Chapter 13

“Okay, guys, we’re good to go,” Evert called out as he hopped off the ladder and walked around to grab his camera. “First pose, Faise and Ronin, I want you on your knees, and spread them wide.”

“I thought the sex party was happening later on,” I quipped.

Evert sighed and shook his head. “As I was saying, on your knees. Ronin, your right leg should be touching Faise’s left. Brodie and Holloway, stand behind them.”

Forcing back an eyeroll, I kneeled down as instructed, and thankfully, on a thick rug that covered the floor.

For the most part, I hated posing for pictures. Being on stage was one thing. Being under this kind of spotlight was another. Because I wasn’t a model and I sure as fuck wasn’t as pretty as the rest of the guys. I looked more like a bearded mountain man than a rockstar. Plus, posing for any length of time made me restless.

“Ronin, put your arm around Faise’s shoulder,” Evert instructed. “Lean into each other.”

I did as he directed, but when my palm touched Faise’s slick skin, he jolted. And he wasn’t the only one.

That’s weird. I touch him all the time.

“Ronin, relax your arm and Faise, turn your head towards him. Look at each other.”

Clicks and flashes echoed around me but all I could hear was the rapid pounding of my heartbeat. Even though I wasn’t moving, my pulse raced out of control. Like I’d just finished a long-ass set.

When Faise turned his head, and our eyes met, I struggled to look anywhere else. As I stared down at the long, dark lashes that framed familiar amber eyes, I was suddenly out of breath.

“That’s it, perfect. Now move in closer.”

Closer? Any closer and our mouths would be touching.

Fuck, don’t think about that.

Then Faise licked his lips and my cock jerked hard in my jeans. No, this could not be happening.

A lock of my hair slid over my heated face and Faise reached up and tucked it behind my ear before I could blink. Fuck, his hand barely brushed my skin and I wanted more. My best friend was looking at me so intensely, I shivered.

Out of my peripheral vision, I spotted Evert walking towards us.

“Amazing, beautiful,” Evert whispered. “Brodie, wrap your arm around Holloway’s waist and lean against him. Give me that trademark smirk.”

More clicks and flashes.

“Great,” Evert added. “Let’s try a new pose. Ronin, I want you to sit down with your legs splayed wide. Faise, sit between Ronin’s legs.”

“Um, excuse me?” I blurted out, my face flushing hotter.

I swear I heard Brodie and Holls laughing but I didn’t dare look behind me.

“Let’s go Ronin,” Evert directed with an easy grin. So I did as instructed and sat down, opening up my legs. “Come on Faise, slide between Ronin’s legs, nice and tight.”

Nice and tight…fucking Christ, my dirty mind was like a runaway train at this point, and it could not be stopped. And there was nothing I could do about the fact that my dick was rock hard and straining against my jeans. Reluctantly, I lowered my knees and opened my legs.

Thank fuck no one seemed to notice the bulge in my crotch.

Until Faise did as Evert asked and slid in between my legs. When that taut ass snuggled against my dick, shit, I liked that a whole fuckton. The heat in my face spread down my neck and chest. Faise’s heartbeat was racing, thrumming against me as his smooth back made contact with my hairy chest. He sure as hell could feel mine pounding out of control.

“Faise, lean back and rest your head on Ronin’s left shoulder. Give me a seductive smile. Ronin, wrap your arms around Faise’s waist and then look up at me.”

I did as Evert directed, my hands shaking.

Come on, you hug Faise all the time. It’s the same thing.

It was not the same thing.

Because my body wanted more than a friendly hug. If my wayward cock was any indication, I wanted Faise without the layers of denim between us. The picture was so clear in my mind. Me and Faise doing dirty, dirty things together. Sure, I’d noticed that my best friend was beautiful, hot, sexy as hell. I’d admired his body many times. But I’d never wanted to rub myself all over him like I did now.

I bit back a groan, desperate to think of something, anything, to get rid of those filthy images in my head. But a sexy vision of Faise riding me bareback was suddenly all I could see.

“Holloway, move in closer. Tilt your head and lick your lower lip. That’s it,” Evert whispered as the click of his camera continued. “You guys look great. One more shot before we change, but?—”

Evert paused and stopped.

“Okay, I want to try something more provocative. Faise, I need you to straddle Ronin’s hips, and Ronin, reach up and splay your hands on Faise’s chest.”

Spontaneous combustion turned out to be a real thing.

Faise

I hope to fuck Evert didn’t notice my raging hard on. If he did, he was gonna have to edit these photos before they went public.

Not that I was paying attention to what Evert was saying, or what Brodie or Holls were doing behind us. How could I with Ronin’s huge, hard cock snug against my ass? How many times over the years had we hugged, cuddled, wrestled? Too many times to count. But suddenly, it was like I was sitting in the arms of a stranger. A hot, sexy stranger who knew me better than anyone.

A man I wanted to fuck.

And judging by his erection, I wasn’t the only one. Holy hell, a filthy image of me ripping these jeans off and riding Ro flashed in my mind. And then I had to do just that, sit on Ronin’s lap. This was the sexiest photo shoot we’d ever done, and that was saying a lot.

As I got into position, Ronin’s arms trembled, surprising me. I straddled his hips as instructed, and then his hands snuck up and over my chest. It wasn’t the most intimate touch I’d ever experienced but it sure as fuck felt like it, his rough fingertips sparking ripples of hot need along my skin.

Even though we weren’t alone. And touching each other was nothing new to us.

I didn’t think it was possible to faint while sitting down but I was about to prove otherwise. My nipples were hard, begging to be teased, the silver piercings rubbing against my sensitive skin. Ro’s fingers were just shy of them, and fuck, I wanted to move his hands north.

I was sweating hard, and between his callused grip and the slick oil, my skin was on fire. Every time Ronin so much as breathed against my neck, or shifted his hips in the slightest, I was fighting back the urge to moan out loud. As soon as we were done here, I was going to find the nearest bathroom to rub one out. Or risk coming in these damn jeans like a teenager.

I had no idea what kind of expression was on my face, but Evert seemed pleased as he moved closer to us and snapped away.

“That’s it. Right there,” Evert muttered as he worked. “Jesus, that’s beautiful.”

Yeah, I couldn’t argue with that. I’d never felt more aware of my body or Ronin’s. I could only imagine the intense expression on my face.

Evert paused and finally lowered his camera. “Okay, this set is done. Time for an outfit change. Next up, we’ll have you pose individually, and then another group photo.”

His clipped words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

Ronin’s hands slipped away, and I swallowed hard at the loss.

Evert’s assistant handed us towels and I gratefully wiped my face and held it over my lap as I slid away from Ronin’s body and stood up. But I moved too fast, unsteady, keeling forward when a strong hand gripped me and held me upright.

“You okay, boo?”

Was I okay? No, Ronin, I’m so fucking far from okay.

“Fine. I must’ve slipped on the carpet.”

On my tongue, more like it.

“Are you all right?” I asked him.

What the hell had just happened? Was he turned on just because, or because of me? Not that this was the time or place for that. If there ever was. Fuck.

As soon as I felt steady, I pulled my arm away. Glancing up at Ronin, he was looking anywhere but at me. Had he seen my hard on? Did I embarrass him? Nah, we’d seen each other naked so many times that neither one of us batted an eye. Same thing with sex. We’d seen it all. It couldn’t be that.

But what if… did he have any clue as to I felt about him? Suddenly the fear of losing my best friend was all too real and my stomach clenched painfully.

“That was incredible,” Averell announced as he stepped up to us, giving me a long once over. “The fans are going to go wild when they see those pictures.”

He gave me another flirty grin and I was tempted to take him up on his offer, if only to prove that my feelings for Ronin could be overcome.

This had potential disaster written all over it. But what the hell? I needed to let off my frustration and why not with a sexy, powerful guy like Averell? Nothing like starting off a new contract with a bang. A literal one.

I smiled back and wiped my chest with the towel, watching the way Averell ran his eyes down my body. While I didn’t have huge biceps and a broad chest like Ro, I was toned, and worked out regularly. More so since my time in rehab when working out was my only means of stress relief. When we were on tour, I sweated off the pounds every week, so it was necessary to take care of my body.

Weird thing was, I wasn’t feeling much of anything from Averell’s attention. My cock was still half-hard, but it wasn’t for him. Still, if I didn’t fuck someone, anyone, I’d be wallowing again. And that’s the last place I needed to be. Nothing good came of it.

“I have to get back to my office, but I’ll see you guys for lunch,” Averell stated and glanced at me again.

“Looking forward to it,” I replied and licked my lips, walking closer to him so only he could hear. “In fact, how about a drink later?”

“At the party?” he asked.

I nodded my head. “And maybe one after. My place?”

“You’re on.”

Averell quickly nodded and turned around, walking off the set.

“I can’t believe you’re going to fuck that guy.”

I turned at Ronin’s comment. What right did he have to cockblock me like this? Between his pissy attitude and my unrelenting hard-on, I’d had enough. I gave him my response via my middle finger and stalked off, heading for the dressing room.

“Faise!”

“Don’t, Ronin. This is not up for discussion.”

Ronin wasn’t one to give up, though. He followed me into the dressing room. I tried to close the door, but his arm held it open. He slid inside the room with me and slammed the door shut.

Fuck this.

Instead of letting that stop me, I began to unzip my jeans.

Ronin could stand there all he wanted. I wasn’t going to change my mind about Averell. In fact, given how stressed I was about today, I needed a fuck more than ever. Something quick and dirty. And that sexy Brit was just the kind of distraction I needed.

“Why are you doing this?” Ronin asked me.

“Again, I’m not sure what your problem is. Why are you so ticked off that I might hook up with Averell? Explain it to me.”

Was it possible that Ro was jealous? That thought made my heart take off running again. Ronin stared at me with his mouth open, but no words came out. I guess I had my answer.

I pushed the jeans off my hips and the jockstrap along with it.

His eyes slid down my body like a heated touch and the longer he looked, the harder my cock grew. Jesus Christ, so much for convincing myself to remain unaffected.

“This is why I need to hook up,” I pointed at my dick and shrugged it off. “It’s been a while.”

“He… I—” Ronin ran a hand over his face and finally met my eyes. “He’s not good enough for you.”

“For a fuck? Gimme a break! Since when do you give a crap about who I have sex with?”

Ronin stepped towards me, but a knock on the door startled us.

“Hurry the fuck up, Evert’s waiting!” Brodie called out from the other side of the door.

Ignoring my erection, I took a deep breath and willed my dick to calm. Then I reached for the next set of clothes on the hanger and threw Ro’s at him.

“I swear, this is not going to affect our record deal, all right? I’ll make it clear that it’s a one-time thing,” I explained. “Now let it go and let’s finish up our job here.”

Ronin said nothing in response. He yanked his jeans off, threw them across the room, and stepped into another pair. Then he plucked a white tank top from the hanger and pulled it on.

Turning my back, I got changed and finally, my cock cooperated.

Nothing more was said. There was only the heavy fall of Ro’s footsteps, then the slam of the door. I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

One of these days, I was gonna fuck Ronin out of my system.

One of these days.