第1章

“Oh my God!It’s Kimbra Leigh!”a man gushed as he approached.Even over the noise in the dealer room,his voice rang out loud and clear.“I love everything you’ve ever written!”

Kimmy Leighton suppressed a groan as she turned off her Kindle.Everything?she thought,plastering a smile onto her face before she looked up to see who was standing in front of her author table.No one’s read everything I’ve ever written.That’d be impossible.

Out loud,though,she didn’t say that.Instead,she rose to greet the two handsome men looking over the books she had on display and asked,“So you’ve read a few of my stories?”

“I’ve read everything,”the blond guy in front said.He was tall and lean with a surfer’s haircut,careless curls that looked as if he’d just run his fingers through them moments earlier,and when he looked at her,his pale gray eyes were disarming.

Damn,Kimmy thought,reaching one hand behind her to grab onto the back of her folding chair in case her knees buckled.Where’d they find you?And can I get one for myself?Mentally she filed him away to use as a character in her next book.

One corner of his mouth pulled up in a crooked grin,and she felt herself smiling in response.The rest of the dealer room disappeared;all that existed for her was this sexy man,those crystal eyes,his thin lips.Even his companion didn’t matter,though Kimmy should’ve been talking to the other fellow,as well,trying to engage them both.

But damn,this guy!“Everything?”she purred,all too aware that she was flirting and unable to stop.He was gay,she knew it;he had to be—she wrote M/M erotic romance,and the only menwho read it were into other men,not the women who wrote the stories,but she couldn’t help herself.“Come on now…”

From beside Surfer Boy,his friend spoke up.“Oh yeah,everything.He isn’t lying about that.”

Kimmy shifted her gaze to him,just a quick look,then did a double-take.It was the premise for a porno,right here in front of her author table in the dealer room at Q Con 2015.They could call it something along the lines of Hot and Hotter,perhaps.Because next to Surfer Boy stood Mr.All-American,theboy next door,with close-cropped dark hair and smoldering eyes,tanned skin,and a full mouth Kimmy suspected pouted all too prettily.

Oh God,she thought,taking a deep breath to steady herself.Sweet Lord.A two for one special today.Here’s my next story,right in front of me.You can’t make this stuff up.

Suddenly she felt hot all over,flushed and sweaty.Would it look bad if she picked up a brochure promoting her latest series and started fanning herself?Probably,but surely guys like this got that sort of thing all the time,no?Women fainting as they walked by,men falling at their feet,childrenwailing,the sky opening above them as clouds parted…

“He’s read all your stories,”All-American was saying,oblivious to the effect he had on her.“You’re like his one insta-buy on Amazon.The moment you have a new release,he downloads it without even reading the sample.He gets the notifications first thing in the morning before we even get outof bed.”

They’re together,how perfect is that?Kimmy ran a hand over her forehead.Was it hot in here,or was it just her?Seriously,she was about to melt.“That’s so sweet,”she said,hoping she didn’t pass out.“What’s your favorite book?”

All-American glanced up and she was talking to him.“Oh,I don’t read.”

A flicker of annoyance spiked through her.“At all?Nothing?”

“Not even directions,”Surfer Boy said with a laugh.“That’s why we got lost coming here.”

“Hey,”his friend snapped,“we’re here now,aren’t we?We didn’t miss anything.Today’s the first day of the convention.You only came to see her anyway.”

Kimmy frowned as she looked from one man to the other.“What?Who,me?”

“You’re my favorite author,”Surfer Boy gushed.

All-American shook his head as he picked up a book to read the back cover.“The whole way here,I had to listen to him readingone of your stories out loud.Which one was it,again?It had a lot of sex in it.”

“That narrows it down,”Kimmy joked.

Surfer Boy sighed,and for a scary moment,she thought he was going to swoon.“More Than Once.Just came out yesterday and already it’s my favorite.”

“They’re all your favorite,”his friend muttered.

“This one’s my absolute favorite.”

Something about that phrase struck Kimmy and she pulled back from the table.She’d heard it recently,or read it in a message or an email.She knew it from somewhere.“Wait a minute.Do I know you?”

Surfer Boy flashed that crooked grin of his and held out his hand.“I hope so.I email you,like,all the time.I’m Darryl Baker,”he announced,pleased as if she had guessed it herself.“We’ve chatted online before,too.I’m kleighfan22030.You said you recognized the zip code because you went to college there.”

“Yeah,I remember.”Kimmy nodded as she shook his hand.“Every time I have a new book come out,I always look for an email from you.I know you’ll send me something saying what you thought about it.I love that.”

“I love you!”Darryl cried,laughing.“God,your stories!Scott likes them,too,even though he doesn’t read them.He listens.This is Scott,my partner.”

Kimmy shook Scott’s hand,as well.“I listen to the dirty parts,”Scott said with a leer.“For a woman,you sure seem toknow how to write about two guys getting it on real well.”

It was something Kimmy had heard often enough before.With a laugh,she admitted,“I have a vivid imagination.And a prettygood collection of porn,too.”

“Well,we’re in room 510,”Scott drawled,“if you want to come on up sometime this weekend…”

Darryl elbowed him roughly.“Don’t listen to him.God!You can’t just proposition her like that.”

Embarrassed,Kimmy suggested,“You know,I’m on a few panels tomorrow,and there’s a Meet and Greet on Sunday—”

But Scott gave her a simmering stare.“How about dinner instead?Tonight?You have any plans?”