Writing A Wrong (Write Stuff 2)

"Are you're kidding? You'll make that test your bitch."

"Well, if I fail, I can go on all your trips with you and be your bitch."

I laughed until I looked up and saw that he was serious. Surely he didn't think I'd let him fail out of medical school so he could wait in the wings while I followed my dream. There was no way in hell I'd let him give up for me. Not when he worked so hard to get there. "That's a moot point. You're not going to fail. You're going to keep working your ass off and when I get home, I'm going to turn into a drill sergeant. You have one more day of playtime and then it's back to the grind for you." My voice was stern so he'd see I wasn't screwing around. "Today is pretty much shot since we have the release party tonight, but tomorrow we'll make the most of the day before you have to head out. Is there any place in particular you'd like to visit? Statue of Liberty? Empire State Building? Chinatown?"

He shook his head, lacing his fingers through mine. "I'd really like to take you ice skating in Central Park."

My eyes lit up at his words. I'd been so busy during the past two weeks I'd barely seen much of the city except the area around the hotel. Even during my previous trips to New York I had spent most of my time in Times Square and had pretty much forgotten about Central Park. "That sounds amazing. We can get hot chocolate too."

"And hot dogs from a street vendor."

"Absolutely. No trip to New York is complete without a dirty dog."

He leaned in and dropped a kiss on my lips. "That's why I love you. You know what's important."

"I have my priorities," I laughed. "Is there anything else you want? Cheesecake? Pizza?"

His eyes lit up at the last suggestion. "Definitely pizza."

"See, now we have a plan." Olivia returned to the room carrying coffees for Alec and me along with her iPad, which meant it was time to get back to work. Alec gave me another kiss before retreating to the chaise lounge. Our talk had allowed me to relax, knowing he wasn't sitting there bored out of his mind.

Greg showed up a few minutes later with a late lunch for everyone. Olivia continued to rattle off more items for my consideration as we ate. I dipped a mozzarella stick in marinara sauce, chewing around approving teasers for the staggered book tour we had planned for Wicked Lonely. The idea was to keep people talking about the book long after its release. Nothing was more important than word of mouth.

By the time the sun was beginning to set, we felt like everything was caught up to the point where I could take the rest of the evening and the following day off. We still had the release party to go to, but knowing that I was able to chill with Alec was enough to satisfy me.

Olivia was the last person to leave. She waved, heading to the other room that had been her temporary home since Alec arrived. The door had barely closed behind her before Alec was dragging me toward the bedroom. His nimble fingers stripped the clothes from my body before I could blink.

/> "We should be getting ready too," I murmured as his lips kissed down my stomach.

He ignored my statement and continued leaving a fiery trail across my skin.

"Alec," I moaned.

"Yes, love," he said, looking up. His mouth moved lower, making me lose my train of thought.

I shook my head to clear it, but his hands were already parting my thighs. His mouth cast a spell on me, bewitching my body as it moved against me. I wondered for a moment if anyone would notice if I didn't show up for the release party.

***

The Wicked Lonely release party turned out to be a great success, especially when everyone realized that Alec was the model on the book's cover. Luckily he'd already had plenty of experience with people wanting their picture taken with him from attending other events with me, so he took it all in stride.

The following day as we shuffled across the ice together, I found myself wishing for a little of the heat he had filled me with the night before. Neither one of us had any experience ice skating. "Crap, it's cold," I said through chattering teeth as I gripped the wall. The last thing I needed was to break a leg the day before the tour started.

Alec attempted to maneuver himself in front of me so he could rub my arms to warm them. I looked at him apprehensively as he made his move. I didn't know how to break it to him, but he was even more unsteady on skates than I was. I loved him, but I also didn't want him to take me out when he inevitably fell again. His eyes danced with mirth. "You look terrified. Do my skills frighten you?"

"Oh for sure, babe. Any moment now you might actually be able to take a step without falling."

He managed to scoot himself in front of me but had to grip my arms tightly when one of his legs slid forward between mine.

"That's harsh, and here I wanted to be romantic and sweep you off your feet," he said, trying to regain his balance.

"You already did, like seven times if my count is correct. My ass still hasn't recovered from that last fall."

"Hey, that one was all you," he laughed, nearly biffing it again. I agreed with him to spare his brittle man-sized ego. We'd fallen so many times I was pretty sure the other skaters and spectators were taking bets on how long we would remain upright. Who knew ice skating would be so hard? Anytime I watched figure skating on TV, I'd been under the false illusion that if I strapped skates on I too would be able to move flawlessly across the ice. The only thing we'd managed to do was make falling look easy.

"I'm not going to let you go down on your cute butt again," Alec assured me, moving his hands from the safety of my arms to my sore derrière at the exact moment that his legs decided to go in different directions.

Before I could escape his clutches, we hit the ice together with a thud. I could hear the amused giggles of two little girls who had totally been showing us up.