Reaching the top, he congratulated himself for not being out of breath, put in another code, and opened the door to Jessica’s office slowly. He didn’t want to barge in and scare her. When she got deeply into a story, it was very easy for her to forget everything else going on around her.
“You’re in trouble,” his tone a warning as he entered through the doorway.
Jessica’s head snapped up from where she bent over her laptop. The office looked like a studio apartment, having everything there she’d need to be comfortable. Tonight she sat Indian style on the bed, MacBook in her lap. “Jesus, Layne,” she put her hand up to her chest, breathing deeply. “What time is it?” she squinted, just now realizing how dark it was, how late the night had gotten.
“Twenty-two hundred hours.”
“You know I hate military time,” she frowned at him as he walked into the room and kicked the door shut behind him.
“It’s ten o’clock. Time for you to wrap up the writing for the night,” he approached her slowly, turning on lights as he went.
“But I’m at a really good part,” she argued, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and gesturing at the screen of the laptop. “My two main characters are about to get it on after thirteen chapters of slow sexual build up.”
Turning on the light closest to her, he stood over her, his eyes meeting hers. “Unless it’s us about to get it on, I don’t think I really wanna talk about it.”
She huffed, pushing her hair out of her face, and shoving her glasses further up on her nose. Two motions that he found undeniably sexy, but underneath it all, he could see the dark circles under her eyes and the fatigue she tried desperately to hide. He hated when she pushed herself this hard, but he also knew once she got on a roll, it was hard for her to stop. She was scared of losing the words, the flow, and that her mindset would somehow change, not letting her stay in the scene.
“I need to finish this chapter to stay on deadline, Layne,” her voice rough with frustration as she tried to make him understand.
“Gorgeous, I know, but have you looked outside in the past few hours?” he pointed to the window that looked out high above the coffee shop on the square.
“No. The last thing I remember is going to get a hot chocolate around noon,” she admitted.
Layne grabbed the laptop. “Have you saved?” He’d learned the hard way that closing her laptop before she saved could send her into a meltdown of epic proportions if something went wrong and she lost all her work.
She nodded, watching him closely, her eyes following him around the room.
He walked over to her desk, closing the laptop as he set it on the flat surface. He let himself look out over the snow-covered square, trying to calm his irritation. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself, gorgeous,” he tried to make his voice light as he walked over to the bed and had a seat.
“I have a real deadline now, Layne. It’s not like when I was publishing on my own.”
Layne tried to be understanding, tried to really listen to what she was telling him, but all he could see was that his wife was absolutely exhausted. All he could focus on was the fact he’d gone to bed without her for the past two weeks, while she came to bed as the sun was coming up. “Not good enough.”
“You’re pissin’ me off, Layne.”
He grinned at her, letting her see the fire in his gaze. “You’re pissin’ me off too and you know what happens when I get pissed off. Did you change that Pinterest password yet?”
Her lips twitched as she tried to keep a stern face. “You wouldn’t do that again.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” He reached down, taking his boots off, before he situated himself across from her, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Try me.”
“Layne,” she protested. “My Pinterest is supposed to be hot guys and stuff that reminds readers about my stories.”
“You mean I wasn’t supposed to pin mediocre shit like plain cupcakes on there?” he tilted his head to the side, playing dumb with her.
“Unless they take a minimum of three hours to make and require homemade buttercream frosting, as well as edible glitter? No,” she did her best to keep a straight face, but dissolved into giggles thinking about what he’d done the last time they argued. “It took me over two weeks to find all the stuff you’d pinned in random places. And newsflash hotshot, on no planet should new exhaust pipes for your bike be put under the label of Sexytimes.”
“You haven’t seen me sitting on my bike with new exhaust pipes yet. How do you know it’s not sexy?”
Jessica sighed, leaning forward, wrapping her arms around him. “God, I’ve missed you.”
He closed his arms tightly around her, pushing her hair out of her face. “I miss you too, which is why I’m here. Plus, it’s kind of dangerous outside right now, and I didn’t want you trying to drive home with that fucking front-wheel drive car you insist on having.”
“Has it snowed that much? It was just spitting a few flakes here and there when I went downstairs to get my hot chocolate.”
He grabbed her hand, pulling her up, before he walked the two of them over to the window. He heard and felt her gasp as she looked out over the square. With the Christmas lights up for the season, it looked like something in a snow globe.
“See now why I came to get you?” he ran his hand up and down her back before pushing up into her hair, massaging her scalp.
“But can we even get home now?” she questioned as she turned to look at him. “If town looks this way, how does it look out towards the clubhouse?”
“When I left it was slick,” he cupped her hip with his other hand, pulling her back to his front. “By now? Probably impassable. Good thing you have everything here we’ll need.”
“Do you think we’ll still be here on Christmas?” she asked softly.
He thought about the question. Christmas was in twenty-four hours, and while Bowling Green was much more prepared to handle a weather event like this than it had been in the past, he also knew it would probably take longer than two or three days before roads far out in the country where they lived to become drivable. It also depended heavily on when the snow stopped and how many inches they ended up getting. It was always best to be honest with her, he’d learned the hard way what happened if he wasn’t. Going on four years of marriage now, he’d learned a few things.
“It’s a good possibility, Jess,” he pulled her closer to him. “I’m sorry.” She loved being with their friends and family on holidays. He didn’t care where they were as long as they were together.
“I think I’ll actually be okay if it’s just you and me. I’ve been too busy lately.”
He didn’t want to lay a guilt trip on her, but if they were stuck in this space, alone, for the next few days, he’d definitely be having a talk with her about working too hard. First though, he hadn’t eaten and he knew she hadn’t either. “C’mon, let’s find something to eat in case we lose power.”
The thought made her shiver in his arms.
“Don’t worry, if we lose power, I’ll keep you warm; don’t you worry about that. You seem to forget I was in the military, too. If anyone can keep you safe during times of extreme weather– it’s me.”
She tilted her head back, resting it on his shoulder. “Trust me, I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with you.” Circling her hand around the forearm he rested against her chest, she gave it a squeeze. “It’s hot how you take care of me.”
He grunted as he turned them away from the window. “Then what I’m fixing to do should have you panting and positively dripping with arousal.”
She wrinkled her nose, laughing at him. It’d taken him a long time to show this side of himself to her, and she loved it beyond words. Her heart sang when he teased her. “Oh really? Let me prepare myself.”
“I’m about to make you the best grilled cheese known to man. I know how much you love those because it’s the one thing you keep ingredients for around here at all times.”
Grasping
him around the waist, she leaned into his ear, whispering seductively. “You make me a good enough grilled cheese, and I might show you exactly what kind of sexy scene I was writing.”
She sure enough didn’t have to tell him twice, Layne turned on his heel and went right about making their dinner.
Chapter Two
“This is really good,” Jessica moaned as she tore into the second half of her sandwich. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was, but forgetting to eat wasn’t unusual when she got deep into the flow of her story and hated to let it go. Seeing and hearing her characters wasn’t always the easiest part for her – she was more of a storyteller – so, when the characters spoke to her, she had to run with it as long as she could.
“I’m glad to see you actually eating something.”
Layne’s condescending tone caused her to stop chewing and lift her eyes to his. They were shadowed in the muted light of the studio, and she didn’t necessarily like what she saw there. Where she normally saw love and understanding, tonight there was barely leashed anger and possibly a little fear and frustration.
“I eat,” she defended herself.
“Not when you’re holed up in here for days at a time,” he raised an eyebrow, daring her to argue with his words.
Confronted with a truth she didn’t really want to face, she shifted her eyes from his, down to her plate. The sandwich lost a little of its appeal, but she still forced herself to eat the rest of it. She was hungry and appreciated the fact he’d cooked for her, even if it was the most kindergarten of meals. Layne used mayonnaise on the outside of the bread instead of butter and the sandwiches were always grilled to perfection. She kind of hated him for the fact he could cook it so well but it was the perfect comfort food for her.
She was quiet as she finished, washing the crumbs down with a large swallow of Sprite. The two of them didn’t argue much in their marriage, but she could feel when Layne was ready to read her the riot act. She could feel it tonight, had felt it the minute he came through the door earlier. There had been a chill in the air not caused by the weather outside. “Obviously you have some things you need to get off your chest, so I’ll sit here and take it,” she sat back in her seat, daring him to say what was on his mind.
His eyes flashed and the face that had been a semi-relaxed mask changed in an instant. He clenched his jaw together so tightly she could almost hear his teeth crack together. Whatever she’d said had set him off. “Don’t be cute, Jess. I’m not in the mood for it tonight.”
“I’m not, I’m telling you to let me know how you feel. You obviously want to say something, and I’m giving you carte blanche.”
She watched him closely, knowing he hated confrontation with her. The both of them were so passionate about what they believed and how they felt – sometimes it was like a powder keg going off. It was necessary though; they could only let things build up for so long until the situation exploded.
He opened his mouth and closed it a half a dozen times before he ran his hand over his chin. “Fuck it,” he breathed. “I’m just gonna lay this shit straight out for you. You’re working way too fuckin’ hard. You sat here for almost twelve hours and didn’t even eat. Why are you doing this to yourself?” his voice was hoarse as he questioned her. The hand he’d had on his chin was now clenched in front of him as he waited for his answer.
She knew he hated to make it seem as if he didn’t support her, they’d had this conversation before, but he’d never come right out and asked her. “I love what I do, babe,” she smiled over at him, hoping to soften him up a bit. “There’s a million stories running around in my head every day and I get to take these two awesome characters, break them up, and put them back together again. It fulfills something in me I didn’t even know was missing and I can’t help but get carried away. It’s like there’s a whole group of people and they want their stories told. Sometimes I can’t even sleep at night because I have these thoughts running around,” she frowned. “I’m not sure if I can even explain it to you or anyone else.”
“Carried away from time to time is one thing,” he argued, breathing deeply. “But what you’ve been doing the last three months is going to land your ass in the hospital. I’ve got to make you see that this shit isn’t healthy. I know you love it, but you’ve got to take a break. I miss you, but at the same time, I hate seeing you so fucking tired when I do get to see you. I don’t want to get the left-over part of you. I want to get you full-on. You’ve got to start taking some time for yourself. I don’t want you burnt out so bad; you end up in the mental ward.”
She got up from where she sat, walked around the table, and had a seat in his lap. “And if that ever happens, I know you’ll be right there to take care of me. I swear to you it’s not going to be like this forever, Layne. I have a deadline on this book and it’s the last one. I’m not signing any more publishing deals. I can’t take the pressure,” she admitted, her voice small in the quiet room. It was as if she was sharing a truth not only with him, but with herself. The sound of the words was rough, like it hurt her to push them out. “I thought it was a big feather in my cap, ya know? It would be the thing that told me I’d made it. But you know what? I’d made it before I ever signed that deal. I hit the USA Today bestsellers list without a publisher or a contract or deadlines; I did that all on my own. Having them emailing me, checking in, checking up, makes me feel like I’m back in Hollywood. It just stresses me out.”
“I knew it,” he palmed the back of her head; slowing working his fingers against her scalp in what he hoped was a soothing motion. It soothed him as much as he hoped it soothed her. “I knew you were stressed.”
“Who wouldn’t be? I’m used to writing on my own schedule, taking the day off when I want to, staying in bed with you if the mood strikes,” she laid her head on his shoulder. “I wasn’t prepared for this and now I have two weeks to get it in to the editor. What I had hoped would be a feather in my cap, has turned out to be a major pain in my ass,” she admitted.
“How much more do you have to do?”
She sighed, not wanting to admit how much work was left. She’d spent the better part of three months trying to figure out who her characters were and the story they wanted her to tell. “I’m half-way done, but I need to do a read-through and I have notes in certain spots where I need to expand. That’s why I was here tonight,” she turned to face him, running her hands along his stubble covered cheeks. “I finally got on a roll and knew if I could just keep going, maybe I’d make a lot of real progress and we could spend Christmas together. I really want to spend Christmas with you and not have to think about this damn deadline,” she let out a soft laugh. “I know that’s a pipe dream, considering how close to Christmas we are now.”
Layne grabbed her chin with his free hand, angling her for a kiss. Their lips met softly, and he let their foreheads linger against one another’s. “We’re gonna be stuck here for a few days, if it doesn’t stop snowing soon,” he warned.
She tried not to think about how it was going to kill her word count, but she did her best to smile. “There’s no one else I’d rather be snowed in with.” In her head, she added if I was done with this damn book. But life didn’t work on just her timetable and it looked like Mother Nature was having a good laugh at her expense.
She just hoped she could get some work done without offending him and without them ending up at each other’s throats while they were snowbound. Any other week of the year, she’d love being stuck with him, would love having all his attention on her, love focusing all her attention on him, too. Truth be told, she’d wanted nothing more while he’d been overseas, but … now wasn’t the time. She had absolutely no time for this if she wanted to make her deadline. She had to get this done and keep her word with the publisher. She knew without a doubt that they wouldn’t be understanding about any delays. If she didn’t turn it in on time they’d have to push back the release schedule and the publisher had already spent tens of thousands of dollars on promo. She
did her best to try and not think about what would happen if she blew this. If she didn’t blow this, she was probably going to blow the holiday with her husband.
Try as she might, she didn’t see coming out of this situation a winner either way it went.
That would most definitely take a Christmas miracle.
Chapter Three
Jess cocked her head to the side as she listened to Layne talk on his cell.
“Well, just call us and let us know when it’s safe out there, or when they’ve reopened. We should do all right here,” he glanced at Jess, giving her a wink.
Her cheeks heated at the wink. The heat went straight down her body to the tips of her toes. He’d gotten more handsome over the years as he’d gotten more comfortable in his skin. It’d taken them a long time to get here, where he was relaxed enough with her for the little touches and gestures. They still weren’t where he was completely uninhibited with her, but a Layne that wasn’t selfish with his affection was a sight to behold.
“We’ll sit tight here, Jess usually keeps it pretty well-stocked, and in case you haven’t forgotten, I’m ex-Army. I think we got this,” Layne rubbed his hand over his head, seeming to forget for a moment he had hair, when he dug his fingers into the strands.
His hair had grown out a bit over the past few months. Instead of keeping it military issue high and tight, he’d started to let some of that iron-clad control he had loosen up a bit. It was now long enough that she could thread her fingers through it and pull tightly or tug gently, whichever mood struck her. She grinned, or wherever his mouth happened to be at the time.
“Y’all stay warm at the clubhouse. If there’s any emergencies, be sure and let me know. I’d like to stay on top of things, even though we’re here,” he put his hand on his hip and nodded, even though whoever he was talking to couldn’t see him. “Y’all be safe, too. See ya,” Layne pulled the phone back from his ear and disconnected the call.
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