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“Yep.”
“Because it reminds me of you.”
I open my mouth then close it again as a flush rises in my cheeks. Tyler watches me with great amusement and goes on.
“My favorite beer is Budweiser, my favorite non-alcoholic drink is fresh orange juice, and my favorite thing to do on a hot day is drink beer.”
My lips form a wide grin. “Okay. I think my need for information is sated. For now.”
“Good. And now I guess we have to get to my gritty stuff, right?”
I nod. “I fessed up. Now it’s your turn.”
“Okay.” He grabs his mug of tea and drinks half of it before setting it back on the table. He settles his arms around me again, linking his fingers on my back, and looks up. “Let’s see… When we were little, Tessa and Aaron were constantly following our parents around. They wanted to know every last bit of the business. My dad tried for about a year to get me interested, but I just didn’t care. I didn’t have the right head for it.
“Then we got older, and while they started internships and work experiences, I started sleeping with girls. Yeah. I was that knobhead.” He laughs. “I studied photography at A-level in college just to make up the number of courses I needed to take and fell in love with it. It was so calm and quiet compared to my rowdy, devil-may-care personality. It was a great contradiction. Soon, I started doing it all the time. I begged Uncle Brandon to let me work in the photography department in the New York office when I was eighteen and he agreed. I guess he was happy I was finally showing some interest.
“Anyway, I went back home after the summer and hit uni. I took photography classes and teaching classes. I wanted to make sure I had a backup in case I never made it freelancing. I didn’t want to get jobs just because of who I was. I wanted to do it because I’d earned the fucking right to.”
“I get that.”
He nods. “Anyway, I graduated after a few years and walked right into a teaching job. It wasn’t anything huge or well paid. Just evenings and weekends, but it was enough to get some experience. I loved it—loved showing other people how to get the best out of the camera.”
“Wait. You told me you hated it.”
“I lied a little. I never really hated it though. I just loved freelancing more. I worked them side by side for a few years.”
“So why did you stop?”
He runs his hands down my back, still linked, and settles them at the top of my butt. He watches me for a moment, his face getting ever more serious.
“Tyler. Why?” I prompt him again.
He sighs and rests his forehead again mine. His eyes are closed, like he doesn’t want to look at me as he tells me.
“I slept with one of my students.”
My partner, Darryl, for no longer rolling your eyes when I suddenly stop and shout that “I finally have it! I’m a fucking genius!” before running out of the room at a speed Usain Bolt would be impressed by to find a notepad. And for always believing in my ability to write yet another book. I couldn’t do this without you. I love you.
Kendall Ryan, Laurelin Paige, S. K. Hartley, Lexi Ryan. Your support and friendship means the world. I love you, ladies.
WrAHMs… For being there when it’s good and when it’s bad. And for the sprints that inevitably fail because we all get distracted by each other. Heart you, ladies. Xoxo
My 4evno babes. For word sprints and word count stickers. <3
My agent, Dan Mandel, for always encouraging me to push myself and believing in me as a writer. And my foreign rights agent, Stefanie Diaz, for all you do.
My editor, Michelle Kampmeier, for taking my words and making them shiny. And for The Big Bang Theory GIFs. Always the GIFs. Xoxo
My betas, Holly Baker, Zoe Pope and Jo Webb. The first to love Tyler, you boost my ego good. Love you.
Heidi Tretheway for your never-ending love of my words and ability to translate my British into American, and for recognizing how much of a great American Brit I am these days. Good job I listen to you, right? ;)
My street team, the ever-fabulous Hartbreakers. Your excitement and fangirling and general support lifts me when I’m feeling down. I know if I need a pick-me-up or some hot guys to inspire me, you’re all there in an instant. Love you, ladies. A lot.
My publicist at InkSlinger PR, Danielle Sanchez. We just started working together but already you’ve made me life easier. I can’t wait to see where we go from here. Thank you.
All of my bloggers. I wish, wish, wish I could name you, but I’m so afraid I’ll miss someone then feel terrible. So if you’ve helped me at any point in my career, whether it be a cover reveal, a release blast, a blog tour, a review, or even just a link share, know that I value you so much. I consider you friends as well as readers and bloggers. Thank you for your love of books. I know for sure I couldn’t do this without you. You make the book world a better place.
