by Amanda Scott
His lips formed a subtle smile. “No, Taylor, you believe in us.”
She smiled and nodded her head. “In us,” she said back to him.
“So now what?” he asked, holding out his hands as he waited for an answer from her.
She looked shocked. “You’re asking me?” she asked.
He nodded once. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing. And don’t think for a moment it wasn’t intentional. So let me ask you again…” his voice faded as he parked himself down on one of his stainless steel barstools lurking beneath his island countertop. “Now what?”
She paused, only to admire his gorgeous eyes and beautiful smile before answering. Then she cleared her throat and walked to within inches of his sexy, stubbly chin and his warm, minty breath. Colton opened his legs enough for her to nestle herself between them.
She could easily go another round with him, in that way.
Check that- under normal circumstances, she would practically beg him to go for another round.
But the time had finally come for her to step up her game, as badly as she wanted to get naked with him again, and she decided to do exactly that. “We write the greatest story ever written, that’s what we do,” she said, her face beaming with pride at her newfound conviction.
The thing was, she was born into so much psychological instability that she had never really experienced pure joy- the kind of joy that one only felt from feeling so deeply alive, and so deeply in love.
Until now.
There was only one thing left to do- write that damn book.
And pray of course.
***
Taylor walked carefully down Colton’s winding staircase wearing the tight-fitting eggshell-colored sheath dress that the billionaire had purchased for this very occasion. Her feet wobbled and her hand trembled slightly as she slid it along the glossy railing for support.
No doubt, today felt like the biggest day in her adult life. It had been five days since she and Colton officially submitted their final draft to Hull Publishing, and York himself demanded a face-to-face meeting with the billionaire and her that was scheduled for just minutes away.
As she came down from the final step, her eyes caught the billionaire’s shiny black shoes dangling from his crisp white couch in his formal living room.
“Where’s my angel?” he called to her.
She walked through the arched doorway and stopped in her tracks. Colton was wearing a black suit, and his hair was still wet from a fresh shower. She moaned ever so quietly as the scent of his aftershave crossed paths with her senses.
“I’m here,” she said back to him.
Colton’s eyes grew wide as he cleared his throat. “Jesus Taylor, you look…”
“Nervous as fucking hell?” she said, only half-joking.
Colton paused as he looked her up and down from head to toe. His eyes now widened, and it was as if he literally could not believe who or what was standing right before him.
He stood up and walked towards her, continuing to look her up and down as if he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He made her feel so warm inside, so special, like she was the only woman who walked the earth.
As he came closer, she didn’t know what to do other than to flatten the bottom edges of her dress with her trembling fingers.
“Why is it that you don’t seem to look nervous at all and I’m about to drop dead of a panic attack?” she said. She wanted to smile, but the truth was, she really was that nervous.
“Who said I’m not nervous?” he asked. “But somehow, when you just walked into the room right now, the only thing that mattered to me was you.”
“What about the fact that we’re about to discover our fate?” she asked.
He reached for her hand and she closed her eyes the moment her tiny fingers were engulfed in his warm palm. “We’ve done everything we could do. The rest is out of our hands,” he added.
Taylor was about to say something as desperation rocked her mind. She would have killed for one last ounce of reassurance to help calm her nerves.
But then the doorbell rang, and she knew she had run out of time. It was time to face the music.
“Wait here,” he commanded. Taylor did exactly what he told her to do, sitting herself down on slick, white couch.
She heard the grumblings of Mitch York and Colton talking in the main foyer. Then the two of them walked into the room. Taylor’s eyes narrowed as she tried to read York’s expression, or should she say, his lack thereof.
She rose to greet him with a handshake. “Please, Taylor, that won’t be necessary,” York said. Taylor looked over at Colton for guidance. He nodded, letting her know that she should just take a seat. As the three of them sat down, she couldn’t help but notice how calm and steady Colton’s eyes were.
This man has to be nervous, she thought. How can he not be?
“The numbers are in,” York said. Taylor’s frantic nerves had her sitting up straight and moving her hands to the edges of her knees as she hung onto York’s last words. She looked over at Colton simply waited, his arms folded across his chest, for the publishing executive to spew the bad news that Taylor was beginning to prepare herself for.
“It’s not good,” York said.
Her heart sank to her gut.
Colton pressed his lips into a hard line as his interest had finally been captured. “Can you elaborate?”
York’s eyes glanced over at Taylor, then back at Colton. “Are you sure you’re ready to hear this?”
Colton’s eyes grew dark. “Enough of the fucking games, Mitch. What gives?”
York smiled as he lowered his head. “I’m afraid…” he paused as he searched for the right words to say to them.
“Spit it out, York,” Colton snapped.
York ran his fingers across his moist forehead. “I’m afraid your new book is set to break every sales record known to publishing.”
Taylor’s jaw dropped and she squinted her eyes as she stood up from the couch. “Wait, what?” She glanced over at Colton, desperate for an explanation.
The billionaire author held his hands out in front of York. Even Colton himself looked confused. “What’s so not good about that?” he asked.
“What’s not good about that is that I owe you an apology,” York paused as his eyes shifted between Colton and the floor, “and you know how hard it is for me to admit I was wrong.”
The billionaire shook his head in disbelief. “You’re not fucking with us, right?”
York raised both of his brows. “Here,” he said, tossing a spreadsheet down on the white ottoman. “See for yourself.”
Colton picked up the spreadsheet and studied it for what felt like forever to Taylor. He looked over at Taylor and said, “We’re already ranked number one in all major platforms for eBooks.”
“And that’s only the beginning,” York said as he stood up. “The print version will hit the market in less than a week. When that happens...” he paused to smooth out the edges of his shirt collar. “Pre-order sales have already surpassed all pre-order sales records, the Fifty Shades and Potter sequels included. And to make matters better, we already got two Hollywood studio offers to turn this baby into a movie. Your story is set to take over the world.”
Colton leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head as if he had just conquered a continent.
And he pretty much did, especially in Taylor’s eyes. Her heart accelerated in her chest, the same way it always did every time she took in the way his radiant eyes sparkled so damn brightly.
Mitch York turned and started to walk away as Colton sat back, reveling in the news. The publishing CEO paused before leaving the room and looked directly at Colton himself. “I’ll have Monica make a phone call to make sure those criminal charges disappear.”
Colton smirked. “Seems like a good business decision to me,” he said.
York flashed a plastic smile as he lo
oked down at the floor, and then he left. As the door shut behind him, Colton looked over at her. “Come here baby, the three of us have some celebrating to do,” he said.
She shook her head in utter disbelief as she lied across his legs and he began to rub her stomach gently. She looked down at her newly pregnant belly and smiled at the sight of Colton Marcus’ hands protecting not only her…
But their unborn baby as well.
THE END
Thank you for reading this series!
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