Chapter Four
Jason
S age stalks across the room, his fingers wrapping around my neck when he reaches me. He hovers over me, his smirk menacing. “What’s wrong, little dove? Are you scared?”
“Of you?” I scoff. “Never.”
It’s the truth. The shiver that runs through my body has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the desire coursing through my body.
Not that I’ll ever admit that aloud.
Sage is my enemy.
He killed my best friend—his own twin—all so he could wear the crown. I can never forgive him for that.
Can I?
No, of course I can’t.
What is wrong with me?
Why is it so hard to think when I’m around him?
“No, little dove,” he murmurs, his breath ghosting over my cheek as he leans down toward me. “I know you’re not scared of me. You’re scared of what you feel for me.”
“What? No. I—“ I break off, trying to pull away from him, but his hand only tightens.
“I can feel you staring at me,” I call over my shoulder, my fingers never stopping.
Victor chuckles as he comes closer, but I barely give him any attention as I finish the scene.
I’m nearing the end of the first book in a planned trilogy, and two of my leads are about to kiss for the first time—followed quickly by some amazing sex.
I’ve been building the tension between the two of them since the very beginning, even as she’s fallen for others, and this scene will be the culmination of those efforts.
My hands come up to swat at my husband when he tries to kiss me. “Absolutely not, Vic. I’m on a roll. Sage and Lyra are about to get it on. You’ll have to wait a few minutes.”
I hear him chuckle, but I ignore him as he leaves me alone.
He knows better than to bother me when I’m writing. It never ends well for either of us.
Diving back into the scene, I lose myself to my characters.
When I sit back, a smile splits my face. It really is almost done. Just a few more chapters, and I’ll be able to write the end on this one.
Trust me when I tell you there’s nothing more satisfying than writing those two words for an author.
A glance at the time has me wincing. It’s been over an hour since I sent Victor away.
Oops.
After turning off the music, I push to my feet, stretching my arms over my head before padding out of the office.
My stomach rumbles as the scents of food cooking hit my nose, and I have to stop to think if I’ve eaten anything today.
The answer is no—not overly surprising, but not good.
“I’m so sorry, Victor,” I tell him as I sidle into the kitchen, moving to stand behind him so I can wrap my arms around him.
I lay my head on his back, feeling it when he chuckles.
He’s only a few inches taller than my six-foot frame, but he always makes me feel small with how much bigger he is than I am.
I’m built a lot slenderer than he is and work hard for the toned definition on my body.
“You never have to apologize for getting lost in your work, Jason. You know that. It was clear you were on a roll. I take it that means everything was going well?”
I nod against his back, sighing before pulling away and hopping onto the island counter so I can watch him work.
I pull my long, wavy blond hair from the messy bun and run my fingers through it before pulling it into what I hope is a slightly neater version.
“It is. I think there’s only about another ten thousand words before I get to the end, and it’s going to have my readers screaming at me. ”
“Another massive cliffhanger?” he asks, glancing at me over his shoulder.
“Of course. As if I write anything else.” We laugh together. They really are my specialty, and I have readers who love them and who hate them. I’ll never stop writing them because no matter how much they may hate them, it’s what keeps readers coming back.
I’m not exactly a big name—it’s hard to be when I’m an indie author who writes in a very niche subgenre. While the readership for polyamorous books is increasing daily, it’s nothing compared to the mainstream romance crowd. Not that I ever plan to change what I write.
No, they say write what you know, and this is what I know.
The paranormal and fantasy part? Not really a life I live, but I like to think I bring a little more authenticity to my writing since I live a polyamorous lifestyle.
While I might not be as popular as some of the big-name romance authors who write a man and a woman together, I’m massive in my niche.
When I wrote my first book during my senior year of college, I never would’ve guessed that I would come this far in fifteen years. But J.B. Briggs is synonymous with polyamorous romance.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a little famous.
I clear my throat, focusing my attention back on my husband. “How was your day, big guy?”
He shrugs. “Mostly uneventful. I finished up the job this afternoon, then headed in to record a session. Although, I did get a text from Dani.”
That has me perking up, although I try to play it cool. “Oh?”
“Yup.”
I wrinkle my nose when he doesn’t offer me any further details. He wants me to ask about it, but I don’t want to seem too eager.
Although it’s not like he doesn’t already know how much I love Dani. Or how jealous I am that he’s slept with her and I haven’t.
“You’re really going to make me ask?” I roll my eyes, eyes narrowing as his shoulders shake.
Yeah, he’s enjoying himself way too much for my liking. He’s lucky I love him.
“Ugh.” I throw my hands in the air when he doesn’t say anything. “Fine. You win. What did Dani have to say?”
Victor spins around with a smug grin on his face. “I thought you’d last longer than that, but you’re oh so predictable, my love.”
I flip him the bird. “What the fuck ever. Are you going to tell me or not?”
“She asked me to tell you hello, and that she adored your last book. She was trying to weasel details about your current one out of me, but I told her she’d have to ask you. She also said she already texted you two days ago, but hasn’t heard back.”
“What? No way! I would’ve immediately answered her.” I reach for my pocket to grab my phone before realizing it’s not there. Frowning, I glance around to see if it’s somewhere in the kitchen, but it’s clear pretty quickly it’s not.
Victor throws his head back as his laughter fills the room. “You have no idea where it is, do you? When was the last time you remember seeing it?”
I think back, and I’m ashamed to admit, I have no idea.
“Well, I remember putting it on the charger for you a few days ago. Why don’t you go see if it’s still there?”
I take off running toward our bedroom, and sure enough, there’s my phone sitting on the charger. As soon as I unlock the screen, I see about ten texts from Dani and a few from Victor. There are a few voicemails as well, and I frown.
Damn it.
I really am the worst when I’m writing a book.
JASON
I’m so fucking sorry.
I don’t even know the last time I looked at my phone.
DANI
That must mean the book is going well.
Don’t worry, I forgive you. Plus, Victor said as much.
I want all the deets ASAP.
JASON
You know I’ll tell you anything you want.
Let’s have dinner soon?
DANI
Done. I’m hanging out with Maya tonight, and I have plans with Gary next Wednesday.
Besides schoolwork, I’m wide open. Let me know when you finish the book, and we’ll plan something.
I drop the phone into my pocket and trudge back to the kitchen, where Victor is plating our steaks, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.
He grins when he glances up at me. “Text her back?”
“Shut up. You know I did.”
He sets the plates on the island counter before moving to the fridge to grab us drinks. I climb onto one of the stools, practically drooling over the food. My husband is an amazing cook, which is good since I burn water.
“That’s not all she wanted, though,” he tells me as he settles onto the stool beside me.
He cuts into his steak, taking a bite, and leaving me hanging.
Asshole.
“Seriously, Vic?”
Victor chuckles. “I just wanted to make sure it tasted good. She had her subscribers vote on a scene to record this week, and she wants me to be in it.”
“Oh.” I make a face as I cut into my steak, trying to figure out how I feel about it. Ecstatic for my husband, but jealous that I can’t be part of it. Annoyed that I’m jealous. “I assume you already said yes.”
His silverware clatters on his plate before he turns my head and forces me to meet his gaze. “I did it because I thought you were okay with it. I thought she was on the approved list. I’ll call her right now and tell her I can’t do it if you’ve changed your mind.”
I offer him a lopsided grin before leaning in to brush my lips against his. “No. Don’t do that. She is on the approved list, and she always will be. I just…I’m jealous.”
“Oh, love, there’s no reason to be jealous,” Victor starts, but I shake my head.
“Sure there is. You get to have sex with her, while I’m left to wonder what it’s like.” I shrug. “That’s the perks of working in the same business as her.”
Victor watches me for a moment before releasing his hold on me. “We can always talk to her—“
“And tell her what? That I’m lusting after her? That we’re both half in love with her?”
“I mean, maybe we don’t start with that,” he says gently. “But I don’t think she’d be as adverse to the idea as you seem to think she is.”
I pop a bite of steak into my mouth, humming in pleasure as my eyes fall shut. “Hot damn. This is amazing, Vic. As for Dani…I just… We’re such good friends with her. What if we ruin it all by telling her we want her as more than a friend and occasional fuck for you?”
“What if we never say anything, and she’s into us but thinks we’re not interested because we’re married?” he counters, and I sigh.
“I can’t think about this right now. I need to focus on this damn book before I can even begin to think about this.”
Victor nods. “Then maybe I shouldn’t tell you who else she’s asking to be part of the scene.”
Twisting in my seat, I hold my steak knife toward him menacingly. I’m pretty sure I know exactly who else she’s asking to join them, and another burst of jealousy rushes through me. “You will if you know what’s good for you.”
Victor almost falls out of his seat with how hard he laughs, and it brings a smile to my face.
No matter what, I know I’ll always have him—and that’s more than I expected to ever have.
Even if it turns out I can’t be with the other people I want to be with. He will always be enough.