Billionaire Book Boyfriend

Chapter 5

Emily

Unspoken Truths

Several dates in, and the chemistry between us has only gotten stronger. Drake is everything I didn’t know I was looking for. He’s charming, intelligent, and just... right. But the more he talks about my book, the more I want to tell him who I am. That’s an internal battle that the carefully constructed detachment from my writing world and real life I have built keeps winning.

I want to keep my pen, Eva Steele, separate from who I really am as Emily. But every time Drake mentions Flirty Dirty Secrets: how much he loves the writing, how clever the twists are, how this or that, the guilt eats at me. If he were anyone else in the world, I wouldn’t care that he doesn’t know I’m the woman behind the thousands of emotions he is explaining from the book. I feel entitled to my privacy as a writer, but with him, that privacy feels like a deception, and I don’t know how to come clean.

Tonight, we’re in his pristine home, sitting at his classically decorated dining table. We are sharing a private dinner cooked by a local celebrity chef, and everything is delicious. We laugh over wine, the conversation flowing effortlessly, as always. He always goes overboard with our dates, and with every passing moment with him, I find myself sinking deeper into the fantasy, willing myself not to think about the truths I keep from the world.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Drake says with a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he disappears into the other room.

My eyes widen as I become intrigued with what he’s doing. “What kind of surprise?” I call after him.

“I’ll be right back,” he yells, his voice echoing through the cozy space.

As I wait for him to return, I inhale the scent of woodsy potpourri and our gourmet dinner. Before he gets back, my phone buzzes with a flurry of notifications. When my eyes zone in on what the messages are about, my stomach twists as a chill runs through me. The messages are like shards of ice piercing my heart.

“Not now,” I whisper to myself, torn between the intoxicating thrill of dinner with Drake, his surprise, and the reality of what’s unfolding.

Rachel, my agent, sends a new text message.

Rachel: I don’t know how or who put this out there, but we have to spin this ASAP. Call me.

I’m too stunned to type a response. I scroll to my blog site, which is a popular go-to site for readers. I have to see what, if anything, readers are saying on there.

My latest blog post under Eva Steele has just gone viral. Thousands of likes, comments, shares. I swipe through the notifications, dread filling me as I realize what has happened. The blog post isn’t just trending. It’s been picked up by a news outlet, and reputable news sources are ripping the post to part for clues they say somehow verify who I am.

And then, I go to Google and type in my pen name. The first thing that comes up is a headline from the USA Tomorrow website that makes my stomach drop: Flirty Dirty Secrets Author Revealed: The Face Behind Eva Steele.

I click the link, and along with that damning caption is my picture plastered all over the screen.

Drake reappears in the dining room, a playful smile on his face as he holds something behind his back. My heart races, wishing that somehow the surprise he’s been teasing could overshadow what I’ve just read online.

Internally, I’m spiraling, and with the way I feel, it has to be all over my face.

As he takes a few steps closer, his phone buzzes loudly on the table, rattling against the surface as notifications flood in. He glances at it, his brow furrowing slightly, but his focus remains on me. “So, I was thinking—”

Before he can finish, the phone buzzes again, a persistent reminder that something urgent is unfolding. He looks down, the warmth of his dark skin suddenly contrasting sharply with the shock that creeps across his expression.

I can see the moment the realization hits him. He hesitates, and slowly, almost reluctantly, he turns the screen toward me, his face paling as he reveals the news. The color drains from his cheeks, and I feel my heart sink in sync with his shock.

“You’re… the author?” His voice was quiet, disbelieving, and a little bit wounded.

My heart sinks. There it is. The moment I’ve dreaded. The secret’s out, and he knows who I am.

"Drake, I can explain..." I start, my voice shaky.

The hurt in his eyes stops me cold.

"You're Eva Steele?" he repeats, disbelief written all over his face. "This whole time… you were her?"

I nod, my throat tight. "Yes, but I didn’t mean to be deceptive. It’s just that—"

"You let me rave about that book, break it down, even talk about the author like she was a stranger, and you didn’t say anything?" Drake’s voice softens, but there’s still a hint of tension between us.

“I wanted to wait for the right time,” I say, still reeling over how quickly the mood of the night has shifted.

"Here." He pushes a framed quote toward me. "I figured it was the right time to give this to you. It’s from your book, but I’m sure you don’t need it. You probably have tons of your quotes framed already."

I take the frame, holding it close to my chest. "Drake, I—"

I want to tell him how much the gift means to me, but I’m cut off by him holding out a hand to stop me.

"Did you think I wouldn’t understand? I mean... is this Book Boyfriend Dating Agency thing even real, or is it just some fun game for authors?"

His disappointment stings, but it’s not anger—it’s something deeper, something I wish I could fix with a few words.

“No!” I insist, stepping closer, my pulse pounding in my ears. “It’s not like that. Once we connected, I didn’t know how to tell you. I—”

Drake shakes his head, frustration and hurt flashing in his eyes. “I’m really big on trust, and you’ve been hiding this from me, Emily. It makes me wonder what else you’ve kept secret. How can I trust anything you say now?”

My chest tightens as I realize how badly this could end, how easily everything we’ve been building could fall apart with this one revelation. I might lose someone who could’ve been so much more than a random book boyfriend hookup.

“Drake, I know it looks bad,” I say, my voice trembling but earnest. “But I never meant to deceive you. I’ll admit that once I realized you’d read my book, I froze. I was scared of what it would mean to share that part of myself with you. I wondered if you would draw conclusions about me that weren’t true, or if I would have to spend most of our time together explaining the separation between Emily Jameson and Eva Steele. Some people just don’t get it.”

“But you didn’t give me the opportunity to get it,” he replies.

I digress. “You’re right. You’re different from anyone I’ve ever met, and I just didn’t want to ruin what we had going on by talking about my career.” I step closer, searching his eyes for a flicker of understanding. “Not everyone is so understanding of what I write. I thought you’d see me as just a quirky bookworm fantasizing about sex and being loved. I care about you, and I wanted to be more than just a name on a cover or tied to a storyline. Please, don’t let this ruin what we’ve been building.”

Drake’s gaze softens a little, though the hurt is still there. “It’s just... I really liked what we had going. I thought we were being real with each other.”

“We are real,” I plead, my heart racing as I fight to keep the connection alive. “I promise I’m still the same person you’ve been getting to know. The book is just one part of me.”

Drake takes a deep breath, his brow furrowing as he processes my words. “I want to believe that, Emily. But it’s hard for me to process. That book brought out so many emotions out of me, so I know you’re good at crafting moments. Now, I’m left wondering what was real about our time together and what was just fiction.”

“Come on, Drake. That’s a bit unfair,” I say, my voice shaking slightly.

He rubs the back of his neck, frustration and vulnerability written all over his face. “Unfair? Maybe. But put yourself in my shoes for a second. You’ve had the upper hand this whole time, knowing everything about me while keeping such a huge part of yourself hidden. That’s not easy to swallow.”

A pang of guilt hits me hard. “I understand, and I didn’t mean to put you in this position. All I want is a chance to show you that I’m more than my pen name. I want you to know the real me.”

Drake sighs, his eyes softening slightly. “I get that you’re more than the book, but it’s hard for me to shake the feeling that I’ve been playing in the dark this whole time. I’m not saying I don’t want to continue dating you, Emily. I just... I need to figure out what’s real between us, and that’s going to take time.”

A long, heavy silence hangs between us, the air feeling thicker than ever. I can feel how dense his words are, how heavy they are with meaning. I know there’s no fixing this in a single conversation.

“I get it,” I say softly, breaking the tension. “You need time, and I don’t want to push.” I pause, looking into his eyes one last time. “I’m sorry, Drake.” Before he can respond, I step closer, rising up on my tiptoes and gently grazing my lips against his in a soft, lingering kiss. It’s briefer than I’d like, but I hope it says what I can’t seem to put into words. “Goodnight,” I whisper, my voice barely audible

Without waiting for a response, I turn and quietly leave, my heart heavy as I step out into the night.