Page 65 of Duty and Desire

You say he’s your muse. Why shouldn’t he read it? Don’t you want to know if it’s salvageable? Publishable?

Damn it, I did.

I threw back the sheets. “I think I’d better make us something for dinner. My ‘break’ lasted a whole lot longer than I planned.” I strolled naked into the living room, then when I was sure no one wasin sight, I went outside to grab my laptop. I brought it to the dining table, picked up my messenger bag, and rooted around in it until I found what I was looking for.

By the time Nick walked out of the bedroom, equally naked, I handed him my iPad. “Here.”

He frowned as if he didn’t recognize it.

“I’ve copied the first draft onto it.” His lips parted, and that catch in his breathing was delightful. I smiled. “It’s okay. I want you to read it. But do you think you can wait until after dinner?”

He took it from me, his eyes filled with light, his radiant smile sending warmth coursing through me. “Thank you.” He grinned. “How about you let me deal with dinner? While you write a little, to make up for some of the time you spent with me?”

I enveloped him in my arms. “Any time I spend with you? That’s time well-spent.” I kissed the tip of his nose, and he pressed his body to mine, rolling his hips, a gentle undulation that conjured up all sorts of delicious ideas. All of a sudden my nostrils were filled with his warm scent, and writing was the last thing on my mind.

I gave a low growl. “You are temptation incarnate, do you know that?”

He grinned. “I do my best.” And with that, he turned and headed to the kitchen, hips swaying.

Poetry in motion. Words from long ago that nailed the sight.

I picked up the laptop and headed out onto the veranda.

Another fantastic day, and there were so many more to come.

Then I reminded myself that my happiness had an expiry date. Ten more weeks, and this idyllic existence would come to an end.

And what then?

I couldn’t contemplate that, not when my head was full of my work in progress.

There’s time enough to think about such things.

I didn’t know what had awoken me. Beyond the patio doors was nothing but inky blackness.

And beside me was a cool spot where Nick had lain.

I got out of bed and went into the living room. Nick sat in the dark under a blanket on the couch, his face glowing ghostly white, reflecting the iPad’s lit screen.

I reached over to switch the lamp on, bathing the room in a warm amber light. “Hey.”

Nick jumped a little. “I didn’t hear you, I was so engrossed.” He held up the iPad. “You need to finish this. Hone it. Polish it. All those things you usually do.”

My heart indulged in a happy dance. “You like it?”

Nick regarded me with such a serious expression that my stomach roiled. “No, I don’t like it—Iloveit. I love what you do with words. I’m not even at the end and it’s captivated me.”

“So you’re saying it’s perfect?”

I was torn between loving his reaction and knowing this wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I didn’t want my ego massaged.

I wanted to know what I could do to make it better.

Nick arched his eyebrows. “Did I say that? I did not. There are areas that need work, evenIcan see that, and you really need to do something with Kate, because I want to smack hersohard.”

I laughed. “She’s supposed to be annoying.”

“Okay, but not to the point that I want to kill her. And she detracts attention away from the main character.”

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