Page 82 of Take The Risk

​Kissing her, I let her taste herself on me. The first time I’d done it, she’d recoiled, uncertain. Now, she loved it, the little minx. Hugging her to me, I savored the feel of her in my arms. But with each second that passed, the sounds of the party filtering through the closed closet door, I knew we were pushing it.

​Once I was sure she was stable, I pocketed her panties with a savage grin.

​When I opened the door, she stopped me. “Come to my place tonight.”

​“Are you sure?” Lock was going to be home. He was volunteering at the church community night while we were here. It wasn’t like I hadn’t snuck over when he was there before, making sure I was up and gone by the time he woke up. Still, I needed to make sure she was asking for herself and not because she was worried about my feelings.

​She nodded, coming to me. Reaching into my pocket, she plucked the panties out. “I want to taste myself on you after you jack off with these.” She moved past me, sauntering away with a saucy wink.

​Hot damn.

Chapter 30

​“Do you outline your work?” Jesse asked me the next day, helping me organize my files.

​Ty had finished renovating my office, giving me a beautiful, polished space with the right amount of antique Victorian feel mixed with the necessary modern necessities I needed for work. The space was everything I’d hoped for, with custom built-in bookshelves, an antique desk with a hidden compartment—Ty added that for me as a surprise—and colors of deep, rich blues and golds. He’d even modified an antique cabinet to put my safe in without making it obvious.

​The room was perfect.

​Waking up that morning, I’d had no idea what waited for me.

​He’d asked me to stay out of the room while he worked. I hadn’t known he was done until Jesse showed up this morning with a note from Ty.

​I thought you might need something to keep from missing me this weekend. Surprise, baby. Your office is finished. I can’t wait to come home and read all those amazingly filthy things you write.

​I’m going to miss you, scribbler.

​Completely yours,

​Ty

​Oh, and if you happen to feel like taking a picture or ten of you naked on your desk, those sexy legs of yours spread, I wouldn’t mind at all. :)

​I was going to do more than take a picture, I thought. In fact, once Lock was in bed, I was going to send Ty a little video. I wanted to FaceTime him, but he and Wade were on their camping trip, having left early in the morning, and I didn’t want to intrude.

​“Phoebe?”

​Shaking my head, I offered Jesse a smile of apology. “Sorry. No, I don’t generally outline my work.”

​Getting up from the floor, I went to the safe, opening it. I started to place some of my contracts and my latest manuscript that hadn’t been sent to my publisher inside. For good measure, I added the notes Ty had given me over the last month, not wanting Lock to come across them.

​“How come?” Jesse took a box of books and headed over to the bookshelf, filling it.

​I thought about that. “Your characters already know their story. You’re just the tool they use to tell it. If you write an outline, that’s you trying to tell them which lane to drive in. That said, outlining really works for some writers. It isn’t a case of right or wrong.”

​“But what about genre requirements?” Jesse put a series of hard copies of Cursed Bonds, bound in special cloth binding, a gift from my publisher, on the shelf.

​While we worked, we talked about all kinds of things from writing limitations to how to structure your story.

​While we talked, I watched Jesse become more and more despondent.

​At one point, I stopped him. “Jesse, what’s wrong?”

​Jesse’s lips trembled.

​“Hey.” I gave him a hug. “Whatever it is, it will be okay.”

​He hugged me back for several minutes and then sniffled. I reached for the tissue on my desk, handing him one.