Chapter 17 #2
“Thank you.” He flashes his perfect smile and she flips him off. He watches my screen as I am typing.
“Can you not watch me?” Frowning, I lift my hand and push it into his cheek.
“I like to watch.”
I don’t miss the teasing drawl, or how his eyes are pinned to me. Slowly pulling my gaze, I keep it down as I type. After a huff, he reaches into his rucksack and pulls out a tablet.
“I’ll just do some reading.”
I still, fingers hovering above my keyboard. Nora clears her throat. Dane’s eyes narrow on Royce.
“What are you reading?” I whisper, but I didn’t even need to ask.
“What do you think I am reading, Lucky?”
My heart skips a beat, and I swallow down the anxiety that is caught in my throat.
“He can’t read very well, don’t stress.” Dane makes a joke and Royce mimics him.
“I can read very well, thank you, especially the bits where Rebecca and Duncan get down and dirty.”
“Oh my God.”
He shifts beside me, leaning close as his lips edge closer to my ear. “Remember what I said.” He pauses for a moment and suddenly I forget how to breathe. “If you need any help spicing these scenes up…”
“Royce,” Nora snaps.
He drags his bottom lip behind his teeth. Creed looks over, confusion painted over his expression.
“What’s going on?”
“Royce is being a fucktard.”
Creed rolls his eyes and my cheeks are still burning. Royce laughs beside me and at this moment in time, I wish I had a parachute so I could jump this plane.
Thinking about it, I could jump out the plane, parachute or not.
Walking into the hotel, Nora stands at check in and I am ready to face dive the bed.
Royce is close to me, hand curled around my hip as a small crowd hover near us.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see Cowan staring at me and I shrink into Royce’s body.
He seems preoccupied though, so he doesn’t notice.
“Okay, here’s your key.” Nora walks over to us and hands Royce the room card.
I wait a beat or two for mine, but she just looks at me with a blank expression on her face.
“Royce.” She scowls and he pushes his tongue into his cheek, dropping his head as he focuses on something on the floor which is clearly more interesting. “You didn’t tell her.” Nora stamps her foot, her arms folded over her chest.
“Tell me what?”
“Why are you such a jerk at times?” I can hear the frustration in her voice.
“Hello.” I wave my hand. “Tell me what?”
“We’re roomies.” He wiggles his brow and now it’s my time to get annoyed.
Snatching the room key, I storm towards the lift.
“Top floor, kid,” he calls out and I hold my hand up, flipping him off.
Race weekend passes in a blur, and after the high of Melbourne, we’re in an almighty low.
Cowan crashed in first corner. Royce had engine issues and retired the car on lap forty-nine.
We played our part, walking out hand in hand but as soon as we were in the car, he dropped it as if it was too painful.
The drive is slow and quiet. I keep wanting to talk, but what do you say? He is scrolling on his phone, and an ache settles in my chest.
“I’m sorry.” My voice breaks.
“It’s fine, it happens.” He shrugs it off.
“Okay.” I nod, rolling my lips as I turn my attention to my hands in my lap.
We don’t speak for the rest of the drive. We don’t speak through the hotel, but he makes sure he puts on the show we’ve signed into. We don’t speak as he walks me into the suite.
“I’m going to shower.” He just about squeezes out the words before he vanishes.
I don’t respond. Instead, I set myself up on the sofa with my laptop when my phone buzzes. It’s Maria.
“Hey.” My voice is upbeat even though I feel blue.
“Hey, my favourite author, how is it going? Your social profiles are looking fantastic, your followers are still trickling in. We’ve seen a rise in your sales, too.”
My eyes slice to where Royce disappeared to knowing full well he is contributing.
“Yeah, it’s going…” I stare at my word document. “It’s moving in the right direction.” I force a smile on my face and ignore the sickly feeling that swarms in my lower stomach.
“Just keep chipping away. How is the shadowing going?” she asks, but she seems hesitant.
“Well, Royce is very forthcoming and answers anything I am stuck on. He’s willing to help wherever he can.” My skin heats at his words on the plane.
“And the fake relationship, people are loving you.”
Great.
“Going as well as a fake relationship could go,” I mutter before trailing off as she talks over me, but I’m not listening. My eyes are pinned to the bathroom door. “I’ve got to go,” I cut her off and close my laptop lid down.
Pushing to my feet, a spark of confidence dances up my spine as I walk to where he is. I should knock, but I push through the door. There he is, standing under the shower looking slightly haunted.
“Did you mean what you said about helping me?”
He blinks once, twice.
“Did you? You’ve read the books, you’ve made comment about the sex scenes… so I am asking you, can you help me?”
A slow smirk tugs at his lips. The water beats down over his body, his dark hair is dripping wet, and he has never looked so hot.
“I can help you.” He nods.
“Good.” I turn and walk out of the room.
What am I doing? Pacing the lounge, I am lost in thought when he pads into the living room. His low grey sweatpants leave nothing to the imagination.
“What do you want from me?” he asks, his voice low.
“Tell me what I am doing wrong.” I stop in my tracks, nibbling on my fingernails.
“With?”
“You know what.” I can’t even believe I am allowing this to happen.
His large hand cups around the back of his neck, rolling his head from side to side.
“Look.” He pauses, licking his lips. “It’s not that you’re doing something wrong.
” He takes one step closer. “But I can’t feel the connection between them when I am reading.
It’s very stiff.” He clears his throat. “And it’s the same thing, the bed, missionary. ”
My cheeks burn.
“There is so much more they could be doing.” His brows lift. “Surely you know that, right?”
Welp.
“Lucky.” His voice comes out more like a breath.
“I mean…” Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.
“Fuck,” he mutters, dropping his hand by his side.
“It’s been a while, and well, I am only writing about what I know.”
He steps closer. I step back.
“There is no build up, no foreplay… oral…”
Another step closer, another back towards the wall. I shrug awkwardly.
“Athena,” he whispers and I see pity flash through his eyes before a burning desire takes over.
“I just need you to explain some different positions… maybe from experience.” I shrink back as he stands in front of me, his fingers gripping my chin and tilting my face up to his.
“It would be my honour.”
“But no breaking the contract,” I whisper.
“No breaking the contract.”