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I don’t feel like breathing tonight. Just give me Oscar.
Sexy. Sexy. Fuck, he’s sexy.
“God,” he moans, huskily. Deeply. I pop him out of my mouth to breathe. He laughs. “Give me a sec.” I inhale, exhale. He caresses the side of my jaw. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’ve got something—” Oscar reaches out and wipes his thumb across my lip.
Oscar starts stroking my erection. “Legitimately attracted to you.” He eyes me in his hand. “You’re really fucking hard, Long Beach.”
“You’re putting too much pressure on this. Be like Elsa and just let it go.” I catch the Frozen reference and laugh. “Well, Elsa makes that shit look easy.”
Knowing that he’ll be there at the end of it all. That’s the best feeling.
“I figured my boyfriend, who doesn’t text me while he’s at a shoot, probably either wanted my dick or to talk. Either way, I’m here, bro.”
“Glad to know how I can’t get your ass running to me.”
“After Jane’s wedding, I’ll be happy to never have to film another one for a good ten years. Maybe twelve.” Oscar bends down to grab his T-shirt off the floor. “What about your own? I assume marriage is probably in your ten-year portfolio plan. All lined...
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“Such a people-pleaser,” Oscar teases, leaning slightly on the desk. Closer now, my eyes trace the scar above his brow and the curls that touch his lashes. “I like pleasing people. You, mostly,” I say into a smile. He claps for me. “You’ve done well in that department.”
I should have throat-punched him! That’s what Aunt Rose would’ve done.”
“I’m a bodyguard, Highland. Your job is to keep their secrets, but I have a duty to protect them. Right now, Tye Smith is a security threat. I’m calling her brother.”
Maximoff is the safe place for the younger kids, so going to him first means Kinney won’t feel betrayed by security.
I’m brilliant, and so are my ideas. Historical evidence: I came up with the fake-dating strategy between Thatcher and Jane. Did not mean for them to hook up or get engaged. But a second reward just means I’m inadvertently even smarter than I realize. So Maximoff didn’t hesitate when I threw out another top-tier idea.
Jack is close to me, my arm over his broad shoulders, and Farrow and I are sitting comfortably at either end. Highland spreads his long legs more against mine, so he’s not kicking the Hale prince across from us. Love that for me too.
pushing candles among the bottles of root beer. Those were provided by me and Jack after a gas station run. The pints of ice cream and spoons are Farrow and Maximoff’s contribution. Tom Cobalt just stole a Thor hammer off the merch wall.
Tom raises a hand. “Question, Kinney-witchy-boo.” She glares at the nickname. “Ask.” Her voice is deadpanned.
I swig the root beer like it’s my popcorn. Farrow is amused as fuck too. The famous ones bring endless entertainment, which always softens and lightens the raw, heavy parts.
They want some kind of confirmation that he’s into me and it’s not a publicity stunt. Like us kissing isn’t fucking enough. I hate that he’s being pressured at all.
“When are we finding this Tye Smith guy?” he asks his question. “Because I propose we put bees in his locker. I know a dude—” “No,” Maximoff cuts in firmly.
Tom waves Thor’s hammer like what the hell. “Then what’s this meeting for if we’re no...
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We all have that already. Back when I was single, I’ve been to gay bars with Tom, Maximoff, and Farrow. And Tom will ask questions. He constantly goes to Maximoff for guidance. We’re all willing to share in informal settings, but the formal one is needed too.
and the famous ones don’t trust easily. But they trust security. They trust production. They have us.
“And if you need advice or if something shitty happens and we feel like we can’t go to our parents or our friends, we can come here.” “The Rainbow Brigade,” Kinney says as she slides a button and pin to Jack. “Welcome to the club.”
He picks up both, staring at the letters. I squeeze him in a closer hug as his eyes redden with involuntary emotion. He seems surpr...
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“Thanks…” Jack laughs into a brighter smile and lifts the button. “I’ll wear this proudly, Kinney.” “Cool.”
Girl is bad at acting because clearly this shit means something to her. And it means something to us, or else none of our asses would be here.
Tom twirls the plastic hammer. “Okay, but the bees—” “No,” Farrow and Maximoff say together.
“I’m in,” I say, digging into a pint of Rocky Road. Tom snaps his finger to me. “We’ve got one.” Maximoff blinks like his brain just malfunctioned. “I’m sorry, I just realized we have way too many Slytherins in this group.”
I pass my Rocky Road pint to Jack. He offers a half-hearted, no thanks, smile. Usually Highland will eat my snacks.
“And I confess that I might’ve had a small, tiny…like so small you can’t even really see it. Is it there? I don’t think so. Yeah, that kind of crush on Farrow—waaaay before you two ever banged.” His face turns into a wince. “Ahhhh, that didn’t feel as good as I’d hoped.”
Tom pops up, eyes on the ceiling. “My heart has definitively stopped beating.” “Man, lots of people had crushes on me.” Farrow shrugs, and it’s just so easy. I can’t not take the swing.
“That’s because you have questionable taste, Oliveira.” He holds out a hand to Jack. “Present company excluded.” “Appreciated,” Jack says into a strong swig of root beer. Like he wishes that were actually liquid courage.
“I didn’t have any LGBT friends in high school, so I looked up a lot online. My dad walked in on me searching the web for How to Douche for Idiots. Literally the title.” Farrow laughs, which lets the younger ones like Tom and Kinney feel free to laugh. I’m glad. It’s a hilarious story as an adult, but damn was I mortified to hell as a teenager.
And his face falls. “It’s the execs.” His job. Where’s Jack Highland going to land? In my arms, probably.
“By all means, you can sip it first. You’re older and hotter, so…” He pushes my glass closer to me. “Age and beauty first.”
“Oh, fuck, you have to hear this. Back when Gabe completed the course, he asked me if there was a graduation walk.”
meu raio de sol.” His eyes soften at the nickname, letting go of the chips too easily. “What does that mean exactly?” I toss another chip in my mouth. “My sunshine.”
He laughs into a brighter smile. There it is. “Fits well.”
We finish off our mojitos and get two more. Then three. And then a couple more. I can’t remember being this happy. Or this drunk…in a long fucking time.
“That’s a mouth, Long Beach,” I pretend to bite his finger. He pulls back and plants his hand on my crotch. “This is a dick,” he defines. “A hard dick.”
Jack laughs and nods as he tries to put the straw into his mouth with a sucker still between his lips. So drunk. So cute.
“Nutty with a little aftertaste of citrus from the hills of Napa. Stellar. Five golden stars. A truly revolutionary taste.” He grins. “And that would be my review for your cum.” Motherfuck. My smile hurts my face. “Get the fuck out of here.” I point towards the door.
We end up at a club where no one will scream at us, and we sing until our voices grow hoarse. We drink until we’re holding each other up. And still, I never want this night to end.
Jack sits on the edge of the pullout like he’s been waiting for me to wake up. At the ready with a glass of water and a bottle of Advil. He gives me a tight smile that doesn’t seem right. And then he passes me the water, but I’m not looking at the glass.
Motherfucker! There’s a ring on my finger. A ring!
Jack reaches into his back pocket. The same pants he was wearing last night. He passes me a crumpled piece of paper. I’m staring at my motherfucking marriage license. We both signed it.
And I didn’t even know his middle-effing name until seeing it on the marriage license. Until right now. “Your full name is Jack Arizona Highland?” I question. “Arizona?”
Do I regret this? I’m a smart guy. Even drunk, I’m not going to do something I don’t want. Deep down, I love Jack, and I can’t imagine running to the courthouse to get it annulled. The thought causes my stomach to twist in tight, unthreadable knots.
