An epic motion picture! A gay Napoleonic War love story! Ballrooms and battles at sea! Romantic happy endings on the silver screen! And a film that’ll change everything for its stars ... Jason Mirelli can’t play adrenaline-fueled action heroes forever. He’s getting older, plus the action star parts have grown a little thinner since he came out as bisexual. This role could finally let him be seen as a serious dramatic actor, and he needs it to go well -- for his career, and because he’s fallen in love with the story and the chance to tell it. The first problem? He’ll be playing a ship’s captain ... and he hasn’t exactly mentioned his fear of water. The second problem? His co-star: award-winning, overly talkative, annoyingly adorable -- and openly gay – box office idol Colby Kent. Colby’s always loved the novel this film’s based on, and he leapt at the chance to adapt it, now that he has the money and reputation to make it happen. But scars and secrets from his past make filming a love story difficult ... until Jason takes his hand and wakes up all his buried desires. Jason could be everything Colby’s ever wanted: generous and kind, a fantastic partner on set, not to mention those heroic muscles. But Colby just can’t take that chance ... or can he? As their characters fall in love and fight a war, Colby and Jason find themselves falling, too ... and facing the return of their own past demons. But together they just might win ... and write their own love story.

Seaworthy

So incongruous, that world. Clouds and wind and nineteenth-century cravats and polished boots. A twenty-first century trailer and that cellphone in Colby’s other hand. The fact that Colby, when Jason had half expected him to close the door or make excuses, had instead offered to share lunch and made a joke.


“Thank you,” Colby said again. “This was so kind. Jason, I did want to ask if—”


His phone rang. The tune, without lyrics, bounced out upbeat and nostalgic; some sort of oldies pop hit, fifties or sixties, Jason thought, though he couldn’t place it.


“Such perfect timing,” Colby muttered, closer to outright annoyance than Jason had previously seen him. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to answer this, but thank you again? I’ll certainly talk to you later; Jill will want to meet with us at the end of the day, I assume.”


“She does,” Jason said. “At least eat something? Before you share it with your imaginary army.”


Chapter 29