Page 27 of Score to Settle
“What were you working on the other night when I came into the kitchen?” I ask instead. It’s been bugging me how different she looked sitting at her laptop, like she was free in a way she isn’t most of the time.
She makes a face, sipping at her beer. “I thought I was asking the questions.”
“That isn’t an answer,” I reply.
She pushes her hair away from her face and smiles at me. “Promise not to laugh?”
I grin. “Nope.”
She lifts her fingers, drawing them across those perfect lips like she’s locking the words inside, making me grin.
“Fine,” I say. “I promise not to laugh. Tell me.”
“OK, but don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just something I started as a way to distract myself from feeling like shit after I came back to Denver.” She takes a breath and I can tell she’s nervous. “I’m writing a novel.” She makes another face, like she’s waiting for me to make a joke.
“Why would I laugh? Writing a novel sounds pretty impressive to me. What kind of story is it?”
Her smile widens as her cheeks flush. “It’s a vampire story. LikeTwilightbut more adult and set in ancient Egypt.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Adult as in…” I wink.
She laughs and covers her face with her hands. “Yes.”
“Why are you embarrassed? I think it’s great.”
She’s quiet for a moment, picking the label on her beer bottle. “I remember my dad once said that people who can’t handle real deadlines or hard stories run off to write novels. I just… I don’t want him to think I’ve given up. Plus I know how hard it is to get a book published. Only the best books make it.”
“Why wouldn’t you try, though? If you love it.”
She gives a small smile before shaking her head. “I do love it, but… people will think I’m selling out.”
“So? The way I see it, people are going to think what they want, Harper. You do you.”
She rolls her eyes again but she’s smiling. “Considering you’ve landed yourself in the kind of trouble that means a pain in your ass journalist is following you around for the next fourweeks, I’m not sure you’re the best person to give advice on not caring what people think. You’ve done too much of that…”
I laugh. “I’ll give you that.” I’m aware this is the kind of exchange that could easily turn into another argument and I want to keep things light and maybe even a little flirty too, now the buzz of beer has hit my bloodstream.
But then Harper places her empty beer bottle on the table and stands. “I’d better go. Plenty of notes to write up.”
She starts moving to the door but stops as she passes where I’m still sitting on the edge of the bed, her bare legs a whisper away from my own, as she reaches a hand to my face. Her fingers press gently against the Band-Aid above my eye and she gives an approving nod.
“That’s better.”
And with that, she’s gone. Then it’s just me and the giant fucking hard-on I hadn’t felt creeping up on me. Except this feels like more than just my dick reminding me how long it’s been since I got laid…
Bad idea, Jake! Very bad.
ELEVEN
HARPER
JAKE:Where are you?
HARPER:Missing me already?
JAKE:As much as I miss a cleat to my ass.
HARPER:Charming, Sullivan. Real charming! I’ve had to stop by the office. I’ll be there to watch the game.
