Page 176 of His Reckoning

Carefully, I slide out from under his arm. He stirs slightly, his hand tightening instinctively on the sheets where I was lying, but he doesn’t wake.

I grab my laptop from the kitchen island and curl up on the couch, wrapping one of Sawyer’s hoodies around myself.

The apartment is silent while the city outside is still dark.

My document is already open. The blank page waits quietly at the bottom of the document.

For weeks, that stupid little line mocked me. Every time I tried to write, the hero in my book felt … wrong. Now I understand why.

I didn’t know him yet.

I stare at the keys for a second before I finally start typing.

The first scene pours out before I can second-guess it.

The hero isn’t the confident billionaire I originally imagined. He’s guarded … careful. A man who built walls around himself so thick that no one could see the damage underneath.

My chest tightens slightly as I type. Now the anger and control make sense.

I type faster.

The heroine in the scene notices something first. A reaction that doesn’t match the man everyone else sees. She asks questions and he shuts down. But she refuses to walk away.

The words keep coming. Hours pass without me realizing it.

At some point, the sky outside the windows begins to lighten. Sawyer’s bedroom door opens behind me. I barely notice until his voice drifts across the room.

“Did you sleep at all?”

I glance up. He’s leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway, hair still damp from the shower, tie hanging loosely around his neck.

“Working,” I say.

His eyes flick to the laptop. “You’ve been here all night.”

“Maybe.”

He walks over slowly and sets a mug of coffee beside me. I didn’t even notice him make it.

“You’re staring at the screen like it owes you money.”

I smile faintly. “I think I finally figured him out.”

Sawyer’s brow lifts slightly. “The hero?”

“Yeah.”

He studies my face for a second, then nods once. “Good.”

That’s all he says.

No questions or curiosity. Just quiet support. He presses a brief kiss to the top of my head before heading toward the door.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Mmhmm.”

The door closes behind him, and I go right back to typing.