Page 10 of The True Love Experiment

An indelicate laugh rips out of me. “I’m going to say that’s the weirdest compliment I’ve ever received.”

Even his wince seems too perfect to be real. “Sorry. I guess that’s a strange way of saying that I was impressed by you. Natalia has discerning tastes, and she owns every one of your books.”

I feel an eyebrow point sharply skyward.

“She’s made a fan out of me, too,” he admits, and oh no, now he’s gone too far. It would be so refreshing if one of these dudes would just say,I haven’t read your books and I like to mock the genre with my bros, but romance has the largest readership in publishing, and I want to make money off it.

I smile, flashing my teeth. Time to catch him in a lie. “Which book is your favorite?”

“I know you probably expected me to sayRanger’s CastleorAt the End of the Roadbecause of the action in both of them, but I’m going to sayBase Paired.”

Ah, so his adorable assistant is good at the Google. That must be why I’m here. “Base Pairedit is.”

Hot Brit spreads his hands magnanimously. “It’s a clever idea, Felicity, and the timing was great.”

Or maybe he’s not so good at the Google: anyone who knows me either personally or professionally knows that the only people who call me Felicity are my former schoolteachers, and even then only on the first day of class or when I was in trouble.

Anyway, despite his patronizing tone, he’s right—the timingwasgreat. I wroteBase Pairedjust as GeneticAlly launched the DNADuo app, and its publication dovetailed perfectly with the rising hype of the technology. That book, about two sworn enemies who turn out to be a Diamond Match, spent a long time on the bestseller list. Butafter a small production company failed to sell a series, I got the rights back last month.

“Listen, Ted—”

“Connor.”

“—I’m going to be honest,” I say, rolling past this because, frankly, his name doesn’t much matter. “The rights are available, and I’m not opposed to working with someone to adapt it into a film or series, but this project is special to me for a lot of reasons, and I’m wary of—”

He holds up a giant man hand. “Sorry to interrupt. It’s just—that’s not why I asked for a meeting.”

I am immediately confused. And maybe a little annoyed with myself for skimming my agent’s email. “What?”

“I’m not interested in adaptingBase Paired.” Hot Brit shakes his head. “I’m curious whether you’re open to being cast as the lead in an upcoming show.”

At this, I frown, concerned. “I’m an author.”

“Yes.”

“I felt like we were on the same page for a minute.” I wave a finger back and forth between us. “But that question took us to different genres.”

He laughs, and not only does it seem to come from some sexy depth in his chest, it also reveals a small dimple, low on one cheek.

Tall, British,anddimpled? Never trust a cliché.

“We’d like to offer you the role of the central character in an upcoming reality dating show.”

I stare blankly at him. “Me?”

“Yes.”

“A dating show?”

“Yes.”

“One whereI’mdating?”

“Yes.”

“Is this a joke?” I am immediately suspicious. And then it clicks. I went on a couple of dates last year with a community theater director who insisted he had lots of connections in the feature world. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so obvious in my disbelief. “Did Steven put you up to this?”

“Steven?”

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