"Do you love me?" I was sick of hearing excuses. If he couldn't answer that one question, then any more talk was pointless. My voice shook slightly, but I didn't look away from his eyes.

"More than what's probably healthy."

"And you expect me to trust you? You rejected me not once, but twice, indicating both times that I would somehow mess up your life. That's some heavy-ass baggage to lay on someone. I don't think I can be with you. I'd always be afraid you'd walk away at the drop of a hat." My words were raw and piercing. I had basically closed the door on a relationship with him. The thought nearly kneecapped me.

He looked thunderstruck, taking several moments to answer. "Babe, I know I don't deserve your trust, but I'm willing to show you. I'm not going anywhere. I've sucked at commitments in the past, pushing everyone away when they get close, but I want to fight for us. I believe in this. Please, let me prove it to you. Let me have the chance to woo you. To prove I want you in my life."

I almost caved. I wanted to so badly my knees trembled, but I held myself rigid. He'd already crushed my heart once. Another rejection might damage it beyond repair. "You want me in your life now, but what about six months later when you're neck deep in medical school and you begin to think I'm holding you back again?"

He stepped closer, placing my hand over his chest and holding it in place. "I can't see into the future, but I promise you that's not going to happen. This past month has been hell without you. I want you in every aspect of my life—in my bed, in my arms and next to my side. Will you let me prove it?"

His words took my breath away and my resolve began to crumble. I searched his eyes, seeing nothing but naked truth in them. After a long, hesitant pause, I finally nodded my head.

He pulled me tightly to his chest to capture my lips.

I placed my hands against him, holding him back. "Not so fast. You're going to have to prove it first, just like you said you wanted to do. No kisses, no intimate touching or anything else. I want to know that you want me, not just sex."

He smiled willingly. "Done. Should we shake on it?" He held out his hand and I eyed it before letting it engulf mine.

***

I lit another candle as my phone rang.

"So, what was today's delivery?" Olivia greeted me.

I shifted the phone to my other ear as I lit another candle. "Nine historical romance books. One for each time we made love," I answered, blushing as I recalled the note that had accompanied the package that had been dropped off earlier that day. For the last two weeks, Alec had showered me with gifts. One day it had been a dozen daisies for the number of weeks we'd known each other. Another day he sent a bag of Sour Patch Kids for the time I had confessed my weakness for them. Each delivery was left on my doorstep and always had a small note, reminding me of its significance. The wooing didn't end there. Alec would text me sweet messages during the day and spicy messages before I went to bed, ensuring that he would be the star of my dreams. I saved each note and text message, reading them over and over again. I fell a little more in love with him each day.

"Oh lord. That boy has got it bad," Olivia sighed. I knew she thought Alec and I had gone off the deep end, but even her fear of commitment couldn't break the bubble of happiness I seemed to be floating on. It wasn't the gifts or even the messages that Alec had bestowed on me. It was the other things, like the day he took me to the park to fly kites with him and Lily, or the morning he and I went to the zoo to see the peacocks. The best part was the late-night phone calls that seemed to last forever that won me over. Surprisingly, he'd stuck to his word and hadn't tried to touch me or kiss me since the party, but he had wooed me in every other way possible. Now, after two weeks, it was me who was ready to end the deal. I wanted him so badly it had begun to consume my every thought.

"It's sweet," I lamented, blushing again. Olivia just didn't know what it felt like to be in love. I stood up to turn off the lights, smiling at the flickering candles I had set around the room.

"So, I guess that means you're ready to get back on the Alec train. Admit it. You want his steam engine back in your station."

I snorted at her crude words. "Sheesh, Liv. You're worse than a guy."

"Ha, you wish, slutbag."

My doorbell rang before I could throw out my own term of endearment. "He's here. I'll call you tomorrow. "

"Fine, but at least let him walk in the door before you throw your panties at him."

I giggled like a schoolgirl. She wasn't that far off. "Can't make any promises. Love ya," I said, heading for my door.

"Love you too, even if you are a ho." She snorted with laughter, disconnecting the call.

Tossing the phone on the counter, I glanced in the mirror, smoothing my hair down one last time before pulling the door open.

He looked more gorgeous than should have been legal, but my feelings ran deeper than that. What I felt was as much affection as attraction.

"Are you ready?" He inhaled the scent of my candles that had filled my small apartment. "That smells good."

I nodded my head, knowing when he said "ready," he was asking about our date, but I wanted something else. I surprised him by reaching for his hand and slowly dragging him into my apartment.

His seemed confused until he took in the dimness of the room. "Are you sure?"

I stepped closer to him. "I've never been more certain." I looped my arms around his neck so my body was pressed against him. He placed his hands around my waist, anchoring me in place. The contact made me tremble. It had been so long since I had felt his embrace.

"I wasn't done winning your heart back," he said huskily, running his hands up and down my side.

"My heart is already yours," I whispered, placing my lips on my favorite spot on his neck that I had first licked so long ago. This time it was his turn to tremble in my arms.

"And mine is yours," he said as his lips claimed mine. "I have something for you."

"I know, let's go to the bedroom and you can give it to me." I grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the hallway.

"No, well, I want that for sure, but I want to give you this first." He reached behind his back, into his pocket. "I was going to give it to you at the restaurant, but this works too." He brought his hand around holding out a single, perfect peacock feather. "I'm hoping this will be our new beginning."

His hand moved to the back of my neck, massaging me gently. "Nicole, I love you." His voice was deep and husky, but more importantly, sincere.

"I love you," I echoed a moment before his lips crashed to mine.

Chapter Twenty-One

"Are you ready for this?"

I shook my head. "Not on your life. I can't believe I allowed you and Olivia to talk me into this."

"Interview phobia?" Alec teased, reminding me of a conversation we had long ago.

I ignored his question as I sat on the edge of the loveseat in the green room of the local news station. Fear didn't even begin to cover how I was feeling at the moment. Maybe when I tossed my cookies, Alec wouldn't think it was so funny. I'm sure when the morning wake-up talk show asked to do an interview with me, they thought I would be more sophisticated and put together. Not a jittery mess. I wished I would have taken Olivia's suggestion and downed a bottle of wine, but it was too late now.

Thomas, one of the producers we had been introduced to, entered the room. "Ms. Blake, Mr. Petropoulos? This is Lisa Shaw," he said, introducing us to a tall, leggy beauty I recognized from watching the show.

I stood up to shake her hand, trying to control the shaking in my knees. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she said, beaming at me. "I have to say, I read your book and I absolutely adored it. I'm a little awestruck at the moment, so you may have to excuse me if I start fangirling too much."

A warm feeling spread through me as some of my tension left. "I'm so happy to hear that. I enjoyed writing it, and I'm so glad readers were able to connect with it."

"Oh, I connected all right," she laughed. "I can barely wait for book two to come out. Have you picked a date yet?"

I nodded. "Hopefully soon. That's all I can say at the moment."

"I can't wait," she gushed. Thomas cleared his throat. "Oops, that's our cue to get rolling," she said as an assistant attached a microphone to my shirt and then Alec's. "This will be a short segment. Just keep your focus on me and forget about the audience."

"Sounds great," Alec said, placing a warm hand on my knee that had started bouncing nervously.

We followed the assistant into the studio where a small audience sat waiting for the show to return from commercial break. Two empty plush chairs sat next to Lisa, separated by a small round table. Thomas counted us down and Lisa turned directly into the camera as the audience applauded. "Welcome back, everyone. You all know how I love me some romance," she said, making the audience roar with laughter. "Fortunately, we have one of the hottest authors in the business right now living in our own backyard. Here to talk about her latest book, Wicked Lovely, is New York Times bestselling author, N.S. Blake, and for an extra treat, the cover model—yeah, this is him right here—Alec Petropoulos." She held up the book, pointing to the cover as the audience applauded loudly.

Alec and I both waved, although I wanted to disappear into my chair.

"So, Nicole, your book burned up the industry charts almost overnight, making it an instant sensation. Did you expect to be so openly embraced?" Lisa asked, holding up a copy of the book again.

I laughed lightly. "No, it was definitely a surprise. As a self-published author, I'd seen some moderate success with my previous books. I knew when I started writing Wicked Lovely that it was going to be entirely different than my Pirate Nights series. A bit darker, more angst and sexier. My hope was that my readers would come to love it like I had."

Lisa laughed with delight. "That we did." She fanned herself with her hand. "I can imagine becoming a New York Times bestseller at your age must have been a surreal experience. Just so viewers know, you celebrated your twenty-second birthday earlier this year, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, in March," I answered, blushing slightly. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would hit a list, let alone the most respected. That title belongs to real writers."

"I hate to break it to you, Nicole, but you're as real as they come. Wicked Lovely has quickly become my favorite book."

"Thank you," I said, blushing again. "I think with every book a writer releases, they hope the story will resonate with the readers. I'm so grateful Wicked Lovely is that story for me. I credit it to my great cover model," I teased, trying to shed some of the attention on Alec.

"Ah, yes, the gorgeous cover model. Alec, how has your life changed since you posed for this shot? I can imagine you're in high demand. I'm sure viewers in my age bracket can't help thinking of the popular cover model Fabio," she said, clutching her chest dramatically. The audience burst into laughter again as she continued. "I have to say, you put Fabio to shame," she added as the Wicked Lovely cover appeared on a giant screen behind us. The audience hooted with glee.

Alec's eyes moved to mine as he slid his arm around me. "The biggest change in my life is I managed to get the girl. I guess you could say that cover made my dreams come true too."

Lisa practically swooned as the entire audience let out a collective "ah." Lisa regained her composure quickly, tapping the book. "So, this led to a brand-new love story?"

Alec and I both nodded. "I guess you could say it was love at first sight," I teased.

"Oh, that's a love story I'd love to read. Any plans to turn it into a book?"

"What happens under the cover … stays under the cover," Alec drawled.

Lisa laughed at the play on words. "No, that story belongs to us," I clarified, lacing my fingers through Alec's. "But I may weave certain parts of our love story into something I write in the future," I said deviously, making Alec hide a chuckle with a cough.

Lisa laughed brightly. "That's all we can ask for. So, what's up next for N.S. Blake?"

I debated her question for a minute. It was hard to pick one thing. Wicked Lonely, the next book in the series, was finished, but I couldn't mention it since we were currently in negotiations with one of the major publishers. They were excited about the series and Jillian, my new agent, suspected I would be signing a deal soon. I could mention the next series I planned to write, but that was in the beginning stages. Maybe the right answer would be to mention what was next for Alec and me since we were both here. But I wasn't sure I wanted to share any more of our story. I liked that it belonged only to us.

I laughed again. "Lots of exciting things," I finally answered, squeezing Alec's hand.

Lisa nodded, seeming satisfied. "I want to encourage everyone watching to pick up Wicked Lovely. Ladies, you'll thank me," she said, holding up the book again. "Everyone in our audience today will, of course, be taking home a copy. Alec and Nicole, thank you for joining us here on the morning wake-up show. We wish you future success on not only your written love stories, but also your unwritten love story."

"Thank you for having us," I answered.

Lisa shook our hands after the cameras went off for another commercial break. She asked me to sign the book, and I promised her an advanced copy of Wicked Lonely when it was ready.

We waited around until after the show ended to sign the copies the studio audience had received. As we left the building, Alec slid his arm around me and I snuggled into his embrace that felt so right.

I had told Lisa during the interview that I would never pen the Alec and Nicole love story, but honestly, it would probably make a pretty decent read. We had everything a good romance story needed—a rocky beginning, a slow build to a budding relationship, several hurdles to overcome, and finally, a happily ever after. So, yeah, maybe one day I would sit down and put something together. I even knew what I would call it. After seeming like we were wrong for each other, as an author, only one title felt appropriate. The Write Stuff.