“Where did we leave off?” I ask.
“I’d just written the scene where they’re fighting over the guy she was flirting with.”
“And how did you end it? Let me pull it up.”
“Um, just read it and tell me if you think we should change it.”
I open our shared Google Doc. The scene ends with them shaking hands. Our hero and heroine are agreeing to put the past behind them and move forward as a parenting team.
It fits the storyline, but it’s lacking something.
“Hmm,” I say and then look at our word count and how far into the book we are: 70 percent of our goal. “I think they should kiss here.”
“What? They just agreed to be civil.”
“I know, but outside of the opening scene, we’ve built up enough tension that I think the fight could have more oomph, and he kisses her.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah, it was like they were arguing, and he just couldn't take it anymore. The mere thought of her standing this close to him, feeling the warmth of her body so close, smelling her sweet cinnamon hair and seeing her smile day in and day out gets to him. He wants her. No, he needs her. So yeah, he kisses her.”
Natalie doesn’t say anything, but her eyes are narrowed as she studies me.
“What?”
“I like that. I like the passion he has for her.”
“Well, yeah, she’s it for him too. I’ll start the next scene. How far should we go?”
Again, she doesn't answer me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She shakes her head, and the dazed look in her eyes clears as she returns her focus to her computer.
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“So, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“The sex. How far should we go? First base, second? Home run?”
Her stunned expression leaves me shaking my head.
“In the book, Nat.”
“Oh! Oh. Wow. I thought you were talking about us.”
I bark out a laugh.
“I gathered that.”
“I was like, whoa, buddy, we just decided to be friends only, and that’s not easy, nor is it exactly what I had in mind, and I think we?—”
“Dove,” I cut her off.
“Yeah?”
