The Patience of a Romance Editor
Lila Santos had been editing romance novels for eight years, but she'd never encountered an author quite like Adrian Cross. His manuscripts arrived like clockwork every six months, each one a masterclass in slow burn romance that left Lila breathless and frustrated in equal measure.
Frustrated because Adrian's characters took forever to get together. Breathless because the tension he created was so palpable that Lila found herself reading his work late into the night, desperate to see his protagonists finally give in to their obvious attraction.
"This is torture," Lila muttered to herself as she read the latest chapter of Adrian's work-in-progress. His hero and heroine had just shared an almost-kiss in an elevator, only to be interrupted by the doors opening. "Just kiss already!"
Her phone buzzed with a text from Adrian: How's the new chapter? Are you ready to throw your laptop across the room yet?
Lila smiled despite her frustration. After three years of working together, Adrian knew exactly how his slow burn style affected her. What he didn't know was that somewhere along the way, their professional relationship had developed its own slow burn tension that was driving Lila absolutely crazy.
Your characters are going to give me a heart attack, she texted back. The elevator scene was evil.
Good, came his immediate reply. That means it's working. Coffee tomorrow to discuss edits?
Lila stared at the message, her heart doing that familiar flutter it did whenever Adrian suggested one of their "work meetings." They always started professional and somehow ended up lasting for hours, talking about everything except the manuscript in front of them.
Sure, she typed back, then immediately wondered if she was setting herself up for more delicious torture.
Building Sexual Tension
The next morning, Lil... for more on this, see our post on friends to lovers romance.