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

“…sure. Yeah. Whatever you want.”


“I only thought I should ask because it’s a bit personal. You don’t need to answer, of course.”


They regarded each other in the pause. The wind crackled in, sharp and autumn-tipped and prescient as a prophecy. Clouds gathered up steely knives overhead, getting ready to fling them down.


Jason said, “I’ll probably answer. Go ahead.”


“If you’re certain. I suppose I can ask it first, and then if you’d rather not answer, you don’t have to, once you know—”


“Oh. Er…are you at all anxious about tomorrow? About the stunt dive?”


The wind faded. The world faded: shocked and pale, for an instant uncomprehending, struck by a bullet seen but not quite yet felt.


Jason, motionless, stumbled through, “Why would you ask that?” Everything lurched and swung, hanging on gossamer precarity. His own emotions. His need for this role. The knowledge that he said he’d be fine. The knowledge that he wasn’t.


Chapter 33