Wizard (Hounds of Hellfire MC #4)

Chapter 2

2

THEA

T he man whose butt I was doing my best not to stare at as he walked away from my signing table looked as though he could’ve modeled for as many romance book covers as he wanted. Mafia, motorcycle club, assassin—he was the living embodiment of the morally grey heroes romance readers loved. Me included.

Thinking about his short, dark hair, brown eyes, chiseled jaw that was covered in scruff, and kissable lips, I wanted to kick my own butt for the answer I had given him.

At only five feet and two inches, I was used to pretty much everyone being taller than me. But he had to have more than a full foot on me since I’d needed to crane my neck all the way back to stare up at him.

My cheeks heated as I briefly considered the things he could do to me in bed with our height disparity. With his lean muscles, I had no doubt that he’d easily be able to hold me against the wall like I’d done in several scenes that I’d written. Even better, he could probably put me exactly where he wanted me—and test out any position I wanted to write into a story.

I loved being a romance author. I was literally living my dream…except for one small problem. My dating life was nonexistent.

It was difficult to trust men who asked me out when so many of them did it in a creepy way. I couldn’t even count the number of times that a guy suggested we skip dinner and head back to his place…before we even went out on one date.

It was as though they all assumed that just because I wrote steamy sex scenes in my books, I had to be a nymphomaniac or something. Little did they know that reality was the furthest thing from what they thought. Not that I advertised that I was a virgin. My lack of a sex life was nobody’s business but my own.

I’d never had a problem turning one of them down. Until today.

Baylor Chadwick was my every fantasy come to life. Not accepting his offer had been more difficult than attending my first signing—which was saying a lot since I’d never been more nervous than that day.

“Please tell me that I heard wrong, and you did not just turn that hunk of a man down.”

I glanced up at the woman who I hadn’t realized was behind Baylor that whole time. My signing time was already done, but I hated to turn away readers. Although her nosiness tempted me to do just that, I pasted on a smile and shook my head. “Sorry, but yes. It’s sad but true. I had to turn him down.”

She pressed her hands together, eyes going wide. “Ooh, is it because he’s going to be the model on the cover you’re supposed to reveal next month? If so, don’t be worried about blurring the line. Other authors have dated cover models before. Heck, I know of one author/model couple who got married. You never know where you’ll meet your very own happily ever after.”

“You make an excellent point.” The smile I flashed her held none of my usual warmth, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

“You really should. That man looked as though he could inspire sex scenes that are even hotter than the ones you’ve already published. And considering I always tell my friends that you write my favorite spicy scenes, that’s saying a lot.”

As she fanned herself, the guy behind her stepped to the side to stand next to her. Glancing up from the book I’d just snagged from the pile so I could sign it for her, it took a moment to realize I recognized him.

“Oh my goodness,” I gasped, getting to my feet. “I had no idea you’d be here, Mark. You should’ve let me know so you didn’t get stuck standing in line.”

The woman’s head whipped to the right so fast I was worried she might’ve hurt herself when she gasped. But she proved me wrong when she sputtered, “Wait, I know you. You’re Mark Winter, the audiobook narrator. Oh my gosh, would you sign my book too, please? You did such a great job bringing the hero to life.”

Mark flashed me an inquiring smile as though he was asking for my permission before agreeing. When I nodded, he murmured, “Sure.”

After sitting back down to scribble a quick note and sign her book, I handed it to him. Getting his signature didn’t stop her from pushing the issue of Baylor asking me out again. And this time, she pulled Mark into it.

Nudging his side with her elbow, she asked, “Don’t you think Thea should have said yes to the date with that hot-as-sin guy? Opportunities like that don’t come along every day.”

Mark’s gaze darted toward me, irritation clear in his eyes. I figured he had more than his fair share of similar interactions with fans. The majority of his narrations were romance titles, and he had attended some book events on his own and with other authors. Although his looks didn’t do anything for me, I wouldn’t be surprised if readers had asked him out at them since he was attractive.

“I think Thea knows her own mind and should only go out with someone she’s truly interested in.”

“I suppose you’re right,” the reader muttered as she accepted the signed book from him.

As she walked away, I patted the stack of paperbacks in front of me and smiled at Mark. “Thanks for backing me up. I’m surprised to see you here, though. Didn’t you already get a signed copy from the production company?”

“Sure did,” he confirmed with a grin. “But I live a couple of towns over and heard that you’d be here, so I figured I would stop in to show my support for my favorite author.”

I shook my head with a laugh. “Only because I’ve hired you so often.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” He rapped his knuckles against the table. “I guess I better let you get back to packing up. Looking forward to our next project.”

“Thanks for stopping by.” I had no idea he lived nearby since I paid him through the production company that I used and had never bumped into him before.

Situations like this reminded me how small the world really was. Something that was proved true with how often I ran into Baylor over the next week. He seemed to be almost everywhere I went. It felt as though the universe was testing the limits of my self-control when it came to him because he used every opportunity to ask me on a date. Including now, in the middle of the produce section at the grocery store.

“Those look juicy.”

My head jerked up at the sound of the now-familiar masculine voice. I would have dropped the grapefruit I held, except Baylor steadied my hand before it slipped from my fingers.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Then you should stop sneaking up on me.”

He snatched a grapefruit from the bin and tossed it into the air, catching it with a smirk. “Didn’t realize you were so focused on picking out the perfect piece of fruit and didn’t hear me come up behind you.”

My cheeks heated as I thought about the creative way I’d used a grapefruit in a book I wrote last year. They turned even pinker when I spotted the gleam in Baylor’s brown eyes and wondered if he’d read that blow job scene and was remembering the same thing. It seemed impossible to think that this huge, tough-looking guy who was a member of a motorcycle club actually read romance novels, though. So I shook off my suspicion as I dropped my fruit into a plastic bag before placing it in my basket.

“I guess I better work on my situational awareness,” I muttered.

“You really should. A woman can never be too careful,” he agreed with a nod. “If you want some self-defense pointers, I can help you out with that. I’m even free tonight.”

“Sorry, but no.”

I kept my refusal short because I wasn’t sure I could stop myself from accepting if I said too much.

“That’s okay, baby. I’ll keep working for a yes. You’re more than worth it.”

His parting words stuck with me, making it even more difficult to turn him down the next time he asked. And all of the other times after, too.