The Way the Story Goes Read online

  Taking a sip of her wine, Mia relaxed in her chair. “Now I’m intrigued. Do I sense that you weren’t always responsible?”

  “Who says I’m responsible now?” he asked lightly and the urge to reach out and touch her was strong, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate him being bold.

  Her head tilted and her dark hair covered her shoulder. “Hmm…maybe you’re right. You really haven’t been very responsible as a neighbor…you know, all the noise and whatnot.” Her lips twitched and damn if he didn’t want to lean over and taste them.

  Clearing his throat, he figured he needed to do or say something to get his mind off of touching and kissing Mia. Fast.

  “My father walked out on us when I was seven. He left my mom alone to raise three little boys and other than random cards in the mail, we haven’t seen or talked to him since.”

  And much to Austin’s surprise, she was the one to reach out and touch him. One delicate hand rested on top of his. “Oh, Austin, I’m so sorry. How horrible!”

  “Yeah, well…life was definitely rough and chaotic and my brothers and I were a bit wild when we got older. We built up a reputation. People called us hooligans and trash because we were poor and some would make comments about how it was no wonder our father left us. People start labeling you like that and eventually you believe them.” He paused and finished his wine. “I couldn’t wait to leave this town and make something of myself so I could come back and prove them all wrong.”

  “I don’t blame you. I’m sure anyone who knows you now would see what a fine man you turned out to be. You’re a skilled craftsman and you’re obviously doing well for yourself if someone is entrusting you to renovate their home like you are.”

  It would have been easy to tell her how this was the way most contractors worked, but…

  “My place back in Boston is being worked on right now—new kitchen, new master bathroom, and custom built-ins in my office for my books. My parents are overseeing the work while I’m gone because I didn’t trust anyone to be in the house when I’m not there.”

  “Then why leave?”

  She laughed softly and gave him an impish grin. “The noise got to be too much, so coming here seemed like the perfect solution. I mean, how noisy could the beach be in the off-season?”

  They finished their meals while making small talk about home improvements, and by the time they were done, Austin had seen Mia shiver more than once.

  “C’mon,” he said, coming to his feet. “Let’s clean this up and go inside. The heat lamp is good for a little while, but there’s still a fairly brisk breeze coming off the water.”

  “Sounds good to me. We can light a fire,” she said with an easy smile as she scooped up her plate and glass before walking into the house. Austin closed containers and put them back in the bag before blowing out the votives and carrying everything else inside. By the time he joined her in the living room, she had a fire going and was curled up in the corner of one of the sofas.

  He must have looked uncertain of where to sit because Mia patted the cushion beside her.

  And he was more than happy to oblige.

  “So,” he began.

  “So,” she repeated with a shy smile. It was lighter in here and this time Austin could definitely see her blush. “Um…would you like to open another bottle of wine or maybe have some coffee?”

  “I’m good for now, but thanks.”

  She nodded and he could tell she had something she wanted to say and he had no choice but to wait her out.

  “Can I ask you something?” she finally said after a minute.

  “Of course.”

  “Why did you want to read my book? I mean, you were honest enough to admit how reading wasn’t your thing, so…what changed your mind?”

  “Curiosity,” he admitted. “Like I said earlier, it seemed like a weird coincidence that your name came up over dinner with my mother. Then she gushed over the series and I guess I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.”

  “Stop, she did not gush…”

  “She really did,” he said, and this time he reached out and gently touched her hand. “And it was well deserved.”

  “Austin…”

  And he was back to wanting to kiss her, so he took another minor detour to clear his head. “So you’re working on book five? Is that why you’re here?”

  Rather than say anything, Mia groaned.

  “Uh-oh…that doesn’t sound good.”

  “I am seriously behind,” she admitted. “Like total writer’s block and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get my head back into the story. It’s beyond frustrating and my agent and editor have been patient, but I think that’s all about to change. I was supposed to have this book done a month ago and I’m only on chapter three and…I’m stuck.”

  “I’m not really sure what to say to that. However, can I ask a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you have the book already planned out? Like you know what’s going to happen?”

  She nodded.

  “Then wouldn’t it be easy to just follow that? Writer’s block—to me—means you have no idea what to write. You obviously do.”

  “I do a very loose plotting. It’s more like bullet points,” she explained, her head lolling back against the cushions. “It’s so out of character for me because I’m usually a very fast writer. I can get the story down and the words flow and it’s never been a struggle. For some reason, this story feels like the words are just out of my reach and…” She let out a long breath and shook her head. “It’s like all the characters are strangers to me all over again.”

  Thinking on that for a minute, an idea came to mind. He considered keeping it to himself because she’d probably think it was stupid.

  Mia rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. “I made us a little something for dessert,” she said over her shoulder. “No pressure.”

  Rather than sit and wait, Austin followed her and sat at the large kitchen island and watched as she put a tray of brownies in front of him and then pulled some vanilla ice cream from the freezer.

  “Chocolate chunk brownies,” she announced. “Sorry if chocolate’s not your thing. I just always assume everyone loves it, so…”

  “I do,” he replied eagerly. “I really do.” Taking the ice cream from her, he took the lid off while she got plates and spoons. “You didn’t have to do this, but I appreciate it.”

  “Well, I was going to go to Henderson’s Bakery because everything there is amazing, but sometimes baking helps me clear my mind.” She cut up the brownies and put them on plates while Austin scooped the ice cream. “And you’re saving me from eating this entire tray by myself.”

  Laughing softly, he slid a plate toward her and took the other for himself. “Anytime you need help sharing dessert, I’m your man. Trust me.” He took a bite of the brownie and moaned with delight. “Damn, Mia. These are lethal.”

  Her eyes were closed and she hummed. “Oh, I know. Usually the sugar high alone gets my characters to talk to me, but…”

  And that decided it for him. She could tell him his idea was stupid but he didn’t care. “Maybe you need to re-read the series,” he suggested and then held his breath.

  Slowly, Mia opened her eyes and stared at him—first like he was crazy and then…a slow smile crossed her lips. “You mean like…my notes?”

  “No, I mean the actual books. Read the series from the beginning so you can get back in the heads of your characters.” He took a spoonful of ice cream. “I have a feeling you’re a fast reader so it won’t take you as long as it would take me, but…I don’t know. To me, it makes sense.” With a shrug, he took another bite of brownie but with ice cream on top this time. “This is quite possibly the best dessert ever.”

  But she wasn’t paying attention. She was eating her dessert, but her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

  Which definitely killed any hopes he had of kissing her.

  After almost five minutes and both of
their desserts being done, Austin figured it was time for him to go because…she was already working. Part of him was proud of himself for helping, but there was a whole other part that wanted to kick his own ass because he was having a nice night with a beautiful woman and he had somehow managed to make himself disappear in her eyes.

  That’s a new one, even for you…

  He moved around putting the ice cream away and then covering the brownies while contemplating taking another one home for himself.

  She probably wouldn’t even notice…

  Ultimately, he decided against it before putting their dessert plates in the dishwasher. It was like Mia was in some kind of trance and rather than stay and make things awkward, he quietly wished her a goodnight. He was at the sliding glass doors when she said his name. Turning, he said, “Hmm?”

  Mia was standing in front of him in the blink of an eye. “I am so sorry. I just zoned out while thinking it all through—you know, what you said—and figuring out how to present it to my editor tomorrow. Then I sort of played out all the potential arguments in my head because…that’s what I do,” she said with a soft laugh. Then she took his hand in hers. “Please don’t go. Up until I was so rude and got lost in my own head, I was having a really good time.”

  Her thumb gently rubbed back and forth over his knuckles and he knew he wasn’t leaving yet. “I was too.”

  “Good.” Leading him back to the sofa, they took their seats again. “But I have to admit, it wasn’t the only thing distracting me.”

  His eyes went wide and he had no idea where she was going with this.

  But before he could question it, Mia was closing the distance between them. “Forgive me if this is too forward, but…”

  He never let her finish. His hands came up and cupped her face as he claimed her lips.

  5

  Maybe it was the wine.

  Maybe it was the romantic setting—the fire, the candlelight dinner.

  Or maybe it was the simple fact that Austin Coleman was too damn sexy for his own good. And the sexiest thing about him? His honesty.

  And his lips.

  God, his lips.

  Mia knew she was never the one to make the first move, and leaning in to kiss Austin was the scariest thing she’d ever done. Thankfully, he took over because…wow.

  She moved even closer as his arm banded around her waist to close any distance between them. He tasted like the most decadent chocolate and she couldn’t seem to taste enough of him.

  And clearly the feeling was mutual.

  One kiss melted into another and it went on and on and on until all she wanted to do was climb on top of him and explore the rest of him.

  Not that his lips and tongue weren’t spectacular and more than capable of keeping her attention, but images of him shirtless came to mind and made her fingers twitch with the need to touch him.

  Particularly his chest.

  Reluctantly, Mia broke the kiss and hungrily drank in the sight of him. Austin was just as breathless as she was and if she were a little more experienced, she would say something sexy and seductive, but…

  Wow…for someone who makes a living out of using the right words, you have none.

  Awesome.

  His hands were still on her face, but right now he was softly caressing her cheek. “I think I interrupted you.”

  Resting her forehead against his, she let out a low laugh. “It’s quite alright. I think you said it better than I would have.”

  Tucking a finger under her chin, Austin gently forced her to look at him. His expression was intense as his blue eyes held hers. “I think you don’t give yourself enough credit,” he said gruffly.

  It was a war between putting a little space between them and wanting to get closer, but closer ultimately won. Slowly, Mia moved one leg over his lap and she smiled when he grasped her waist and helped her get situated so she was straddling him. Her dress had ridden ridiculously high up—barely covering her thighs—and yet it felt like the most natural thing in the world to her to be like this with him.

  Delicately, she reached up and touched his jaw. “I really wanted to say thank you for listening to me ramble on about the struggles with the book. Not many people would be that patient.”

  One dark brow arched at her. “So that was a kiss of gratitude?”

  She immediately shook her head. “No. That was a kiss because I’ve been thinking about you since I saw you shirtless,” she teased.

  His smile was slow and devastatingly sexy. “Yeah? You’ve been thinking about me?”

  Biting her lip, she nodded.

  “Can I let you in on a little secret?”

  Another nod.

  “I’ve been thinking about you too.” And before Mia could comment, he leaned in and captured her lips again, and it was all the confirmation she needed. She couldn’t remember the last time a man kissed her like this—with such urgency and thoroughness—and it didn’t matter. This was perfect. Her arms draped over his broad shoulders before her hands raked up into his hair, and it was glorious because she needed something to hold on to.

  Beneath her, he was all hard, lean muscle and images of them in this same position but naked came to mind. It was a little shocking for her to realize she would totally be on board with that happening tonight.

  Right now.

  The sooner the better, actually.

  But it didn’t.

  Instead, Austin kissed her until she was breathless and desperately needed air, and once she got some, he dove in and kissed her again. Each kiss went a little deeper, got a little wetter, and a whole lot dirtier. Mia didn’t even realize she was shamelessly rubbing against him until he broke the kiss and gently bit her neck.

  “Mmm…you’re killing me,” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. Then those big, wonderful hands grabbed her ass and held her steady.

  “Seems only fair,” she whispered, even as she tried in vain to move. When she was settled and caught her breath, she looked at him expectantly and saw him swallow hard.

  “It would be very easy to take you inside—or right here on the couch.” He gently nipped at her jaw. “But I don’t think that’s the kind of woman you really are, and I like you too much to just jump into bed with you.”

  Now she pulled back and looked at him like he were crazy.

  His hands slowly moved from her bottom to her waist and all the way up until he was cupping her face again. “You have no idea how badly I want to take those words back, but I’m not going to. I like seeing the fire in your eyes when we stop to catch our breath, but I also really like seeing them when you talk about your work.”

  “But…”

  One strong finger covered her lips. “You were so caught up in thinking about writing earlier, that you completely forgot where you were. I know I could take you to bed and get us both to that place, but that’s not what you need right now. You need to write, Mia. Tell me what I can do to help you do that and then when there are no distractions, we’ll come back to where we are right now and I’ll gladly carry you to bed and keep you there all night long.”

  She groaned and let herself rub against him one more time.

  Unfortunately, he was right.

  “Can we stay like this for a little while longer?” she asked, resting her head on his shoulders.

  Austin hugged her close and she could feel just how hard he was beneath her. She was relieved that she wasn’t the only one affected by this steamy make-out session.

  “We definitely can.” With a soft kiss on her temple, he said, “So let’s go back to when we were in the kitchen…”

  “And the brownies…”

  “Yeah…maybe we should have some more of them.”

  “You’d have to carry me because I’m not ready to move yet,” she said lightly.

  “Then they’ll have to wait because I’m not ready to stand yet.”

  That definitely made her feel better.

  Sighing, she said, “Okay, the kitchen.”
r />   He nodded. “Do you think re-reading the series would help? Because if you do, I happen to know of a book club that would probably love to help inspire you.”

  Pulling back again, she looked at him. “Your mom’s?”

  “Yeah. And just for the record, I did not mention how you were my neighbor. I completely respect your privacy.”

  It was crazy how that little statement made her heart flutter. “Thank you, but…it would have been fine if you did. I’m not someone who inspires people to jump fences or try to climb in my window or anything. It’s sweet that you didn’t say anything, but I’m sure your mom would have been safe knowing.”

  He shrugged. “It wasn’t my place to tell her, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m just saying if you wanted to get with a group of people who are fans of your work, you don’t have to go far.”

  “I’ve been talking with my editor…”

  “Again, I know I’m no expert on this, but I’d bet good money your editor isn’t as invested in these characters are you are and possibly is saying either what she thinks you want to hear or whatever she thinks is going to force you to write.” Pausing, he seemed to consider his next words. “Okay, for me, when I’m struggling with a design on a project, I don’t go to other architects. I go back through ones I’ve done in the past or I look at the work of architects who’ve inspired me.”

  “Isn’t that like going to other architects?”

  “No, I’m talking ones I learned about in school, not ones I know personally.”

  “Ah, gotcha.”

  “Maybe talking to readers will give you the excitement to write. I could tell just from one conversation that my mom is already dying for this next book and she can’t possibly be the only one.”

  Mia thought about it for a moment and slowly crawled off of Austin’s lap.

  And missed it immediately.

  “Keep talking,” she said as she stood up. “I’m going to get the brownies. What would you like to drink? More wine?”

  “Um…no. Just some water would be fine.”