Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 112961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
The theme song plays, there’s a vaguely cheesy light show, and they cut to the first commercial. When we return, the segment opens with a montage reel introducing each of the Heroes’ archetypes and showing them in their daily lives, on the show, and talking about meeting me. There are wolf whistles when we see a clip of Colby doing shirtless pull-ups, some laughter as Arjun gets his shoes polished by a street vendor, fangirl screams when Dax launches himself out of an airplane, and the sound pitches higher when the video transitions to a clip of Isaac walking down the hall with a piece of robotic equipment I’m sure they had him hold as a prop so he would appear very Hot Nerdy.
The audience laughs as Dax exits the café after our first meeting and exhales a breathless “Holy [bleep], she’s sexy.”
I clap a hand over my mouth, holding back a cackle.
“Fizzy has this aura, you know?” Nick says in the video. “Confident, strong, grounded. But [long bleep], she’s hot.”
More laughter, and then it doubles when Arjun says: “Yeah, I don’t think we connected.”
The audience cheers when Isaac appears. “Fizzy is the kind of woman a man could wait his whole life for and never meet. You look at her and think, ‘Damn, she’s fine,’ and then you start a conversation and realize she’s got you running in circles and you didn’t even realize it.”
“I knew even when we first dated that she was something special,” Evan says. “A word of advice: don’t get a Bart Simpson tattoo.”
The crowd roars. The video makes me feel this tight tangle of emotions high in my throat. Why couldn’t I fall for one of them?
When the footage ends, Lanelle waits for the applause to die down before she comes in for the salacious part of the show.
She asks the Heroes who were eliminated early vaguely cutting questions with a smile—didn’t Tex think it was a bit sexist to ask me what my father thought of my romance career? Why did Colby think the audience voted him off? Did Arjun watch his episode, and how did he feel he came across?
But then she dials up the charm with Dax and Nick, flirting shamelessly, asking them whether they’d change anything they did or said on the show, whether they think they’d do a show like this again. And then there’s a surprise announcement: both Dax and Nick will be back as the leads in the second season.
“Holy shit,” I murmur to myself. “Holy shit!”
I wonder whether Connor is producing it, or if he’s free now. If he can do exactly what he wants without fear of losing his job and his life in San Diego. I want to ask him, but I have no idea what happens after tonight.
“Hi,” a deep whisper comes from right behind me, and I startle, clapping a hand over my mouth and turning. I’d given up thinking I would see Connor at all tonight, assuming he was watching all of this up in some bird’s-eye-view editorial suite. The instinct to throw my arms around his neck is strong, but even stronger is the desire to drink in the sight of him. His hair is soft and falls across his forehead, but he’s wearing a crisp black suit with a thin black tie. He looks soft and devilish, cuddly and powerful. He is everything in one man, every hero right in front of me, and it takes all my willpower not to uselessly declare my love for a fourth time.
“That’s amazing about Dax and Nick!”
He nods. “I think so, too.”
“Are you EP again?”
“I haven’t decided.” His voice is steady, but there’s something in his eyes, some tightness that I’ve never seen before.
I step a little closer. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He tugs at his shirtsleeve in his suit jacket, smooths his hands down his chest, then over his hair. Fidgety Connor is a surreal sight. He glances at me and away. “You?”
“I would say I’m comparatively chill. What’s with you?”
“Finale,” he says simply. “Just nervous.”
“Everything is going great,” I tell him. “Haven’t you been watching?”
“Yeah—just—” Connor sucks a deep, jagged breath and then blows it out. “The hard part is coming.”
I turn to face him fully and set my hand on his chest. This, I know: “Everything is going to be amazing,” I promise him. “You don’t have anything to worry about. I will not let you down.”
He nods, and his gaze falls to my mouth, drifting unfocused.
My heart decides to evaporate from my body.
“Whatever happens,” I whisper, forcing the words out, “we did this spectacular, brilliant, once-in-a-lifetime thing together, and I will never regret it. I will never regret you.”
Before the words are fully out of my mouth, he’s already leaning down, lips on mine, warm and urgent, his hands cupping my face. Surprise pulls a cry from my throat, but my instincts send tight, possessive fists to the lapels of his jacket, and I stretch up onto my toes, eager for his mouth, desperate for the addicting balance of domination and tenderness in his touch. I don’t know what this is, but I’m no fool. I’ll take anything this man will give me.