Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 123873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Laughter erupted around them. Cillian pressed his hands over his mouth, watching Brendan over his fingers, barely breathing. He…he couldn’t mean…could he?
“I even had a speech written out. Look.” Brendan turned that wry smile on the crowd as he pulled a folded sheet of paper from inside his coat, shook it out, showing messy scrawled handwriting, before he let it fall to the podium. “I’m not surprised. He’s been upstaging me from the moment we met. With his passion, his dedication…Cillian shows his heart and passion with every role, and as he learns and expands, I know you’ll learn to love him, too.” Brendan breathed deep. “As much as I do.”
Cillian had to bite down on the edge of his thumb to hold back the sound he made.
As much as I do.
Oh, God.
Brendan chuckled, leaning forward, folding his arms on the podium. “Before he stole my thunder, I was going to come up here and confess to the world that I’m not who you think I am. I’m not this suave nice guy. I do not, contrary to surface appearances, have my shit together. I am a grumpy, solitary, workaholic asshole who drives everyone around me to distraction, and at some point I’m fairly certain I’m going to push my agent to a homicide. I’m stubborn. I’m too set in my ways.” His smile turned rueful. “And I’m a coward. Because the entire time I was pretending to be in love with Cillian Tell, I was actually falling in love with him for real…and I was too afraid to face it. Too afraid to admit it wasn’t an act, playing the dutiful boyfriend. Yet every time he hurt…I hurt. When he laughed, I laughed. When he needed something, anything, I wanted to give it to him without question—no matter what it might be.”
Those deep eyes moved to Cillian again, and he remembered the first time he’d locked eyes with Brendan Lau. The intensity of that gaze. The raw power of it, the force of his personality, and even now that personality filled up the space between them until it felt like Brendan spoke only to him. Until it felt as if Brendan touched him, that overwhelming presence closing the distance between them.
“Until Cillian asked me to give him my heart,” Brendan said softly. “And I shut him out when all I wanted to do was pull him close. Show him how much I admire him—his heart, his talent. Show him how proud I am of how hard he’s worked, and everything he’s earned. Show him everything I feel…if only he’ll give me a second chance. But even if he tells me no…” Brendan smiled. “I have another announcement. One that I hope will make more than one person happy tonight—including our equally brilliant friend, Sophie Ling.”
Sophie cocked her head with a quizzical little sound. “…me?” She elbowed Cillian. “Cil, what is he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Cillian rasped out, struggling to keep his seat, to keep from going right up there and flinging himself into Brendan’s arms. “I don’t know, I just…I just…”
“He loves you,” Sophie whispered gleefully. “Now you can be boyfriends for real.”
“Shut up!”
“Cillian accidentally left a script with me, when we last parted ways,” Brendan said. “One written by Sophie. A beautiful script about two prickly, frightened men falling in love. It’s not hard to tell she wrote it for us. That she wrote it for us to play those parts, but if Cillian can’t stand the sight of me after this ridiculous speech, my part can be recast.” He chuckled. “Because I pulled a few strings, and…well, I found a studio willing to sign on for your script, Sophie. And I’ll help fund the production. Because both of you…you’re the future of Hollywood. Not tired, inflexible old assholes like me. And I’m willing to put my career and my bank account behind both of you. Not just because I’m a jackass in love with my costar.” He laughed—and the sound was so raw, so free, as if he’d shed so many of the things weighing him down, and Cillian only loved him that much more. “But because I believe in you both. Because, Cillian Tell…I want to make the big gay blockbuster romance of my dreams with you—and I hope you’ll give me the chance to be your boyfriend for real.”
Cillian couldn’t hold himself in place any longer. Forget the proper behavior for an awards ceremony, forget the rules, forget all the people and cameras watching—he tumbled out of his seat, tripping over people’s ankles, his heart a rush, alight and burning.
Except Sophie got there first.
She scrambled past him, her dress trailing in a flaming red banner, and launched herself up onto the stage and right at Brendan. “Oh my God, you’re the best!” she cried, launching herself into his chest and wrapping her arms around him.