Page 221 of My Real Love Affair

“You are, aren’t you?” I said, pulling her on top of me.

She straddled my hips, her hair falling around us like a curtain. “I didn’t come this far to give up now. Summer Auburn thinks she can intimidate me? Please. I’ve dealt with internet trolls, cancel culture, and brands that tried to erase my body from my own photos. One bitter con artist doesn’t scare me.”

“You’re sexy when you’re defiant.”

“I’m sexy all the time,” she corrected, rolling her hips in a way that made me groan.

“True. Very true.” My hands found her waist, holding her steady. “But especially when you’re being a badass.”

“Then you should see me during a Twitter feud,” she teased. “I’m absolutely deadly.”

I pulled her down for a kiss, already feeling myself responding to her again. “Show me.”

“Show you what?”

“How deadly you can be.”

She grinned against my lips, that wicked smile that drove me crazy. “Oh, you want to see the storm?”

“Baby girl, I want to be caught in it.”

And she was more than happy to oblige.

The second time was different, playful and intense all at once. Melody took control, setting the pace, driving me absolutely wild with every movement. I let her, content to watch her take what she wanted. I loved to see the confidence radiating from every inch of her.

“Austin?” Melody murmured sleepily against my chest.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“Promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that no matter what happens tomorrow, or the next day, or whenever the news breaks—we face it together. No more trying to protect me by pushing me away. We’re a team.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We’re a team. I promise.”

“Good.” She yawned, snuggling closer. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I.”

She was asleep within minutes. I stayed awake a while longer, holding her, thinking about everything we’d been through and everything still to come.

CHAPTER 70

MELODY

Summer had texted while I was asleep in Austin’s arms to let me know her podcast interview had been rescheduled to today. I was a little surprised the podcasters were going forward with it. But clearly, they liked to play with fire. And I was feeling daring. I didn’t mind getting a little singed if it meant I could see the look on Summer’s face when I dropped my little bombshell.

So far, she knew nothing about the legal action Cash and his team of lawyers were putting together. It was going to be one big fat surprise that I got to deliver. It was almost too good for words.

The building that housed The Spill Room’s production studio was nondescript. It was just another warehouse conversion in Long Island City that could have been anything from an art gallery to a tech startup. But I knew what was inside: a recording studio where Summer Auburn was supposed to go live in less than thirty minutes to destroy the man I loved.

Not on my watch.

I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the entrance, my heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and exhilaration. I had dressed for the occasion. I wore the black leather jacket andpaired it with black jeans and a black blouse with some kick ass black boots. Cleo and I both agreed I needed to look the part.

The public breakup stunt had worked exactly as intended. My Instagram post had gone viral. Austin was being dragged through the mud in the comments. People were calling him every name in the book, psychoanalyzing his past behavior, declaring that they’d “always known” he was no good. The narrative had formed quickly: another Bancroft playboy breaking another good woman’s heart.