The Writer's Princess Muse

The Writers Princess Muse

A Novel in the Java Cupid & The Princess Brides series 

Copyright © 2017& 2023 by George H. McVey All rights reserved. 

Cover design by Erin Dameron Hill/ EDH Graphics

• ● This book was previously published under the title “Java Muse”

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. 

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental or used fictitiously.

This book was written by a human author and not an A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)

This book cannot be used to train an A.I.(Artificial Intelligence) how to write like this author.

Introduction

R.G. Donovan is a successful, two time New York Times Bestselling romance author. Yet, he's in trouble. His next great novel is due in three weeks, and he can't write a word. Then, at the Java Cupid Coffee Shop, a beautiful woman asks for his help. After a short conversation, a new novel simply flows out of him. Could it be he just needed a new Muse to reawaken his creativity?

Aurora Wright is a writer, but she wants to be an author. She comes to Java Cupid, hoping to find inspiration watching the other patrons. A chance meeting with the handsome romance writer who encourages her, and buys her a coffee, leads to a mysterious message of Love and Happy Ever After. Can she trust that the flirtatious, famous author is really her one true love?

Will jealousy, writer's block, and his ignoring her as he frantically writes, end their relationship before it ever begins?  Did the Java Cupid make a mistake this time? Can Aurora and R.G. find their Happy Ever After or are they destined to be alone without a Java Muse to inspire them?

Dedication

 

To everyone who dreams of their own Happily Ever After. Keep looking, dreams do come true.

Acknowledgements

To my wife, Sheri, I knew when I saw you that you were my Happy Ever After. Now, thirty-five years later, that is still true. You, my love, are still the one that makes my heart sing. The one I'll love until my very end.

I needed help this time and asked readers to help name some characters in this book. They came through for me. So thank you Barbara Ainsley, Kelly Tape, Marolyn Little Price, and Kristine Morgan. For the name of the romance con talked about but not used, thanks to Melanie Carter Winkler. Several ladies gave me the worst pickup lines used on them and some, not all, ended up in the book. 

Next, let me thank my beta readers. Each of their opinions and suggestions makes this a better book. They are a great help to me. 

Thanks also goes to my editor on this project, Carolynn Leggo. She made me look better than I am. If there is a mistake in the grammar or punctuation, it's probably because I changed something last minute after she was done. 

More than thanks goes to my friends and family. You know who you are, the people I ignored as this project took on a life of its own. I appreciate your understanding and kindness in not holding it against me. 

Finally, to you, the reader. Without you, there would be no point in what I do. I give life to my characters, but you share that life and make it more real. I hope this book brings you enjoyment.

One

 

Rob Donovan sat at Java Cupid in the corner, where he could see everyone as they came and went. He needed something interesting to happen, something that would inspire him and get him out of his writer's block. The deadline on his next book was less than a month away, and he was thirty-five thousand words short of the seventy-five-thousand word minimum requirement. Come on, he thought, drop something, kiss someone, have a coffee bar brawl, give me something, anything. 

His fingers moved over the keyboard as he typed out a scene of a coffee bar brawl. Then he shook his head as he realized how ridiculous it was and erased it all. He sighed and put his head in his hands. His coffee was cold, and he was out of snacks. He'd been here an hour and had nothing to show for it. 

"Excuse me." 

Rob looked over at the woman at the table on his right who'd just spoken. She was breathtakingly beautiful. "Me?" 

She smiled, and his pulse sped up like a trip hammer. "Yes, um, could you watch my things for a minute? I need... ummm..." She blushed, and Robin laughed. 

"Gotcha, sure. I'll make sure no one messes with anything." 

"Thank you." She hurriedly stood and headed for the restrooms that sat between the coffee shop and the bar and grill. Rob pulled up a character sheet and hastily described her. Five foot five, long sun-bleached blonde hair, cupid's bow lips, bubble-gum pink. Right eye golden brown, left eye ice blue. Curves in all the right places, early twenties. 

Then he typed: Name? Occupation? 

After that, he opened a new document and titled it, "Love at the Coffee Shop." 

He started typing away. He was thankful. It wasn't the book he had been working on, but this was an open deadline book, meaning he just needed to meet the deadlines with a romantic novel. It wasn't for one of his multi-author series. Those had to follow the format and plot ideas he'd already submitted. No, this was for a romance contest and would allow him a discounted table at the convention later this year. 

He looked up as he felt someone approach the lady's table. He smiled when he saw it was her. "Nothing's missing except the five hundred dollars I took from your backpack there. Table security fee." 

The girl laughed, and it sounded like little tiny bells tinkling together, sending his pulse on another run and causing other places to get a bit uncomfortable in a very pleasant way. 

"Well, if you found five-hundred dollars in that bag, then you deserve it. Thank you for watching everything. I didn't want to lose this outstanding table. I can't watch everyone from elsewhere." 

He nodded and indicated his table. "That's why I'm sitting here. It's the best seat for people watching." 

She smiled a brief grin. "Yes, it is. I was going to sit there, but some hot guy in an American Eagle T-shirt was sitting there when I got here." 

That uncomfortable feeling got tighter. She thought he was hot. "Really? Well, that's strange; I didn't see anyone here when I arrived, I must have just missed him. Maybe you should describe him to me, so I can take some notes." 

She smiled. "Well, I could just let you copy my notes if you really want." She turned her smart book screen toward him, and it shocked him to see the character sheet from the writing program he used. 

"Are you an author?" 

Her smile faded, and he wanted to say anything to put it back on her face again. 

"No, an author has stuff published. I don't have anything published yet. I'm just a wanna-be writer." 

He reached out and took her chin in his hands. The spark of electricity that ran through him was almost intense enough to make him let go. Her breath caught, so he knew she'd felt it, too. Well, what do you know that really does happen! I thought it was just literary devices to explain the unexplainable. "Darling, there is no such thing as a wanna-be writer. If you have that program and are putting words on a manuscript, you're a writer. The author part will come in time." 

He let go of her face, but not before trailing the back of his hand across her cheek. 

"I hope so." 

He smiled. "Trust me on this, I know." 

He flipped his MacBook around so she could see the character sheet he'd been working on for her. 

Her eyes got big. "You're an author? Really?" 

"Yep, sure am." 

He saw it forming on her face, the question all authors hated to get asked, but everyone always asked when they found out he was an author, so he said it with her. "Have you written anything I might have read?" 

She laughed. "You get asked that a lot?" 

He grinned. "Anytime someone finds out, I'm an author for the first time." 

"Oh well, sorry, but the question remains, have I?" 

"Do you read a lot?" he asked. 

"Yes, all the time." 

"Well, not all the time. You're not reading at the moment. You were writing, then you went to the facilities, and now you're talking." 

She slapped his arm. "You know what I mean." 

He grinned. "Well, what do you read? What genres?" She blushed, and he laughed. "Ah, a romance reader." 

She bit her lower lip and nodded. He couldn't help but wonder if that bubble-gum pink lip tasted like bubble gum. "What kind of romance do you read?" 

"Oh, all kinds, Historical, Modern, Regency, right now I'm reading this really cool Paranormal Romance series." She reached for her backpack and pulled out his last book. "Have you heard of this series? It's the hottest thing right now." 

He grinned. "I have heard of those, yes. And I would have to say in answer to your earlier question, you most definitely have read my work." 

"Really, you write romance? I only know of one other guy who writes romance novels. As a matter of fact, this guy," she held his book up. "What's your name? I want to see if I have any of your books." She grabbed her kindle from the backpack. 

He laughed. "I promise you that you've read at least two of my books if you've been reading that series." 

Her eyes got big. "You're R.G. Donovan, the guy who created the Phantom Horse Bridge Series?” 

"My friends call me Rob or Robin, but, yep, that's me." 

"Oh my God!! Can we take a selfie together? My writers’ group will not believe this." 

Rob laughed. "Tell you what, let's get someone to take it for us; that way we won't have that weird big forehead thing everyone has in selfies." 

Rob saw the special needs kid that worked as a busboy just a couple of tables away. "Hey Charlie, come here." 

The young man put his tub of dishes on the table and came over to him. "Hello, Mr. Rob. You need refill?" 

Rob shook his head. "Not this time, buddy. Do you know how to take pictures with that kind of camera?" He pointed to the girl's cell phone? 

Charlie grinned and nodded. "I has one jes like it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. "See?" 

"That's awesome, buddy, would you take a picture of me and..." 

"Aurora."  

Charlie's eyes widened even more than they normally were. "Like the Disney Princess?" 

"Yes, just like the Disney Princess. My mom named me after her. She also named my sisters after Disney Princesses. " 

"Wow, you famous!!" 

Rob smiled at the guy. "She is. That's why I need you to take a picture of us for me, okay?" 

Charlie thought for a minute. "Okay, Mr. Rob. Princess Aurora, can I take picture with you, too?" 

She handed him her phone. "I'd love to take a picture with a handsome prince like you, Charlie. Right after I take one with Mister Rob, all right?" 

"Okay!" 

She leaned in close to Rob, and he breathed in her scent. It was very faint, like the honeysuckle that grew up the trellis under his writing nook at home. However, a spicy scent like nutmeg or cinnamon mixed with it. He thought, she smells just like you'd imagine a Disney Princess would smell. 

Charlie held the camera up. "Say Java Cupid." 

They said it and he snapped the picture. Afterwards, Rob stood up. "Give me your phone, Charlie, and go sit beside Princess Aurora." 

Charlie did and Rob said, "Okay, say Mocha Latte." Just as he got ready to snap the picture, Aurora turned her head and kissed Charlie on the cheek. The young man blushed and looked at Rob. "She kisseded me! Does this mean we gots to get married?" 

"No, Charlie, she didn't kiss you on the lips, so you don't have to get married." 

"Ok! Good, cause I already gots a girlfriend at the center." 

Aurora sighed dramatically. "Oh well, I guess it's my loss, Prince Charlie. I'll just have to wait because someday my prince will come." 

Charlie shook his head. "No, dats Snow White. You is supposed to say 'once upon a dream’." 

She smiled. "You're right. How silly of me to forget." 

Charlie stood and said, "I has to get back to work now afore Mr. Carl gets upset with me." 

Rob handed the young man his phone. "Thanks for your help, Charlie. If Mr. Carl says anything, you tell him I asked you to help me." 

"O.K. Bye-Bye Princess Aurora, I has to go work now." 

"Bye, Prince Charlie." 

Rob sat back in his seat. “Hey, can you text me that photo of us? I want it for a character sheet." 

Aurora looked at him. "Seriously, or are you just trying to get my digits?" 

He smiled. "And here I thought I was being all smooth about it. No, I really want that picture, but if you don't want me to have your number, I can understand that. I wouldn't want your boyfriend to see my number on your phone and get upset." 

She laughed. "Oh, you're good. You thought you could trick me into telling you if I had a boyfriend, or if he was the jealous type." 

He smiled. "Well, I know there isn't a husband, no ring. So, Prince Charming Eric hasn't arrived yet." 

"Philip, Eric is Ariel's prince. Boy, for a romance writer, you don't know your Prince Charmings very well." 

"No, I don't, but in my defense, I write about cowboys and everyday people. No royalty in any of my books." 

"Give me your number. There's no guy for you to make jealous, so it's all good." 

He rattled it off, and she typed them in. In just a moment, he got the ding of a text message coming in. He opened it and saw their photo. He saved it and then saved her contact info. "What is your last name, Princess?" 

She sighed. "Are you going to call me that from now on?" 

He smiled. "Only until you become my queen." 

"I can't become your queen." 

"Why not?" 

"Your name isn't Phillip." 

He looked at her, and let some of the heat she made him feel show in his eyes. Not enough to scare her away, but enough to let her know he wasn't flirting without purpose. "I'll change it for you." 

"Well, before you do, would you sign your book for me?" 

"Sure, under one condition." 

"What's that?" 

"Have dinner with me tonight." 

She bit that lip again. If she kept that up, he was going to have to have a little taste to find out what she thought was so great about it. "I can't. Tonight's my writers group. Unless you want to come with me?" 

"To your writers group?" 

"Yes, I know they'd love to meet you. None of them are as successful as you, but there are a couple of authors in the group. There's five of us." 

"Well, I wanted to get to know you better. You said they wouldn't believe you met me, so sure, I'll go to your group with you. Do you all eat at this meeting?" 

She laughed. "When do writers not eat?" 

"That's true. Okay, what time?" 

"We meet at the bar and grill here at six." 

"Then I should pick you up at what time, five-thirty?" 

"I could just meet you here." 

He reached out and took the book out of her hand and placed it on his table, then took her hands in his. "Oh no, Princess. A prince always picks up the princess for the ball." 

She giggled and turned pink. "No ball, just writers helping each other and critiquing a chapter if you want them to." 

"I will still escort you, fair maiden." 

"Fine, I'll text you my address, and five-thirty is perfect." 

He let go of her hands and pulled a Sharpie out of his computer bag, opened the cover of her book and wrote a brief note to her and signed it. Then he put the book in her backpack. When she reached for it, he stopped her. "Don't read that until later, please." 

She started to ask why when his watch started beeping. He sighed. "I have to go. I'm meeting with my editor about the next Phantom Horse book in a few minutes." He looked at her empty coffee cup. "You gonna stay and write some more?" 

She nodded. "Yes, I want to finish this chapter so I can share it tonight." 

"Okay, let me get you another cup of coffee. What are you drinking?" 

She looked down at her empty cup. "Oh, I'm out! It's a Cinnamon Caramel Latte with extra whip and extra caramel." 

He smiled. So, the spicy smell was cinnamon. "Be right back." 

He got her order, and a Hazelnut Iced for himself, to go. Ashley Lefevre handed him his order. "There you go, R.G. I see you found a muse today." 

He winked at the girl. "I think maybe I did, Ashley. But you're still the driving force behind my frantic typing speed. Well, you and this drug you push at me." 

She laughed. 

He walked back to the woman who had caught his interest. "Here you go, Princess. A drink fit for a queen." 

She took the cup absentmindedly as her other hand kept punching away at the keyboard. He recognized that look; someone was in the zone. He packed up and left without another word. He'd text her later to remind her to send him her address. However, now he needed to rush if he was going to make it to his appointment on time. 

 

Aurora looked up from the scene she was writing to say goodbye to Rob, only to realize he was gone. Sitting beside her was a fresh coffee. She picked it up to take a drink when words on the side of the white cup caught her eye. "My love is your Happy Ever After." 

She smiled. R.G., she thought. Perhaps he wasn't just flirting with her. Maybe he'd felt the tingles that raced through her every time he'd touched her, too. She took a sip, wondering if his kisses would be as hot as those he wrote about in his novels. Maybe she'd have to find out after the group tonight.

Two 

Aurora woke from her two-hour nap. Tuesday was her night off from work, so she didn't sleep all day like she did on a workday. However, she had found if she didn't take a nap in the late afternoon, she'd fall asleep during her writers group. It only took a couple of Sleeping Beauty jokes to make her determined to never let that happen again. So now she was up and refreshed. 

She wanted to tease her writer friends before group tonight, and she still needed to post her amazing encounter on her FB page and in some reader's groups. Including the Citizens of Phantom Horse reader’s group. She forwarded the photo of her and Rob to all writer friends with, "Look who I met today and talked into coming with me to group tonight!!!" 

Since the other four writers were all women, she got back, "Hot guy, who is he?" "He's cute. Should we know him?" Jan texted her, "He's cover ready, but the group is not a place for dates. Is he a writer?" 

She grabbed her copy of the book and flipped it open to the title page where he'd signed it. She read it before she snapped the picture. "Princess Aurora, it was a genuine pleasure having coffee with you today. Maybe we'll meet again 'Once Upon a Dream.' If you ever need a Prince to come rescue you from an evil witch who put a sleeping spell on you. My lips stand ready for the task. R.G. Donovan (Rob)." The man was truly a romance author through and through. She snapped the picture and typed the following message with the text. "Here's a hint, Chica's." 

Which quickly followed answers of, "OMG! So jealous!" Followed by Jan's, "That's acceptable; I stand corrected and jealous." 

Then she emailed herself the picture and the cover, sat down with her laptop, and put them both in an album on FB and captioned it. "Look who I had coffee with today! He was even nice enough to sign my copy of Phantom Race. Thanks, R.G. Donovan." 

That lead to a slew of comments and she answered questions about their encounter when one comment caught her eye. "Are you the Disney Princess he was talking about on his author page a bit ago?" 

She jumped over to the R. G. Donovan author page and, sure enough, he'd posted a picture of Princess Aurora with the caption. "Met the real-life Princess Aurora at my favorite coffee shop today. She's even sweeter and prettier in person." 

That comment did things to her in all kinds of interesting places. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She remembered she needed to text him her address, and then thought to ask him about group tonight. 

"Hey Rob, if you want to share a chapter for critique tonight, email it to me and I'll forward it to the group. We do that to help not kill the rainforests. One of the baristas has become sort of an eco-warrior, so we try not to do hard copies. It gives her fits." Then she gave him her email and real-life address. 

He texted back, "I'll share the chapter that I'm stuck on in a WIP. I had put it aside because of writer's block. Maybe you and your friends can help me jumpstart it." 

She thought about suggesting the seven-sentence sprint trick for writer's block. However, she figured he already knew that trick. Jan had shared it with her, said an author named Janelle Daniels shared it a few years ago. But Janelle said she learned it from a workshop or conference or something. He's an actual author. He probably knows all the tricks for getting past writer's block. She hadn't even published her first manuscript yet. 

She would not think about that, instead she was going to get a shower and figure out what to wear that would scream, "kiss me" to Rob. While not scream, "I'm trying to get kissed" to her friends. That was going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, she was up for it. Both the challenge and the kiss. After all, according to him, his love was her Happily Ever After. She wanted to see if that was true. 

First to check her email and send her chapter to the group and forward his as well. She wouldn't send him everyone's, but would make him share her iPad screen with her tonight. Getting him that close to her, along with her signature scent, which her mom had made for her at the cosmetic show last year, should get her that kiss. 

With that, she hit the shower. Time to chase her Happily Ever After.

Rob smiled at the text he got from Aurora. She was sweet and funny. And if his heart wasn't already beating a mile a minute, it would be just from thinking about getting to spend time with her. In the six years he'd been writing and publishing, he'd never faced a blockage like this. Nothing he wanted to write would come except for the story he'd started based on his chance meeting with Aurora. "Love at the Coffee Shop" was pouring out of him like the Java leaving the pots at Java Cupid. Somehow, the pretty Disney Princess with Bubblelicious colored lips sparked his inner muse. That excited him almost as much as the thought of tasting those lips did. 

He shot her an email with the chapter he was stuck on. He didn't have high hopes for this writers group. Most of the ones he'd been involved in were just newbies stroking each other's egos, and nothing constructive ever came of them. However, he wasn't really going there to get help. He was going to spend more time with Aurora, and hopefully get that kiss he so desperately wanted.

 Uploading the cover of the next Phantom Horse book to his tablet, he was sure that she would be thrilled to get a sneak peek before anyone else.. He then went into his closet to pick out some clothes that were a bit more flattering than what he'd worn to Java Cupid that morning. A gray, long-sleeved, three-button T-shirt that fit snugly across his shoulders and chest, paired with tight jeans and polished cowboy boots, was his choice. He wouldn't wear his usual Stetson and leather vest that he wore when attending book signings or meet-the-author events. He just wanted to entice the pretty princess to give him a few kisses before their date ended. After a quick shower and a fresh shave, he dressed and was ready to impress. 

With a half-hour to spare before he needed to pick up the princess, he swung by his florist and picked up a dozen pink roses. The good thing about being a romance writer was he'd done his homework on how to woo a woman. Truthfully, he hadn't had to woo a woman for a while, thanks to his popularity as a man who wrote romance. He'd actually had to hire a female assistant to help extract him from unwanted attention from readers at conventions and author meet-and-greet events.

Unfortunately, she had fallen in love and left him when she had become pregnant. Which was one more thing he needed to figure out, before his book tour started in three weeks. Without a good assistant, he'd get bogged down with overzealous fan girls and event planning that he'd get no writing done. Of course, if he didn't get over his block, it wouldn't matter if he was too busy to write. He once again hoped that Aurora's group would have some ideas that would remove the block and free his muse to bring him the words he needed to finish his manuscript. 

Rob pulled up in front of the large sprawling craftsman style house with a river stone front and walkway. He wondered if he'd gotten the address wrong, but the number was right. Just as he got ready to get out of his Jeep Grand Cherokee, he saw a silver BMW roadster pull into the first of the three garage bays. A very large older man unfolded himself from the car and came out to look toward Rob. The man wasn't as tall as Rob, but he was built like a linebacker. His neatly trimmed gray hair and Fu-man-Chu mustache seemed to fit him perfectly. "Can I help you?" 

Rob walked toward him, holding the flowers he'd picked up. "I'm looking for Aurora. We're supposed to be heading out for her writing group." 

The man looked at the flowers in his hand. "Uh-huh, and you thought to bring flowers for inspiration to the group, did you?" 

Rob smiled. "No, these are for her." 

"So, I take it you're a writer, too, then?" 

"Yes, sir." 

The man sighed, then tossed his head up like he was trying to see past Rob. "What's your real job?" 

Rob frowned. "Excuse me?" 

The man walked closer to him with his hands balled on his hips. "Your actual job. You know, the thing you do to pay the bills. Are you a fast food worker, a waiter, a dishwasher, what?" 

"I'm a writer." 

"You work for the newspaper? Because they say print is dead. Don't know I want my daughter messing around with a guy who works in a dying industry." 

"Daddy! Stop it!" The voice came from above them, and Rob looked up to see Aurora standing on the deck that came off the side of the garage. "Rob is an author. He makes money from books he has written." 

Aurora's father looked him over. "You make enough to support yourself on a couple of novels?" 

Rob refused to give in to the desire to humiliate this man in front of his daughter. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened his Amazon author account and pulled up the payments page. He handed the phone to the man. "That's how much they paid me in royalties just from Amazon last month. Not counting sales from bookstores or convention sales. That's just one vendor that carries my books. I got twice that from a certain big-box store with the yellow smiley face." 

The man grunted. "Well then, I stand corrected. Aurora lives up there." He pointed at the deck she still stood on. 

Rob smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate that." 

The man turned, walked through the garage and hit a button that slowly closed the garage door, cutting off the muttering he was doing under his breath about smart ass writers. Rob turned and started up the stairs on the far side of the deck. Aurora met him at the top. "Hi, sorry about Daddy. He should act like the king in all princess movies, but he acts more like the fire-breathing dragon that's guarding the princess." 

Rob smiled. "It's fine. He just wants to protect his first Princess. I'm sure that your sister's potential dates will have just as much trouble." He handed her the roses that amazingly matched the pink of her lips perfectly. God, how he wanted to taste and see if they were like the Bubblicious bubble gum of childhood. Or were they sweeter, like cotton candy? "These are for you." 

She blushed as she took them from him. "Thank you, they're very lovely." 

He moved closer. "Not nearly as beautiful as the princess holding them." 

Her smile sent waves of heat straight into his heart and lower places. He reached out and took her chin in his hand, leaning in until he fulfilled his longing, and his lips met hers. 

He'd been wrong. She tasted nothing like bubble gum or cotton candy. She tasted like cinnamon and honey. Her lips were soft and inviting, and when she responded to his kiss by wrapping her arms around his neck, he knew he'd only thought he understood how to describe a kiss. This kiss left all his descriptors behind. He reluctantly pulled away, but not before grabbing a couple of quick tastes. 

She looked at him, lost in his eyes, it seemed to him, just as much as they trapped him in hers. "Wow!" She breathed against his face. 

"Yeah, that is the perfect word to describe it." 

She reluctantly came down off her toes and pulled away. "Let me put these in a vase of water, and we'd better get going." 

He grinned. He knew what she was doing, trying to distance herself from the desire that still enthralled them both. "Sure, we need to hurry if you're going to introduce me to your writing buddies before this group starts." 

She hurried inside, with him following behind. Her place was a very cozy little apartment. The great room wasn't too big, but it was larger than his first apartment had been. "So you still live at home." 

She pulled a vase out from under the sink and filled it with water before placing the roses in it. "Yeah, I wanted my own place, but couldn't afford rent and utilities anywhere. So, Daddy had this space converted into an apartment for me." 

"Well, it's a nice place." 

"I like it." She moved toward the door, and he followed. 

"Ready to meet my writing buddies?" 

He shrugged. "You sure you wouldn't rather stay here and make out?" He winked. 

She blushed. "Well, that is tempting... but we told Daddy we were going to my group. If we don't, he'll be up here to make sure nothing happens." 

"Well then, I guess we should go meet your friends."

Three 

 

Aurora climbed onto the seat of Rob's Jeep, her mind still trying to catch up to what was going on. The last coherent thought she had was a second before Rob's lips had connected with hers. Then all she could remember was the perfectly delicious heat that shot through her lips and became a pleasant tingling in her breasts and core. A delightful heat that melted and tightened at the same time. She knew she'd put the flowers up and made small talk, but all she could think of was if a simple kiss could feel like that, what would it have been like if he'd plunged them into a deeper kiss, or if his hands hadn't stayed on her face but had traveled over her body. Just the thought of it sent a shiver through her that promised the reality would be so superior to anything she could imagine. 

Sure, she had experienced kissing and sexual activities before, but none of them had made her feel how Rob’s simple kiss did. If his modest kisses turned her to goo and a very lovely goo, too. What would an intentionally passionate one do? How long would she have to wait to find out? 

She didn't want to seem to be one of those easy fan girls whom she was sure he had. One of the desperate housewives who gathered to hear him read and hope to get a fantasy to carry them through at home when their husbands were busy. She wanted to stand out, to be different. 

Aurora desired for him to ache for her as badly as she wanted him. So, she'd go slow and play the chaste princess her daddy thought she still was. Until he was as smitten as she was. That sounded like the perfect plan. Now if she could just get her body to agree to it. She thought as a shiver reached places deep inside her that screamed to just jump him right here in the parking lot. 

Oh, they were at Java Cupid already. She hoped she'd held a coherent conversation with him. She didn't remember a thing about the drive. He came around to her door and opened it, taking her by the hand as they walked into the coffee shop. "We meet on the other side in a corner as far away from the stage and bar as we can. Do you want to just go on over or grab a coffee first?" 

He looked from the line at the counter to the darkened entrance from the bar side of the building. "Tell me what you normally do." 

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I normally grab a drink when I come in, then head over to our corner. We'll all order appetizers and share them with each other, and the server will refill the drinks we want." 

"Then let's do that." He got in line and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close. "I'm hoping for a few more of those sweet kisses before you go home tonight." 

She blushed. “We'll see. I'm not normally the girl to kiss on the first date, you know. I am royalty, after all.” She lifted her head until her nose pointed up, and let her voice take on a snooty air. “We must endeavour to convey that everything be done with decorum and poise, as is fitting for one of our station.” 

"Well, since we were together this morning, I'm declaring this our second date. So, kisses will be in order, Princess." 

"I'm not sure if this morning's activity could be classified as a date." 

"I have pictures and Facebook posts to prove it. Yours and mine." 

She looked at him very seriously. "I never said it was a date." 

He squeezed her tight. "Neither did I, but both our feeds are blowing up with people asking if we're an item. Maybe I should tell them yes. Then I won't have to worry about some fan girl trying to seduce me next month when I go on tour." 

Her heart sank at his mention of going on tour. "You're leaving?" 

He smiled. 

Darn it, she didn't want to come off this attracted so soon. "Just for a week, Princess. I have to go push the next Phantom Horse book. You know, read a few paragraphs, take some photos, sign some stuff. Flirt with all the housewives and wallflowers. Normal stuff." 

She looked up into his eyes. They were like pools of creamy chocolate just waiting to pull her in and smother her, but what a way to go. "You don't sound like you enjoy it very much." 

He sighed. "I love it on one hand. I mean, there's nothing like having people line up to see me. Their energy usually boosts my creativity, but some of them get too personal. They all think of me as a friend, and I can see why. After all, I'm in their house, on their shelves, in their baths with them, in bed with them every night, until they finish my book. But in reality, I don't know them, and they don't know me. It was okay when I had my assistant, Julie. But she quit to be a stay at home mom last month. I miss her here in town, but I'll really miss her on the road. She could give me a reason to step away when a fan got too personal. My agent won't be like that. She wants me to make them all happy." 

"So hire a new assistant. What does your assistant do?" 

He started to answer, but it was their turn to order. "Welcome to Java Cupid, where we Heart our coffee. What can I get you today?" 

He focused on the barista. "Hey Jaime, how's your niece doing?" 

She smiled up at him, and Aurora felt a stab of jealousy at this woman, with her red hair and sparkling green eyes. Obviously, she and Rob knew each other. "Oh, she's a real corker, that one, Mister Donovan." 

"It's Rob, or Robin, none of this Mister Donovan stuff. Well, good, I hope she liked the unicorn and the book?" 

"Like them? She's wearing them out. She takes that unicorn everywhere with her, and I have to hide that book. I've read it so many times, I have it memorized." 

"Well, maybe I can get her the next one. I think my friend is about to put out a new one." 

"Wow, really? That would be outstanding!" 

"Great, I'll call him tomorrow. I know he and his son were working on it the last time we talked. Hey, can you get me a large Hazelnut Iced and a large Cinnamon Caramel Latte with extra whip and extra caramel for my date here?" 

"Sure thing." The girl turned to make their drinks. Aurora tried to keep her smile under control. He'd remembered her order from earlier. That had to mean something, didn't it? Well, maybe not. He seemed to enjoy giving people stuff. The barista's niece seemed to receive gifts from him. Maybe he was just a nice guy. 

Jaime gave them their coffees and Rob paid and asked, "Hey, do you know who's waiting on the writers' group next door?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"I know they usually get a bunch of appetizers, and each of them pays. Can you tell whoever it is to put everything on one bill and give it to me?" 

"Sure, you're joining the group?" 

"We'll see. My friend here is part of them, so I'm checking them out tonight. I know they're all still working and writing, so, my treat tonight." 

"I'll let her know." 

"Great, thanks." He slipped a ten into the tip jar as they headed over to the corner where all her group was already settling in. 

"You don't have to do that. They budget for this, you know." 

"I know that, but I've made it and can afford to be generous. Besides, it helps me remember where I come from, okay? Besides, this is our second date. I want to impress you." 

"This is our first date. You will not trick me into giving you any more kisses." 

That was a preview of The Writer's Princess Muse. To read the rest purchase the book.

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