Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
She lets out a slow breath. Her hand is still on mine, and I can feel her pulse through the thin skin of her wrist.
“You really thought that far ahead,” she says, shaking her head. “Jesus, Talon. For someone who claims to be a disaster, you sure know how to engineer a moment.”
I can’t help it—I laugh. The sound is rough, rusty, but real.
“Yeah, well. I was out of other ideas.”
We sit there, our hands still touching, the silence not as sharp as before. She’s looking at me, really looking, and for the first time since I saw her walk into the bookstore, I feel hope rising in my chest. It may be misplaced, or even futile, but I stare at the golden goddess like a puppy dog, waiting for a sign from its mistress.
Her eyes flick to my mouth, then back up. “So what now?”
My heart is beating so hard I think she must hear it.
I want to say: anything you want. Everything you want. I want to say: I’m yours, if you’ll have me. But I don’t trust myself to say any of that without screwing it up.
Instead, I squeeze her hand, just once, and let the moment hang.
“We could start with another coffee,” I say, voice low. “Or you could punch me in the face. Either way, I’m not going anywhere.”
Kat grins, and there’s something wicked behind it. “Tempting.”
She takes her hand back, but not all the way. “You know, if you’re going to make me the heroine of your next book, I want to have super powers. Something akin to Wonder Woman or maybe Batgirl.”
I lean in, matching her grin. “I will. Next time, I’ll get the superpowers right because you have them, sweetheart. You have no idea how powerful and magnetic you are, Kitten.”
The tension eases, and for the first time since the night exploded in the cabin, it feels like maybe—just maybe—we’re writing a new story after all.
The bookstore’s emptied out, the lights at half-power, and the barista is stacking chairs with the slow, deliberate movements of a union worker who knows they can’t be fired. Kat’s hand is still a ghost on my skin, my own heart hammering so loud I’m sure she can hear it. I want to freeze time here, keep her in this moment where I haven’t ruined everything yet.
But I owe her more than words.
I reach into the inside pocket of my jacket, fingers clumsy with nerves. The manila envelope is thicker than it needs to be, the weight of it ridiculous in my hand. I set it on the table between us and slide it over with two fingers, like I’m afraid it’ll bite.
She raises an eyebrow, but takes it. “What’s this?”
“Open it,” I say. My voice is rough, half a growl.
She peels it open, lifts out a crisp sheaf of papers. Her eyes flick over the headers—Legal, Royalty Statement, Trust Agreement—then up to me, confusion blooming in her face. “Is this a contract?”
I shake my head. “Not a contract. It’s your cut of the proceeds.”
She stares at me like I’ve just offered her a live grenade. “You’re giving me money?”
“Half the royalties, half the film rights, half of any translations. Everything the book earns. It’s in your name, sweetheart. You don’t even have to talk to me again. It’ll all go direct to your account.”
She blinks, lips parting, and to my consternation, I see the start of something angry in her eyes. “Are you trying to buy me off? Is this some kind of hush money?”
I wince, but keep my hands open, palms flat on the table. “No, Kitten. It’s not a bribe. It’s just… I couldn’t have written a single fucking word without you. It’s as much your story as it is mine. I wanted you to have something for that. Something real, not just a vague line in the dedication.”
She looks down at the papers, fingers running over the fine print, the notary stamp, the blue-ink signatures. Her hands are shaking, too.
The silence grows. I let it. I want her to see I’m not backing down, not hiding. I suppose this could be seen as a payoff, but it’s also something more. I want to take care of her, and this is one way of fulfilling my need to protect and provide.
She looks up, and her eyes are sharp. “You’re an asshole, but you’re not an idiot. You know most people would kill for this kind of check.”
I nod. “Yeah. But you’re not most people.”
The golden girl licks her lips, the motion slow, distracted, and my whole body tenses. “You really think this makes up for everything?”
I shake my head, quick and hard. “No, not at all because nothing could. But hopefully this tells you how much you mean to me, Kat. How much you’ll always mean to me because this isn’t a one time payout. You will receive royalties for as long as this book is making sales.”