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sorting, which allowed half of my brain to churn over the Alec problem and how I was going to get to GQ Poet Guy. Getting a hold of Doug in the evening was never easy, but I'd see him at work tomorrow. He'd offered Alec's number to me once; hopefully he'd be as obliging this time.

I finished my cataloging and shelving job around two in the morning. All the books had homes on either the office or living room shelves, and all the books were indexed by genre and author in a way Emerald City might have lauded. The office now had room for the desk.

In the bedroom, Seth still typed in the dark, lit by the glow of his monitor. I kissed his cheek once more and fell asleep in his bed, exhausted.

I awoke hours later to someone kissing my cheek. "Hey," I murmured drowsily, trying to pull Seth into bed with me. "You're giving me funny ideas."

He leaned over me and planted a kiss on my nose. Morning sunlight lit up the coppery highlights in his messy hair and perpetual five o'clock shadow. He regarded me fondly, those luscious lips smiling.

"You put my books away. All of them."

"I had to. Good grief. If anyone at Emerald City found out I was letting that slide, they'd fire me."

He curled up beside me and put an arm over me. "You're pretty good to me, Thetis, considering what an idiot I am sometimes."

"Stop making fun of my favorite author, or I'll have to deck you."

"I mean it. I've lost girlfriends for less than what I did last night."

"You weren't that bad. I've seen you worse." I sat up a little. "Hey, how many girlfriends have you had anyway?"

Laugh lines appeared around his eyes, making him even cuter. "It was all research for the books, I swear."

It was ironic, I realized, that I kept ending up with artistic types. A very long time ago, I'd been married to a man I swore loved his music more than me sometimes. I had loved him for that musical passion and hated it at the same time. Similar scenarios with other mortals had repeated over the centuries. Remembering my thoughts from last night, I worried that Seth might bring out the old green-eyed monster again.

"How'd the chapter turn out?" I asked, mussing his hair further.

"Good. Great even." He gave me a sweet, bemused look. "I don't suppose...I don't suppose you'd ever want to read the manuscripts as I work on them, would you? See how the process works?"

I froze, realizing just what a precious gift he was offering me. Seth had told me once he never let anyone read the early drafts. He didn't want feedback that might influence his own creative flow. It wasn't until he had a complete manuscript and he felt the books were nigh-perfect that he finally allowed his publishing posse to take a look. That he would offer this to me both thrilled and touched me.

"No," I said softly, smiling. "But thank you. I don't want to interrupt your normal cycle. But maybe...maybe when you've got a fairly polished draft ready to send off, I'll take a look then."

He nodded, returning my smile. Something passed between us then that had nothing to do with manuscripts or book sorting but was fired by both of them nonetheless.

"Here," he said, standing up. Turning to a nearby chair, he picked up a tray I hadn't even noticed. "Since you fed me last night."

I looked down as he set the tray across my lap. Pancakes - with smiley faces - drowning in maple syrup. Good strong coffee. Even a little vase with two stems of purple irises. Seth had a thing for purple flowers. I touched one of the velvety soft petals.

"You didn't get these from your kitchen. You must have gotten up pretty early to go out."

He shook his head, looking sheepish. "I never went to bed."

I therefore wasn't surprised when Seth lay down beside me while I ate and promptly fell asleep. I finished the exquisite breakfast, did the dishes, and left for work, leaving him a note that promised I'd call later.

At the bookstore, I was getting so used to Paige and Warren's absence, it was like they didn't even work there anymore. I found Doug when he arrived, and as hoped, he did indeed give me Alec's number - though not without a few jokes at my expense.

I called Alec on my lunch, unsure if he'd be home. He