Page 10 of Double Obsession

Thirty minutes later, she knew that Lady Rosalyn Daugherty had flowing brown locks and hazel eyes and that she preferred books over pretentious balls. However, she still didn’t know anything about Duke Edward Ashley other than he was a distant jerk. She couldn’t see his eyes or smile. She couldn’t hear his voice. The man was as frigid as her coffee.

After a refill of warm brew and a piece of blueberry pie, she again stared at her computer. She ran fingers through her disheveled hair, moaned, then plopped her head onto her desk.

She considered bashing her face into the mahogany. Since nothing else had worked, maybe she could pound the ideas from her brain.

She had one light forehead tap in when her phone pinged. She cringed upon seeing Berta’s ID. It was official, she would smack her head into the desk until the ideas oozed out or she died—whichever came first.

On second thought, she’d probably survive, and she didn’t have time for a headache.

Her phone pinged again.

She peeked through a squinted eye.

The instant she saw Stacie’s name, she panicked. Had something happened to one of the kids? She pressed on the message.

Things are going well. On our way to Dad’s. How r Hunter and his abs?

Her kids were okay, and that was more important than her book. Her second of peace was cut short with another ping.

I’m worried. Call or text right away!

Damn Berta. Why’d she have to be such a good agent? Jenna dropped her head to her desk and lay there for a very long time.

Eventually, she pulled herself together, picked up the phone, and started to type in Berta’s number. She was halfway through when her fingers halted mid-stroke, and Stacie’s voice echoed:You need a muse.

Maybe she did need inspiration. It was worth a try since nothing else had worked.

Stacie was correct; her InstaFriend feed was littered with messages. Some were bots insisting that she could be a bestseller if she advertised her new book on their feed. Freaking frauds. First of all, she was already a bestseller. Second, there was no new book to advertise.

She bypassed the advertisements to see dozens of messages from @ABCannon. Jenna simply wasn’t in the mood to deal with a fan demanding the next Duke book. She considered blocking the kook but decided against it. Both her agent and her publisher expected her to be gracious to her fans, no matter how needy.

She’d deal with the wacky fan after peeking at Hunter Stone.

Her breath hitched.

His feed zinged enough heat to set her phone on fire.

The man was sex incarnate—his eyes, that smile, those perfect pecs.

Good thing he wasn’t aware of her existence, much less the sex-deprived moan she emitted.

Jenna stopped scrolling to study a black Border collie. The animal’s long tongue licked Hunter’s cheek. Damn lucky dog.

“Crap!” Stacie was correct—again. Perhaps she did need to get laid.

She scrolled through Hunter’s smiling thumbs-up photos in front of scenic backdrops. Perhaps his chiseled body was born of strenuous hikes?

After gawking at Hunter bare-chested in a flannel shirt, low-riding jeans, and a cowboy hat, she zoomed in to see that freckles covered his tan skin and a small crescent-sized scar sat above his left nipple.

Could a man be adorable, sexy, and beautiful all at once?

Absolutely! Since Hunter Stone was all of the above.

Dear Lord, could that be a twinge in her vagina? She wasn’t sure since her nether regions had been numb for months.

She tapped her pen on her notebook. There was something about this guy. It was as if she already knew him.Tap, tap, tap.However, the harder she thought, the farther back she pushed her memories.

She gave up, shut out the world, and pictured Hunter Stone’s blue eyes staring into hers. She pretended to trace his pectorals. Then her palm slowly slid over a breast and down her sweatshirt to settle in her lap.