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

“Don’t say anything,” Colby said. “I don’t know why. Felt like the thing to do.”


“I like your voice,” Jason said. “You sound…not exactly less English, because you are, that’s always there, but sort of more…other things too. When you’re yourself, I mean, not on camera.”


“The accent’s terrible.” Colby detached one hand enough for a wave; put it back, after. “It’s all over the place. It’ll be more historically posh and proper for a while after this role; that always happens. I spent one or two years unsuccessfully trying to lose it after my parents divorced and my mother decided she wanted us to stay in California, in the sun, by the sea. Surfboards and sand. Fitting in. Dude.”


Jason laughed out loud, which was gratifying; he’d been aiming for that.


The night unwound a fraction around them: forest-papered walls and dark furniture, lamplight throwing out beacons of gold.


Chapter 103