Still, I’d promised the guys I’d do it. Hell, I’d promised myself I’d do it. And really, if my writing was awful, wouldn’t it be better to find that out? To know that it was destined to be a hobby that I kept to myself?
But God, if she said it was awful, I’d be so disappointed. Or worse… if she said it was good in a patronizing way.
Damn it, it was stupid to agonize about what she’d do. I didn’t even know her. But I did know I’d worked hard on this story, and if there was even a chance it might one day be worthy of publishing, I had to find out, didn’t I?
Before my mind could offer up a rebuttal to that, I pressed send. My heart raced as I watched the email disappear. What had I done? Had I set myself up for disappointment? Or had I possibly just changed my life for the better?
I might’ve sat there staring at my screen for the rest of the day if Tonio hadn’t called my name. “Come on down, Emma.”
I closed my laptop and got to my feet. Wow, my body was stiff. Too bad Tonio couldn’t come up here and give me another shoulder rub. Moving gingerly, I made my way down the stairs to find all four of the guys standing in the living room. Standing, not sitting.
“What’s up?”
Tonio looked very solemn. “I just got a text from my sister saying she received a certain email. Congratulations!” His face broke into a broad smile.
That was fast. I’d just sent the email a few minutes ago. Tonio pulled me into a tight hug. My mind reeled as I clung to him. “Did she… did she say anything about it?” I asked as he released me.
He laughed. “She’s going to need a little longer than that to read a full-length novel. I just asked her to let me know that you sent it. And you did.”
“We knew you would,” Denver said, stepping up for his turn to hug me.
“Of course we did. It’s not like we placed bets on it or anything,” Austin added. His hands strayed a bit during his hug, and he sent me off in Knox’s direction with a quick smack on my ass.
“Who bet against me?”
“My lips are sealed,” he said.
“No one with any sense would bet against you,” Knox said in a growly voice that sent shivers down my spine. Of course, I usually got shivers—the good kind—when his arms went around me.
Tonio grinned. “Would we have gotten champagne if we had ever really doubted you?”
My heart filled. Despite their teasing, these men had my back in a way no one ever had before. “There’s champagne?”
“And chocolate-covered strawberries, too,” Denver said.
“You guys are amazing.”
“We are,” Austin said with a wink. “But before we pop the cork, we have a game to play.”
“More Truth or Dare?” I said.
“Don’t knock it—that’s what got you to finish your book in the first place.”
My book.
That was a phrase I’d never even dared to think. Sure, my story was still just a large Word document at the moment, but maybe someday, it would be a book.
“Today’s game is different,” Tonio said, exchanging grins with the other guys. “Knox, perhaps you could help her understand the rules?”
I smiled as the big man moved to my side. But what he did next took me completely by surprise. He reached over and picked me up, one arm under my knees and the other under my back. I shrieked in surprise. “What are you doing?”
He smiled down at me and kissed me on the nose. “Saving you.”
“Because,” Tonio said dramatically, “the floor is lava.”
Knox set me down on the sofa and gave me a wink. “You’ll be safe there.”
“But if you touch the floor, you’ll die,” Denver said.
I stood on the sofa, confused, but grinning nonetheless. Was there anything more fun than four gorgeous guys in a playful mood? “What about you guys? You’re touching the floor.”
“It’s okay. We’re immune,” Tonio said.
“Because we’re already hot,” Austin added, and I laughed.
Denver explained the rules. “We’ll assist you, because you’ve got to collect some things from around the room without touching the floor. And the first thing is the champagne—it’s in that ice bucket over by the window.” He pointed to a little table in the far corner of the room.
Their good moods rubbed off on me, and I laughed as I walked across the sofa. I put one foot on the arm of the sofa and suddenly Tonio was there. He took my hand to help me balance as I put both feet on the arm of the sofa. The nearest recliner was too far away to jump, but Tonio looked up at me and mouthed “trust me.”
I leaned forward and Tonio’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, supporting me as I leaped through the air, one leg out in front like a ballerina until I was safely on the recliner.