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

Jason held him, talked to him, gazed at him. Felt that sword-tap honor on shoulders all over again. Entrusted with this man.


Colby seemed to be lost in the waves, after: murmuring Jason’s name, but unfocused and wanting to cling to an anchoring body. Jason, who knew that Colby when more awake did not like extensive touching, cuddled him tenderly, cleaned him up as much as possible, told him how brilliant he was, and felt the morning like the edge of that sword in his heart: solemn and steel-sharp, able to slice and to defend.


Colby cried a little, which Jason had been half-anticipating, though it didn’t last long, which he might not have anticipated. That release. That giving over of self. Emotions, adrenaline, endorphins. Even on top of Colby’s past, that’d be the case. Colby woke up more at this point, though, and found a shaky smile. “I…oh, Jason. Oh, my. I haven’t got words.”


Chapter 118