Free LEAP OF FAITH by Kimberley Reeves

washed and then being toweled off afterwards was another experience Abby enjoyed, although she declined his offer to help her get dressed. They proceeded to the kitchen, where she was ordered to sit while he made breakfast; a grand feast of French toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage links. It was difficult to hold the fork, but she managed to consume enough of the generous portions he’d dished up to earn a satisfied smile from Jack as she pushed her plate away.
    “So tell me about the novel you’re working on, Abby. What’s it about?”
    “I don’t know yet,” she shrugged. “I never know until I sit down to write.”
    His brow quirked. “Really? Don’t you do any research before you get started?”
    “That may be the reason my sales aren’t as high as they could be,” she replied honestly. “I’m not very good at doing research and get so wrapped up in the story that when I reach a spot where I should stop and do some research work, I’m anxious to move on to the next scene and sort of…gloss over it.”
    “So you cheat your readers.”
    Abby was a little shocked by what he’d said. “I guess I never thought of it that way before, but you’re right, I do cheat my readers because it leaves unanswered questions and minor….”
    “Plot holes,” Jack finished for her. “Maybe I can help you with that. I do a lot of research for my projects and know the best search engines and some really great websites.”
    “You’d really do that for me, Jack?”
     “I’d do just about anything to spend more time with you, honey,” he said huskily.
    “Jack…” 
    Choked with emotion, her voice trailed off. The way he was looking at her told Abby he intended to teach her a lot of things, and not all of them related to research. At least not as it pertained to her novel. She watched him get up from the table and clear the plates. Then he held out his hand and she took it, already feeling the aching need for him beginning to settle between her thighs. But Jack would take care of her. He seemed very adept at knowing exactly what she needed.
    ***
    “Listen to the last two sentences,” Jack said, reading back what she’d just dictated to him. 
    “I don’t understand what you’re getting at. He’s a cop; he pulls his weapon and fires, what’s wrong with that?”
    “Because he was off duty, sweetheart, and you never mentioned he was carrying the gun. Plus, a cop would have checked his weapon before holstering it. You should really visit a police station, see if you can ride along for a day and gain some insight. Don’t simply have your character inspect his weapon; have him talk to it, run his hands over it with reverence for its deadly power.”
    “I may just steal that line from you,” she teased. “You make it sound so intense, sexy even.”  
    “You have a wonderful writing style, Abby, and your characters have depth with a great sense of humor, but you have a tendency to skip over the little details you either don’t know anything about or get too impatient to research.”
    She nodded thoughtfully and cuddled closer to him. They’d been sitting on the sofa for over three hours while she dictated and Jack typed it into her laptop. 
    “Show me a few of those websites you were talking about.” 
    They put in another hour before Abby’s grumbling stomach told her it was time to stop for lunch. “Don’t you ever get tired of research, Jack? I mean, don’t you want to write a novel of your own?” 
    “I enjoy research.” It was fortunate Jack’s back was to her as he pulled plates from the cupboard, otherwise she would have seen the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You know, honey, if you kept a careful log of what research you’ve done, you would avoid having to duplicate the work when you move on to another novel.” He set the plates down and started making the sandwiches while Abby stirred the soup.
    She glanced over at him, her heart fluttering when