“Oh my God. Stop it.” I yank the device out of his hand and shake my head. “If you’ve listened to all the books I’ve done, you know that Shawn and I have worked together a million times. So you can just calm the hell down, Captain.”
Shawn’s grinning, clearly entertained.
“Don’t stop him on my account, darling.”
“Call herdarlingone more time,” Ry growls.
“Darling—”
Ry taps the screen, hanging up on my friend, and I gape at him.
“Ryker James.”
“No.” He grips my chin and tilts my face up, and his eyes are fierce as he stares me down.
“Okay.” I rub my hands up and down his chest. “Shawn and I areonlycolleagues. You know that.”
He closes his eyes and tips his forehead against mine. “I came to see if you were finishing up for the day, and when I got to the door—”
He swallows hard, and I cup his face.
“You heard a bunch of sexy talk.”
“Livesexy talk. Not in a book.”
Ah, I get it.
“I can admit, if I’d heard that puck bunny talking to you like that at the bar that night, I would have ripped her fucking hair out.” I show him the iPad. “But thisisin a book. See? We’re starting this project tomorrow, and he wanted to know if I thought this character was afraid in this scene, or if she’s apprehensive, and we just started running lines to get a feel for it. Shawn is famous for not liking to text. He calls or sends voice notes almost exclusively. It’s just how he works.”
“And you’re going to Chicago with him.”
My eyebrows climb in surprise.
“First of all, I’m not going anywherewithShawn. Second, you knew we were running lines. How long were you standing in my doorway?”
He backs away from me completely and looks ...hurt.
“Whoa. Nope, no shutting down on me, Ry.”
“I get it. You were working. Sorry to interrupt.”
“No,” I say again and reach for his hand, relieved when he doesn’t pull away. “Talk to me.”
“Anything I say right now will make me sound like a controlling asshole, so I’d probably betternottalk to you.”
“You don’t sound like an asshole. Controlling? Maybe a smidge. This is my job. I was not flirting with Shawn. He’s a flirt all on his own, but he’s harmless. My boyfriend happens to be the hottest man in the universe and does this thing with his tongue—”
He shuts me up by using said tongue, pulling me against him and kissing the hell out of me, as if he’s claiming his territory all over again.
“You’ve never been a jealous man, Ry.”
“I’ve never had so much to lose,” he replies, and it makes my heart stutter.
“I’m right here. Completely obsessed withyou. You don’t get to listen to me work anymore if it upsets you like this.”
“What’s in Chicago?”
I smile. “A book signing, where I’ve been invited to come and meet readers and sign their books too. Wanna go with me?”
