Ordinary women like me know we shouldn’t fall for beautiful men like Travis Zehler, one of the hottest cover models in romance fiction. But, sometimes, we can’t help ourselves.
When I meet him at a book signing, my attraction to him is instant. I’m infatuated, and I can’t stop thinking about him.
Even though I have doubts he’d ever be interested, I invite Travis to attend a book signing with me. And he says yes.
My fantasy comes true when he takes me to his bed, and the more time we spend together, the more I see that Travis isn’t some object to be desired.
He’s a man with a past. A man who’s been burned. A man who’s learned to keep his guard up.
I want to show him he can trust again, but when our confidence in each other is shaken, I begin to wonder if happily ever afters are only for my romance novels.
We headed to my author table. On the way, we said hi to the author and her assistant who was next to us. She had baked goods at her table.
We took our seats, and Harper said, “That is a good idea.”
“What is?”
“The food. I saw some other authors who had candy and chocolate.”
I smiled devilishly at her. “Oh, I have something even better.” I pulled up the long tablecloth and pulled out a box I’d told Harper to leave alone earlier.
“Ooh … what is it?”
I opened the box and grinned.
“Holy shit.” She looked up at me. “Are those penis pops?”
“Hell yeah. They give a whole new meaning to cocksucker.”
Harper pulled one out. “I wanted these for my bachelor party, but Wendy said no.” She curled her lip.
Wendy was her sister-in-law and the person who’d been in charge of Harper’s bachelorette party after Ian begged her to let his sister do it. Harper had regretted it ever since.
I pulled out a handful and set them on the table. “It’s not the same, but now, you can have a little fun with them.” I wiggled my eyebrows and sat back in my chair.
“Hold that thought. I’m going to run to the restroom real quick,” Harper said. “I drank too much Diet Pepsi.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be right back,” she said before sprinting out of the room.
I felt the chair behind me tap mine.
“Penis suckers, huh?” a smooth voice said.
A shiver went down my spine, and I slowly turned my head to see Travis. He smelled amazing. Like man with a hint of cologne.
His eyes were on my table, so I took the opportunity to study him. Even up close, he was gorgeous. Barely any skin imperfections. This guy must have great genes.
His gaze met mine, and he smiled, his lips full and his dimples popping out. I wanted to touch one for some crazy reason.
He raised an eyebrow, and I realized that he had just asked me a question.
“Oh,” I said as I blushed. “Yeah. You know, romance author, romance books, sex”—I held up a sucker—“cocks. It all ties together.”
He looked like he was trying not to laugh.
“What’s funny?”
His brow went up, as if he was trying to make himself look innocent, and he shook his head. “Nothing.”
I dropped my hand. “You think it’s stupid, don’t you?”
Why do I care? I just met the guy.
“No. Not at all.” He bit his bottom lip.
“What?” I smiled. “I know you want to say something.”
Travis shook his head.
“Okay, I know you’re thinking something.”
“I don’t know if I should say.”
“Just say it.”
He looked around and then met my eyes again. He lowered his voice. “I’m just picturing all these women sucking …” His gaze moved down to my mouth.
“Cocks?”
That same look crossed his face. The one where he looked like something was funny, but he didn’t want to share.
I rolled my eyes. “You just wanted me to say cock again, didn’t you?”
This time, he didn’t hold his laugh in.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Nope.” His eyes widened. “Hey, your one eye …”
“I know,” I said a little embarrassed. “It’s two different colors.” For as long as I could remember, my right eye had a large spot in it to the point it was almost half-brown. My parents didn’t remember when it first appeared either.
“Wow. That’s so cool. I didn’t notice it this morning.”
“Thanks. And I had my glasses on. It was harder to see then.”
“Hey, Travis, I found my markers,” Angela called out.
I looked to see her approaching her table.
“Talk to you later.” He smiled at me and scooted his chair back up to his table. “Where were they?” he said to Angela.
I faced forward, tuning out their conversation, and saw Harper walking up to the table. She sat down and leaned toward me.
“Was Travis just talking to you?” she whispered, excitement on her face.
“Yeah. He was giving me crap about our suckers.”
“What?” She straightened, and in a loud voice, she said, “Our suckers rule.”
We both looked over our shoulders to see if Travis would respond. He shook his head, but I didn’t know if it was at us or at Angela.
I laughed. “I don’t think the kids say rule anymore.”
“What would you know about that? You’re a year older than me.”
“Research.” My last book was about two people in their early- to mid-twenties. Not quite New Adult, but I’d still wanted to make sure I had the lingo down.
“Whatever.” Harper took out her phone and shoved it in my hand. “Look at what I found.”
I looked down and sucked in my breath. “Holy crap.”
It was a photo of Travis. He was wearing only a pair of dog tags. The picture only went down to the waist, but it was low, and I was pretty he wasn’t wearing any pants. He had spectacular arms, pecs, abs, and the famous V on his hips.
I pulled the phone closer. “How did I miss this?”
“I don’t know, but it’s good, right?”
I quickly peeked behind me. “Oh my God, yes. How did I not know he existed?”
“I don’t know because I found about five books he’s on the cover on.”
“I need to come out of my writing hole a little more often.”
Harper laughed and took her phone back. She hit the screen a few times and showed me another. And another. In a couple, he had shorter hair. In some others, his face was free of facial hair.
“I think I like him better with the beard,” she said to me.
“Me, too,” I said, surprised.
“Wow. I’m surprised to hear you say that after Andrew.”
Andrew was a guy I’d dated a few years back who’d let his beard grow. And grow and grow. I’d hated it. It had almost ruined any sort of beard for me on a man, no matter how short. Even Harper didn’t like beards as much after knowing my ex.
“Me, too.”
Travis was different from other guys I’d been interested in before, minus the hot body. I wasn’t going to lie. I’d always liked muscular men.
But there was no denying that I was attracted to Travis. I’d thought I was past the age of feeling boy-crazy, but he just did something for me. And my body. I wanted the man.
I put Harper’s phone down. “I’d better stop looking, or I’ll be the one who’s going to need a restroom.”
Harper frowned for a second until she got my joke. She laughed until the first reader walked up to our table.
We took our seats, and Harper said, “That is a good idea.”
“What is?”
“The food. I saw some other authors who had candy and chocolate.”
I smiled devilishly at her. “Oh, I have something even better.” I pulled up the long tablecloth and pulled out a box I’d told Harper to leave alone earlier.
“Ooh … what is it?”
I opened the box and grinned.
“Holy shit.” She looked up at me. “Are those penis pops?”
“Hell yeah. They give a whole new meaning to cocksucker.”
Harper pulled one out. “I wanted these for my bachelor party, but Wendy said no.” She curled her lip.
Wendy was her sister-in-law and the person who’d been in charge of Harper’s bachelorette party after Ian begged her to let his sister do it. Harper had regretted it ever since.
I pulled out a handful and set them on the table. “It’s not the same, but now, you can have a little fun with them.” I wiggled my eyebrows and sat back in my chair.
“Hold that thought. I’m going to run to the restroom real quick,” Harper said. “I drank too much Diet Pepsi.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be right back,” she said before sprinting out of the room.
I felt the chair behind me tap mine.
“Penis suckers, huh?” a smooth voice said.
A shiver went down my spine, and I slowly turned my head to see Travis. He smelled amazing. Like man with a hint of cologne.
His eyes were on my table, so I took the opportunity to study him. Even up close, he was gorgeous. Barely any skin imperfections. This guy must have great genes.
His gaze met mine, and he smiled, his lips full and his dimples popping out. I wanted to touch one for some crazy reason.
He raised an eyebrow, and I realized that he had just asked me a question.
“Oh,” I said as I blushed. “Yeah. You know, romance author, romance books, sex”—I held up a sucker—“cocks. It all ties together.”
He looked like he was trying not to laugh.
“What’s funny?”
His brow went up, as if he was trying to make himself look innocent, and he shook his head. “Nothing.”
I dropped my hand. “You think it’s stupid, don’t you?”
Why do I care? I just met the guy.
“No. Not at all.” He bit his bottom lip.
“What?” I smiled. “I know you want to say something.”
Travis shook his head.
“Okay, I know you’re thinking something.”
“I don’t know if I should say.”
“Just say it.”
He looked around and then met my eyes again. He lowered his voice. “I’m just picturing all these women sucking …” His gaze moved down to my mouth.
“Cocks?”
That same look crossed his face. The one where he looked like something was funny, but he didn’t want to share.
I rolled my eyes. “You just wanted me to say cock again, didn’t you?”
This time, he didn’t hold his laugh in.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Nope.” His eyes widened. “Hey, your one eye …”
“I know,” I said a little embarrassed. “It’s two different colors.” For as long as I could remember, my right eye had a large spot in it to the point it was almost half-brown. My parents didn’t remember when it first appeared either.
“Wow. That’s so cool. I didn’t notice it this morning.”
“Thanks. And I had my glasses on. It was harder to see then.”
“Hey, Travis, I found my markers,” Angela called out.
I looked to see her approaching her table.
“Talk to you later.” He smiled at me and scooted his chair back up to his table. “Where were they?” he said to Angela.
I faced forward, tuning out their conversation, and saw Harper walking up to the table. She sat down and leaned toward me.
“Was Travis just talking to you?” she whispered, excitement on her face.
“Yeah. He was giving me crap about our suckers.”
“What?” She straightened, and in a loud voice, she said, “Our suckers rule.”
We both looked over our shoulders to see if Travis would respond. He shook his head, but I didn’t know if it was at us or at Angela.
I laughed. “I don’t think the kids say rule anymore.”
“What would you know about that? You’re a year older than me.”
“Research.” My last book was about two people in their early- to mid-twenties. Not quite New Adult, but I’d still wanted to make sure I had the lingo down.
“Whatever.” Harper took out her phone and shoved it in my hand. “Look at what I found.”
I looked down and sucked in my breath. “Holy crap.”
It was a photo of Travis. He was wearing only a pair of dog tags. The picture only went down to the waist, but it was low, and I was pretty he wasn’t wearing any pants. He had spectacular arms, pecs, abs, and the famous V on his hips.
I pulled the phone closer. “How did I miss this?”
“I don’t know, but it’s good, right?”
I quickly peeked behind me. “Oh my God, yes. How did I not know he existed?”
“I don’t know because I found about five books he’s on the cover on.”
“I need to come out of my writing hole a little more often.”
Harper laughed and took her phone back. She hit the screen a few times and showed me another. And another. In a couple, he had shorter hair. In some others, his face was free of facial hair.
“I think I like him better with the beard,” she said to me.
“Me, too,” I said, surprised.
“Wow. I’m surprised to hear you say that after Andrew.”
Andrew was a guy I’d dated a few years back who’d let his beard grow. And grow and grow. I’d hated it. It had almost ruined any sort of beard for me on a man, no matter how short. Even Harper didn’t like beards as much after knowing my ex.
“Me, too.”
Travis was different from other guys I’d been interested in before, minus the hot body. I wasn’t going to lie. I’d always liked muscular men.
But there was no denying that I was attracted to Travis. I’d thought I was past the age of feeling boy-crazy, but he just did something for me. And my body. I wanted the man.
I put Harper’s phone down. “I’d better stop looking, or I’ll be the one who’s going to need a restroom.”
Harper frowned for a second until she got my joke. She laughed until the first reader walked up to our table.
Renae has always loved reading, and in third grade, she wrote her first poem where she learned she might have a knack for this writing thing. Lara remembers sneaking her grandmother’s Harlequin novels when she was probably too young to be reading them, and since then, she knew she wanted to write her own.
When they met in college, they bonded over their love of reading and the TV show Charmed. What really spiced up their friendship was when Lara introduced Renae to romance novels. When they discovered their first vampire romance, they knew there would always be a special place in their hearts for paranormal romance. After being unable to find certain storylines and characteristics they wanted to read about in the hundreds of books they consumed, they decided to write their own.
One lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and the other in the Kansas City area where they’re a sonographer/stay-at-home mom/wife and pharmacist/mother by day, and together they’re a sexy author by night. They communicate through phone, email, and whole lot of messaging.
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Sounds like a great lesson against objectification.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really good. I've added it to my wish list.
ReplyDelete