Page 109 of Perfectly Grumpy

“And to a logical man who just wants the facts, it probably is good enough. But to your female audience who needs to feel something, it’s not going to be enough.”

“Okay,” he sighs. “Tell mehow to fix it.”

“I think you need to show what he’s thinking as he’s doing it. How it makes him feel.”

Tate shakes his head. “That’s the problem. When I wrote this scene, I felt like I couldn’t get into his head. I was blocked.”

“Just write what you know. How you feel when you kiss a girl.”

He pauses. “What if I don’t know?”

“I got the impression you’ve kissed many girls in your lifetime.”

He rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Honestly? It’s been less than a handful, because I never kiss a girl unless she’s special.”

The tension mounts between us. He’s nearly kissed me twice. So what does that mean? Was he just playing a part or am I special to him?

“I have an idea,” I say, grabbing his iPad and scrolling back a scene. “But I need your help.”

I know this is reckless. I know I’m playing with fire. But watching him struggle to write what he’s never felt—I need to make him feel it too. Maybe if I act it out, if I pretend to be Kyara, I can give him what he needs for his book without crossing the line between us. It’s just acting, right? Just helping him with his craft.

Lies.

“What are you making me do, Sunny?” he says, climbing off the sofa bed.

“I’m putting you in Thorne’s shoes.”

He stiffens. “What?”

“You said Thorne is trying to keep his distance because he knows if he doesn’t, he’ll do something rash. So…” I step in front of the fireplace, like it’s our makeshift stage. “Welcome to your scene, Thorne. I’m Kyara.”

Tate blinks behind his glasses. “You want me to act it out?”

“Yes. Don’t think—justdo. It’s a basic acting method. When you put yourself in a scene, your emotions will follow…and that’s how you get in Thorne’s head and over your writer’s block.”

It’s a risky proposition, acting this scene out. But I know it’s the only way to help him make the connection on the page.

He studies me for a second, before he steps toward me. “Okay. Thorne enters the cave. He sees Kyara pacing in the shadows. She’s angry at him for leaving her in the middle of the forest after he held her all night.”

“She’s conflicted,” I correct. “Thorne was so tender with her in the last scene. Then when she wakes up, he’s gone, which provokes her to track him down so she can confront him. She wants an answer.”

“Which he can’t give her. He can’t fall for her when she’s supposed to be his enemy,” Tate says.

“Exactly,” I say. “Which leads to this growing conflict. What’s his line?”

He steps toward me and recites the line. “‘You shouldn’t have followed me here. You have no idea what I’ll do if you stay.’”

My mouth falls open slightly. I wasn’t prepared for the way he delivered it—like a warning and a promise.

I clear my throat. “And then Kyara says, ‘Maybe I want to see what happens, Thorne.’”

Tate’s eyes flash, and he steps closer, lifting a hand but hesitating before touching me. “He threads his fingers through her hair, gently, like he’s testing if she’s real.”

I hold completely still as his fingers brush my hair with a tenderness I worry will unhinge me. A rush of pleasure pulses through my body. How could a man this powerful on the ice be this careful, this gentle?

“He’s not sure if he’s going to kiss her or destroy everything between them,” Tate says, not reciting the words as much as becoming them, which is exactly what I told him to do. If he’s going to get in Thorne’s head, he needs to experience it. “He wants her more than anything he’s ever wanted before. And Kyara doesn’t step away from his touch. She just looks at him like he’salready wrecked her.” His fingers trail down my neck, causing my breath to hitch.

He’s still acting…I think.“Then what?” I ask, my voice a raw scrape.

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