Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Liam

I stared at Jack, my hand going limp around the beer can until it slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud. The remaining beer fizzed out, spreading in a lazy puddle across the concrete. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. My ears were ringing, my thoughts a jumble of disbelief and something else I couldn’t quite name.

Jack. My Jack. The Jack who’d teased me about my first crush and eaten half my fries without asking. The Jack who never, not once, had looked at me like anything but a friend—a brother, maybe—was sitting there calmly suggesting we make naughty videos together.

“What?” The word came out hoarse, almost inaudible. I cleared my throat. “Jack, are you—are you serious?”

He didn’t flinch, didn’t backtrack. Instead, he dragged a hand over his face, looking like he’d just run a marathon in dress shoes. “Yes, I’m serious,” he said, his voice steady even if his eyes weren’t. They darted everywhere—at the beer puddle, at the empty can, at me—before settling on the space just over my shoulder. “We can do it without... ruining anything. It doesn’t have to change us.”

A thousand things screamed through my head all at once. The nerve of him, the audacity to act like this, was a big deal. But also—he thought we wouldn’t change? How was that even possible? How did you go from splitting the rent to splitting... whatever this was?

“How?” I asked, barely above a whisper. My throat felt tight. “How could we possibly—?”

Jack met my eyes then, and it was like all the air left the room. For years, I’d thought I knew every one of his looks—the bored one when he was pretending to listen, the amused one when he was definitely laughing at me—but this one was new. It was soft, determined, like he was trying to tell me something important without actually saying it.

“We keep it professional,” he said slowly, like he was testing the words as they left his mouth. “We set boundaries. Rules. And we stick to them. This doesn’t have to be... anything other than a job.”

A job. Like I hadn’t spent the last couple of weeks baring myself in ways I never thought I would, because of how desperate I was to not need Jack’s help. And now he wanted to throw himself into the mess with me? My chest tightened, equal parts panic and something I couldn’t name.

“And you think that would work?” I asked. My voice cracked, and I hated the way it made me sound—small, unsure. Vulnerable.

“I think,” Jack said, “it’s worth a shot. For you. For us.”

Us. As in our friendship? Or something more? My stomach twisted as I stared at him, trying to figure out where the friend I’d known for years ended and this new version of him began.

Jack’s gaze locked on mine, steady and intent, and it was like he could see through every wall I’d ever put up. My body betrayed me with a throb that went straight to my still-hard dick, and I flinched, muttering, “Ouch,” under my breath as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, his brows drawing together with concern.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, heat rushing to my face. I was already drowning in embarrassment—no way I was going to add that to the pile. I stared at the floor, willing the moment to pass, but Jack wasn’t letting me off the hook.

He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice quieter than usual. “Here’s how it could work,” he said, his words deliberate. “We take it slow. Ease into it. Build trust.”

Trust. That word settled in my chest like a warm weight. I already trusted Jack more than anyone in the world—had for years. If anyone could make this feel safe, it was him. I nodded, unable to say it out loud, but he must have seen something in my expression because he kept going.

Jack looked down at the floor, like the next part was harder to say. “I don’t have... a lot of experience with guys,” he admitted. “You don’t exactly get to be valedictorian by staying out all night hooking up.”

That earned a small laugh from me, though it came out more like a nervous huff. “Yeah, well,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, “it’s not like I’ve got it all figured out either. Honestly, I don’t think that video I was making with Bobbi Mae and Cam would’ve worked, anyway. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.”

Jack’s head shot up, his eyes sharp with curiosity. “What do you mean?”

I hesitated, chewing on my lip. I’d never talked about this with anyone before—hadn’t even wanted to—but if we were doing this, I figured honesty was the least I owed him. “Over the years, I’ve only been with a handful of guys,” I admitted. “Mostly because... I don’t know. I’m shy, I guess. And Bobbi Mae—” I huffed out a humorless laugh. “She gave me the Viagra because I wasn’t exactly excited about the situation.”

I caught it then—just a flicker of something on Jack’s face. Amusement, maybe? Satisfaction? It was hard to say, but for some reason, it made my stomach flip.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Nothing,” he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. I didn’t press him, but the look stayed with me, lingering in the back of my mind.

I shifted forward and placed a hand on his arm, needing to say something real. “Jack,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me. “Are you prepared to get naked on film for the entire world to see? Because once it’s out there, you can’t take it back.”

His eyes met mine, wide and searching, and for a second, it felt like the rest of the room disappeared. “I know,” he breathed. “But I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t ready. And if you could make over a grand in two weeks with just a few pics and videos, that proves to me that there’s enormous potential.”

The way he said it—so calm, so certain—made my chest ache. I wanted to believe him. Hell, I wanted to believe in him, the way I always had. But this wasn’t stealing snacks from the cafeteria, or covering rent. This was something else entirely.

I leaned back and let out a shaky breath. “What are you going to do if your dad finds out?” I asked, not even trying to soften the blow. I wanted him to think about it—really think—because once we went down this road, there was no going back.

Jack’s jaw tightened, and he shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. Good. That was the point. But then he turned the question back on me, his voice steady and sharp. “What are you going to do if your folks find out you’re showing off the family jewels to the world?”

His words hit like a slap, and for a moment, we both just stared at each other. It was a fair question—one I hadn’t let myself dwell on—and now that it was out there; it hung in the air between us, heavy and impossible to ignore.

“I doubt my family is scouring the internet for gay porn,” I muttered. “And I bet neither is yours.”

Jack’s lips twitched, like he was holding back a comment. I couldn’t tell if it was amusement, frustration, or something else entirely. Instead of replying, he reached for his beer and drained the rest in one long pull.

Jack set the empty can on the plastic table and pushed himself to his feet. “Come on,” he said, his tone brisk, almost businesslike. “We’ve got work to do.”

I sat there for a moment longer, trying to piece together everything that had just happened. Then, with a sigh, I stood and followed him inside. Ready or not, it looked like we were doing this.

We stood in Bradley’s old room, staring at the bed like it might suddenly come alive and start giving us instructions. My heart pounded in my chest, and I was pretty sure Jack’s was doing the same. Neither of us said anything for a moment. Finally, I broke the silence.

“I’ll, uh, grab my phone, the stand, and the clamp,” I mumbled, already edging toward the door. Jack just nodded, not looking at me.

I slipped out and hurried to my room, shutting the door behind me. My hands shook as I rummaged through my stuff, grabbing what I needed. Then I sat down on my bed, let out a long, shaky breath, and pressed my palms against my knees to steady myself.

Could I really do this? Get naked in front of Jack and... well, do extremely personal things with him watching? And not just watching. He was going to be part of it. My stomach twisted, and I realized my breathing was coming faster and faster.

“Oh, hell,” I muttered, trying to calm myself down. This wasn’t just about putting on a performance. This was Jack. My best friend. The person I trusted more than anyone else in the world. And now I was about to cross a line I’d never even let myself think about crossing before.

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and buried my face in my hands. The truth was, I’d always thought Jack was attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. But I’d never acted on it because… well, because we were friends. And that friendship meant everything to me. What if this destroyed it?

But then another thought slipped in, uninvited. What if this didn’t ruin us? What if it actually brought us closer? I mean, how could you bare yourself completely—physically and emotionally—and not deepen the bond you already had? I clung to that thought like a lifeline. God, I hoped it was true.

With another deep breath, I grabbed my stuff and forced myself to walk back to Bradley’s room. My heart felt like it was lodged in my throat, but I wasn’t backing out now. Not after everything we’d already said.

When I walked back in, Jack’s eyes immediately dropped lower, and I didn’t need to look to know exactly what he was staring at. My stupid, Viagra-induced erection had no sense of timing. I cleared my throat and pointed at my face.

“Hey, dude, my eyes are up here,” I joked.

Jack’s head snapped up, and he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. The sound eased some of the tension in my chest. At least we could still laugh about this.

I set the equipment down on the dresser, then turned to him. “Okay,” I said, trying to sound confident even though my voice still wavered a little. “Here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s make this as easy as possible for you, so you can get used to the idea of being, you know… naked on camera.”

Jack snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you used to being naked in front of the world yet?” he shot back.

I felt my face heat up and looked down, scratching the back of my neck. “Not really,” I admitted. “But at least I’ve had a couple of weeks to get used to it.” I glanced back at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “Why don’t we shoot a scene where you just… watch me, you know…” I made a vague hand motion, not trusting myself to say the words out loud.

Jack’s ears turned bright red, and he stammered something that sounded like “Uh, sure.” His gaze darted anywhere but at me.

“You need to act turned on,” I added quickly. “Even if you’re not.”

Jack blushed even harder, which I didn’t think was possible, and bit his lower lip. The sight sent a shiver down my spine, but I shoved the thought away. This was about making him comfortable, about taking the pressure off.

“Okay,” he said finally, his voice quiet. “Let’s… let’s do this.”