Page 21 of Romancing His Heart
It’s too quiet, and I know I’m not going to get any sleep out here. Chewing on my bottom lip, I check the time. 11:09 p.m.Loki must be asleep by now, right?
I can get a few hours of sleep in the chair if I go in right now.Nope. Forget it. I’m not going there. Grabbing my noise-canceling headphones, I switch them on, and The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” blasts in my ears, blissfully erasing all other thoughts.
Standing at my desk, I grip the edges as the music washes over me. Slowly, my body slides back and forth in time to the beat. As the song picks up, my movements get bigger. By the time the chorus hits, my hands have found the keyboard. While I whisper sing the words, I read the last few paragraphs of Marco and Lucy, the main characters in my latest novel.
“All right, guys, what have you got for me tonight?” I whisper.
[finish sex scene]
Well, fuck.The one time I put a place marker in my manuscript had to be with Loki in the next room.
Okay, I can do this. Peering over my shoulder as I hit delete a few times, I’m relieved to see no light or movement coming from the hall to Loki’s room.
Rereading the last paragraph a few times, I dig in. Well, I try to anyway. One thousand words later, I have to erase three-quarters of it because my tall, dark, and sexy Marco somehow morphed into my tall, sexy Viking. I freaking wrote Loki’s name at least ten times.
The music takes over my body as I shake my ass. Coming to my senses, I scrutinize my currently unfinished book. When nothing else comes, I shake out my arms and check the time. 12:50 a.m.?Seriously, that’s it?
Slamming the cover of my laptop, I roll my neck. How the hell am I going to get anything done on no sleep? Turning in a circle, I exhale loudly. I know I have two options. Head back up to Emory’s and risk the eternal humiliation, or sneak into the bedroom and get a few hours of sleep in the rocking chair that has been my respite as of late.
Oh, Sloane. Like there was ever any question. Here’s to praying Loki’s medicine made him sleepy tonight. Popping my mouth guard into place, I tiptoe down the hallway.
Chapter 7
Loki
Stomp, stomp, slide.
What the fuck is she doing out there? It’s after midnight, and I can hear her bare feet pitter-pattering across the hardwood floors. Every time I think it’s about to end, it kicks up again with vigor.
This is ridiculous. It’s my goddamn house, no matter what she says. Thinking about her argument over the lease has me smiling, though, and I’m not a smiler.
What the hell have you had to smile about over the last ten years, asshole?
Crawling out of bed, I’m careful not to move too fast. The last thing I need is to have a dizzy spell while I’m attempting to spy on Red.I need to stop calling her Red. She has a name. “Sloane. Sloane. Sloane,” I chant silently on my way down the hall. As the room opens up, her name dies on my lips.
What. The. Fuck. Is. She. Doing?
Her fingers are gliding across her keyboard smoothly, but her shoulders move in contrast to her hips that sway to a song I can’t hear. Then they stop, and I suck in a breath only to watch them fall in unison with each other. Left hip, left shoulder. Right hip, right shoulder. And her fucking ass is shimming as her head bobs up and down, then left to right. I can almost see the music through her movements.
I don’t know how long I watch, but my body aches for her, and it scares the shit out of me. I know this isn’t a good sign. I don’t have room for love or lust in my life. My goddamn family rarely sees me as it is. Just as I’m about to turn and head back to bed, she drops it like it’s hot. Seriously, drops her ass to the ground and slowly rolls up, shimmying tits I can’t see from behind.
Motherfucker.
Suddenly, as if she senses me watching, she straightens and slams her laptop closed. Faster than I should, I slide back into the shadows and beeline it for my room. Laying back, I pull the covers up to my chin like a child and listen.
Minutes later, with my senses heightened, I hear her creeping down the hall toward me.What the hell is she doing now? Did she catch me being a creeper?What if she’s a loony tunes nutbag?With my eyes open a sliver, I watch as she stands in the doorway. She’s warring with herself over something, but what?
Hesitantly, she sucks in a deep breath and moves into the room. Since she didn’t kill me while I was unconscious, I’m mostly sure she’s not out to hurt me. Still, I’m a little concerned when she stands at my feet, looking everywhere but the bed. In the cover of darkness, she bites her lip while her thumbs tap the pad of her middle fingers. Such an odd habit.
What are you up to, Red?
Finally, she heads to the corner of the room and attempts to manhandle the rocking chair. I should say something, but I’m too damn curious to see what she’ll do.
It takes her a full three minutes to wrestle the chair, albeit quietly, into place next to my bed. Then she floats silently around the room, piling blanket after blanket onto the old chair before finally climbing in as if she plans to sleep there.
“Red, what the hell are you doing?”
“Gah-ack,” she screams, and I watch in dismay as the rocking chair rolls to the back so far she almost tips over. Catching it with my toe, I lean forward to pull her upright before she tumbles to the ground.
