Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 41373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 207(@200wpm)___ 165(@250wpm)___ 138(@300wpm)
I gave his waist a squeeze. “Good. That was a good start,” I told him. “Let’s just keep doing this for a while, to get used to the camera. Get used to being each other’s boyfriends.”
He cleared his throat, and a moment later, he put his arms around me in a hug. “I’m so glad we’re about to film this video together, boyfriend,” he said.
I laughed, leaning into his hug. The bulk of his body was thicker and more muscled than mine, and his hug felt like being wrapped in a big, comfortable warm blanket.
“Well, we both care about this house so much,” I told him, improvising more as we pulled back from the hug. I reached down to hold his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. “I want the Fixer Brothers to see that.”
His eyes locked on mine, and I realized they weren’t just one shade of blue, but a glimmering mix of baby blue and a deeper cobalt ring around the outside.
They were beautiful. He looked into my eyes for a while, clearly trying to calm himself down. He’d been biting his lower lip, and finally, he let it go.
“This feels good,” he said.
I nodded. “It feels really good for me, too.”
I wasn’t so sure I was improvising, anymore.
He swallowed. “Are you sure you don’t mind pretending to be…”
“To be with a man?” I asked. “No, Shane. I’m really liking it. Being with you.”
He looked from my eyes to my lips and back again, and I felt a tension crackle between us like electricity.
I knew if I didn’t do something, that tension would stay there—would bloom and grow and get out of control, and it would certainly show up on camera.
And I was going to defuse it.
I dropped my hand from his and draped my arms gently around his shoulders, moving in closer.
“This okay?” I said in a low voice as I leaned in closer to his face, pressing my forehead against his.
His tongue came out to lick his lips, and I could practically feel the beating of his heart.
“It feels really good.”
I turned my head slightly to the side and closed the rest of the distance between us, pressing my lips to his in a kiss.
Shane breathed against me, kissing me back, his hands finding their way to my waist. He touched me gingerly, as if he didn’t know how far he should go—how far he was allowed to go.
And so I moved my body up against his, pulling him closer as I deepened the kiss.
Showing him that he definitely wasn’t going too far.
“You can kiss me, Shane,” I said as I broke for a breath, keeping my arms locked around his shoulders.
He was gazing down at me with half-lidded eyes, and I swore something in his eyes made me want to just lie down on the couch and let him do whatever the hell he wanted with me. I’d been trying to make him feel comfortable, but in reality this was fucking turning me on, and I didn’t really give a damn why.
“Been too long since I’ve kissed anyone,” he murmured, the look in his eyes still dazed.
“I’m here to help,” I said.
And apparently you’re here to help me, too.
Kissing my male co-stars had been fun in the past, but it had never felt that good.
“I think I’m ready to film,” he said.
5
SHANE
I took a long sip of coffee, the big blue diner mug feeling like a beacon of warmth in my cold hands. Steam rose from the cup, and already I felt my brain firing up and coming alive, like a dog shaking off sleep.
“And Miss Barb has buckets of the winter squash now,” Mom was saying from across the diner table. “You’ll see.”
Mariel and I were sitting across from our mom and dad in a booth, meeting up before our monthly trip to the Bestens Farmer’s Market together. They’d already been wide awake and ready to go since about 5:30 in the morning, most likely, but Mariel and I were still blinking awake.
The diner was in full swing already, too, here at 7:30 a.m. Hosts and servers bustled around as slanted morning light started to come in through the big rounded corner windows, tables and silverware clanked, and diner regulars filled up the breakfast bar.
The diner had already strung up some multicolored Christmas lights along their windows, which I strongly approved of, too.
“I’m thinking it’s about time for sweet potato pie,” Dad said.
“Yes,” Mariel and I both said at the same time, perking up.
Dad didn’t cook much, but his sweet potato pie was legendary.
“Oh, and I don’t think I told you two,” Mom said, holding out a hand. “The Johnstons and the Browns are both coming out for the Christmas party this year.”
“Wow,” I said. “You’re going to have a full house.”
“A very full house,” Mom said, her eyes widening. “Like, sleeping bags on the living room floor levels of full. Did you know Liz and Darius had a third kid earlier this year?”