Right now, though, the glare on his face is kind of scary. I'm glad it's not directed at me and is fully on the printed-out papers in front of him. He’s reading the contract I signed, and he is not happy.

  "Geoff Hale. I recognize the name,” Spencer says, and it doesn't temper his anger about the contract.

  I was worried he could be a fan of Geoff's. Scout told me how Spencer collects comics, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility. But the scowl on Spencer's face deepens as he scans the pages.

  "You've been doing the illustrations for his new series?”

  "I'm not supposed to admit that. There’s an NDA.” It’s more common that a person does both the drawings and the writing, but drawing wasn’t Geoff’s strong suit.

  "I'm your lawyer, you can tell me anything,” Spencer says, and I relax at the finality of his statement. He’s my lawyer, and he’s going to help me. "Do you want to wait for the food to arrive before we dig into the things he's been doing to violate this contract?"

  Spencer's eyes search my face longer than most people would when asking a question. He's done it more than once, but I don't think he's checking me out. It’s like he’s trying to figure out if he knows me.

  Getting all dressed up in cosplay lets me appear completely different. It's part of the fun. But I have been good about keeping my real name away from any of this. Only Geoff knows who I really am. When finalizing the contract, I didn’t have a choice but to give him my real name. That’s come back to bite me on the ass.

  As far as I can tell, Spencer hasn't connected my real name with my persona.

  "I would rather get it all out now." It’s not easy to talk about this, but I want to keep pushing forward. I’m worried that if I stop, I’ll change my mind.

  "Then let's start at the beginning. How did you and Geoff come to work together?"

  I huff and put my face in my hands. I hate telling this story because I see how naïve I was. Spencer must sense my frustration because he comes around his deck to sit in the chair next to mine.

  “It’s going to be okay. You can trust me.”

  “I think that’s what got me here. I’m too trusting.” When I look up, he’s smiling softly.

  “Maybe, but I’m willing to bet it’s a series of events.”

  That’s probably true. It wasn’t until all the red flags were out and smacking me in the face that I really saw how much I’d missed or brushed aside.

  “Okay, the beginning would have to be at the convention.” I’m telling Spencer about meeting Geoff when all of a sudden Spencer’s eyes widen.

  “Wait.” He holds up his hand like he’s going to grip my chin, and I pause mid-sentence. He stops himself before he makes contact, and I realize I’m disappointed he doesn’t touch me.

  “It’s fine,” I whisper, letting him know it’s okay. After a moment’s pause, he keeps going until his fingers catch my chin to tilt my head back.

  “Delphine?”

  Oh, wow. He got it on the first try.

  “Yep, that’s me.” My teeth sink into my bottom lip, and I have no idea why I'm suddenly shy. I suppose it’s because of how Spencer might perceive me. People can be judgmental when it comes to cosplay or dressing up. They think it’s silly or a million other judgmental things.

  “You really are breathtaking in every form.” He gives a slight shake of his head before a rueful smile takes over his handsome face.

  “Thanks.” I have no doubt heat is rushing to my cheeks. Why am I blushing? I’m not usually like this, but when I’m dressed as Delphine, I can pretend to be her. Right now I’m simply me.

  “Oh sorry!” I hear from behind us, and I jerk back to see Scout standing in the open doorway. Crap, is this inappropriate? Great, now Scout is going to think I’m hitting on her cousin. “I’ll, uh, come back.” Scout's eyebrows are almost to her hairline.

  “Let me take that from you first,” Spencer says and gets the white bag of food from her. “We’re good if you want to head out for the day.”

  “I want to make sure Abbie gets home safely.”

  “I’m fine,” I tell her at the same time as Spencer speaks.

  “I’ll take her.”

  I’m fine, I mouth to her, even though I really like the idea of Spencer taking me home.

  “All right, then I’ll leave you to it.” Scout takes a step back, and a smile lights up her face. I take it she wouldn’t have been pissed if there had been anything happening with Spencer and me. Not that there is! Or she could just be happy about leaving early.

  Spencer takes the bag of food over to the other side of his office, where there’s a couch and table along the wall. I love how his office is professional and comfortable, but at the same time, I can spot a few unassuming figurines on a couple of his shelves and bookcases. There are traces of the real man here that don't include the high-powered attorney persona.

  "Come on, let's eat, and you can tell me more."

  At his offer, my stomach growls, so I follow him over to the couch. We sit down, and as we eat, I keep talking. I tell him how Geoff came into my life and how things changed over time. The more I talk, the more irritated he becomes. When I make it to social media crap, Spencer stands and removes his suit jacket. The moment he rolls up his sleeves, I have to look away. He’s gone from irritated to pissed, but he’s trying to hide it.

  “He’s behind it, but I have a person who can dig into it and check.”

  “I don’t want to think it’s him, but you’re probably right,” I admit. Spencer puts more food onto my plate, and I pick up another one of the chicken wings. “These are really good.” It’s the first time in a week I’m not having to force myself to eat. "Maybe you should have some more so you won't feel so angry."

  “In a minute.” He sits back down and pulls out his phone. “I have a sense of what Taylor is going to say about this.”

  My stomach tightens, but it’s probably the wings. They are spicy, and I haven’t eaten much lately.

  “Who’s she?”

  “He,” Spencer corrects. “Taylor is good at digging into shit. I’m sure he’ll want your phone and possibly your computer.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “First he’ll want to check to see if anyone is tracking you with them.”

  “Oh gosh. That never crossed my mind.” Would Geoff have gone that far? “Can he remove them if that’s the case?”

  “He could, but he might want to use it as bait too. We could turn the tables on this asshole.” Spencer's taps on the phone screen grow harder with each one. "As I thought." When he lifts his head, I look away quickly so I’m not caught staring at him. I can't help it; he has a jawline similar to Vance Astrovik. Also known as Justice in the Marvel Universe.

  Spencer places his hand on my knee and gently squeezes it. "We got this. No one is going to hurt you."

  "I want to believe you." Tears sting in my eyes, but I fight them back. It's what I should be doing: fighting to get my life back.

  "I'm going to prove it to you,” Spencer vows. Crap, I better be careful or I might fall for this man. "Trust me, Abbie. Can you do that?"

  "I think so." I nod.

  "All right then." He stands. "First we’ll go to your place and get your phone and computer."

  "Okay," I say, realizing he’s ready to move on this quickly.

  "You can pack a bag too." Spencer starts cleaning up our food containers, and it takes a second for his words to sink in.

  “Pack a bag?”

  “You said you’d trust me.”

  “What does that have to do with packing a bag?”

  “You’re going to stay with me,” he says as he straightens to his full height. "I promise we’ll both sleep better if you’re with me."

  “Well, okay then.” I should be freaking out about staying with him, but right now, all I can think about is the disaster I left at my apartment.

  When Spencer gets a peek at my place, I'm sure he's going to change his mind about me staying with him. In my defense, when I take the time to organize it, I can’t find anything. Chaos is my normal.

  Chapter Four

  SPENCER

  Abbie’s apartment building is in a not-so-great part of town, but she tells me it’s what she can afford and she’s got good neighbors. On the way here, she told me more about the work she was doing prior to signing the noncompete with Geoff. It’s the most animated I’ve seen her as she describes her art and what she loves about creating characters for comics.

  When we get to the top of the stairs on the fourth floor, she stops and faces me. Her expression has gone from playful to serious, and maybe even afraid.

  “I need to warn you, I wasn’t expecting company when I left here today.” She bites her bottom lip, and I realize she’s nervous.

  “I lived with two guys in college that didn’t know what a laundry basket was. You’re good.” I try to ease her fears, but she doesn’t seem to shake it off as she unlocks her door.

  When we step inside, she keeps her eyes on me as if waiting for my reaction. I glance around the small space and see piles of notebooks and drawings on a coffee table. There’s a sewing machine on a little table next to the kitchen, but she would have a hard time using it as a dining table because it’s covered in fabric. In the distance I can see a bedroom where the sheets are pushed back like she got up and didn’t make the bed, and there’s a few pieces of clothes draped over the side.

  “Well, it’s official.” I let out a long sigh before turning to face her.

  “What?” Her eyes go wide, bracing for the blow.

  “We’re going to have to call someone who specializes in hoarders to clean this place up. There’s no way around it.”

  Abbie rolls her eyes, but I see a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It’s so fucking cute. “Ha. Ha. Ha.”

  “I’m not sure how we’re going to make it through this without professionals.” I shake my head solemnly as she walks past me, fully grinning now.

  “Listen, I know I’m messy, but there’s a method to the madness.”

  “Spoken like a true hoarder. You know, admitting the problem is the first step.” I’m smiling back at her as she goes over to a pile of stuff on the coffee table. She picks up a notebook, and directly under it is her laptop.

  “See?” She holds it out to me in triumph, and I take it from her.

  “Abbie, come on. This is nothing.” Her cheeks flush a little, and I’m noticing that happens when I say her name. Interesting. “You made it sound like I was walking into a frat house after rush week.”

  I send Taylor a quick text telling him I’ve got her laptop and to meet me here to get it before I take Abbie to my place. Once I’ve done that, I put my phone away and give her my full attention.

  “It’s not that I think it’s that bad, it’s just that people have said it to me. A lot.” She shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but clearly it is. She was afraid to let me see this, so someone has made her feel like shit about it.

  “People, or a person?” Why do I get the feeling this Geoff guy was doing everything he could to take her down emotionally and financially?

  “Umm, more recently? Yeah, I guess just one person.”

  “That’s what I thought.” I put the laptop by the front door and go over to where she’s standing. My heart aches for how broken her spirit is, and before I know what I’m doing, I’m taking her hand in mine. “He was intentionally breaking your spirit so you would come to him for everything. Money, praise, support. All of it. It’s not your fault, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You might think you’re messy, but from what I see, your home is yours. It’s lived in, but it’s clean, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” She looks like she might cry again as she tilts her head back to meet my eyes. “Scout said you’d help me pursue legal action, but this feels like above and beyond for a client.”

  My chest rises and falls as I look down at Abbie, trying to explain what I’m feeling. It’s probably not the best idea to confess to all the ways I’ve gotten off to her cosplay videos, so I’ll stick with the safer route.

  “When I was little⁠—”

  She huffs a laugh, and it breaks some of the tension. “Now I know you’re lying. Little? You?”

  “Believe it or not, I was pretty scrawny until I graduated high school. I grew almost two feet in four years. It sucked. I felt like a baby deer learning to walk.” That makes her smile, so I take her other hand and give them both a squeeze. “But I didn’t have a lot of friends until I met Landon and Gideon. Until then, I had comic books to keep me company. I got bullied most of my childhood for it, and I remember the way people made me feel like shit about something I loved. Nobody deserves that.”

  “Yeah, I got that a lot too,” she admits and squeezes my hands back.

  “As I got older, I found a community within the comic book world and met people that liked what I liked. It felt like getting a second chance at my childhood, and I can’t imagine someone trying to make me feel like shit for it now.”

  “I can’t see anyone thinking they could intimidate you.” She looks me up and down, and if I was the type of man to blush, I probably would.

  “This is important to me because people should be free to be who they are. They don’t deserve to get bullied into a corner because someone was able to take advantage of their kindness. It’s the reason I became a lawyer, but your story sits heavy on my heart. The more I hear, the more I know it could have happened to me when I was young and lonely. Well, maybe not the drawing part because stick men give me trouble.”

  We laugh a little together at that, and she takes a deep breath. It seems to shake off some of the worry from earlier.

  “Plus, you’re Delphine. I owe you after everything you’ve given me.” The words are out of my mouth before I realize what I’ve said. My body goes rigid as I try and think of a cover story that doesn’t include me jerking myself off every night to the videos of her in cosplay.

  “What do you mean?” Abbie looks confused, but she smiles at me like she suspects exactly what I’m not saying.

  “Um, it’s…um…nothing. I just meant that um, your costumes are a fantasy. Shit, I mean, the character is a fantasy. Wait, you’re beautiful, obviously. I got to watch you. But not like that⁠—”

  There’s a knock on the door, and I almost fall to the floor with relief that Taylor is here for the laptop. The hole I was digging was getting deeper and deeper, and I probably would have blurted out way too much if he hadn’t stopped me.

  “That’s the security guy,” I tell Abbie when she looks alarmed. “He’s here to grab your laptop.”

  “Oh, okay.” She relaxes again before I release her and go to the door.

  Only when I swing it open, it’s not Taylor on the other side.

  Chapter Five

  ABBIE

  A man holding a giant bundle of daisies is standing there. As soon as I realize what’s happening, I take a couple of steps back while shaking my head no.

  “Delivery for Abbie Mann.” He glances at the card before his eyes come to me. “Is that you?”

  “Who is it from?” Spencer towers so high over both of us that he has to peer down at the flowers to try and read the card.

  “Don’t know, just a delivery name,” the guy says and tries to hand the flowers to Spencer.

  Spencer looks at me with concern in his eyes. “Do you know who sent them?”

  “No, but I’m highly allergic to daisies.” I take another step back, my throat tightening in response to seeing them.

  "Are you going to take them?" The delivery guy pushes them a little more in my direction.

  "No," Spencer clips.

  "Well, I can't keep them. I’m not trying to get fired." The delivery guy is talking to Spencer, but he’s watching me with a puzzled look on his face. I know the expression and what it means. He’s trying to figure out where he recognizes me from and why I look familiar.

  "Does this work?" Spencer pulls out his wallet, handing the guy a crisp hundred-dollar bill.

  "Yeah, sure." He takes the money with his free hand, then points to me. "Are you⁠—"

  "No, she's not." Spencer shuts the door right in the man's face without a single apology. "Does Geoff know you're allergic?" When I nod, he presses his lips together in frustration before glancing around. "Okay, let's get your things together. I need you out of here." He runs his fingers through his short locks. "I'll help, or we can call a moving crew."

  "A moving crew? Why would we need all that? I thought this would be for a few days until we get everything worked out.”

  "All right, we’ll start with bags then." He goes into my room, and I hurry after him.

  There’s a small closet in there, and I grab a couple bags out. I also grab the box of comics I keep in there. They are the ones I've written myself, and I don’t want to leave them behind.

  Spencer starts to take the box from me, but I hold on to it tighter.

  "Not this one." It's not only what they mean to me that makes me protective of them, but I also have never let anyone else see them before.

  "Super secrets?" he teases.

  "Comics." I lick my lips nervously. "Ones I made. They're personal."

  My comics are a little different because they carry a romantic element. They aren't the norm, but they are what I often crave more of when I read comics. It made me think I can't be the only one.

  “They're all you?” he asks, a half-smile tugging at his lips. Lips that keep catching my attention. I want to draw them—hell, I want to draw all of him. I’m already certain he's going to be an inspiration in my future work. Geoff can’t take that away from me. I might not be able to do anything with my work, but I can keep creating it.

  “Yeah, I’m shy about them,” I say and shrug one shoulder.

  Spencer’s smile is soft and genuine. “If I work on getting you to be not so shy, maybe you’ll share them with me?”

  “I’d like that,” I say and hold the box tighter. “But not yet.”

 

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