24. Chapter 24 #2
I gape at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
And that’s how I feel—completely out of my element.
Floundering. I can’t believe he had the audacity to suggest I’m nothing more than his intern.
After a weekend away at his lakeside cabin where we did little more than fuck and drink wine, no less.
But if I’m being honest with myself, the person I’m angriest at is myself. For thinking this could ever be anything more than a fling. For daring to hope his feelings had grown in time with mine. For falling for Marcus despite the ground rules we set out for this tryst at the beginning.
I’ve known Lark for my entire life. Or at least, for all the years that have mattered.
But she still continues to surprise me, and this audiobook is no different.
I’ve read Sizzling Secrets . Jessica handed a copy to almost everyone she knew before she published it and begged us all for reviews.
Acutely aware of how hard it is to be a struggling artist looking for some traction, I read through it and tossed a quick review on a couple of sites just to pay it forward.
Turns out she didn’t need any of us as the thing topped the charts within a week of its release, but it still felt like I had done a good deed.
The book was fine. Not my favorite genre, but I could see why people would like it.
It would have probably been forgettable for me if not for being written by an acquaintance.
But listening to Lark and Silas becoming these characters has brought this book to life.
Sometimes I’ll be so engrossed in their performances that I’ll have to go back through and make sure I edited out all of the mistakes.
When I’m making a list of pickups for each chapter, I have to listen through at least twice to be sure I caught everything because Lark’s performance is so distracting.
She and Silas have undeniable chemistry.
A few weeks ago, their clear star quality was making me antsy, like I was being torn apart with envy for the connection they had, and I maybe even wished I had been more interested in being onstage in my younger years to have had a shot at throwing my hat in the ring just to be the one in that booth with her.
Shit, a few weeks ago, her sultry voice moaning about cocks and tattoos had me crawling out of my skin.
But now that Lark and I are together, it’s almost as if we are back in our little impenetrable bubble from high school.
It’s her and me. Silas’s narration can be as sensual as he wants, but it doesn’t matter. She’s mine.
But they are sexy. Incredibly so. It’s no wonder Noah and Jessica asked them both back for the next book.
In fact, if this audiobook does as well as Noah has projected, it would be bad business if they hadn’t.
And I’ve started to dare to hope that it might mean she will stay here with me.
It seems like all but a done deal. She’s having fun.
She loves the sunshine. She’s always loved me.
Why wouldn’t she jump at the opportunity?
When I left Michigan after high school, I never intended to settle here.
I wanted to travel, and I chose to work freelance gigs so I could do them from anywhere.
But traveling alone didn’t really appeal to me, and no woman I spent any time with stuck.
Before I knew it, undergrad in LA turned into half my life here, and my quest to find someone turned into a parade of lovely women who all seemed to be missing something.
Turns out it was just that they weren’t Lark.
As if I conjured her here, the citrus-and-sunshine scent that is characteristically her overtakes me. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. Lark’s slim arms circle around my neck, and her hands snake down my pecs until her chin is resting on my shoulder. I rub a palm over her forearms.
“How does it sound?” Her breath tickles the hair at my ear.
I let my hand come to rest where her arms cross under my neck. “It’s brilliant.”
She scoffs. “You’re biased.”
“Maybe,” I admit. “But I’ve never lied to you about a performance, either.”
Her lips graze my cheek before she nuzzles into my neck. “Mmm.” The sound vibrates against my skin. It ignites something deep inside me, and I grip her arm tighter.
“I’ve liked doing this,” she says.
“Touching me?” I tease.
Her laugh is a buoyant thing. It lifts and bounces and settles deep in my chest. “No. Well, yes, but I meant recording the audiobook. It’s really fun.”
There’s that little kernel of hope again. If she likes it enough, maybe she’ll stay.
I clear my throat, trying not to let that kernel expand too far. I watched Richard clip her wings and keep her grounded for years, and I don’t want to do that to her again. I don’t want her to stay here just because I asked, so I refuse to sway her opinion.
“Touching me is fun, too.” I twist in my chair so I can wink at her.
She pulls away and smacks my shoulder. “You have work to do, and I shouldn’t be interrupting.”
“Okay, but I fully plan on having some fun later,” I call after her as she walks out of the room, swaying her hips.
She pauses to give me a look over her shoulder. “You’re the worst.”
“That’s not a no .” I raise my eyebrows suggestively.
Her voice takes on the same, sultry quality of her audiobook narration as she says, “It’s definitely not a no .” And then she continues her sauntering out of the room.
I don’t know what I did to get so fortunate to have kept Lark in my life for so long, for us to have finally found each other in this way. But I do know I’m the luckiest man alive.