Page 65 of The Final Draft

“You live in New York City and had frozen pizza? That’s sacrilege,” I say. Jetsy shrugs it off.

Everyone’s having a good laugh and getting along. After second and third helpings, the guys slow down, their calorie consumption met. They clear the table, and I take Harper’s dish to the kitchen.

“Hey, let me clean up. Ya’ll cooked.” They look at me suspiciously.

“Trying to impress CJ,” Harvard comments. “Smart. We get treats when we do stuff like that.” What kind of treats do they get? My mind immediately jumps to the type of treat I’d like, but we’re in mixed company.

While I’m cleaning up the kitchen, arms wrap around my waist, and I savor this blissful moment. “This is nice,” I tell her. “I love seeing you happy.”

“Have you seen me unhappy?” Come to think of it, I haven’t. She has different levels of happiness, but I haven’t seen her sad or angry. Not that I want it, but I’m looking forward to it. I love learning how she handles her emotions, each with unique expressions. I need to know everything about this woman. I’m beyond infatuated.

“No. Tell me, what does that look like? Is it ice cream and rom-coms?” I turn to face her, and there’s a gleam in her eye. That look tells me I’ve messed up and I’m about to hear about it.

“Do you really think I’m that basic? I’m a little offended.” She’s giving me a hard time, and if we were alone, I’d spank her for it.

“Gorgeous, you are anything but basic.” She gives me a little kiss and walks away. My eyes are glued to her as she sways her hips, reminding me she’s far from basic.

She drops onto the couch and throws a pillow at Zac. “Hey, Zac, what’s my go to karaoke song?”

“Is that what we’re doing tonight because I can’t do that sober,” he says, deadpan.

“No, but can we do that soon? I miss our karaoke parties.”

A slight pang of jealousy hits at the mention of their shared history. I move past it and channel that feeling into learning more about her. I’ve noticed she’s always listening to music, but now I’m learning she likes to sing too.

“Zac’s done karaoke? But not with us?” Jetsy acts genuinely hurt by this slight.

“When I was in Atlanta, CJ wanted to go out with us, but she wasn’t twenty-one yet, and Lawson wouldn’t let her get a fake ID. The only place we could take her out was this shady karaoke bar.” I’m not sure if Zac is telling this story for the benefit of his teammates or me. Yeah, they go way back, but I’m drinking up every detail he’s sharing.

“You make it sound like you’re so much older. Eight months, Zac. Eight months!” She playfully hits him with a pillow, and Noodle moves out of her line of fire. This sibling type behavior seems to be a normal form of communication between them.

He swats the pillow away, laughing at her. Yep. Sibling is the best way to describe their relationship. She was his Captain’s little sister. She grew up with a literal hockey team and twenty or more bonus brothers.

“We’d go to this hole in the wall karaoke place, and she’d make us sing.” I try to picture a hockey team singing karaoke, and I cringe. It couldn’t have been good.

“I didn’tmakeyou sing,” she interrupts and rolls her eyes.

I’ve finished in the kitchen and sit next to her, pulling her into my side. “I didn’t,” she whines to me, like I have to be convinced. I’d bet she didn’t make them do anything. They were under her spell and did anything she asked. Like karaoke. Hell, I saw her wield that magic in the kitchen tonight.

I kiss her on the temple. “I’m sure it was their idea,” I chuckle.

“Anyway, this girl has some pipes.” She does? Now I’m curious.

“And her go-to song?” I ask.

“I’d advise you not to piss her off,” he warns. “Because she can channel Carrie Underwood pretty fuckin’ good.”

I wrack my brain to decipher what song he’s talking about, and she plays “Before He Cheats” on the Bluetooth speakers. The warning song fills the room, and Harvard stands up and sings off-key into his pretend microphone. Harper cackles at his antics. Well, okay then.

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

HARPER

We’re making great progress on our book. I’m excited about our final meeting with Professor Daniels in a few weeks. I really like what we’ve created and think readers will enjoy it. As we submit each chapter, it’s edited and reviewed, eliminating the need for the typical editing and revision process at the end. We’ve got immediate publication rights when it’s completed. It’s hard to imagine I’ll be a published author by the end of the year.

I’m going to Julian’s office today to work on the book with him for a few hours between his meetings. Since there won’t be a bed in sight, we’ll likely get more writing done, anyway. We keep getting carried away when we’re writing the steamy scenes. I’m wearing his favorite red lip stain today because I have a special surprise for him. We’ve done a lot of things, but me going down on him isn’t one of them. Yet.

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