Wrapped in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Come have coffee with me,” Liam said quickly. Her eyes flew open wide.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Come have coffee with me. There’s a café right down the block, one that I try to go to often to work. At least when I don’t mind dealing with people. They have an outdoor space, and it’s a nice day. I see people bring their dogs all the time.”

  Arden swallowed hard, reaching down to pet Jasper’s head. “I know the place. I’ve brought Jasper there before. But we don’t need to have coffee, Liam. I get it. Okay?”

  See? She could be an adult.

  “You get what?” Liam asked, looking genuinely confused.

  She needed to find a hole to bury herself in just then. She really wasn’t good at this whole thing.

  “Nothing. Thank you again.”

  “I’m not asking you out for coffee just because I helped you find your dog, even though that’s part of it. If you don’t want to come, I totally get it, but I’d like for you to have coffee with me.” He paused. “Please?”

  She let out a sigh and studied his face. He was just as handsome as before with the same humor, but there was something different about him today. Maybe something around the eyes that didn’t seem so happy, that wasn’t as bright as it had been before. Sure, he had been hurting in the hospital, but he was almost care-free then. Now? There was something different about him. Arden wasn’t sure why she noticed.

  Before she could open her mouth to say, “no,” her brain suddenly had a mind of its own. “Okay,” she blurted.

  “Good.” He gestured for her to go ahead of him, and she sighed, grateful that she wasn’t wearing her normal bag lady clothes and had actually brushed her hair that morning. At least she looked a little more normal today, except for the fact that she was a little sweaty from running after Jasper. It didn’t matter how much she worked out, she always looked a little wrinkled.

  They got a table in the corner where Jasper could hang out on the ground out of the way. Liam had gone in to get her a chai latte and an Americano for himself, as well as a bowl of water for Jasper.

  She had no idea what was really going on just then. She wasn’t good at this whole man/woman thing. But then again, she should probably practice at it, right?

  Liam sat down on the other side of the table, and Arden swallowed thickly. He moved really well for a man his size. He had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and a decently slender waist. It looked like he worked out and actually took care of himself. Not that she didn’t take care of herself. She just happened to like snuggling on the couch with her dog more than she loved running.

  Okay, she preferred just about anything over running.

  “Thank you,” Arden said quickly, keeping her head out of her thoughts about Liam’s body. And the way that his jeans molded to his thick thighs. Or how his ass looked really good when he walked away earlier. Really good.

  In fact, it reminded her of America’s ass—AKA Chris Evans’ ass.

  She couldn’t help it, she was weak.

  “You’re welcome,” Liam said, his voice deep and just a little rumbly.

  Damn him.

  “So…” she said, letting her voice drift off.

  “So,” he said softly. Then he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

  She stiffened and did her best to look relaxed even though she knew she looked anything but. Oh, so he was just going to bring it out into the open? That was good. But she had no idea what to say next. “Oh?”

  “I had some things happen. Right after I met you. And it kind of messed things up. So, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m not usually such an asshole.”

  “Oh.” Things happened? Well, that wasn’t very detailed, but he did apologize. And it wasn’t like he had promised that he would call her, or that they had talked more than a few moments while in the hospital. So, she was just going to push it out of her mind. Not everything had to be about her, after all.

  “It’s okay. Really. Things happen.” And they did. Just because she had been feeling down because of her issues didn’t mean she had to act weird about it.

  “Thanks for being nice about it. I probably would have called myself a few names if it had been the other way around, and you hadn’t called me.”

  “Yeah, I might have called you a few names.” She smiled then, and he grinned.

  “Touche. So, what do you do?”

  “Oh, I do research.” That was pretty much the best way for her to explain what she did because not everybody really understood her job outside of those in the book world. Her brothers barely did.

  “Oh? What kind of research?”

  Of course, he would ask. Because he was nice. And she hadn’t really given him any details. “For authors. I figure out certain details to help them when it comes to their books. That, and I create book compendiums and things. You know, like an outline and a spreadsheet of characters and certain specifics for timelines. It’s a lot of paperwork, but I like it.”

  Liam’s eyes widened for a second, but then he just smiled. “That sounds amazing. And very needed.”

  She nodded, hoping she didn’t blush too hard. It was just that voice of his. She felt very awkward. “So, what do you do?”

  “I, uh, write things,” he said, looking down at his hands and the coffee cup between them. He reached down and scratched Jasper’s head, and Arden frowned.

  “You write things.” She didn’t say it as a question, but Liam just shrugged.

  “Sorry. Yeah, I’m an author. I’m not usually good at answering that question.” He just laughed. “I used to be a model, but I got a little too tired of people calling me ‘pretty boy,’ and I really didn’t like the lifestyle. Plus, it doesn’t last when you start showing your age. So, yeah, I’m an author.”

  “Well, that was a lot just then,” she said, but then smiled. “I knew you were pretty. But don’t worry. I won’t call you pretty boy. But a model? Can I just say wow?”

  “It’s not as wow as you might think. And I was young. But it paid the bills. Now, my other job…”

  “Well, I would ask you what your author name is, but you didn’t offer it up, so I’m not going to. And I’m not going to ask if I’ve heard of you or if you’re sold in bookstores or whether you write children’s books. I won’t even say something like, ‘I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book.’ I’ve worked with a lot of authors, and I know not to be that person.”

  He looked at Arden then, blinking a few times, and then threw his head back and laughed. She laughed with him and shook her head.

  “Yeah, it’s amazing how many people get awkward when they realize that you’re an author. They ask you things like, ‘Oh, like real books?’”

  “No, the fake ones,” Arden said quickly, laughing with him.

  “Yeah, then they say things like, ‘I have this manuscript I’ve been working on…’ or that they always wanted to be an author and just need to find the time to do it.”

  “As if it’s ever that easy.”

  “It’s not. I love it, but it’s not easy at all. I imagine a lot of authors are glad they have you to do some of the work for them.” He paused and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Oh, I know. I don’t do the work for them, but I do help. A cog in the wheel. An integral member of the team. And I’m just fine with that.”

  Liam laughed. “I bet you your authors are grateful. But since you seem together, my pen name is L.M. Berry. I write historical thriller fiction.”

  Arden sat back, her mouth going dry as she stared at one of her favorite authors of all time. Yes, her favorite genre was romance, young adult coming in a close second. But L.M. Berry? Seriously, his books made her heart pound. And the hot guy in front of her did the same.

  The fact that they were one and the same?

  She was pretty sure she was beet red, and she had no idea what the hell to say.

  “Arden? Are you okay?”

  “Oh my God. No way.” She sort o
f shouted the last part and was thankful that no one was really around to hear her.

  “Sorry,” she said quickly, holding up her hands. “I swear I’m not going to like, attack you or anything. But I am a fan. Though not a rabid fan.” She reached down and ran her hands through Jasper’s fur. “Sorry, Jasper. Nothing rabid about you, either.”

  That made Liam laugh. “So, I take it you’ve heard of me? That’s always weird.”

  “Oh, I totally get it. I’m sorry. But I love your work. And I’m Literally Addictive Research.” She laughed. “I mean, that’s my company. I’ve done some stuff for your books. And I made your book compendium. This is just so weird.”

  Liam leaned back in his chair, his eyes going bright as he just shook his head. “You helped me. Like seriously helped me with a plot point I was having trouble with like two books ago. I don’t remember exactly. I even put you in my acknowledgments. Hell, I didn’t know that your company even had a name. Everything was just signed as LAR.”

  “And I didn’t know that L.M. Berry stood for Liam Montgomery Berry.”

  Liam just shook his head, laughing. “Berry was the name I added at the end for fun after getting drunk and eating berries. Seriously.”

  Arden’s eyes widened and she snorted. “Really?”

  “Really. And I think my editor’s sending you my next book. This is just insane.”

  Arden clapped her hands in front of her and did a little chair dance. “Oh, I actually have it now. I’m halfway through, and I’m reading just for pleasure at this point before I go through and pick it apart.”

  Liam winced. “Ouch.”

  “Oh, shush. You know by the time I get it I’m just there to help with adding to your notes. You have it down now. But I love it. But what is Nash up to?” she asked before she could help herself.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see,” Liam said.

  “So, I guess I can’t finagle more answers out of you with coffee?”

  “I’m the one who paid, Arden.”

  “Touche,” she said, repeating his word back to him.

  They laughed like that for the rest of their time at the café, talking and occasionally stopping to make sure that Jasper was happy. She couldn’t help but feel as if today had been one of the best days she’d had in a while.

  They finished their drinks, and then he walked her home. She wondered how he could live so close, and she had never seen him in the neighborhood before. But considering that he was an author and probably worked from home just as she did, it made sense. Sometimes, she didn’t see people beyond the street she lived on.

  “So, this was fun,” Liam said, his hands in his pockets again as they stood on her front porch.

  “It was a lot of fun,” she said to him, smiling.

  “Let’s do it again,” Liam said and then leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss to her cheek.

  Not her lips, but very, very close. Close enough that Arden couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

  She met his gaze, her pulse racing, her mouth parting, but he didn’t kiss her for real, and she was actually grateful. She didn’t know if she was ready for that. She didn’t know if she was prepared for anything.

  But she couldn’t help but nod her head and give him a firm, “Yes,” even though she didn’t know when again would be. And even though he hadn’t called the first time, she had a feeling he would this time.

  And she had his number, too.

  Not a bad way to end her day. She went into her house and picked up the book she now knew that Liam Montgomery had written and wondered what would happen next.

  Chapter 7

  Nash and Penny were going to give Liam a migraine. No, they had already given him a headache for every single word that had been put on the screen that day.

  Writing was hard. He’d always known that. But today? He wanted to reach into his computer and strangle his two main characters.

  Maybe it was because he had been lazy up to this point and really only had one main character throughout the series.

  Nash had taken center stage for eight books at this point. Each time saving the world and whatever historical artifact he was focused on for the book. Yeah, Liam had put Nash through the wringer, forcing him to lose his brother, his parents, and pretty much any friend he’d ever met and made. Nash had even lost his life once, though he had been brought back via medical intervention. Not by magic, even though Liam had really wanted to make it like that. His publisher hadn’t agreed, so CPR and epinephrine had saved him.

  Liam had put Nash through almost everything, yet the man was still living and breathing and able to save the world over and over again. Or at least his own part of the world since not every book Liam wrote meant an apocalypse.

  Oh, that might be nice…

  Liam sat back in his desk chair and rubbed his hand over his face. He needed to shave, the bristles were a little too long. But he was focusing. Or at least trying to focus.

  What if there was an actual apocalypse that an artifact could prevent? Could he make that work?

  Maybe.

  He opened up his notes document and added some things for the next book, or perhaps the one that would come out the year after that.

  He wrote one book a year and spent almost eight months of it doing research on the historical accuracy for each installment.

  Yes, sometimes he got to play with magical realism and time travel in order to make his books work, but even if he did, he really liked to make sure that every piece of historical evidence in the books was real and wouldn’t get him into trouble with his readers.

  Sometimes, he felt like his fans went back and checked every single little piece of information that Nash gave them. That meant that Liam had to be doubly sure that he didn’t fuck it up.

  But an apocalypse? An actual one?

  Hmm. That could be fun.

  He chuckled and closed the window on his second screen, then went back to his original monitor where the cursor blinked, mocking him.

  But before he could focus on an apocalypse or whatever was coming next, or even the historical accuracy of what Nash was currently dealing with, he needed to focus on his other main character.

  Penny.

  She wasn’t meant to be a leading character. Nash had had love interests on and off throughout the series. None of them had been too serious, though. The women that Liam added to his books weren’t just there so the dudes could look at boobs even in their minds. He hated when authors did that. But Nash had never been in a place to settle down or even think about a serious relationship. Considering that he almost died frequently, those close to him could die, as well. Liam had never wanted to put anyone in that situation. But now, apparently, Penny had other ideas.

  Penny was a school teacher, who happened to have an eidetic memory and knew amazing historical facts that Nash needed. He’d started to come to her for more and more help whenever he couldn’t figure things out on his own.

  Penny was smart, sarcastic, and made Nash figure out exactly what he wanted.

  Only Liam couldn’t help him figure that out.

  The two had been dancing around each other for so long, that Penny now had almost equal page time with Nash. Liam loved it, even if it was hard to get into another character’s head the same as he did with Nash. But maybe that was fine. Perhaps he needed to be kept on his toes just like Nash was.

  But Liam was coming to the point in the series where he had to make a decision whether Nash was ready to settle down with Penny, or if the two needed to break up—or something worse.

  Liam wasn’t sure he was ready for something like that, but his publisher was starting to push him in that direction.

  They liked the idea of Nash being the bad boy, James Bond type, but that had never sat well in Liam’s mind. He had plans for Nash. He imagined that Nash would one day grow up and have a family and, yes, save the world, but he’d be strong enough and in a secure enough place to protect them.

  Liam grimaced, saved his docum
ent again, and turned off his computer.

  A family? What a crock of shit. He couldn’t even figure out his own family. How the fuck was he supposed to write Nash a happily ever after?

  He was done. Maybe he would just burn everybody in the series to ashes, end it, and write a new one where everybody was depressed and drank too much.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, swallowing a sigh.

  “I really need a life,” he whispered to himself and then got out of his chair to go and get another glass of water. He would rather have some whiskey in a low-ball glass with a large ice cube, but he wasn’t actually going to be day-drinking. Plus, the whole write-drunk-and-edit-sober deal had never been his thing.

  He needed a clear mind because, sometimes, his characters mumbled enough.

  He didn’t need to add drunkenness to that.

  Liam poured himself a glass of water and chugged it back while thinking about what he needed to do for the day. Nothing. He literally had to do nothing.

  He didn’t need to do housework or yard work or plan anything else.

  Oh, he probably could, but he didn’t want to. He just wanted to sit and wallow in the fact that he had no idea what he was doing.

  Timothy Montgomery wasn’t his father.

  What was he supposed to do with that? How was he supposed to react like everything was fine and that their lying meant nothing?

  How was he supposed to deal with the fact that there was some guy named Steve out there who not only hadn’t wanted him or his mother but also hadn’t cared one way or another that he might one day accidentally bump into his son and not even know it?

  Did Liam look like Steve? He’d always thought he looked a little bit like Timothy, but he’d been wrong.

  Apparently, his strong jaw, broad shoulders, and quick smile was not from his father. Timothy. Maybe that was Steve?

  He didn’t know, and since he didn’t have the answers, he wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to say or do.

  As if his mother knew that he was stressing out, his phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. He looked down at it.