her body tensed as he shook her hand, his grip gentle yet showing underlying strength. A man you’d want on your side in any battle. A man whose touch initiated tremors across her skin and heat in the pit of her stomach. A man she hoped lived a long way from her home town.
‘Hello, Jemma. From your expression, I assume Brian didn’t tell you I’d be here, so we’re both in the dark.’
Against her will, she responded to the sound of his voice—firm and confident, deep and strong, with a hint of abrasion. The kind of voice that would stir sensations when whispering romantic phrases in a woman’s ear.
Oh, heck, now she was thinking like one of her starry-eyed heroines, and feeling bereft as he let go and moved away.
‘Brian invited me to come in any time I was in Sydney. He didn’t mention anyone else being here today.’
‘I’ll explain once you have a drink,’ Brian said. ‘Coffee, tea or cold?’
‘Flat white coffee with sugar, please.’
She settled into one of the chairs. Nate retrieved his mug and dropped into the one alongside. She was aware of his scrutiny as she scanned the office she’d been too nervous to admire during her first appointment here. It was furnished to give the impression of success with moderation—very apt for the occupant himself.
Average in appearance, and normally mild-mannered, Brian let his passion surface when speaking of books, of guiding authors on their journey to publication and the joy of sharing their triumphs. In assessment he was never condescending, highlighting the positives before giving honest evaluation of the low points, and offering suggestions for improvement.
Why had he invited Nate Thornton to join them? She’d bet he had no idea of the romance genre, and wouldn’t appreciate any relevant cover if she held it up in front of his face.
Brian placed a mug in front of her, sat down with his and smiled—first at her, then towards Nate.
‘We have here an agent’s dilemma: two writers with great potential for literary success, both with flaws that prohibit that achievement.’
Jemma turned her head to meet Nate’s appraising gaze and raised eyebrows and frowned. Why wasn’t he as surprised as she was at this announcement?
Brian regained her attention and continued.
‘Discussions and revision attempts haven’t been successful for either of you. But, as they say in the game, I had a lightbulb moment after Jemma told me she was coming to Sydney.’
He took a drink before going on, and Jemma’s stomach curled in anticipation—or was it trepidation? She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any solution which meant involvement with this stranger by her side.
‘Nate has a talent for action storytelling—very marketable in any media. Regrettably, the interaction between his hero and heroine is bland and unimaginative.’
That was hard to believe. Any man as handsome as he would have no trouble finding willing women to date and seduce. She’d seen the macho flare in his eyes when they’d been introduced, and her body’s response had been instinctive.
‘Jemma’s characters and their interaction make for riveting reading. But the storyline between the extremely satisfying emotional scenes has little impact and won’t keep pages turning. So, as a trial, I’m proposing we combine your strengths in Nate’s manuscript.’
* * *
Nate’s protest drowned out the startled objections coming from the woman on his right. It took supreme effort not to surge to his feet and pace the room—a lifelong habit when agitated or problem solving.
‘Oh, come on, Brian. You know the hours and the effort—physical and mental—that I’ve put into that book. I can understand bringing someone else in...could even accept an experienced author...’
He struggled for words. Huh, so much for being a great writer.
‘You expect me to permit an unproven amateur to mess with my manuscript? Her hearts and flowers characters will never fit.’
‘Isn’t your “amateur status” the reason you’re here too, Mr Thornton? I doubt you’ve ever held a romance novel, let alone read the blurb on the back.’
The quiet, pleasant voice from minutes ago now had bite. He swung round to refute her comment, so riled up its intriguing quality barely registered.
‘Wrong, Jemma. Every single word of one—from the title on the front cover to the ending of that enlightening two-paragraph description—to win a bet. Can’t say I was impressed.’
Her chin lifted, her dark blue eyes widened in mock indignation and her lips, which his errant brain was assessing as decidedly kissable, curled at the corners. Her short chuckle had his breath catching in his throat, and his pulse booting up faster than his top-of-the-range computer.
‘Let me guess. It was selected by a woman—the one who claimed you wouldn’t make it through the first chapter, let alone to the happy ending.’
Shoot! His stomach clenched as if he’d been sucker-punched. Baited and played by his sister, Alice, he’d read every page of that badly written, highly sexed paperback to prove a point.
Brian cut in, so his plans for sibling payback had to be shelved for the future.
‘Relax, Nate. Your hero and heroine’s action stories are absorbing and believable. It’s their relationship that won’t be credible to the reader. I’m convinced Jemma can rectify that.’
‘You’re asking me to give her access? Let her delete and make changes to suit her reading preferences?’
No way. Not now. Not ever.
‘No.’
‘No!’
Their denials meshed.
Brian was the one who negated his outburst.
‘No one’s suggesting such a drastic measure. To start with I’d like the two of you to have lunch. Get to know each other a little. If you can reach a truce, we could start with a trial collaboration on two or three chapters.’
Lunch? Food and table talk with a woman who’d shown an adverse reaction to him on sight?
He sucked in air, blew it out and shrugged his shoulders. What did he have to lose? A book contract, for starters.
He matched the challenge in Jemma’s eyes, nodded and forced a smile.
‘Would you care to have lunch with me, Jemma?’
‘It will be my pleasure, Nate.’
Her polite acceptance and return smile alleviated his mood a tad, though the option he’d been given still rankled. He disliked coercion—especially if it meant having a meal with an attractive woman who was somehow breaching the barriers he’d built for mental survival. Another reason for not entering into a working relationship with her.
He avoided entanglements. One heart-ripping experience had been enough, and was not to be chanced again. It was only his fact-finding skill that had prevented his being conned out of a fortune as well. Any woman he met now had to prove herself worthy of his trust before it was given.
Brian had been straight and honest with him from the start. And Jemma had shown spirit, so she might be good company. He’d enjoy a good meal, and then...
Well, for starters he’d be spending a lot of time reading writing manuals until he’d mastered the art of accurately describing a relationship.
* * *
It was warming up as Jemma exited the building with Nate. The rain had cleared, leaving the pavements wet and steamy and the air clammy. With a soft touch to her elbow he steered her to the right and they walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
She was mulling over the recent conversation between the two of them and