Page 17 of King of Jokers

We were a few kilos of snacks in and enough citrus deathbrew to knock out a baby elephant when I worked up the courage to finally ask her how her novel was tracking.

“Terribleeee.” She elongated the word with a whine before dipping below the water and coming to sit on the step next to me.

I tried not to chuckle, but she was adorable when she sulked.

“How so?” I asked, the venomous liquor fuelling my bravery.

“So I was able to write a fair bit a couple of weeks ago, but I’m back in no man’s land. I’ve spent the last two days brainstorming synonyms for…” She pointed beneath the water towards her bikini bottom.

“For your lady cave?” Her laugh burst out unexpectedly at my choice of words and water splashed the side of my face as her hands slapped up over her mouth.

“Oh my god. That is foul. I love it,” she giggled.

“I’ve been told I'm quite the poet,” I retorted sarcastically. “What about sausage pocket?”

Her eyes widened and uncontrollable laughter bubbled out again. “You are way better than I am. All I had so far was flower, muffin and cherry biscuit.”

“Cherry biscuit?” I asked incredulously before I threw my head back with a laugh. She was so unbelievably innocent and she had no idea.

“I’m really not good at this,” she sighed.

“I can see that.”

“What about clam coffin?” She suggested with an entirely serious face.

“He thrust his raging dick inside her clam coffin.” My balled fists were on my hips as if the superhero stance would somehow make the line any less vulgar. “Why is someone going there to die?”

“Valid. Oyster express?” She looked so genuine I guffawed with no shame and she pouted in response, my laugh cutting short when she bit her lip in concentration.

With the lethal drinks taking control of all movements I pushed off the step and moved through the water to stand in front of her, her legs parting subconsciously, the spot readily available for me to fill.

I studied her face, a hunger I couldn’t suppress rolling through me as I brushed a strand of hair from her face and wiped my mind of any rational thought.

Winter

Chapter Nine

Catchingthechangeinhis gaze, I cleared my throat. “Wha-”

“Shhhhh,” he slid his thumb along my lip, silencing me. “Here’s a rule for you, when we areresearchingthere are no questions – unless you are stopping me and you have a safe word for that.”

The feel of the stone pavers was rough under my fingers, my knuckles no doubt white from the pressure I had on the side of the pool, desperate to escape underwater but equally as desperate to stay.

He moved closer, the water rippling around us and his eyes dropped to follow the dance of the water as it momentarily pooled around my chest before streaming onward. My pulse took off in a sprint, just as it did the last time he looked at me with the same heat in his eyes.

“So tell me what happens next in your story. Once Jackson finally kisses Summer.” His request darted directly to my ovaries, my fallopian tubes no doubt high-fiving at the depth of his voice sending sonar flares to my awaiting eggs.

Well, this was new.

“I didn’t get much further than the kiss, but the new description in that is perfect,” I whispered, his face so close to mine that I could map the alluring gradient of his deep brown eyes as they darkened toward the pupil. His gaze tracked my face, lingering on my mouth and it was all I could do not to hyperventilate. I’d asked him for this, but now I wanted it for reasons not at all related to Jackson and Summer.

But their inspiration – Jack and Winter.

“And what was it like?”

His voice ran the full length of my spine as I tried to formulate a worthy description.

Like spending the summer with your best-friend. Like staying awake all night, talking about nothing and everything. Like your most comfortable sweater on the coldest of nights. Like pressing the final piece in a puzzle. Like someone you love finally coming home after a thousand nights away.

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