“To pack.”
“To Mike’s.”
And then they’re both gone, the front door slamming closed.
“Don't,” Natalie says and points her finger at me.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t take another step forward. We aren’t alone in this house right now, and your sister could come downstairs at any moment.”
She indeed could, but the chances are small since she just went to her room.
I move toward Natalie, caging her in against the counter.
“We might not be alone right now, but if you didn’t just hear, it sounds like we will be very much alone tonight.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze landing on my lips.
I wait just a moment before I add, “And we have a sex scene we need to discuss.”
Her smile drops, and her eyes meet mine.
I wink. “You thought I hadn’t read it yet, didn’t you?”
No answer.
“I did.” I push off the counter, walking backward to get my computer from the truck so that I can keep my eyes on her. She still hasn’t spoken, so I decide this is as good a time as any to add “twice.”
* * *
“Have a good night!” Grandma Betty calls as she walks past the living room with a packed bag.
“You, too, Grandma Betty,” Natalie says from the couch where she’s sitting with her legs crossed, working on her computer.
“Night.”
The moment the door closes, the air in the room shifts.
Quinn left a couple of hours ago, so with Grandma Betty gone, Natalie and I are officially alone.
I grab my computer, get up from my chair, and plant myself right next to Natalie.
She laughs. “Close enough?”
“Not even a little.”
She bumps me with her shoulder.
“We need to finish these next couple of chapters tonight,” she adds. “It doesn’t look like you’ve written much.”
I take a deep breath. I’m beginning to feel that stage in a book where I’m over it, and I hate it. I hate that it’s on a book with her. I hate that it’s even happening.
I couldn’t focus before, and I sure as hell can’t focus now. I’m not sure how much to share with Natalie, though. After all, the whole reason she brought this up was to help me.
“Are you stuck?” she asks softly.
I rub my chin. “I don’t know.”
