“Amelia, are you even listening to me?”

I glanced up and smiled at my agent, Allysa. We’d met up at Café Bene near Times Square to talk shop while I was in town. “Sorry, I’ve got a massive headache. Waylynn and I went out last night. I might’ve had a little too much to drink.”

Allysa smiled and nodded like she understood. I doubted that she did. She was thirty-three, married to a lawyer, and had two small kids. I bet she hadn’t been to a club in ten years.

“I was mentioning the plan for shopping that series you pitched.”

Nodding, I said, “Yes, I think that sounds perfect.”

She frowned slightly, before grinning. “You know, they’re recording your audiobook right down the road.”

My body perked. “No kidding? Would we be able to take a sneak peek while it’s happening?”

She pulled out her phone. “Let me see if I can make that happen.”

It didn’t take her long to complete the call and announce that we could go visit the studio. My heart started pounding as we quickly paid and hailed a cab.

Why am I so nervous?

Nervous as fuck was more like it.

Stepping into the room where one of my romance novels was being recorded for the audiobook version, the first thing I noticed was the drop-dead gorgeous guy in the booth who was bringing my words to life. His dark blond hair appeared disheveled, probably because he was one of those guys who had a habit of running his hands through it.

Well, hello there, James.

I had to wipe the drool from the sides of my mouth. James was the hero in my book, and this piece of hotness in front of the microphone fit my character’s description almost perfectly. Purely a coincidence, I was sure, but nonetheless, it made my insides melt a little.

I could hear him talking through the speaker, and my pulse raced, my stomach dipping. Jesus. The man had a voice that could talk the panties off any woman. My readers were going to love this audiobook. Hell, I was sucked in, and it was my own book.

“We’ll finish this chapter and then give you a chance to meet Liam,” my agent said.

I quickly thought of Liam Hemsworth. Yummy.

A few minutes later, Liam walked into the control room. I swallowed hard while I took him in.

Tall. Check.

Built like a Greek god. Check, check.

Handsome as all get out. Check-a-dee, check, check.

Liam extended his hand. “Amelia, so nice to meet you.”

Find your voice, for Christ’s sake, Amelia. “Liam, the pleasure is all mine. You’re Australian?”

He smiled, and I was pretty positive I heard angels singing. It should be illegal for a man to smile at a woman like that. “I am.”

I nodded. “How long have you lived in the US?”

“Four years now.”

I nodded again. All I seemed to be able to do was nod. This guy had my body aching to do some seriously naughty things.

“Well, thank you for bringing a voice to my James. From the sound of it, you’re doing a great job.”

Liam leaned in close and whispered, “He’s a bit of a dirty bloke, isn’t he?”

My cheeks heated instantly. “Yes. He is.”

Drawing back, he winked. “You’re from Texas?”

I nodded, trying to get his sexy voice out of my mind. “I am. Ever been there?”

He laughed. “No. I’d love to visit, though.”

I didn’t say anything to that…mostly because I was fighting the urge to tell him he could come home with me. But only after he makes me come.

After a few awkward moments of silence, I said, “You should visit some time.”

Wait, what? Why in the hell did I say that?

His megawatt smile nearly had me stumbling backwards. “I’d love to…Amelia.”

Oh. My. God.

Say my name again! Say it again!

My teeth sank into my lip, and I was pretty sure I was going to leave marks from how hard I was biting. I hadn’t had a guy light my fire in a long time. Maybe it was because he was playing the part of James—my favorite character I’d written so far. He made me swoon in nearly every chapter.

Is Liam the swooning type? I wondered.

“We’d better let Liam get back to work. They’re on a tight schedule,” Allysa said while glancing between Liam and me.

“Oh, yes, right. Well, it was nice meeting you, Liam,” I said, extending my hand toward him.

He took it and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. When I turned to follow Allysa out, I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me to a stop.

“Join me for bevvies this evening.” His husky voice slid against my ear.

My eyes scanned the room. No one was paying attention to Liam and me. We had fallen behind everyone. Turning to him, I lifted a brow. “What in the heck is a bevvie?”

He chuckled. “Join me for a beer later?”

I chewed on the corner of my lip. Digging into my oversized purse, I found a card in the little pocket and handed it over. “I’d love to. Here’s my card. It has my cell on it.”

Spinning on my heel, I walked out the door with a huge smile.

Well, my trip just took a turn toward fun.

I see your UPS man, Jen, and raise you a hot Australian actor.

 

 

“What do you mean you’re meeting a guy for dinner?” Waylynn asked as we strolled through the shoe department at Bergdorf Goodman.

“He’s doing the voice recording for my audiobook. It’s fine, Waylynn. I didn’t pick the guy up on the side of the road and ask him to fuck me.”

“You want him to fuck you?” she asked, surprise lacing her voice.

Laughing, I replied, “Well, now that you ask, I don’t think I would mind trying out Aussie dick.”

She slapped me on the shoulder and shook her head. “You’re bad.”

I gave her a wink. “Not yet.”

“Ugh. Where did my baby sister go?”

“She grew up. And excuse me, wasn’t it you who set me up with Doctor Hot Pants the last time I was here? If I remember correctly, he and I had a lot of fun together. Matter of fact, I think that was the last time I actually had real sex.”

Waylynn stopped walking. “Real sex?”

“Yeah, sex with something other than a battery operated device.”

Two older women walked by and huffed, shooting both of us dirty looks.

“Manny Tate was your last hook up?”

I snapped my fingers. “Manny! That’s his name.” I looked up in thought and smiled. “Yeah, he certainly knew what he was doing with his hands.”

“TMI, Meli. T-M-I!”

I picked up a pair of Jimmy Choos and frowned at the price tag. I owned one pair, and I had spent weeks in despair over paying so much for them. Unlike my sister, standing next to me in her expensive-ass Manolo Blahnik pumps that must have cost her over a thousand dollars, I couldn’t spend money that way. Or course, she was also married to one of the richest men in New York City and was told to dress the part. When she was at home she was in yoga pants, an old T-shirt, and a pair of Converse sneakers. Out in public she had to be dressed to the nines to fit in with the Who’s Who of New York City socialites. I knew she hated it.

“So, how come you’re not dating anyone?” she asked.

Letting out a gruff laugh, I said, “Hello? Do you not remember Ryan?”

She turned to me and frowned. “You’re not still hung up on him, are you?”

“God, no. But I won’t ever let myself be hurt like that again.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re never going to date again?”

I shrugged. “I’ll date when I find a guy I connect with. One I can trust. It just hasn’t happened yet. Pretty much all men are cheating pigs.”

“Our brothers aren’t.”

Turning to her, I lifted my brow. “They’re manwhores. They can’t cheat on women because they won’t date them seriously in the first place. I can’t tell you how many women Trevor and Cord have slept with. Trevor’s banged pretty much every single one of my friends. Three of whom have yet to talk to me since he broke their hearts.”

Waylynn laughed. “Well, any woman in Oak Springs should know the Parker boys are not the settling-down type.”

“Well, they all thought they could settle him down. Needless to say, he proved them wrong. Besides, I don’t believe in love anymore.”

Waylynn stopped walking. “What? You make your living writing about love and you say you don’t believe in it?”

I shrugged. “I guess I believe in it. But I don’t think it will happen for me. I thought I had it once, but spending so much time with Steed and Paxton, I see what Ryan and I had was nothing more than physical attraction. When it wore off for him, he moved on.”

“Amelia, just because you had one bad apple doesn’t mean the whole bunch was ruined.”

Lifting a brow, I replied, “One bad apple spoils the rest, that’s what I’ve always heard.”

She frowned and shook her head. “Love will come when you least expect it, Meli. Just wait.”

“What about you? Are you happy in love? I mean, you gave up your career as a dancer for Jack.”

With a huff, Waylynn picked up a pair of Louis Vuitton pumps and looked at the price tag. I couldn’t help but look myself. Over six hundred dollars. Waylynn lifted the shoe and nodded to the young sales lady. “Size six, please.”

Waylynn turned to me, her eyes filled with sadness. “I can honestly tell you that Jack Monroe was the worst mistake of my life.”

I was stunned to finally hear the full confession, but not surprised. “Oh, Waylynn. I’m so sorry. What can I do? Here you are telling me love will come when I least expect it, but when will it come for you?”

A fake laugh slipped from Waylynn as the sales lady took the sleek, black pump from a thin box. Waylynn sat down. “Don’t be sorry. I’m the idiot who let it happen and nothing can be done to fix this mistake. Meli, this is my reality. I’ve fully accepted that love has already bypassed me.”

After the second shoe slipped on, Waylynn stood and walked over to a mirror, staring at her reflection. She wasn’t even looking at the shoes.

“How do they feel, ma’am?”

Slapping on her signature window-dressing smile, she said, “Fine. Everything is perfectly fine.”

I studied my older sister, understanding just how unhappy she truly was.

“I’ll take them,” she finally said. When she turned back to face me, she gave me that same fake smile. “Might as well spend his money if that’s the only thing he gives me. Right?”

Before I could offer words of comfort to my sister and best friend, my phone buzzed in my purse. Reaching in, I saw a local NYC number.

 

212-555-1212: Hey, Amelia! It’s Liam. We still on for bevvies tonight?

 

I glanced over to my sister again who was sitting next to me. She had launched into a conversation with the sales lady, so I focused on the text.

Grinning like a silly teenager, I quickly stored his number in my phone.

 

Me: Am I going to have to go buy a book…How to Speak Australian…just to go out with you?

Liam: No. I promise not to speak Australian.

Me: NO! Speak it! It’s hot as hell.

 

A few minutes passed, and I was worried I had scared him off.

 

Liam: Then I’ll be sure to lay it on thick and heavy tonight.

 

“What’s that smile?” Waylynn asked as we walked outside, waving for a cab like a madwoman.

I chuckled. “Liam is texting about tonight.”

Waylynn wiggled her eyebrows. “Well, by the look on your face, I think we need to make one more stop before heading back to your hotel.”

“Where?”

“The drugstore…for condoms.”