Epilogue
NEIL
FIFTEEN MONTHS LATER
It took everything in Neil to drag his pants on. His gaze traveled over the room and past Penelope’s cat, Apawllo, curled at the edge of the bed to her . Nearby, Penelope sashayed into a tight blue dress. Its fabric clung perfectly to her curves as she struggled for the zipper, reaching awkwardly around her.
“Could you?” she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.
Smiling, Neil crossed the room. His fingers danced over her back, trailing down her shoulder, over her bra, and to the zipper.
“No funny business,” she ordered.
Neil bent to press a kiss to her spine, and she shivered under his touch.
“It’s not funny business,” he said against her shoulder.
He spun her toward him as one of his hands tangled in her hair, tugging her close. Her palms pressed against his chest, her nails digging in as she stood in her heels and kissed him.
He moaned into her mouth and she shoved him toward the bed, making the cat leap off and disappear down the hall. Penelope climbed into his lap, heels and all, her dress inching up her thighs. Neil bunched the fabric in his hands, his fingers dragging closer to the warm space between her legs.
“This color reminds me of the dress you wore to the Shelly Awards.”
“We’re going to be late,” she said as he bent to nibble at her neck.
“I don’t want to go,” he grunted as his fingers toyed with her lacy underwear.
Penelope moaned as he rubbed a finger along her clit. Fuck, she was already so wet. Had she already been turned on?
“It’s not fair,” she whimpered, hands tangling in what was left of his curls. She tugged his mouth back up to her and kissed him hard, her tongue parting his lips. Penelope tasted like summer wine and afternoons in the sun, and he groaned against her, rocking his hips. She slid along him, the friction making them both moan.
She made him come undone.
“Neil.” Still, she didn’t get up or stop, one hand scraping against his scalp, the other reaching down to pull her dress above her hips.
Smiling against her lips, Neil slipped one finger in and hooked it just the way she liked. She rode his hand, gasping as he slid in a second finger, her walls tightening around him. His thumb rubbed small, tight circles over her clit, and though she opened her mouth as though to chastise him, the words died on her tongue.
“Ohmyfuckinggod,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck and clamping her teeth down just below his ear.
“I could stop…” He trailed off, pulling one finger out of her.
One of her hands reached down and tightened on his wrist, stopping him. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
Her hands scrambled for his pants as he laughed, working his fingers in and out as she struggled to focus. Slipping aside her underwear, she positioned his hard length against her opening.
“Let me grab a condom,” he gasped, eyes squeezing shut as she gripped him tighter, the tip nudging and sliding against her. “Fuck,” he groaned, hands clamping on her ass.
“You better hurry up,” she rasped.
Neil reluctantly lifted her off his lap and scrambled for a condom, ripping the foil and rolling it on. Penelope was there in an instant, straddling his lap and guiding him. She always took him slowly, one inch at a time, but today she took all of him with a gasp.
He closed his eyes, picturing old dogs, abandoned dark halls, anything to make him last as she rocked her hips slowly. She gripped him, her insides squeezing tight as her nails raked across his skin and her lips parted.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked, kissing her jaw. God, she felt so good .
“Good… question.” Penelope bit down on her lip and moaned, arching her back as he reached up with one hand to grip her hip, the other slipping into the space between them.
He moved faster, lying back on the bed and thrusting into her as they sped up as one, hips meeting, hands scrabbling at one another. It only lasted a moment longer, both already so close to the edge. He finished with a grunt, followed by a sigh. Her eyes flitted open with disappointment, but he held up a finger as he came back to himself before he pulled out and knelt at the edge of the bed.
Humming, he bent between her, his knees weak beneath him as he tasted her, the combination of his fingers and tongue tugging her over the cliff and into the chasm. She’d shown him, dragging him to each spot over the last year until he knew her body inside and out, and even still, he found it no less attractive when she adjusted his fingers, positioning him just right.
When she was done, she kissed the corner of his mouth, lingering as her body settled and her legs clamped together. “I love you.”
His breath hitched as he whispered, “I love you too.”
It had taken them nearly a year to say the words, and he was no more used to them now than he was a month ago. She shivered as she pulled off her underwear and tossed it aside, disappearing into the ensuite.
“You’d think we would’ve had enough of each other,” she said breathily.
“Never.”
He watched lazily as Penelope pulled on a fresh pair of plain cotton underwear before brushing her hair and pinning it back. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at it.
“ Shit. Neil, we’re going to be late.”
She threw on her jacket and grabbed her bag, motioning to him.
Neil groaned as he tugged his pants back on and buttoned up his shirt, his fingers stumbling in their haste. “I don’t see why this is necessary, Penelope.”
Penelope laughed as she shoved him out the door toward the bookstore a few blocks down. She responded to a DM on one of her socials before closing the app and pocketing her phone, grinning.
“Come on,” she drawled, “you wrote a blurb, and Daniela dedicated this book to us. It’s kind of expected that we’d come.”
Neil muttered to himself as she pulled him into the bookstore. Penelope had only moved to New York six months earlier with her grumpy cat Apawllo, but already she knew the city better than he. After nine months of traveling coast to coast to see each other, she’d taken the plunge, ever the courageous one, and moved into his apartment.
The upper story of the store had been cleared for lines of black plastic chairs, and two microphones stood before two stools at the front.
“Are you sure we can’t stay for a few minutes and leave?” Neil whispered as Penelope practically dragged him to the front.
“It’s an early reading,” she said, maneuvering them through the throng of attendees. “We don’t even have proofs yet.”
Neil’s left eye twitched. He’d rather be anywhere but here. Daniela had known exactly how to manipulate him. And he’d blurbed, oh, he’d blurbed. She’d personally sent over an early manuscript, and he’d read it. Worse, it was good. Neil had even found himself enjoying it, not that he’d ever admit as much to her face.
Zoe waved to them from the front, motioning to two chairs to her right. Neil was thankful to have met her in person. Their first meeting via Daniela’s webcam had been embarrassing enough.
“You made it!” she exclaimed, hugging Penelope.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Penelope said, pulling off her jacket.
Neil met Zoe’s warm amber eyes. Her curls haloed her heart-shaped face, her dark, glowing skin catching the warm, dim lights overhead as she rolled up the sleeves of her sweater.
“Neil,” she said with a nod. She surveyed them, eyes narrowing. If she suspected they were late because they’d had incredible sex before heading over, she said nothing.
“Zoe.” He nodded in turn before sitting on the other side of Penelope.
“Isn’t it a bit unusual to do a public reading before it’s published?” Penelope asked, leaning toward Zoe. “I thought it was several months out, still.”
Zoe laughed. “I told her as much, but you know Daniela. She likes to make a show of it. She said she wanted to try something new, get people whispering about it.” Zoe shook her head. “I guess we’ll see if it gets people talking before it’s published.”
This is ridiculous, Neil thought.
Penelope and Zoe spoke quietly. The chairs filled quickly, the narrow space packed to the brim. Neil knew Daniela was a popular author. She was charismatic and likable, but damn if she didn’t know just how to get on his nerves.
Grumbling to himself, he pulled out his phone, scanning over the email with copy edits for On the Backs of My Ancestors . Tabitha had nearly murdered him for asking to yank it from publication and do a massive rewrite, but after some coaxing, he and his editor had sat down and talked through the edits, agreeing in the end that his original vision for the story was far better than the one that had nearly been printed.
“No Laszlo?” Penelope was asking.
Neil pocketed his phone and leaned back, wrapping an arm around Penelope’s chair. Zoe sighed. “No, Laszlo is off in Budapest, looking for inspiration.”
Penelope snorted. “You’d think a haunted castle would be enough for him.”
“Certainly was for us,” Neil said with a look.
“How is the editing going?” Zoe asked.
“Good,” he said with a nod. “Better than we could have imagined.”
Zoe stared at them blankly. “The truth.”
Neil and Penelope shared a look.
“He’s a perfectionist,” she admitted.
“And she’s a pantser, so that explains itself.”
“It’s adorable, you know,” Zoe drawled. “You’re the sweethearts of the book world, right now.”
“I know,” Neil fumed.
Penelope laughed, her hand going to his knee. The touch was comforting, calming the annoyance roiling in him.
“He’s a little touchy about it,” Penelope said.
He was right to be. Daniela hadn’t stopped posting about the retreat when they’d returned to the real world. She’d shared a string of photos and videos of them over social media while they were in Edinburgh before roping them into visiting a few stores for some last-minute signings.
Although Neil was grateful Penelope had been welcomed back into the book world after Daniela had announced they’d inspired her next book, he would never hear the end of it.
Penelope leaned toward Neil as if to say something, but Zoe tapped her hand.
“Hey,” Zoe started, “I keep forgetting to ask. Did you ever find out if you’re related to the owners of the castle? Daniela told me so much about the trip, but she never did mention if you’d found out.”
Penelope caught Neil’s eye, something passing silently between them.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure. I’m assuming not, but you never know.”
The lights dimmed, and with a sigh, Penelope swiveled to the front. “You know,” she whispered, leaning in toward Neil, “you could be happy for me. Because of Daniela, I’ve been welcomed back with open arms after everything that happened.”
“You could have done it on your own. Besides, they could leave me out of it,” he said as a bookseller took up a microphone.
“That’s difficult considering you are one half of the equation.”
Neil opened his mouth to respond, but already Daniela had taken her seat and began to speak. “Thank you so much for having me,” she said into the mic. “I am so honored to be here, and to give you an early sneak peek of my romance debut, Fight You .”
It’s a ridiculous name, Neil thought.
“I found inspiration for this novel from two friends on a writing retreat.” Her eyes met Neil’s, a smirk curling at her lips.
Oh no.
“After seeing them struggle to come to terms with their feelings, I felt it best to rewrite their story a bit, to tell it the way it was meant to go.”
Neil covered his face. He wouldn’t make it through.
“I think we all want to hear it,” the bookseller urged her.
Neil peeked through his fingers as Daniela’s gaze locked on his. She lifted a bound manuscript, cleared her throat, and began.