A knock sounded at Lux's door. He added the finishing touches to a paragraph before he paused the music and pushed back from his desk. He had placed an order for take out about fifteen minutes ago and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the delivery had arrived. He answered the door the way he usually did when he ordered food, very carefully. He'd already had an experience where a fan pretended to be the delivery person. They wouldn't leave until Lux agreed to sign a copy of his latest book. After that incident, he'd always cautiously open the door, making sure it was only wide enough for him to reach out and snatch inside whatever was on the porch.

Lux opened the door, his gaze falling to the mat. His brows pulled together, a small crease forming between them as he stared at a pair of golden floral patterned boots. Dark denim was tucked into the boots, the thighs of which were distressed to the point a muscular tattooed thigh was almost completely uncovered. Well, this obviously wasn't his take out.

Lux took a step back, straightening up. He lifted his chin, blinking up at the stranger. He had fully intended to tell whoever this was to piss off, but before he was able to form a sentence, he choked on his words. Light brown eyes held his gaze, a hint of an excited sparkle making them shine brightly. A bright smile softly curved the corners of a full mouth, revealing straight white teeth with canines that were sharp in a way that made Lux's lower abdomen tighten and his skin tingle. Twin dimples snuggled side by side in the stranger's left cheek, making his smile appear a bit more boyish in nature.

"Lux?" The stranger spoke, breaking whatever spell Lux had fallen under.

He blinked a few times before answering, "Who are you?"

The stranger extended a large manicured hand. "I'm Rhys. Rhysend Williams. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Lux stared blankly up at Rhys. He'd only heard Rhys' voice once, well now twice, and the deep, honeyed voice that made his stomach dip the first time, definitely matched Rhys well. Lux felt awfully small standing in front of his editor which, for whatever reason, made his heart leap into his throat. Lux lowered his gaze to stare at the hand. A black band with bright sunflowers held a smart watch on Rhys' wrist. Lux once again lifted his eyes to stare up at Rhys.

"Why are you here?"

Rhys chuckled lightly. His grin became sheepish, his honey brown eyes softening as he answered, "We have yet to meet face to face and I need to apologize. I decided why not kill two birds with one stone?"

Lux wanted to be angry at the intrusion, but he was too busy internally freaking out. He wasn't expecting anyone to come over nor was he anticipating his new editor just dropping by. Out of the blue. When Lux looked like a fucking gremlin.

Why does it matter how you look?

It shouldn't matter, but for some odd reason, Lux was suddenly extremely aware of the oversized Heart Pirate's sweatshirt and ratty gray sweats he had on. His hair was loose, the curls wild and uncombed as they hung around his shoulders. The only thing keeping the lilac dyed coils out of his face was a black headband. He fought against every urge to slam the door in Rhys' face. He did however, give in to the desire to point out,

"You thought it would be appropriate to show up to my house unannounced."

"I was told by Kerin that this was the best bet to get you to open up."

Lux was going to kill Kerin.

He had been avoiding Rhys on purpose. He wanted to make the editor sweat. Wanted to make him feel bad enough to apologize. Just not like this. Lux was expecting an email, a phone call, a text message, but a drop in?

With no warning?

Oh, he was going to kill Kerin.

Rhys must have sensed that Lux was going to close the door in his face, because before he was able to, Rhys used his right hand to hold the door open, since Lux had left it open a smidge. "Before you close the door, I want to apologize. It seems my email might have made you uncomfortable. That was my intention but-,"

"I'm sorry," Lux interrupted, his head cocked slightly to the side and eyebrows drawn together, "Did you say it was your intention?"

"I did."

"I hope you have good health insurance," Lux muttered before he pushed the door closed. Rhys snatched his hand back in time. Lux locked the door, his wild curls becoming even more so as he shook his head. He stalked down the hallway, past his office, and into his bedroom to grab his phone. He dialed a number and waited, foot tapping an impatient staccato rhythm against the thick cream colored carpet.

"I'm guessing he showed up already?"

Lux hissed, "I'm going to kill you Kerin. Why would you tell him to just show up?!"

Lux heard the eye roll loud and clear in Kerin's voice. "Don't act brand new. You know you would have spent all day ignoring his texts, calls, and emails. He's your editor. You have yet to meet face to face. He said he wanted to apologize. Two birds, one stone."

Lux was beginning to despise that idiom. He hung his head back, taking a deep breath through his nose, before exhaling slowly, "Why do you hate me?"

"Oh my god," Kerin groaned, "If your idle threats don't work, neither will your childish attempts at emotional manipulation. Did you, self proclaimed Petty Queen, miss the part where I said he wanted to apologize?"

Lux heard Kerin. He also heard Rhys. But when he looked like he hadn't showered for the past three days-he had, he just hadn't bothered to put on actual clothing or comb his hair for that matter-he could care less about an apology.

"I'm not dressed for company! His apology doesn't matter when I'm trying to remember if I've brushed my teeth or not!" Lux continued to fuss at Kerin for having given his editor his address, not sending a heads up that the man was on his way, and just when he was about to launch into a rather confusing and telling diatribe about why Kerin didn't at least let him know what Rhyslooked like, his intercom buzzed.

He crossed to the front door, pressing the button to speak. "If this isn't my take out, I suggest you leave quickly."

"What if it's your take out, but also me?" Rhys sounded on the other side.

Lux had to make a hard decision: leave his kung pao tofu, basil fried rice, and spring rolls with Rhys or open the door. His stomach growled, pushing him to open the door. Hunger made Lux angry and impatient, both of which he felt tenfold. He snatched the bags out of Rhys' hand, pulling the door open and looking up at him with an arched eyebrow. "Well?"

Rhys leaned forward, peering inside without actually entering. "I wasn't expecting to make it past the threshold so soon," he muttered. When he leaned forward, a gold chain swung loose from his shirt, the mid-morning sun catching a dangling charm. The warm golden rays danced along Rhys' tattooed forearms, pulling Lux's attention to the forest green long sleeved shirt he had rolled up to his elbows. The color complemented his deep brown skin well.

Lux's grip tightened on the plastic bag, the loud crinkling drawing attention to him. He immediately relaxed his grip, snapping out, "Either come in or leave. You're letting my air out and bugs in."

Rhys took a tentative step inside, keeping his distance from Lux. Which angered him.

Lux stared up at him, eyes dark and stormy. "Are you afraid of me, Rhysend?"

He chuckled, flipping his long locs over his shoulder. "Not afraid. More like, intimidated?"

What kind of person openly admits to someone that they're intimidated by them?

The same person who would admit they purposely wanted to get under someone's skin.

So, an idiot.

Rhys stood awkwardly in the hallway, proving Lux's point. He pushed past his editor, walking towards the living room. When he realized Rhys wasn't behind him, he stopped, slowly turning around. Lux's gaze was darkened by curiosity more so than anything else, but the annoyance was there nonetheless, bubbling under the surface and threatening to spill forth.

"Did you intend to have this conversation in my hallway?"

"I wasn't expecting to get this far to be honest with you. I expected you to slam the door in my face and ignore my subsequent attempts to speak to you. I hadn't accounted for this." He looked genuinely perplexed as he stared at Lux. The corners of his full mouth were turned down and his eyes were slightly heavier. Nervously, he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, lightly biting down.

He really was intimidated.

Lux's stomach growled again loud enough to more than likely do away with the feelings of intimidation. Rhys hid a smile behind his hand, covering a giggle with a low cough. Wise man. "Follow me," Lux commanded. Rhys obliged without fuss, following a few steps behind. They passed through the living room into the kitchen. Lux placed the containers on the black marble island. He grabbed a fork and a bottle of Perrier from the refrigerator, closing the door with his hip. Using the utensil, he gestured to the chair furthest from his stool at the island. "Sit."

Rhys looked at the seat and back at Lux. "I'll stand as I won't be long. Thank you."

"Suit yourself." Lux sat at the island, opening the containers. He took a few bites of food before he returned his attention to Rhys. "You're awful at conversation."

"I'm trying to figure out where to start."

"Saying 'I apologize for being a massive tool and for purposely trying to make you uncomfortable' is a really great place." He smirked over at Rhys.

"I'll apologize. However, I believe I'm owed one as well."

A spoonful of fried rice stopped halfway to Lux's open mouth. What on earth would he possibly have to apologize for? He hadn't sent Rhys an intrusive, pushy email. He hadn't shown up at Rhys' house unannounced. "No," Lux stated, "But you're more than welcome to leave after you apologize."

"I understand why they say never meet your heroes," Rhys muttered.

Lux inhaled deeply through his nostrils, closing his eyes as he did so. He reminded himself that above all else, Rhys was a good editor. He was a good editor. "You're a good editor."

The inflection of Rhys' voice crept from a rumbling, chesty bass to a throaty tenor. "Really?"

Lux opened his eyes, the gray storm clouds pulsing lightly with barely restrained anger. "That wasn't a compliment. I needed a reminder. Otherwise I'd be calling my agent to ask for a new editor."

Rhys absently commented, "I highly doubt you'd be able to find one willing to work with you."

Lux placed his spoon down, wiped his hands on a napkin, and turned his entire body to face Rhys. His mouth was set in a harsh line, his words cold enough for Rhys to visibly shiver. "You're a nuisance, a disturbance, and an impending tension headache. Leave."

Rhys scrubbed a hand down his face, sighing heavily. "We've gotten off on the wrong foot."

"No shit?" Lux spat. "You ambush me at my house under the guise of wanting to apologize and then you expect me to apologize to you?"

Rhys moved to sit at the chair Lux had offered earlier. "I apologize Lux. I should have found a more sensitive way to ask about your aversion to sex scenes."

Lux nearly choked, not just at the sight of a soft, full mouth gently cradling the word "sex", but the way Rhys' voice sounded when he said it; normal, by all means, but Lux's face still warmed with slight embarrassment like he had been caught looking at something he had no business seeing. "It's not aversion. I just find it unnecessary," he mumbled. "None of my other novels have had sex scenes."

"You're right," Rhys agreed, "However, it does feel a little empty. The passion fizzles out in a way that's," he hesitated, playing with a golden piece of hair jewelry before he rushed out, "disappointing."

Lux's eyes were glued to the long fingers that easily slipped through the thin locs, the tips fiddling with a wire wrapped citrine crystal. He snapped out of it just as his thoughts were bordering on the fact that Rhys looked great in golds and yellows. His tone was clipped, the words cutting off his irrelevant and unwanted train of thought. "Disappointing? What exactly is disappointing about that scene?"

Rhys spent a few minutes explaining from the standpoint of an editor and from one as a reader. He wasn't wrong, Lux could admit that, but he still declined.

"If you want a sex scene, write your own novel."

"If I had half your talent, I definitely would."

Rhys complimented him so easily, it threw Lux off. He froze, unsure of what to do or say. He didn't have to think too long, since Rhys saw fit to continue on with the conversation despite Lux heavily implying he was absolutely done with the discussion.

"You don't have to listen to my suggestions, Lux. You have the creative right to tell your story as you see fit. I will say, though, this idea might not die with me. I'm not the only one that keeps an eye on what's currently trendy and popular." Rhys stood, pushing his chair back underneath the table. "I also want to apologize for ambushing you. Next time, I'll give you a heads up."

"There won't be a next time," Lux snapped.

"Of course there won't be," Rhys cheekily responded, the dimpled grin returning. With a more serious tone, he encouraged Lux. "Think about it? If you're still uncomfortable after seriously considering it, I'll drop it. I would love to know your rationale behind why you feel it's unnecessary. Whenever you're ready to share." He lowered his head in a goodbye, heading back through the living room to the front door.

Lux finished lunch and returned to his computer. After a few hours of typing, deleting, staring blankly, typing, and deleting again, he decided to call it. He changed into a pair of compression leggings and shorts, pulled on a different hoodie, and laced his sneakers to go for a run. After an hour of jogging, Lux returned home.

He showered, washing and conditioning his hair. He stood in the mirror, looking at his roots, and contemplating whether or not it was time to touch them up or allow his natural black to return. He watched television, made dinner, and read a few chapters of a psychological thriller he'd been enjoying. When he eventually retired to bed, he had nothing else to distract his thoughts.

If he were being honest, while he struggled to write, while he jogged, while he showered, cooked, ate, read, and watched television, his thoughts weren't distracted. His attempts were futile. His thoughts were filled with a deep voice that rumbled in a broad, muscular chest. He closed his eyes and saw Rhys, clear as day, envisioning a soft mouth asking him to think about sex.

Lux spent a year thinking of anything but sex. And now he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Fucking hell.