I sit down at my desk and reach up to pick up the picture of Gale. For a second, I stare at him. I almost lost him; there was not enough money, and I couldn’t afford it. With just one option left, I threw up the story I’d written to keep myself sane and became an almost overnight sensation. Oh, not big enough to become a household name, but big enough to keep money coming in and keep a roof over our heads.
That’s all I wanted.
I set the photo down and reach behind where I keep it and pull out the two paperback novels. I run my fingers over the stunning character artwork on the front cover.
I paid too much for it, but it was worth it.
My fingers trace my name.
Lynn Marino.
My secret, the one nobody knows. I’ve poured blood, sweat, tears, my dreams, and my whole damn heart into this pen name. It’s my escape and my therapy.
Fox and Katsu have walked straight off the pages ofLove Sweet Love. It’s not possible, and yet, they are here. I shiver as I remember the way he held my hand and how I wanted to lean into him, bare my throat, rub my face on him so his scent covers me.
“He was just a fantasy, he wasn’t supposed to be real.”
I set the books and the terrifying problem of the alphas to my left, put the picture of Gale back, and turn on my laptop, biting my thumbnail while I wait for everything to load. It takes an eon, but then I see it.
The email in my inbox. From him. Excitement explodes in my gut and spreads out.
“Hey, Lynn,” I read his words outloud, pretending it’s his voice and not mine. “I had a look at what you sent. Those images were hot! I can definitely do something for you. A not-safe-for-work version and one with clothes, the PG version. The covers look amazing. Signed, Bas Sol. Solitaire Graphics. PS. You were wrong about that show. It wasn’t Tim who killed Sandra. It’s definitely going to be Mikayla. You’re going to have to up your game, Marino. That’s three wrong so far. I’m starting to worry about your ability to spot danger. But I can always help you there.”
Is that flirting? Is he flirting with me? My heart pounds, and I get up and throw myself on my bed and scream into my pillow. I roll onto my back, shaking my head, grinning broadly before I force myself to remember that this is Sebastian. Who has no idea that I’m me, and I hired him because he said something that made me furious. Except, this Sebastian is my friend, and I like him a lot, and the line we clearly had where we were friends on one side and enemies on the other is gone in my mind.
It was around this time, about two years ago, that we started working together. That’s when it all changed. I began to have feelings for him, more than a crush. The feelings you get when you work with someone and know them well, shared jokes, long emails back and forward, the kind of love that burns deep and slow but is impossible to put out. Well, not him, but my email friend. Except, they are the same, and slowly, the two of them merged, and I found myself wanting to tease him and laugh with him in real life as Cordelia.
At times, I’m almost jealous of Lynn. She gets my Bas while I have Sebastian.
I started dreaming about him all the time. Him, them. The two sides of him.
The truth is, my revenge backfired, and I became painfully, heartbreakingly aware of just how in love with Sebastian I am.
I sit up and look through the window above my bed. I can see his bedroom from here.
Stop looking, you crazy stalker.
I get up and fling myself back into my computer chair before sending a response.
“Bas, I can’t wait to see it. You always make the hottest scenes I can imagine hotter.”
I pause, nail back in my mouth. Is that too blatant? Eh, I’ll pretend ignorance.
“I cannot wait to see what you are packing.”
I start to giggle and find myself unable to stop.
“It would be good to see what kind of gift you have for me, you know, from the drawings. Signed, Marino. PS. There’s a sequel. I’m not wrong.”
I hit send before I can think it through.
I spin the chair around before stopping. Music goes on and my headphones, and I open up my half-written manuscript and disappear into the romance between Wolf Woods and Cat Carther and their soon-to-be pack mate Bastian Sun.
I become aware of myself because I’m thirsty. A quick glance at the window shows that its somehow turned pitch black. I save my work and close it and see another little notification that I have an email.
With trepidation, I open it.
“Are you flirting with me? Because if you are, good. And if you aren’t, can you start?”
