right?”
They returned to the kitchen. She angled onto her barstool and picked up her glass.
Gina leaned against the counter. “It’s great. It’s just, well, it’s like he’s on an alcoholic bender. He calls it his word rush. I’ve seen him like this for days. He’ll write until he can’t see straight, crash for a few hours and then start up again. Forget little things like eating, showering or changing clothes. Only the story matters. He can churn out a hundred pages during these things.”
Inez Kelley
71
“No offense, but what does this have to do with me?”
“I have to leave in the morning. If I know my brother, he’ll write most of the night before falling into bed sometime tomorrow, unless he just falls asleep at his desk again. Then he’ll start right back at it when his eyes fly open. I’d like you to keep an eye on him. Make sure he eats and maybe washes behind his ears once in a while. At least until he gets out of this word-rush thing.”
The younger woman crossed the room and
stared directly into her eyes. Livvy got the sense she was trying to extract a promise and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She hedged. “Murphy’s a grown man, Gina.”
“The question is, is he your man?”
The bold, direct query sucked the air from Livvy’s lungs. Was John hers? No, he wasn’t.
They had something between them, something more than sex. She didn’t know exactly how much more it was. They hadn’t gotten that far yet, but oh, how she wanted to. She wanted it enough to nod. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
The relief on his sister’s face was plain.
“Thank you. I know it’s silly. Johnny’s too old for a babysitter but it’d just make me feel better knowing someone who cared was around.”
“No problem.” Livvy shrugged to hide her
discomfort and sought to change the subject. She 72
Sweet as Sin
hiked her thumb back toward the hall. “It’s a little crowded in there. His desk is so huge, I’d feel closed in jammed in that corner. Why’d he put all his weight equipment in the study and not the basement?”
It seemed like an innocent question. There should have been no reason for Gina’s face to freeze into a blank expression but it did. The brunette licked her lips and found the new placemat edge extremely interesting. “Uh, he wants to redo the basement into a larger office later on and add a weight room but for now, Johnny uses it to brainstorm or when he needs to exorcise some demons.”
“Demons? You mean monsters?”
“Those, too.” A wrinkle appeared between her black brows. “Look, I know he’s not an easy man on anything but the eyes, but he’s worth it. You mean something to him and I don’t even think he knows it yet. Just remember that when he gets…”
Gina wobbled her head, searching for the right word, “…difficult.”
“Eat.” Livvy smacked the plate on the desk.
John’s fingers danced over the keyboard. She’d cut short her workday to rush home to check on him as she promised and found him exactly as she’d seen him last night—same position, same clothes, same frenzied typing.
Inez Kelley
73
“Murphy, take a break and eat. Isn’t your ass tired from sitting?”
“Hmm?” he muttered but didn’t slow his pace.
She tried harder. “Murphy, come on. A five-minute break. It’ll do you good, restore the circulation to your legs.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He never took his eyes from the rapidly appearing letters that scrolled across the white screen. Tempted to go find a breaker and flip it, she resisted because if he hadn’t saved recently, he’d be furious at losing the work.
Well, if I can’t tempt him with food, I’ll try sex.
No man ignores a half-naked woman.
“Murphy,” she singsonged, walking in front of his desk, unbuttoning her blouse. The air conditioning puckered her nipples as she slid the shirt from her arms and draped it over his shoulder. He shrugged it off like a fly, barely missing a stroke.
He hadn’t even looked up.
They returned to the kitchen. She angled onto her barstool and picked up her glass.
Gina leaned against the counter. “It’s great. It’s just, well, it’s like he’s on an alcoholic bender. He calls it his word rush. I’ve seen him like this for days. He’ll write until he can’t see straight, crash for a few hours and then start up again. Forget little things like eating, showering or changing clothes. Only the story matters. He can churn out a hundred pages during these things.”
Inez Kelley
71
“No offense, but what does this have to do with me?”
“I have to leave in the morning. If I know my brother, he’ll write most of the night before falling into bed sometime tomorrow, unless he just falls asleep at his desk again. Then he’ll start right back at it when his eyes fly open. I’d like you to keep an eye on him. Make sure he eats and maybe washes behind his ears once in a while. At least until he gets out of this word-rush thing.”
The younger woman crossed the room and
stared directly into her eyes. Livvy got the sense she was trying to extract a promise and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She hedged. “Murphy’s a grown man, Gina.”
“The question is, is he your man?”
The bold, direct query sucked the air from Livvy’s lungs. Was John hers? No, he wasn’t.
They had something between them, something more than sex. She didn’t know exactly how much more it was. They hadn’t gotten that far yet, but oh, how she wanted to. She wanted it enough to nod. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
The relief on his sister’s face was plain.
“Thank you. I know it’s silly. Johnny’s too old for a babysitter but it’d just make me feel better knowing someone who cared was around.”
“No problem.” Livvy shrugged to hide her
discomfort and sought to change the subject. She 72
Sweet as Sin
hiked her thumb back toward the hall. “It’s a little crowded in there. His desk is so huge, I’d feel closed in jammed in that corner. Why’d he put all his weight equipment in the study and not the basement?”
It seemed like an innocent question. There should have been no reason for Gina’s face to freeze into a blank expression but it did. The brunette licked her lips and found the new placemat edge extremely interesting. “Uh, he wants to redo the basement into a larger office later on and add a weight room but for now, Johnny uses it to brainstorm or when he needs to exorcise some demons.”
“Demons? You mean monsters?”
“Those, too.” A wrinkle appeared between her black brows. “Look, I know he’s not an easy man on anything but the eyes, but he’s worth it. You mean something to him and I don’t even think he knows it yet. Just remember that when he gets…”
Gina wobbled her head, searching for the right word, “…difficult.”
“Eat.” Livvy smacked the plate on the desk.
John’s fingers danced over the keyboard. She’d cut short her workday to rush home to check on him as she promised and found him exactly as she’d seen him last night—same position, same clothes, same frenzied typing.
Inez Kelley
73
“Murphy, take a break and eat. Isn’t your ass tired from sitting?”
“Hmm?” he muttered but didn’t slow his pace.
She tried harder. “Murphy, come on. A five-minute break. It’ll do you good, restore the circulation to your legs.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He never took his eyes from the rapidly appearing letters that scrolled across the white screen. Tempted to go find a breaker and flip it, she resisted because if he hadn’t saved recently, he’d be furious at losing the work.
Well, if I can’t tempt him with food, I’ll try sex.
No man ignores a half-naked woman.
“Murphy,” she singsonged, walking in front of his desk, unbuttoning her blouse. The air conditioning puckered her nipples as she slid the shirt from her arms and draped it over his shoulder. He shrugged it off like a fly, barely missing a stroke.
He hadn’t even looked up.
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