To Hate Adam Connor

I shrugged and opened the door. “Maybe not. But I would’ve definitely taken you with me.”

“I wouldn’t have come.”

Stepping out of her room, I looked back at her and smiled. “I think you would’ve, my little stalker. Actually, I think you would have come more times than you ever did with any other guy.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she paused as if she wasn’t sure if she should speak the next words, but it didn’t take long before she did. I found myself wondering if she ever held anything back. “Thank you for stopping before I could make a big mistake.”

Damn it, but with every word out of her mouth she issued a new challenge I just couldn’t not accept. And that was the biggest turn on for me—after her beautiful face, those stormy eyes, and those nipples, of course…and I guess it wouldn’t be fair to leave out her perfect ass.

“You’re welcome,” I agreed readily. “You might be onto something. I wasn’t sure you could keep up with me or satisfy me enough, anyway. I’d hate to try and fake it just to protect your delicate feelings.”

I heard her little growl and closed the door before the pillow she threw could hit me in the face.

I couldn’t wait to watch those beautiful eyes of hers roll back in her head.

Chapter Fifteen

Lucy

“Olive.”

“Olive, wake up.”

Nothing. Not even a groan.

“Olive. Olive. Olive.”

Finally a groan. “Go away, Lucy.”

“You have to wake up,” I said as I started pushing both of my hands on the bed to make her bounce on it.

“Give me a good reason and I’ll consider opening my eyes,” she mumbled, turning away from me and hugging the pillow tighter to herself.

“Because I woke up.”

“Yeah. I don’t think so. Nice try, now go away.”

“Olive.”

“Lucy.”

I sighed and got on the bed. “Olive, wake up.”

“Lucy, go away.”

This time it was me who groaned.

“That’s not how we play the game, Olive. I come to your room to wake you up and you wake up. And I can’t even lie on your boobies and get comfortable because you’re lying on top of them. Squishing them. Killing them. Have a heart, woman!”

“What did you do to Jason?”

“What did I do to him? Were you dreaming of us having a threesome?” I gave her a gentle push and settled down to lie next to her. “I’m flattered that you chose me to play a role in your fantasies, my green Olive. Give me all the details.”

She released a long sigh. “You’re not going away, are you?”

“Umm…” I pulled one of her pillows from under her head. “Nope.”

“That’s what I thought. Okay.” She accepted the inevitable and plopped onto her back, hitting the covers a little too enthusiastically for my taste. “What time is it?”

“Nine something.”

“Really? Well, that’s a first. You usually wake me up at a more ungodly hour.”

“See?” I bumped her shoulder with mine. “I can be nice. I’m a good friend.”

“Okay. Now that I’m awake…why am I awake again?”

“Because I have news.”

“Good news or bad news?” Olive asked as she lifted the covers so I could get under them. As much as she acted like she hated when I woke her up early, I knew she loved my visits to her bedroom just as much as I did.

Okay, maybe not as much as I did, clearly, but she loved them nonetheless.

I thought about the things I wanted to share with her and couldn’t decide if they were bad news or good news. Definitely a few good ones, but maybe a colossal bad one that would eclipse all the good news? I wasn’t going to think about that one until I was forced to.

“A few good ones, maybe a few bad ones, too?” I ventured without committing to anything.

“Okay. Hit me.”

“Which one do you want first?”

“Give me all the good ones first.”

I nodded. Good choice. “The best one among all the good ones is that I got you…” I drew out the word and paused just to build up more tension.

“Yes…you got me…?”

“I got you…a freaking AUDIOBOOK deal for Soul Ache!”

She sat up in bed and looked at me with big eyes. “We have a deal?”

“Yup. We got one. And that’s not even the best part about it.” Having trouble containing my energy, I sat up and crossed my legs.

“Tell me already!”

“You’re going to be the narrator!”

Her face fell. “What? The narrator? Why would I be the narrator?”

“Because who would read your book better than you?”

“Lucy. No.”

I pushed at her shoulder, and she staggered back. “Olive. Yes.”

Shaking her head, she got out of the bed. “No way. I’m not doing that.”

I watched her pace the length of the bed and let out a long breath. “Yes, you will. And you wanna know why you’ll do it with the biggest smile on your face, my green Olive?”

“Oh, please, enlighten me.”

“Because your freaking husband is your co-narrator, that’s why.”

The pacing stopped, and I had trouble containing my giddy smile.

“Jason? He’ll read with me? You talked to him about this?”

“Of course I did. As much as I think I should have the right, since I practically gave you to him wrapped up in a pretty little package, I can’t make decisions like that in his name. So I talked to him a few days ago and considering the size of that smile he gave me, he really, and I mean really liked that idea. The publisher loved it too, sooo…it’s a go!”

She climbed on the bed again, sitting on her heels and wearing the cutest grin on her face. “You’re a genius, Lucy. I love that idea. I don’t like the fact that I’m gonna be reading it, but me and Jason…I love it.”

I smiled back at her. “You’re welcome, my little green Olive. At first they were concerned about paying Jason, but he doesn’t want anything, so the deal is only for the audio rights for Soul Ache. You’re getting a very big chunk of an advance for it. I made sure of that.”

“So that means you’re getting a big chunk of commission, too.”

I furrowed my brows. “Uh, no. I’m just helping you. And I actually like having the title of temporary agent, so I’m keeping that, but yeah, I’m not taking your money.”

“Yes, you are. Why the hell would you spend so much time talking to so many publishing companies?”

“Because I’m helping you.”

“Yes. Because you’re good at this stuff. With numbers, with getting people to do what you want them to do. And you care about my work. You care about my characters and you want the best for me. I don’t think there is a better agent than you for me, so I’m keeping you and you’re keeping your commission.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and considered her words. I mean, I did need a job, that was already an established fact, but taking money from my best friend…I didn’t care for that idea all that much. She was my best friend, my sister from another mister. I’d help her as much as I could and truly enjoyed helping her with anything she needed, but when—

Olive snapped her fingers in my face, breaking into my thoughts. “There is nothing for you to think about. I asked you to be my agent. Agents get paid. You got a deal for me, which makes you officially my agent. Not a temporary one. I didn’t even ask you to get me an audiobook deal, yet you still did. You’re my agent, Lucy. And you get twenty-five percent.”