“No, I sleep there for a few hours to recharge my batteries.”
“Lauren, I had no idea you were a writer.” I stand in her office and turn in a circle, taking it all in, and immediately feel overwhelming pride. “What do you write?”
She bites her lip and watches me, fidgeting. I can see the wheels turning in her head.
“What do you write, Lo?” I ask again, genuinely curious.
“I don’t share this with anyone, Ty.”
“Hey.” I move to her and tuck a piece of her soft hair behind her ear, then pull her lower lip out from between her teeth. God, but I want to taste her. “I’m good at keeping secrets.” I grin down at her. “Part of my job, remember?”
Her face relaxes into a soft smile, and my gut clenches. She’s stunning. Jack is the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. If she were mine, I’d never let her go.
“I write books,” she whispers.
“What kind of books?” I tilt my head to the side and watch her closely.
“Just books.” She shrugs.
“Lauren.” Her wary gaze finds mine. It looks like she wants to tell me, but doesn’t know if she should. “I promise, sweetheart, this is just between you and me. I’d love to know more about this.”
She eyes me for a few more seconds, and just when I think she’s going to refuse, she turns away from me and rummages around in her desk. When she returns, she shoves a dollar bill at me. “There, now you’re my lawyer and you can’t tell anyone.”
I smirk down at her and shove the dollar back at her.
“I’m not going to tell anyone whether I’m your lawyer or not, Lauren.” I take a deep breath. “You can trust me.”
She walks to a closet in the corner, opens it, and pulls a book out of a box and returns to me, holding it out.
My eyes go wide. I’m stunned speechless.
I take the book from her and run my fingertips over the soft green cover.
“A Spark of Passion,” I whisper, and raise my eyes to meet hers. “You’re . . . ?”
“Peyton Adams.” She holds her breath.
Jillian’s words from not even an hour ago run through my mind. They’re going to be made into movies.
“Lo, these books are huge.”
She smiles proudly and nods and then frowns at me. “You read romance novels?”
“No.” I laugh. “Jill is reading this book right now. Besides, they’ve been all over the news.”
“Jill’s reading it?” Lo smiles widely. “Does she like it?”
“Yeah, she loves it.” I nod as Lo takes the book out of my hands and lays it on her desk. “So, you write those?”
“Yeah.” She nods, her face somber again, and watches me carefully. “I can’t tell anyone.”
“Why?”
“Jack.” It’s a whisper, and it’s all suddenly crystal clear.
I nod. “You’re afraid that Jack would try to claim half and make your life a living hell.”
Tears fill her eyes and she nods.
“Hey, come here.” I pull her into my arms and hold her tightly against me, her head tucked under my chin. Her tall frame fits me perfectly. She takes a long, shuddering breath and leans into me, wraps her arms around my waist, and just holds on. I wonder how long it’s been since someone just held her. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“I know,” she murmurs.
“I’m so proud of you,” I whisper into her hair.
She pulls back and looks up at me with surprised eyes. “Why?”
“This is amazing, Lauren. You’re doing something you obviously love, and you’re beyond successful at it. It’s something to be proud of.” My chest is full of pride and admiration for this amazing woman.
“Thank you.” She smiles shyly.
“I have an idea.” I pull away and take her hands in mine, leading her out of the office. “You go have a shower and I’ll make you dinner.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she rushes to assure me, but I hold my hand up to stop her.
“I do.” Despite her height, she looks so small standing here before me, still unsure and looking a little lost.
I need to take care of her.
“I’d love to spend the evening with you, learn more about your work, but I think I’d enjoy it more if you took a shower.” I grin and can’t help but tease her.
She blushes. “Smell that bad?”
“Not at all,” I lie easily. “You smell like flowers on a spring day.”
She laughs and heads for the stairs. “Okay, I’ll take a break for a few hours. I can’t guarantee what state the kitchen is in.” She shrugs. “Hazard of the job.”