Page 41 of The Opposite of Romance
I expect a lot of work in the editing process, though, since I described the male main character’s ocean blue eyes as pitch black at least twice. There’s also absolutely no reason for my corporate character to be wearing a tank top and flannel, but the heart wants what it wants. Better yet, the hormones want what they want.
The awkwardness of catching me naked subsided, but his constant flirting is getting to me. Like now, when he notices me looking and winks playfully, turning his cap around, while Ipretend to be deep in thought. I realize it’s his personality, I realize it’s the way his youthful, vibrant mind works, but I’m too deprived of touch and anything sexual for it not to affect me.
My vibrator took his form in my mind more times than I’m comfortable to admit. I’ve also been on edge every single day, now forced to stare at him the whole morning because my niece can only stand the circular saw noise.
Stella fusses for a minute before waking up. Right away, I know she’s hungry because nothing can wake her when the saw is doing its thing.
“Hi, baby,” I coo, picking her up from the gray stroller.
The heat has picked up, so she’s only wearing a light, long-sleeved bodysuit with a pair of adorable pink leggings. Placing her on my chest, I dig through the diaper bag, finding the milk Sandy pumped out.
She calms down as soon as her tiny lips wrap around the bottle. Logan must have noticed because he turns off the saw for a moment of reprieve.
My ears are still buzzing from the relentless noise when Logan approaches, taking his water bottle.
“This look suits you well,” he says before clearing his throat. I’m focused on the drop of water trailing from his full lips, down to the sharp edge of his chin. “You look like you know what you’re doing.”
“I guess it’s like riding a bike,” I joke. “Though I prefer to take this bike out for a spin and then return it to its owner later.”
He chuckles. “I definitely agree with that.”
“Come on. You’re young. You will change your mind once you have one of your own.”
He shrugs but it seems half-hearted, like he doesn’t believe me.
“It’s ok if you don’t, too,” I backtrack. “It’s a valid personal decision.”Smooth thinking, Sadie. You first showed your age by assuming he’ll want to have kids and now you’re making a fool of yourself, wanting to showcase howprogressiveyou are.
“How did you get into construction?” I ask, changing the subject.
“I love the feeling of making something. And I love working with my hands.”
“Mhm.”And those hands certainly look like they know what they’re doing.Shit, why does everything he says sounds so fucking hot?
“Why romance?” He returns the question.
“It gets a bad rep. Probably because predominantly women love it.” He winces, like he knows exactly what I’m talking about. “But it’s something else. It’s the only genre where the reader already knows the ending. And you still need to surprise them. You need to evoke all these feelings while they know exactly what will happen. It’s challenging, but so much fun.” He listens with rapt attention while my lungs expand.
“I guess you’re right. I never thought about it that way.”
“Like I said, it gets a bad rep.”
“It sucks. But I’m glad you get to do what you obviously love.”
His words pull my lips into a grin. “Yeah, I was lucky.”
Stella finishes eating, so I pick her up to burp her. Not a second later, her mommy appears in front of us. Logan excuses himself and heads back to work.
“She been up long?” Sandy asks, stretching her arms above her head.
Though she just woke up, she looks infinitely better than a few days ago. Her cheeks are rosy, the dark circles underneath her eyes less pronounced. Best of all, her smile is back.
“Nope. Your inner alarm clock has been right once again.”
We’ve been joking about her having an alarm clock set for whenever Stella awakes, no matter how many rooms are between them.
She pumps her fist in the air, and I can’t help but smile. Her gaze trails to Logan, and I swear I see a sparkle in her eye.
“Here I was, thinking you’ve been doing me a favor, but your end of the deal doesn’t look too bad either.”
