Page 6 of Last Fall

Well, that explained why he knew so much about my books. He’d heard stuff from June in thelockerroom.

“Monday. The news will come out Monday.” I tried really hard to hide how disappointed I was to realize he didn’t really know anything about my life’s work. Why would he? We weren’t friends and men generally didn’t care about the careers of womenwriters.

“More books inThe Butterfly Rebellion? Because I’d do just about anything to get an advanced copy of thenextbook.”

I stared at him for a really long time. Probably too long. “I...uh...you’vereadthem?”

He picked up his chopsticks and dug into his ginger salad. “Oh yes. Pretty much my favorite series ever. Do you think they’ll make it into a movie or—oh! A television series like Game of Thrones? Those would be epic with the rightproducers.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what it was like to have an out-of-body experience, but somewhere in the middle of his excited chatter it felt a lot like I detached from my body and was now watching from above as this incredibly sexy fantasy man gushed about mybooks.

Either that or I was asleep and this was all adream.

Somehow I made my lips move. “We’ve had interest but so far nothing concrete. Not for thisseries.”

His head shot around, eyebrow cocked up. Then he leaned closer and whispered. “This news on Monday? Does it involve amoviedeal?”

I nodded quickly. The only people who knew were Jake and Eve, June and Roman, and Wes and Carrie. The deal would officially be announced on Monday, at which point everyone would know, not that it would be the end of the world for Erik to know a few daysearly.

“The book I need to finish tonight is the third and final book in thetrilogy.”

He set down his chopsticks and quietly clapped. “Congrats, Zo. I can’t wait to see the news. Youdeserveit.”

My fantasy of Erik was going into overdrive tonight. And then I was going to avoid him like the plague for at least six months. There’s no way I could face him with the kind of places my imagination planned to gotonight.

“Thankyou.”

When the waitress set his tray of sushi down he whispered something to her. I tried really hard to listen in, but I couldn’t make out whathesaid.

He glanced at me. “I wish you could come to the game but now I want you to stay home and write.” Then he grinned and the most amazing dimple popped in hischeek.

It’s entirely possible my panties combusted into a cloud of smoke.Damn what asmile.

“Why would it matter if I was at the game? Aren’t you working? You’d never know if I wasthere.”

“I’d know,” he said without looking away. “AndZoe?”

I swallowed hard in hopes it would somehow help slow my hammeringheart. “Yes?”

“I didn’t mean, ‘Hey go hang in Eve’s box like you usually do and enjoy the game.’I meant, ‘come sit in the family section andwatchme.’”

It suddenly felt like I’d had the wind knocked out of me. No air moved in or out of my lungs no matter how hard I tried.That look.Oh god, that look.His dark eyes drank me in but not in a hungry, sexual way. It was more pleading than that. More intimate. As if Erik saw no one elsebutme.

I shot straight up, knocking my chair backward. It clattered to the floor with a bang, drawing the attention of every single person in the restaurant. Erik jumped out of his seat and righted my chair. My hands shook uncontrollably as I fished my weekly stash of sushi money out of my wallet and threw it onthebar.

Then I turned and ran out before Erik could stop me. I was almost at my car when his voice rang out across theparkinglot.

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