“Sure, it’s in my bedroom,” she said. “Is the tea ready?”

“Yep,” Aiden said, walking to her bedroom. Her bed was a mess of books, mostly paperback romances, notebooks and notecards. When he found her laptop, he was careful not to tamper with her story, which was still open. Antonia was already on a page eighty-four. Aiden glanced out the door to see her pour a cup of tea and move to the living room. He knew he shouldn’t, but he scrolled through her document and began reading her book from the beginning.

Aiden didn’t know any actual writers. Real ones at least. He’d written a dissertation, but instead of publishing it as a monograph, he’d let it fall by the wayside when he started teaching. This, however, would be something that the world could read. A thrill shot through him as his eyes swept over the text. It was obvious that the heroine, Augusta, was based on Antonia. The protagonist may have been brash and mouthy, but some of her mannerisms felt familiar. The way she nibbled on her lip when she needed to think. The way she rubbed the space between her eyes when she was irritated. He’d seen it a few times after interacting with Antonia. As Aiden settled against her bed, he continued reading the harrowing introduction to Augusta’s character. The research that Antonia did to accurately describe the Arab Spring held his attention. The actions her heroine took to hunt down her story made him want to read more.

“Holy shit,” he muttered. “Shot in the leg?”

Augusta was going to cover this story at all costs and Aiden was right there with her. He scrolled ahead to get to the bit about Bryon and his mouth curled into a smile. Aiden didn’t want to think of himself as an arrogant bastard, but the description of the hero was quite familiar. Right down to the smiling green eyes and heavy black brow. He glanced at the doorway again. Aiden could never tell Antonia that he had read this much. It was almost akin to reading her diary. His eyes widened when he read the passage regarding the heroine’s physical reaction to Bryon’s closeness.

Her chest tightened at the sight of him. Their years apart diminished in an instant as a tsunami of heat hit her body. Already wet with her own desire, her nipples constricted into stiff peaks, brushing against her blouse and creating a delicious friction. She wanted to forget how angry she was and climb him like the magnificent tree he was. But Augusta couldn’t forget the rage that she’d carefully nursed since their break up. Bryon Donnelly broke her heart and she’d remind him of it as soon as she could quiet the aching throb between her thighs.

Whew... If he wasn’t supposed to be checking his email, Aiden would have stayed and read the rest of her first draft. But he was supposed to be checking his email. He carefully minimized her document and did so. He read Robert’s email, rather distractedly, as it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the hot story he’d made himself quit. Sure enough, the call for submissions sounded like something he could participate in. If he tailored his conference paper correctly, he could easily stretch it into something for the anthology. Aiden sighed. He’d tack the anthology chapter onto the long list of things he’d need to work on for the summer.