Hi, I’m Barry Beard.

College dropout Brent Gaines dreams of becoming a bestselling romance author—until his prudish ex-boyfriend shames him into dumping his spicy manuscript. Brent settles for the simple life of a bookstore barista, leaving his writing ambitions in the trash where he thinks they belong.

Literary agent Ricardo Herrera is married to his job. In his two decades selling hit romance novels to major publishers, he’s changed hundreds of budding writers’ lives. But his love life has never gotten past chapter one.

When Ricardo discovers Brent’s discarded manuscript, he also finds a flailing young writer in desperate need of a mentor. The trouble is that Brent is a ginger muscle cub and exactly this silver daddy bear’s type. As Ricardo builds back Brent’s confidence, both men’s personal feelings soon complicate their professional relationship.

Then an anonymous email threatens to expose their affair, forcing Brent and Ricardo to confront their biggest fears. Will Brent risk his writing dreams—and his heart—for his only champion? And can Ricardo find the courage to put his beloved boy before his beloved career?