Page 31 of Unscripted Love

“That’sthe first thing that comes to your mind?”

“I have an overactive imagination,” Chaz told me. “On the bright side, the reality is probably a lot less scary and offensive than what I just said.” His cheeks flamed red with embarrassed heat. I loved the way he said whatever came to his mind and the adorable blushes that usually followed. There was no pretense with Chaz. What you saw was what you got. He was a breath of fresh air, and I wanted to breathe him in deep.

“I’m not offended, and there’s no need for embarrassment,” I told him as we stood looking at one another on my front porch. “Hell, I’m happy you think I’m exciting enough to have a sex dungeon.”

“You’re plenty exciting without a sex dungeon,” Chaz told me.

“Yeah?”

“Definitely.”

Sadie barked happily on the other side of the door once she heard my voice. I loved knowing that she and Otis were waiting for me to return home. “Sounds like someone missed me,” I told Chaz.

“I think you’re right,” he replied thickly. I hoped that his tone of voice meant that he was talking about himself, not my dog.

Sadie bounced around like she had springs for legs when I walked through the door but jerked to a stop when she saw Chaz. She looked as surprised as me that we had company.

“Hey, Sadie,” Chaz said, dropping to his knees. “Remember me?”

If my dick could talk, it would’ve started screaming, “I do! I do!” Chaz’s position didn’t help deter my dirty mind from remembering how it felt when my dick was in his mouth. I knew I needed to act fast before I made an ass of myself, so I picked up the bag of food that Chaz brought with him and took it to my kitchen. I looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. There wasn’t anything special about the space, but it wasn’t dirty or anything. In fact, it looked like it had recently undergone a hard scrubbing. I suspected my mom did more than check on Otis when she stopped by over the weekend.

I gathered plates, silverware, glasses, and the pitcher of sugar-free, low-calorie lemonade from my refrigerator. I had no idea what Chaz brought me to eat, but I was grateful for his thoughtfulness. I could add to my workout if I consumed more calories or fat than normal. It turned out that I didn’t need to be worried because Chaz brought me a large salad with grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocados, and boiled eggs.

“Daniella said you like the avocado and lime dressing on the side,” Chaz said. He looked up at me and caught me staring at him. “Did I mess up?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Chaz said shyly and sat down at the table to eat his salad.

“You didn’t have to eat rabbit food just because I do,” I said playfully.

“I ate a huge lunch with Mere and Josh today, so a salad sounded perfect to me.” Chaz bit his lip like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure he should.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Did you know that the U.S. Marshals Service thinks that Gabe’s life is in danger?” Chaz asked.

“What?” I asked in disbelief. Of course, I knew about the problems Gabe had with his former partner before we moved to Blissville, but I thought that was all behind him. I was stunned when Chaz told me what he learned from Josh that morning. “Holy shit,” I said.

“Yeah, of course, I made things worse when I started rambling about how Jimmy would kill Josh if he really wanted to punish Gabe,” Chaz said. I was certain my eyebrows had reached my hairline, but Chaz didn’t seem to notice my bug-eyed appearance. “I was actually plotting the book I’m writing out loud, which was just as rude as telling Josh a guy was going to gun him down before his wedding. Josh is baring his soul to me, and I shift my focus to what comes next for Jamie and Gideon.”

“Book? Jamie and Gideon?”

“Uh, um…”

“Did you say that you’re writing a book?” I asked.

Chaz blinked several times like he might be in shock. I thought I might have to shake or kiss him to snap him out of his trance. “Yes,” he said after a long pause.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said when Chaz didn’t look too thrilled that he accidentally spilled his secret. “Would you like me to share a secret with you? It’s something that I haven’t told another living soul. It’s extremely nerdy.”

Chaz sat up straighter in his seat, looking hopeful. “Did you say dirty?”

I laughed when he wagged his eyebrows playfully. “Actually, I said nerdy, but now I’m thinking I need to invent something dirty.”

“Actually, Doc, I think nerdy is pretty awesome. Let’s see what you got,” Chaz told me.

“Follow me,” I said as I stood from my chair.