knew that much. And given the twitch in my pants, my dick hadn’t forgotten how much it liked her, either.

At least I didn’t have to feel guilty about whacking off in my shower tomorrow morning since we were in separate rooms. This entire book tour would be a lengthy test of self-restraint and patience. The proximity was good for forcing Kristine to spend time with me because she had nowhere to hide, but I couldn’t push her too hard. Her mood was already precarious.

“It’s alright if you are,” Kelly assured Kristine as she glanced in my direction with a wide smile. “There’s nothing wrong with appreciating a beautiful woman.”

Before Kristine, I may have given her a second glance or even tried to take her back to my room, but as of late, I only had eyes for the sassy woman on her other side. And going after my author’s sister had to violate all kinds of ethics guidelines. Not that starting an office affair was much better. At least I hadn’t been the only instigator in that. She pursued me as much as I did her in the beginning, the feel of her underneath me proving addicting.

And here I was weeks later, still twitching for a fix.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Kristine smirked, licking her lips before she drained her beer. “I’m very much a fan of the masculine touch.”

“Same, girl. Same,” Kelly laughed as she looked over toward me again.

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