Off Script

“I feel everything. And when I feel something, it’s big, with no middle ground. I don’t really do the in-between.”

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REVIEW

Would I read this again? Yes No Maybe

Spicy Level Legend How spicy is this book?

Tropes	Trigger Warnings
Bi-awakening, MM romance, Forbidden love, Hidden romance	Cheating, Depression

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SUMMARY

Want to just skip to the spice? I got you: 24, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 38, 43

Jacob Wolfe is a complex fella. He’s an actor who struggles to feel any real emotion, except with his kids. He has a “perfect” life - rich, successful, married to a gorgeous lady, two wonderful kids. But something is missing. He tends to take on roles that are challenging - just to find something that gives him dopamine. He’s also closed off, kinda rude, and a little conceited.

Liam Hart is considered a “rising star”. Him and his Hollywood wife, Emma, who is pregnant with their first child, are Hollywood’s Golden Couple. He normally stars in rom-coms but when his agent tells him about a new series, with a risky script and Jacob “Living Legend” Wolfe being involved, Liam knows he wants in.

The series is called Wingspan. It’s about two men who meet unexpectedly and their undeniable attraction. Lots of yearning happening.

Neither Jacob nor Liam are gay or bi. But this is one reason they both want it. Jacob believes it will be the challenge to give him excitement in acting again and Liam believes it will prove that he isn’t just a pretty face in rom-coms.

They first meet for a chemistry read and boyyyyy do they have chemistry. Which shocks both of them. When they kiss, the director has to yell “cut” twice, because they are too into each other to hear her.

Liam becomes a wee bit obsessed with Jacob. He can’t quit thinking about him.

There’s a lot of sexual tension. Chemistry that neither one can explain. The feeling like they aren’t acting. Forgetting the cameras are there.

Jacob is closed off and Liam spends some time trying to understand him. Liam gets under Jacob’s skin - not in a bad way, just in a way no one else does. He doesn’t understand why he lets Liam through his carefully built walls.

By the time they have to film their first kiss the tension between the two of them is too much for Liam to handle. The kiss scene gets a little carried away, and they go above and beyond what it should entail. Not only that, but when the director yells “Cut”, they don’t stop. The next day, the media is going crazy with a leaked video of their kiss scene and the internet has a lot of opinions. Tiktoks are made, slowed down loops, fan edits (very Heated Rivalry-esque). Emma sees it and she’s upset. She’s an actress, she knows it’s acting. Except, it didn’t look like acting. Also, you can clearly hear the director yell cut but yet neither one of them stopped. Liam doesn’t know what to say to her because he doesn’t want to lie.

He then gets a text from Jacob, who has never texted before, asking if he’s okay.

Jacob feels bad for Liam. Jacob has been an actor for awhile - he has the time and experience. But also, he has the team around him to handle stuff like this, and he doesn’t get fazed by the Internet and their thoughts. But Liam is a newbie.

Jacob’s wife, Caroline, is a little bit more understanding than Emma. She tells Jacob that she realizes it was a scene but it didn’t look like that, people will talk, people ARE talking, and it's going to be worse for Liam than it is for Jacob. Then she says the words that just cut Jacob right to the bone - “I trust you”.

Emma tells Liam that when she watched that video she didn’t feel like his wife. He tries to explain it but he really can’t. He apologizes, says it got out of hand, but she’s his wife, and he loves her.

The next day, Liam tells Jacob that he doesn’t know what to do, he can’t keep faking that he doesn’t have feelings for Jacob, but he doesn’t know what to do with those feelings. Jacob, being the closed off man that he is, just says well we have to. He tells Liam he feels the connection too but they are married men and this is a job and they have to just ignore it. Jacob believes that keeping their distance off set will help.

Except it doesn’t.

When they film the first sex scene, it’s a closed set so that nothing gets leaked again. Which is good - because again, they get a little carried away. It’s simulated penetrative sex but they are still grinding on one another and accidentally both get off. While filming. In front of the stage crew. Later, the director tells Jacob that the intimacy coordinator told her they should stop, but she let it go because she was getting really good material. She knows that wasn’t the right call but she did it.

A few days later, the trailer drops. Caroline tells Jacob that it's intense, he doesn’t even seem like the same person, and she is really proud of him. Jacob feels very conflicted. Liam texts him later and then they end up calling and talking to each other for hours. Which becomes a nightly thing.

They have to go on location to finish filming. That first night, the crew and actors are sitting around a fire, just relaxing. Jacob watching Liam talk to another guy and realizing he’s jealous. Liam sees him watching and goes over to sit next to them. Their hands end up touching, and because no one can see them, they don’t move them away. They aren’t exactly holding hands more just like caressing each other.

The next day, Liam finally admits to himself that it's not just a crush, he’s in love with Jacob. Liam starts acting weird around Jacob and keeping his distance. By the fifth night, Jacob is over it. He goes to find Liam after filming and they walk off into the woods together. Jacob is questioning him on what is wrong and Liam is like I just needed space, I can’t feel like this anymore, I’m not in control. Then they end up making out and jerking each other off.

Liam is still freaking out the next day but now that Jacob has finally given into his impulse, he is more at peace. He’s like why are we fighting this?

The next evening at dinner, Jacob gives Liam his room number. Jacob says if he comes to his room, then “it's done. No pretending. No lies. You’re mine. You can lie to her, but not to me. Never to me.”

Of course Liam goes. And they fuck. And Liam spends the night.

The next morning, Liam asks what are they doing and Jacob easily responds that they’re having an affair. He reiterates that they lie to their wives, not to each other.

They have another night before they have to head home and they take advantage of it. Jacob watches Liam with the crew on the last night and then later, in bed asleep, and realizes that he’s happy. Then that makes him upset because this isn’t the life that he can have.

Emma is happy to see Liam when he gets home. Luckily for him, she’s like seven months pregnant, so she doesn’t try to initiate sex. Unlike Caroline, who tries to start something with Jacob, but he can’t quite get there, and he doesn’t really want her touching him. Which is hard to explain to your wife. But he just tells her, he’s tired and just not right now. Then he feels guilty - not for not having sex with her but for feeling like he was cheating on Liam with his wife.

Two weeks later, Jacob gets a call that his dad died. He hasn’t seen his dad since he was six and his dad left him. But he’s listed in his dad’s will. He says he isn’t going to the funeral but Liam convinces him to go. But Jacob wants Liam to go with him. So he goes.

Jacob sees his half brother, Knox, but doesn’t talk to him. Knox does talk to Liam though. (There is going to be a book two and it appears to be about Knox.)

A few weeks later at the wrap party, Liam can’t seem to calm the jealousy of seeing Jacob with his wife. He asks to speak to Jacob alone and they end up fucking in a hallway. Luckily, no one sees them. Caroline watches Jacob watch Liam all evening. She confronts him about it and asks him if the rumors are true and when he hesitates she realizes the truth. She asks if he loves Liam and Jacob doesn’t know how to answer.

At home, they talk…well they fight. Jacob feels really bad but Caroline doesn’t want to hear it. The next morning, Jacob is still apologizing and he tells Caroline he’ll move out. But he has a favor. He asks Caroline to not tell anyone about Liam, not to protect Liam, but to protect Emma, since she’s due any day now. Caroline agrees to not say anything, only for Emma’s sake.

Jacob texts Liam a location later and asks him to come by to chat. He’s rented a house and is moving out. Liam doesn’t know what to say. He feels stuck. He wants to leave but Emma is due soon and he just can’t be that guy who leaves his very pregnant wife.

When the baby is born, Liam goes to Jacob’s to tell him. And to break up with him. He feels like he has to try and make it work for the baby's sake. Liam tells him he loves him and Jacob’s like don’t tell me that and then leave me.

Three weeks later they see each other for post-production work on dialogue replacement. It’s hard for both of them to be that close together and Liam keeps fucking up his lines. Finally, Jacob leans over and just barely touches his wrist and Liam is able to steady himself and they finish. Jacob whispers that he misses him and Liam responds that he misses him too and then they leave.

Two months later, they are on a press tour together in New York. Jacob is better at pretending than Liam is and Jacob can see Liam struggling. He confronts him in an elevator and they end up making out.

Three days after they get home, Liam shows up at Jacob’s house. He tells Jacob that he’s going to leave Emma. It's been three months and yet he can’t seem to move on from Jacob. He loves him and he can’t keep pretending he doesn’t.

The next day, he talks to Emma. She knows something has been going on because he’s changed but she didn’t realize that he fell in love with Jacob.

He shows up to Jacob’s house with a bag and asks if he can stay there. Jacob finally tells him that he loves him too. (I feel like Liam should have made sure of this before leaving his newborn daughter.)

A week later, Liam goes to pick up his parents from the airport. He takes them back to Jacob’s and they get to meet Jacob for the first time.

Epilogue happens four months later. They end up staying in the house that Jacob was renting. Both of Jacob’s kids have their own rooms and so does Liam’s baby. The internet is still a buzz with their relationship calling it “The Wingspan Affair”. Which is probably really good for their show’s ratings honestly.