Page 72 of Lovesick
“It’s about pirates,” he continued.
I gasped. “Please tell me it’sHis Pirate Princess.”
“Yes.”
“With Johanna?”
“Yes.”
I faked a swoon. “So good, JJ! What do you think?”
His chuckle was a low, cavernous rumble. He hadn’t shaved, so glints of stubble illuminated his cheeks in the right light, like a fractured diamond. I wanted to run my fingers across it.
“I think it’s oddly suspicious that the same woman keeps getting mixed up in situations where she needs saving.”
I burst out laughing.
“How does the hero always happen to be there?” He looked at me. “Seriously? How do you explain that?”
“It’s great plotting, that’s what.”
He rolled his eyes, then kept going. “And how do these women get into these dramatic situations? I mean, Johanna was kidnapped by one pirate. Okay, I can get behind that. But that was the bad pirate. Then a supposedly good pirate—which isn’t a thing—rescues her from the first one. In the meantime, the military guy who’s a good guy and genuinely wants to help her not live a life of crime is kind of the loser. It’s a love square!”
My laughter deepened.
“Then what about all these first kisses?” he continued without stopping. “What does toe-curling even mean? I—”
“It’s supposed to be that way!” I said as I stopped to catch my breath. He did the same. I couldfeelhis skepticism.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s what every reader wants to happen. The woman is supposedto be in trouble and is supposed to be saved. That’s when the romance happens. Otherwise it’s just a really boring exposition on life as a pirate.”
He stared at the wall across from us. “Oh.”
“This isn’t about reality, JJ. This is about the experience of romance. It doesn’t matter if what happens is closely aligned with reality. In fact, the less real, the better.”
“So you agree that romance isn’t realistic?”
I opened my mouth to protest, then shut it again. He grinned a little too roguishly for my liking. In fact, I couldn’t turn away even though I wanted to. Because he’d trapped me. Really and truly trapped me.
“Uh-huh,” he sang. “Point for JJ.”
With an annoyed sigh, I muttered, “Point for JJ.”
I’d never live that one down. Now we were uneven again.
“Mark left this morning to meet with the bank early.” JJ half-yawned and ran a hand through his hair. “Apparently the City of Pineville is putting up a stink about the spa. Anyway, he told me I had strict instructions to take you into Jackson City and buy you books.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Your books were all burned, right?”
“I think so. I haven’t gone back yet.” I cleared my throat. “Maverick said most of the attic was unsalvageable.”
“Right. So Mark, as a thank-you for your work so far, wants me to buy you more books.”
“But he’s paying me a ridiculous amount per hour.”
