Page 75 of Smut

“Oh, you mean you’re socially awkward and prone to saying the wrong thing all the time? You don’t say.”

“Shut up. What do you want?”

He snorts in amusement. “What do I want? As your business partner I’m here to remind you that we’re on a deadline. We only have a couple of days to finish the book and then it’s off to the editor and then it’s uploaded to Amazon. Release day, baby.”

“Did we figure out a cover yet?”

“The designer is looking. She knows the drill. Hot guy, shirtless, abs for days.”

“Well, why doesn’t she use a picture of you?”

“Riiiiight. You haven’t even seen me with my shirt off. How would you know?”

“I felt your abs through your shirt last night,” I tell him.

“Ah. She admits that last night happened.”

“Fine, but it’s over so please stop talking in third person.”

“I’m flattered that you think I do steroids, but honestly I’m way too pretty to be on the cover of an erotica novel.”

“I think your ego may be in some need of a boost,” I muse dryly.

“So you’ve noticed? It’s hard to stay confident when the main woman in your life won’t return your goddamn texts.”

“Well, you won me over with Mike Rotch, so what does that say about me?”

“It says let me come get you, let’s write this bloody thing.”

“Fine. At the library. The one at the school is still open.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t think we should be alone together.”

Silence. I can practically hear him thinking. “And why is that?”

“Because sex makes things messy.”

“Messy is good.”

“And according to you, so is greed and we won’t even get a chance to be greedy if we’re too preoccupied with sex.”

“Believe me, you’ll be greedy,” he says lazily. “You’ll have the greediest cunt around once I’ve gotten through to you.”

My cheeks flame. Damn.

“You’re speechless,” he says after a beat.

I clear my throat a few times. “I’m trying to think of a witty comeback.”

“Don’t think so much then. In case you didn’t notice, we didn’t have sex. I just kissed you. And I asked permission.”

“No you didn’t, you just told me you were doing it.”

“And you were totally fine with it.”

“I was caught up in the moment.”

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