Chapter Twelve #2
"I…I…" I gulp, panicking at the look in his eyes. This is not how I was supposed to tell him. I wasn't supposed to be crying! He wasn't supposed to have had the worst day ever.
Suddenly, saying it with him inside me feels a lot less cliché than it did a few hours ago. But…he already knows. Why the hell am I hesitating now? He knows, and he's still here, looking at me like he wants to eat me alive. He knows.
"I do," I whisper, my voice shaking. "I'm so damn in love with you, River."
His eyes fall closed, his forehead pressing to mine. His body shudders, as if my confession is working its way through his entire system.
"I didn't post your manuscript. I swear, I didn't," I say, still a little afraid he thinks I did it. "But it may have been my fault."
He flicks his eyes open, a question in them.
"I…um, I left the manuscript on the counter by the register yesterday.
I thought it would be safe there," I whisper miserably.
"But now I'm terrified that it wasn't. If someone got their hands on it because of me, I'll never forgive myself.
I won't blame you if you sue me or press charges or never want to see me again. "
"It wasn't your fault, princess," he says, his tone weary. "It was my assistant."
"What?" I blink, certain I heard him wrong.
"That's where I've been all day," he sighs, sitting up and pulling me up with him.
"Sam leaked your manuscript?"
"Not on purpose." He burrows his face into my throat.
He's tense, stressed. I'm not sure how to help him, so I wrap my arms around him.
"She got a fucking email from someone posing as my editor, saying she needed a copy of the file.
She didn't check the email address closely enough and sent it.
By the time she realized there was a problem, it was already too late.
But instead of telling either of us what happened, she panicked.
" He sighs again. "She's been avoiding my calls because she didn't know how to tell me.
She hoped it'd just go away, until it leaked. "
"That's awful," I whisper, horrified. Who even does something like that? Shitty book-stealing scammers, apparently. "I'm so sorry."
"Me too."
"Can you do anything?"
He shrugs. "The legal department for my publisher will do what they can to track down whoever sent her the email and try to get charges filed, but there's no putting the lid back on the leak."
"I'm so sorry, River," I whisper, hugging him tighter.
"At least they don't have the whole goddamn book."
"Do they have more than what they've already leaked?"
"No. I sent her the updated version last week, but I hadn't sent her the new chapters yet.
" He pauses. "I didn't fire Sam. Maybe I should because she didn't come to me, but I can't blame her for falling for a fucking scam when they're everywhere.
" He turns to look at me. "I'm more worried about you. "
"About me?" I blink, shocked. "Why?"
"You aren't a crier, princess," he says, tracing my cheek with a fingertip. "But it looks to me like you've been doing a lot of it today."
I open my mouth to lie and then snap it closed and nod instead. "I thought I was going back to jail. Or that you'd hate me."
"Which bothered you more?"
"What?"
"Which thought bothered you more? The possibility of going to jail or the possibility of me hating you?"
"You hating me," I whisper, my heart beating fast. "I…I couldn't live with that, River."
"Good." He grins, leaning down to press his lips to mine, but not before I see the satisfied gleam in his eyes.
"You don't have to look so pleased about it," I grumble against his lips.
"Oh, but I am." He bites my bottom lip, craning my head back.
"Because I'm so fucking in love with you, Jasmine Knudsen," he says, his eyes locked on mine.
"I love knowing that you'd miss me if I weren't here.
I love knowing that I'm in your heart. And I fucking love knowing that you think I'm someone worth crying about, baby. "
"You are someone worth crying over," I whisper, pretty sure my heart is going to burst out of my chest. He said it back. He actually said it back!
River is in love with me.
The way he smiles at me is perfection. And then he grows somber again. "I'm sorry the manuscript was leaked, princess."
My brows furrow, my gaze running across his face. "Why are you apologizing to me?"
"You're all over it," he murmurs. "So is the way I feel about you. I wanted you to read it first. You should have been the one to decide whether it was published or not."
I blink wide eyes at him. "Are you serious?"
"Yes?"
"River." I laugh despite myself, shifting on his lap until I'm curled around him, my legs hooked behind the small of his back, my arms around his neck.
"It's the best thing you've ever written.
I'd be so pissed if you didn't publish it.
Besides, it's not like anyone is going to know that I inspired you to rewrite Melody. "
"I didn't just rewrite Melody, princess." His hand skirts up my thigh, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "I rewrote most of it after meeting you. The book is what it is because of you."
"Then you should definitely move forward with publishing it. I've heard that I'm pretty awesome."
"I've heard that too, but publishing might not be an option now," he mutters. "A quarter of it is online right now."
"Yes, a quarter. That means you're going to have thousands of people desperate for the rest of it soon.
" I nuzzle my face into his throat, biting the tendon there.
"Whoever leaked it already stole too much.
Don't you dare let them steal the rest of the story from you and your readers, River Jamison. "
He's quiet for a moment, his hand resting on my thigh, and then his lips curve into a grin, his fingers inching upward. "Make you a deal, princess."
I eye him suspiciously.
"You get naked and let me make you scream for me, and I'll consider your suggestion."
"Counteroffer," I breathe, grabbing the hem of my shirt to rip it off over my head. "I'll get naked and let you make me scream, you'll publish your book, and if you're a very good boy, I might let you keep making me scream."
"Deal," he growls, tipping me backward onto the couch.