“I know. I’m just not sure how you’re going to react. You might get angry, or you could be excited. It could swing either way.”
Her brows climb to her hairline. “I am so intrigued. All week, I’ve been trying to guess what the secret might be, and I’m honestly clueless.” She tugs on my arm. “Show me. It’s going to be fine.”
I hope she’s right. “Just know I didn’t tell you when you first mentioned it because I was so shocked I didn’t know how to say it. And then it’s because I wanted to show you rather than just blurt it out.”
“Okay.” She looks thoroughly confused, and I don’t blame her.
A dry chuckle seeps from my lips. “Did you bring the book?”
She nods. “It’s in my purse.”
“Good. Good.” I scrub a hand across the fine layer of stubble on my jawline. I need to be clean-shaven for work—it’s written into the company human resource policy—so the only time I let any facial hair grow is over the weekend.
“You’re nervous.”
“Fucking petrified.”
“I thought nothing fazed you. You always seem so strong and confident.”
God, I wish I felt like that on the inside. “Most times, that’s all for show. But this is different. What you think matters so much to me.”
“Be brave, Colbert. Man up and open the fucking door, dude.” She’s grinning as she says it, and I silently pray these aren’t our last few moments together.
We pad in our bare feet over to the door, and I suck in a deep breath before opening the doors and letting her into my lair.
“What the…” Her eyes are out on stalks as her gaze darts around the room. Wild eyes bounce between me and the fitted bookshelves lining each side of the office, filled with books, neatly organized by title and volume order. The only wall that doesn’t have any shelving is the wall surrounding the window. My desk and chair are butted up to the wall, overlooking the view of the gardens outside.
“This is…” Her voice trails off again as she moves over to the freestanding whiteboards lined up in front of the shelving on one side wall.
I point at the pictures of models, celebrities, and actors affixed to one board. “That’s where I map out the character bios. I like to pick actual people to represent my characters as I need a visual sometimes to keep me in their heads.” I point at the second board. “This is where I plot out the main components of the story, adding and deleting as I write.” I tap my finger on the third board. “And this is where I highlight those key elements that follow through from book to book. My assistant types up detailed series notes as well so I don’t have to reread each book before I start the next one.”
Her wide eyes soak it all in as she clasps a hand over her mouth. “Is this real?” she chokes out, finally finding her voice and spinning around to face me. Her face is flushed, her eyes alight with excitement. “Are you really Byron Stanley?”
“I am.” Heat floods my cheeks, and it takes effort not to look away. I’m not good with attention.
“Oh my fucking god, Beck!” She flings herself at me, and I almost lose my balance. I straighten up in time, chuckling as her slender arms go around me. “This is incredible!” Her high-pitched tone is not usual, nor her girlish excitement, but I’m loving seeing this side of her.
“You’re not angry?”
“Are you kidding me?” She laughs as she pulls back, spinning around and waving her hands in the air. “This is the best goddamned secret ever. Hadley and I were coming up with theories all week. Like you were a French spy. Or a secret government agent. Hadley threw gay model into the mix. I joked you were a serial killer.”
I’ll be having words with that little minx Hadley the next time I see her.
Stevie snorts out a laugh, turning around and slapping a hand over her chest. “But this! This is the absolute best. You’re a fucking genius, Beck!” She rushes back to my side, resting her small hands on my chest. “Do you have any idea how talented you are?”
Emeralds glitter in her eyes, and her smile is so wide it threatens to split her face. I have never seen her looking so happy and I’m enchanted.
“My mind is seriously blown right now. Your books are amazing. They consume my brain from the first page to the last. I devoured your entire catalog in one month, and then I’ve been rereading them to Garrick.” She squeals. “He’ll get such a kick out of this!”
She’s practically jumping around the room now, and I’m just staring at her in awe.
“I love Jake Bennett! Like I’min lovewith him. He’s the best book boyfriend, and these aren’t even romances. When he saved Maggie after that sick prick came for her again, I just swooned. And I loved that you gave the villain a violent death. I might be sick, but I was cheering Bennett on during that scene. But you almost gave me a heart attack when he got shot. My stomach was in knots, and my heart was in my throat. I was so afraid to turn the page in case you’d killed him off.”
“I couldn’t do that. He’s my most beloved detective, and the series is selling well for me. There is plenty more mileage to go with Bennett, I promise.”
“You know what this means?” She throws her arms around me again, and the scent of her perfume swirls in the air, tickling my nostrils and enveloping me in a heady warmth. “I get the inside scoop from now on!” She squeals before stretching up and smacking a kiss on my cheek. “I can help you brainstorm too. Like, if you ever get stuck. Oh, oh!” She claps a couple times, dancing from foot to foot. “Please tell me Bennett and Maggie become a couple in the next book? You were hinting at that in the end, but I need to know. Please. Pretty please.” She pins me with doe eyes. “It’s been killing me.”
“What’s it worth to you?” I tease.
