Shipped

by Karrie Roman

Overview

Ryan Lowe has been a lonely nobody all his life. The only time he ever feels the rush of living is when he's acting. Wanting to get as far away from his small town life and alcoholic father as possible, he leaves Australia to pursue a career as an actor in the bright lights of Hollywood, never stopping to consider the fame that might come with it.

Lucas Evers understands fame. He's been a successful actor on the small-screen for years and loves his career. Nothing comes for free though, and the price he's paid for his success is keeping who he is hidden from the world. He married his best friend to keep both of their secrets, and until now, he has been content with the cost of his fame.

When Lucas and Ryan are cast in a new television series based on a wildly popular book series everything changes for them. The show is a worldwide hit and together they have just become the most popular ship on the planet. As they begin to realize it's not just their characters falling in love, the cost of their fame rises. Together they must face stalkers, anxiety, panic attacks, and attempted murder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948608954
Publisher:	Ninestar Press, LLC
Publication date:	06/18/2018
Series:	Until You , #1
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.57(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Samdom is happening, y'all.

RYAN

The light cracked and flared too brightly even behind his closed lids. The sound of the clicks and the noise of the crowd thundered in his ears, and the stench coming from the masses of the overheated, overstimulated crowd assaulted his nose. Hundreds of people were crowded into this one giant room and every one of them seemed to be having the time of their lives — except for him.

"Ryan! Lucas! This way."

"Lucas! Over here."

"Eloise! Eloise!"

"James! Oh my god, James, marry me."

"Ryan! Ryan! Samdom! Samdom! We love you!"

Ryan had no idea which way to turn, who to look at, how to open his fucking eyes without being blinded by the flashes. Jesus fucking Christ, he never thought it'd be like this. He'd lost track of how long he'd been standing stationary, paralyzed by the overstimulation to his senses. He didn't even know if he could fucking breathe. He thought he'd made it maybe halfway to where his seat was on the stage, but he had no clue how he was going to make it the rest of the way. His body was trembling so bad his teeth were snapping together.

Just as he felt as though he was losing himself to the panic, a warm hand slipped into his and a soft, throaty voice whispered in his ear, "I've got you, Ryan." Then he felt his arm being raised in the air and shaken a little. Ryan tentatively opened his eyes; he'd known by the citrusy scent that it was Lucas who'd grabbed his hand — who'd freed him from his panic. He watched Lucas as he smiled and waved at the crowd, his other hand still linked with Ryan's above their heads as though they were doing some sort of victory salute. Lucas glanced briefly at him and gave a little nod. Ryan knew it was a question — are you okay now?

Ryan Lowe was far from fucking okay, but Lucas had him now and maybe he'd be able to get through this first Comic-Con panel. Lucas led them, still hand in hand, to their seats, and Ryan settled into his, calming as the crowd seemed to settle and take their own seats. Suddenly, the room didn't seem so daunting, so stripped of air. As Lucas took his seat next to Ryan, he gave his shoulder a little squeeze, so he was able to relax even more. Once the cast from The Witches' Hammer were seated, no time was wasted before the questions began.

"Samdom is now the most popular ship worldwide. What can you tell us regarding their story this season?"

Ryan glanced sideways at his costar, Lucas Evers. Surely the audience would understand they couldn't say much about what would be happening in the new season.

"Well, we can't give away too much, but I can say Samdom shippers will be happy —" A roar went up from the crowd who'd come to watch The Witches' Hammer cast panel. "— and sad," Lucas continued, laughing even as those in the crowd gasped and moaned. Ryan couldn't help but admire Lucas's poise and self-assurance in this situation, while Ryan himself was struggling to form a complete sentence.

"And can you tell us if you're nervous about kissing another man?"

Ryan had expected this question. His costar was a happily married man, and though there had been speculation in regards to his own sexuality, Ryan had never felt the need to confirm or deny any rumors. Truth be told, he wasn't keen on labels and had never applied one to himself.

Ryan's mind momentarily wandered to where it usually did these days — to thoughts of how the hell he'd gotten here. It was only when he felt a slight nudge to his arm that he came back to the enormous room and the crowd of fans, now with all eyes pinned to him.

"Sorry?" He winced, knowing he probably sounded completely daft.

"I was just wondering how difficult it was taking on this role so late in the show and knowing how much the fans had loved that Ray Starkey was originally going to play Sam."

Ryan took a breath, collecting himself as he struggled to give a coherent answer. "It was definitely intimidating. I knew going into the auditions fans loved the choice of Ray for Sam and how devastated they were when Ray had to pull out. I'll admit once I got the part I did check out the blogs, and I can't tell you how relieved I was that people were mostly happy I'd been given the role. I had to play catch-up with training and these guys had already shot the first two episodes when I joined, so it was hard, but everyone on set was a great help." The Witches' Hammer was a weekly series based on the wildly popular book series of the same name. Fans of the books were self-admitted fanatics and had scrupulously monitored the process of casting the roles for the show. They'd argued choices back and forth and discussed the pros and cons of each cast member in forums. And when Ryan had replaced Ray Starkey, he'd been terrified of their reaction.

"And this is your first television role?"

"Yes, before this I'd only done ads and bit parts. This is definitely my biggest role, and it was pretty terrifying knowing the rest of the cast were all well-known actors who'd each had success in previous roles, but they've been terribly welcoming and helpful. I've learned so much from each of them."

"What about you and Lucas? I mean the chemistry we've seen so far on screen has been off the charts, and we haven't even seen the kiss yet. How do you get along offscreen?"

"We're definitely friends. Lucas is a great guy. We've been working together for a few weeks now, but it doesn't feel like work at all. We have so much fun on set and we genuinely like each other, so I think that comes through in the show." Ryan turned to Lucas, hoping he'd got his answer right, and from Lucas's smile, it seemed he had.

"We're only up to episode four. Can you tell us in which episode we will get to see the Samdom kiss?"

They hadn't shot that scene yet, though Ryan knew it wasn't far off, and from the screams of the crowd when the kiss was mentioned, he knew it couldn't be soon enough for them. Ryan let their director, Lon, answer that question, and he sank back into his seat, hoping his turn to answer questions was over.

An hour later, Ryan was sitting at a table signing autographs for fans who had lined up and paid money for the privilege of meeting him; some had even paid a ridiculous extra amount for a photo. Mercifully, security ensured he was approached by only small groups at a time, and Ryan was able to breathe easily for the duration of his stint.

Though he looked for him, Ryan was unable to find Lucas to thank him for earlier when he'd nearly lost his shit. He was embarrassed by what had happened, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from letting Lucas know how much he appreciated what he'd done. All in all, it had been several hours of hell for Ryan, and by the time he made it home, he'd never been so glad to see the inside of his tiny little flat.

THROUGH THE CLOSED bathroom door, Ryan could hear the buzz of his intercom. It was probably his driver and that meant he had definitely stayed in the shower far too long. Now he'd miss breakfast and have to turn up to work on an empty stomach. Might be for the best, given the butterflies flittering inside there. He walked toward the intercom, rubbing his hair with the towel at the same time in an attempt to dry it a little.

"Hello." He spoke into the intercom.

"Hey, Ryan. You ready?" came a somewhat garbled voice.

"Lucas?" Ryan had expected his driver, not his costar.

"Yeah, it's me. Thought we could ride in together."

"Sure. Give me five and I'll be down."

"'Kay."

Ryan threw the damp towel onto the floor somewhere; he didn't much care at this point. He grabbed some fresh boxers, jeans and a T-shirt and threw them on. His apartment was tiny, but there was only him, and it was clean and affordable. He'd consider upgrading once the next season of his show was confirmed and he could feel more secure in his job.

He slipped his cheap Vans knockoffs on, grabbed his wallet, keys, and bag and headed out the door. It wasn't until he was in the elevator that he realized he hadn't even combed his hair down. He'd just started running his fingers through it when the elevator door opened, and Lucas Evers stood before him in all of his devastating sexiness.

"I could have waited if you weren't ready, man," Lucas said as he glanced up at Ryan's head.

"Hey, give me a break. I'm not a morning person." Ryan grinned. He followed Lucas toward a black town car, with a driver standing at the open back door.

"Ryan, this is my driver, Chris."

"Mr. Lowe," Chris addressed him.

Ryan stuck out his hand to shake and Chris took it, giving him a quick, business-like shake. "Please call me Ryan, Chris," he offered.

"Mr. Evers, Mr. Lowe, ready to go?" Chris asked and Ryan realized it was more of the fame ... the divide between celebrity and reality. There would be no more simply Ryan; he'd be Mr. Lowe now, and he hated it already.

He bundled into the back of the car with Lucas, wondering for the millionth time how he'd ended up here and when the hell somebody would call him out for the fake he was.

What he'd seen of celebrity so far seemed like a strange beast to him. And he was sure it would only get stranger.

Only a week after he'd been cast, he'd been recognized for the first time when a couple of teenage girls had approached him at the bus stop, of all places, and asked if he was "the Aussie guy who'd be playing Sam?" They'd waited with him for his bus while giving him insights as to how he should play Sam, what his motivations were, and finished by cautioning him not to fuck up the romantic relationship with Dominic.

Many of Ryan's scenes were played out with Lucas Evers. Physically, Lucas was gorgeous. At just on six feet tall, he stood a couple of inches below Ryan's six-foot-two height, but his body was perfect. Ripped abs and toned everything, but his most compelling feature was his green eyes. Ryan remembered being transfixed by them during his audition. They were a glowing light green, the whites so clear and bright, and framed by thick, dark lashes. The contrast with Lucas's dark skin was striking. His shaggy black hair was incredibly sexy, and Ryan couldn't help thinking it would be perfect for running his fingers through or grabbing hold of the soft strands.

Physical beauty did not always guarantee beauty within, but Lucas had been nothing but welcoming and friendly toward Ryan, despite being an established star and Ryan being a complete unknown.

Of course, Ryan knew Sam and Dominic would become lovers at some point during the first season, and he was both terrified and excited about those particular scenes. He was thrilled to be a part of the growing number of TV shows with LGBTQ characters. And while the truth was that he'd never kissed a man before, he was definitely attracted to Lucas, so he wasn't worried about having to fake an interest.

"Are you okay? I mean after yesterday?" Lucas broke into his thoughts.

Ryan knew Lucas had to be concerned about his near panic attack at Comic-Con yesterday, and though appreciative of his concern, he couldn't help being a little ashamed of how he'd reacted. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that. It was just ... so much more than I was expecting. Thanks for ... well, for what you did."

"Of course, if you didn't get at least a little nervous the first time you encounter something like that, then I'd be worried. You're gonna be great though, Ryan."

"Thanks. I hope so. I don't wanna fuck this up."

"Don't worry. You answered the questions well. I know you can act, and god, you're so fucking hot, the fans are drinking you up."

Ryan coughed a little to try to cover his shock at being called hot so casually by Lucas. He knew nothing was meant by it; Lucas was married and this was Hollywood, where compliments were thrown around like confetti, but it still shocked him how open and over-the-top people were in this town. It wasn't the first time a man had called him hot here, and it was a far cry from what he was used to.

Showing an interest in another man in his hometown might have got him a fist to the face, or cold-shouldered at the very least. Ryan had hated it back there: the labels, the intolerance, the hatred. He'd gotten out as soon as he could, and there wasn't a single person he missed from that place.

"Yeah, maybe if they can see past you and the rest of the cast long enough to notice me." He congratulated himself for his own flattering reply — maybe he could make it in this town.

When he looked up, he found Lucas's gaze boring into him, his green eyes questioning, as though he was trying to figure him out. "I can't decide if you are truly that self-deprecating or you think it's the polite thing to say. Most people in this industry have an ego the size of Texas, but you don't seem to."

"Just the small-town boy in me, I guess."

"Where is it you're from again? The place with the great name."

Ryan never enjoyed opening this can of worms. He'd managed to avoid any deep and meaningful conversations for the last few weeks, usually because when he spent time with the cast or crew, they were too busy for personal questions. Riding into work with Lucas now with nothing else to do but talk nudged open that door into his private life. Did he want to let Lucas through? Maybe he did want that, just a little. He'd skim the surface of his past though; no point diving straight into the muck. "Toukley. It's a tiny little town on the Central Coast, a little north of Sydney. Nothing of note there."

"That's right. You never told me about your family, though. Are they still there?"

"Mum died when I was little, Dad's a ... oh I guess you'd say he's a ... a no-hoper, a drunk, a bastard. No brothers, no sisters. No friends." Ryan could feel Lucas's stare piercing him again. When he looked at those green eyes he couldn't read the expression he caught in them, but Lucas was definitely looking at him as though he was the most interesting person in the world. He guessed that was what real charisma looked like: making the other person believe there was nothing more important than them — and Lucas had charisma in spades.

"No one you regret leaving behind?"

"Nope. I was this pretty boy who wanted to act, never had a girlfriend, wasn't interested in having one either. People came to their own conclusions, and I wasn't very ... well liked."

"Do you keep in contact with your dad?"

"No way. When I left, I left for good. He didn't want a bar of me, so I returned the favor. I don't think he even knows I'm here in the States." Ryan needed to change the subject. He didn't want to delve any deeper into his grotty past. He'd placed it firmly in his rearview mirror and that was where it would stay. "How about you? Where's your family?"

Lucas laughed and it was a sweet sound, honest and pure. Ryan could tell just from the laugh that Lucas loved his family. "Oh, they're around. They all came with me from Tacoma ... and I mean they all came with me. Mom, Dad, two brothers and one sister. We're um ... close in our way, I guess. My wife, Anna, grew up across the road from me. I'm pretty sure her folks would have come, too, but they were ... they didn't ... they weren't too happy with our marriage."

"Oh I'm sorry. Did they not like you? I mean ... Sorry." He winced.

"No, it's okay. They're the kind of people who don't take to anyone. They didn't agree with the getting married part, among other things ... They believed we were too young."

"You're never too young, if it's love, right?"

For the first time, Lucas turned his gaze from Ryan and stared out the window. Ryan barely caught his mumbled reply. "Sure."

Lucas kept his gaze fixed out the window and silence fell. Ryan wondered what he'd said wrong. He didn't think he'd insulted Lucas at all. Maybe it still hurt that his in-laws didn't approve of his marriage. Ryan wracked his brain for something to say, anything to break the quiet that was beginning to stifle the earlier ease of being around Lucas.

"So, umm ... if our show was real life, would you rather be one of the witches or one of the hunters?" God, could he have come up with anything lamer?

Lucas turned to him, a grin on his full lips and his eyes sparkling. "Are you kidding? Definitely a witch. How much fun could you have with all of that magic? And let's face it, as good as the hunters are, a little bit of magic should be able to stop them, even if it doesn't on the show. What about you?"

"Well, I'm gonna say a hunter because they get to use all of those awesome weapons. And they're the good guys, fighting off the evil witches. Everyone wants to be the hero."

"Ah, but not all of the witches are evil. I'd be a good witch, but with a hint of a mischievous streak." Lucas completed his statement with an impish smirk that had Ryan's stomach flipping — just a little. Christ, Lucas was fucking hot.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Shipped"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Karrie Roman.
Excerpted by permission of NineStar Press, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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