Page 36 of The Check Down

I can’t have thoughts like that about my temporary roommate. About myfriend.

One about-face coming right up. “Do you still have that dragon book? I like to read or do puzzles when we travel.”

“Puzzles?” She tilts her head, the move causing her bun to flop a little to the left.

I prop myself up against the wall, arms crossed, and take in a cleansing breath. Perfect. This line of conversation is exactly what I need to slow the blood flow to my dick. “Crossword puzzles. My mom buys the magazine ones for me at the grocery store back home.”

“That’s precious,” she says, her eyes dancing. “And yes, I still have the dragon book, but it’s at my parents’ place in Florida. It’s actually a series. The fifth one came out a couple of years ago, but I haven’t had the time to read it. If you like fantasy stories like that…” Lowering her head, she drags Barnaby back into her lap. She toys with his wings and stammers, “I-I started writing a dragon story a while back.” As soon as the words leave her lips, she squeezes her eyes shut.

My heart stumbles in my chest. My professor is an aspiring writer?

“Yeah?”

She nods shyly, her eyes still downcast.

Chest tightening, I straighten and take a step closer. “Tell me about it.”

“You’re the first person I’ve even mentioned it to.”

Warmth spreads like syrup from my chest into my limbs at her admission.

She fixes her dark, expressive gaze back on my face. “It started as a lark, an idea I’ve had kicking around in my brain for years. But the second I sat down to get some words on the page, they poured out of me. An endless stream, like I was in a trance. When I finally came to, I had written over five thousand words.”

I whistle. “Not too shabby, not-a-professor.”

“It’s not a big deal,” she shrugs, attention fixed on the dragon again, back to fiddling with his wings.

“Don’t do that.”

Brows pinched, she snaps her head up.

I take another step closer and shove my hands into my pockets. “Don’t hide your shine, Brynn.”

God, I love saying her name. Sure, I get a kick out of calling herprofessor. But the way that single syllable rolls off my tongue?

It’s like a fucking hit of dopamine.

“I don’t know what to say to that,” she confesses, her mouth turned down.

“Here’s what you say.” I clear my throat. “Hey, friend-slash-roomie, I did this amazing thing—I started writing a kick-ass dragon book, and I was wondering if you’d like to read what I’ve written so far.And I’ll sayI abso-fucking-lutely want to read it. Hit up my private email.”

She tips her head back, laughing. “Sadly, your private email was one detail Seth neglected to share with me. That and your tailor’s secret identity.”

“Oh, he’s fired, then.”

Her giggles cement the grin on my face; I couldn’t wipe it away if I tried. “For now, how do you feel about a burger and a beer at one of Memphis’s best dive bars?”

She perks up, shoulders back and chin high again. “That sounds amazing. Do I have time to shower?”

Goddamn it, Lacey, don’t think of her in the fucking shower.

I almost choke on my own saliva. “Uh, yeah. Plenty of time. And full disclosure: Beau and Paige invited us.”

Her eyes brighten. “Did they?” But in a blink, her hopeful expression shutters. “Wait. They’re okay with me tagging along, right?”

I want to take a damn sledgehammer to this woman’s insecurities. I don’t know if Cockburn is the reason shedoubts herself or if there’s some untold trauma from her past, but I’m fucking determined to rid her of them. Forever.

“Paige specifically told Beau to make sure you were invited, professor.”

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