I drop into my seat.
“My favorite books start with a bang.”
“A bang,” he repeats. “You seem to like that word a lot.”
“Of course I do; it’s going to the book title.”
“Is it now?” He grins.
“Yes.”
I’m not serious, but the room has quickly transformed into a typical Natalie and Tobias vibe, and I much prefer this one over the one earlier. Plus, if we can’t joke about last night, what kind of friends are we, really?
If I could have this banter with someone all day, every day, I would.
“Okay, well, how about I send you the two chapters I wrote? You can read them and then tell me what you think,” he asks.
“Well, how about I write the sex scene I think should happen first, and then we can read each other's work?”
He chuckles. “You’re just going to whip one out real fast, are you? As if it were the most natural thing in the world to write about the desire two people have for each other. The heat. The connection.”
I nod, ignoring the way his words make me cross my legs, and open up a Word document. “Yep. It’s been on my mind since last night.”
As soon as I say the words, I glance up. He’s watching me, but I can't make out what his expression means. I usually can, but this one is blank.
My palms start to sweat, and my heart beats faster than when I was running.
“I just mean that I thought of an idea last night, and it’s been on my mind, and if the level of seduction isn’t top-notch, you can just teach me.”
Yeah, that totally helped you, Natalie.
“All right” is all he says before returning to his computer.
I pull up a blank document and the one Tobias shared with me, which has all our notes. I read over them quickly. How in the world does a whole book come from this? Like, how do you put it together? We know what we want to happen, but we haven’t lined up the events yet, and I think that’s why having different opinions on how the story starts. Of course, Tobias does this all the time, so he would know the best route.
“How would you start it? I know I said sex, but you're the expert.”
He looks up again and shrugs. “Honestly, I don't want to write this book the way I’ve written the rest.”
“Why not? Those are bestsellers.”
“Because that’s how I’ve been writing, and I’m getting nothing done. I want to write a new book as if it’s my first, and technically it is, with you. So, any decision we make is going to be together.”
I smile, twisting my lips to the side so I don’t look too crazy.
“Okay. Are there any words off limits?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like—” I tap my chin. “Do I ease the reader in with talk of my heat and his erection, or do I dive right in and say she wanted his cock inside her pussy as if it were her next breath?”
Again, his blank expression stares back at me.
Is he breathing? Is he uncomfortable? Why do I not know this look?
“Tobias? Did I break you?” I ask on a laugh. Maybe writing a steamy romance together wasn’t the smartest idea, but there is no backing out now. I’m making a dream come true, and he’s overcoming his writer’s block.
We both need this.
