Page 3 of Sharing Her Heart

It had also come up with an NDA that she needed to sign. Felicity was not surprised by that. Nathan and John were notoriously private. Nothing proved this more than that they’d somehow managed to remain anonymous at a time when everyone else with a social media following shared every detail of their lives.

This level of mystery only fueled the fans' curiosity, and over the years, there had been countless rumors and leaks about their identities. From supposed photos surfacing on obscure fan sites to wild theories about them being famous authors themselves. Some fans were relentless in their search to unmask them, and entire forums were dedicated to piecing together clues.

There were even stories about alleged fan encounters with the two mythical figures in the podcasting and audiobook world. Tales of romantic and sexual meetings, most of which sounded too ridiculous to be true but only served to fuel the online fervor of the fans desperate to know the voices behind some of their fantasies.

One story stood out more than the rest—a woman claimed to have been in a relationship with Nathan and John for several months. The theory sounded just as wild as the others. Still, it grew very popular when the woman disappeared just as suddenly as she’d appeared, leaving behind dozens of unverified stories about her time with the two mysterious podcasters.

Felicity, however, had never cared about knowing who they were. She wasn’t in it for the mystery. She loved their voices, their dynamic, and how they made every story come alive. Sure, it was hard to avoid the online gossip about them, especially with how obsessed some fans had become. She knew all about the wild lore surrounding them and the theories about theirage, location, relationships, and even sexuality, but none of it mattered to her. She just loved the podcast.

So she had no problem signing the NDA. It was fairly standard: no pictures, no recordings, and no sharing details of the dinner itself. Felicity had signed without hesitation. She had no intention of violating their privacy. If anything, she admired how they had managed to keep their lives out of the spotlight for so long. But as she signed, she couldn’t help but wonder what the night had in store for her and what she would learn about these two.

The sound of a car pulling up outside snapped her back to reality, and she peeked through her window to see a sleek black car parked at the curb. She knew it had to be the car for her, but she still waited. The email had said the driver would call to let her know when he arrived. It was nice to know Nathan and John were doing everything to make her feel safe.

When her phone rang, she picked it up immediately, giddy with excitement when the caller announced that her ride was parked outside her building. Her heart raced as she grabbed her purse and checked her reflection one last time before heading out the door.

The cool evening air hit her the moment she stepped outside, making her nerves spike again. She took a deep breath and walked toward the car, trying to steady herself.

“Felicity Pearson?” the chauffeur asked as she approached the car, and she nodded.

“Yes… Yes, that’s me.”

“Good evening, ma’am,” he said as he opened the door for her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Felicity said, smiling as she slid into the back seat. This was it. The night she’d been waiting for. She hadn’t even met Nathan and John yet, and somehow it was already the best night of her life.

The car stopped in front of a fancy restaurant in the middle of the city, and Felicity’s heart started to race again as she stepped out and walked up the steps to the restaurant entrance. The valet held the door open for her, and she gave him a quick smile before walking in, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.

One look at the interior of the restaurant and Felicity wondered if she should have bought a fancier dress. Everything from the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the elegant tables draped in pristine white cloths to the room's decor and even the live band playing soft jazz music in the corner screamed opulence. This was not just a fancy restaurant. It wasthefancy restaurant. Not the place a woman on a schoolteacher salary would ever imagine herself being in.

A host dressed impeccably in black greeted her with a warm but professional smile. "Good evening, ma'am. Do you have a reservation?"

Felicity swallowed her nerves and replied, “Yes, it’s under Felicity Hargrove. I’m supposed to meet some people here...”

The host scanned the reservation list, then nodded. “Ah, yes. You’re expected. Right this way, please.”

Felicity followed him through the bustling dining room, past elegantly dressed patrons, and her nerves started creeping up her spine. She grabbed her purse tighter, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest. They walked toward the back, away from the more open dining area, where the tables became more private and intimate. Finally, they reached a secluded booth near the rear of the restaurant. Felicity’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the two men seated there, waiting for her.

She blinked, taken aback for a moment. For years, she’d had an image of Nathan and John in her head, an idea of what they would look like that she formed from listening to their voices. She was wrong. To start with, they were both older than she’dexpected. A lot older. She had pictured them to be around her age, maybe a decade older at the most.

Nathan and John looked like they were in their mid-fifties… Maybe forties, she thought again as she got closer. They had a maturity about them that she had not expected, but that didn’t make them any less striking. In fact, they were even more good-looking than she had imagined. Ridiculously so as well.

The man sitting closest to her; the one she instinctively assumed was Nathan, was big and burly, his frame muscular and imposing. He had a full beard, well-groomed with a hint of salt and pepper in his hair, and his broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his suit jacket. He had a smile on his face as she approached, his sharp blue eyes twinkling with warmth.

John sat next to him with a glass of wine in his hand. He was leaner but still fit, his tailored suit sitting well on his toned frame. He had left his jet-black hair to grow too long, and now it brushed the nape of his shirt and some even fell over his eyes. Eyes that seemed fixed on her as soon as she appeared. Almost like he’d known who she was before she even got to the table. Her heartbeat quickened under the intensity of his gaze.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter how old they were. Or maybe it did. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that her mouth had gone dry at the sight of them and the beating of her chest no longer had anything to do with how nervous she was to meet two of her biggest idols and more to do with the fact that she was about to eat dinner with two elderly, drop-dead gorgeous men whose voices had fueled her fantasies for years.

Felicity’s first thought was to turn around and run away. That would probably be less embarrassing than whatever she was about to do in front of them. But it was too late, and she found herself standing at the table.

“Good evening,” the big burly man said, getting to his feet, his eyes twinkling with warmth and an air of mischief that could only come from one person.

She knew then that she had been wrong. This was John, not Nathan. Yet another shock to her already shaken system. She had assumed it the other way around. That this big man was the one with the deep, sometimes menacing, and always intense voice. The one that often played devil’s advocate on the podcast.

“Hi,” she blurted out, her brain spending precious few seconds to come up with that single word. “I’m Felicity…”

“Hi, Felicity,” John continued. “It’s wonderful to meet you. And you look incredible… love the dress,” he said, his eyes sparkling with genuine warmth as he smiled down at her. “Isn’t her dress stunning, Nathan?”

“Sure,” Nathan said, his eyes fixed on her as he took a sip of his wine. “She looks stunning.”

---