Pete looked down at himself. He’d removed his jacket at the door, leaving him in jeans that had obviously not come pre-ripped and a plain blue T-shirt. He wasn’t exactly what he’d call camera-ready. “You don’t think I should dress up a bit?”
“Just trust me on this,” Colette said. “You have that whole boy-next-door thing going on, mostly because you are one. It’s perfect for this scene. You got my script, right?”
“Yeah, and I liked it. Short and sweet, just like porn ought to be. Though if I may toot your horn, I thought it sounded like a real movie. Except for all the raunchy sex, of course.”
She smirked. “You’ve clearly never seen a Jess Franco film, but good. You understand your character?”
“Well, yeah.” Pete ran a hand through his hair and winced when it caught on a tangle. “I kind of am my character: a young, gay college student who’s shy and inexperienced with love. I don’t foresee myself having any issues portraying that. I’m a little confused, though.”
“About what?”
“Why not have me play someone more . . . I don’t know. Cool. Sexy. Like Kyle. I get the whole opposites-attract shtick, and that can be really hot, but I don’t think people are going to want to watch someone like me.”
She waved dismissively. “Have some confidence, kid. Don’t forget, this isn’t just porn. We’re filming a real movie here, with real characters. Our audience is going to identify with you because you’re a regular guy. Plus, the backbone of this film is the way the leading males play off of each other. I haven’t seen you two together yet, but Darko assures me you have the right dynamic. That, more than any amount of acting or wardrobe or writing, is what’s going to make this film sizzle.”
“If you say so.” Pete couldn’t keep insecurity from bleeding into his tone. “I just don’t want to screw this up. I’m used to being Jaden on screen. I’m not sure how to be me.”
“Just relax and let things flow. I’m sure you’re going to be amazing.”
“I appreciate your faith in me, even if I don’t understand it.”
Colette looked at him askance. “Tell me something: do you think Darko is attractive?”
Pete shrugged. “Yeah, he’s hot. Obviously. The Pope probably thinks he’s attractive.”
“Is he just hot, or is it more than that? Do you feel something when you look at him?”
Pete really didn’t want to answer that, but Colette was watching him expectantly. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
“Then believe me when I say the battle is already won. Relax and let your natural chemistry do its thing. You’re a decent actor, but in this case, I think being yourself will do the trick.”
Coming from Colette, that was a ringing endorsement. “Thank you. I’ll give it my all.”
“Promise?” said a deep voice behind him.
Pete spun around. Kyle had returned and was standing a few feet away from them, his hands tucked casually into snug black pants. He had on a navy-blue button-down shirt, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. For the first time, Pete noticed twin black tattoos on his inner forearms. Dots? No. Constellations? Maybe. Whatever they were, they emphasized his arms in a way that was almost superfluous. As if anyone needed a reason to look at them.
“Speak of the devil,” Colette said. “Jaden, you remember Darko, I presume?”
“Vividly.”
Pete didn’t realize he was staring until Kyle asked, “See something you like?”
“Um,” was Pete’s articulate response. He wasn’t certain how to answer that. Agreeing seemed uncomfortable, but not agreeing would be a lie too egregious for Pete to utter. He found himself wondering if Kyle was wearing his own clothes or something from wardrobe. He couldn’t possibly have great style too. That just wouldn’t be fair.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Kyle laughed, smoky and soft. The sound zinged up Pete’s spine. He hid his reaction as best he could. If he was going to prove to Kyle that he deserved this role, he needed to be Jaden, not Pete. That meant being confident. Bold. Seductive.
Channeling his inner porn star, he cocked his head to the side and looked Kyle up and down, making no secret about it. “So far, so good, but I haven’t seen it all yet.” He gave himself a mental high five for pulling that off.
Unfortunately, it seemed his small victory was short-lived. Kyle was just getting warmed up.
“You shouldn’t say things like that.” His tone had just a hint of danger. It made Pete’s cock throb. “I told you before, I love a challenge.”
“Can you two wait for the camera, please?” Colette interrupted. She sounded more amused than annoyed, but Pete jerked back like he’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“I’m not,” Kyle chirped.
Colette rolled her eyes. “Just go stand on your marks, please. Porn stars, I swear. Can’t keep it in their pants for two seconds.”
Pete scurried over to the first of two duct tape X’s on the living room floor. They began the scene standing, but eventually they were going to end up on the sofa. Just thinking about it made his pants tight. Flirting was one thing, but soon he’d get to see if his chemistry with Kyle was as potent in action. He’d get to touch him. Kiss him. Taste him. He hoped he’d be able to keep it together. Kyle seemed like the sort of guy he could totally lose himself in. The idea was exhilarating. And utterly terrifying.
He ran lines in his head while Colette and Yolanda fiddled with their equipment. There was a camera set up on a tripod opposite the couch. Wires and cords snaked from it to a pair of TV monitors on the dining room table. Next to them was an open laptop attached to even more cords. Pete was willing to bet that would act as Colette’s makeshift viewing station while Yolanda operated the camera. They could check the footage in real time and make adjustments. And catch every little mistake Pete made as it happened.
Again, no pressure.
Kyle wandered over, taking his mark a few feet away from him. Thank God Colette had written an innocuous start to the scene. If they were standing any closer to each other, Pete might have to check his blood pressure.
Colette hovered by the monitors. Yolanda stood behind the tripod and angled it square at them. The photographer stood at the ready, his camera poised. Everyone was in place. Even Joyce had found a seat at the table from which to watch the spectacle.
The moment of truth had arrived, and Pete was a cocktail of anticipation, apprehension, and arousal. He tried not to look at Kyle, but it was like his head was magnetized. Eventually, he gave up and stole a peek. Kyle was watching him, of course.
“Nervous?” Kyle asked, grinning like he already knew the answer.
“No,” Pete lied. “You?”
“Nah. I’ve been looking forward to this.” He studied the rug beneath their feet, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his confident exterior. “Have you?”
“Hmm?”
“Been looking forward to this?”
If Pete were to answer honestly, he’d sound like a newb, so he went with a professional response: “Of course. This is a great opportunity.” His inner voice mocked him from the back of his mind: A great opportunity to have sex with a guy you can’t stop thinking about.
“Ah, so is that your only reason?” Kyle seemed disappointed. “All work and no play?”
“What other reason could I have?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” His grin was back. “I can think of a few outside motivations.”
“If you gentlemen are finished chatting,” Colette interjected, “we’re going to start filming. This is meant to be candid, so act like we’re catching you in the middle of a casual conversation. A private moment between friends. Stay in character, act as natural as possible, and above all else, make it hot. We’re all looking forward to seeing you in action. Aren’t we?”
The crew members—including Joyce—cheered.
“Lights?” Colette asked.
The photographer checked his flash and ga
ve her a thumbs-up.
“Camera?”
Yolanda touched a button at the top of her machine, and a red light blinked on.
She turned to Pete and Kyle. “Action!”
Pete took a breath. Now came the hard part: easing into the scene. Porn stars weren’t known for being the best actors, and while Pete considered himself better than most, he usually needed some time to warm up. He also had no idea how good Kyle was, and that was going to play a big role in how smoothly this went.
He exhaled slowly and focused on getting into character. Colette had said to just be himself, and so he concentrated on what he was feeling right now. Tension, that was for sure. Anticipation. Excitement. Pete did his best to convey all of these emotions at once. He angled his chin down, seeming to look up at Kyle even though he was a few inches taller, and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Well, this is it,” he said with a nervous titter. “My house. Or rather, my parents’ house, technically. What do you think?”
Kyle looked around and whistled. “It’s nice. Much nicer than my digs. You said your folks are out of town, right?”
“Yeah, for a whole month. They’re in France or something. Eating stinky cheese and drinking too much wine. They go every year when school lets out. I joke that they do it so they won’t have to see me over summer break.”
Kyle laughed, and the tension left Pete’s shoulders. So far, so good. He resisted the urge to peek at Colette and gauge her reaction. If something was wrong, she’d stop them. Still, he ran through a mental checklist of things that could be off: everything from the angle of his head to his foot placement. Maybe he should—
Kyle interrupted his train of thought. “Your parents must trust you a lot to leave you alone in the house for so long.”
Pete furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“Dude, have you never seen a single high school movie? When your parents go out of town, you throw a massive party. You’re practically obligated to. Let loose. Get wild. You know?”
Pete glanced down at the floor and then looked back up at Kyle through lowered eyelashes. “Um, not really. Even if I wanted to throw a party, I doubt anyone would show up. I don’t have a whole lot of friends. Besides you, obviously.”
Kyle leaned closer to him, seemingly unconsciously, and a thrill shot down his spine. “You act so differently around me, I keep forgetting you’re the silent, brooding type. You know what they say about the quiet ones, right?”
His gaze slid over Pete’s face, lingering on his lips. Then, his pupils noticeably dilated. Pete sucked in a breath. That wasn’t acting. There was no faking a response like that. It was instinctive and primal and sexy as hell.
He almost leaned closer, but with extreme force of will, he stopped himself. They still had some dialogue to get through before they reached the part in the script where they could touch each other. But God, Kyle was tempting. Pete had never struggled to pace himself this hard before. The tension between them was palpable. He wanted to tear the script to confetti and lean in already.
But he couldn’t. Colette was the one who signed his checks. Her words rang in his head: “I’ll replace you if I have to.” He had to do things her way.
Pete eased back on his heels, putting some distance between them in a subtle way. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean. And for the record, I plan to use my vacation time to study, maybe get a part-time job.”
Kyle groaned. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Um. No? I’m being serious.”
“And that, my friend, is exactly your problem.”
Pete was curious to see how Kyle would play the next few lines. He did his part, feigning confusion. “What is?”
“You’re way too serious. It can’t be healthy for someone your age to be so uptight.” Kyle rolled a shoulder as if to emphasize his point. “I mean, studying over summer break? Getting a job? Come on. You need to relax. Unwind a little. It’ll do you some good.”
Pete had to admit, he was impressed. Kyle sounded natural, just like a concerned friend. It was totally at odds with the man who’d cornered him on Joyce’s deck and seduced the breath from his lungs. He might have some acting verve after all.
Pete squared his body toward him. “And how do you propose I ‘unwind’?”
One corner of Kyle’s mouth rose. “You could get one of those deep-tissue massages. Or get some soothing tea.” He slid a hand onto Pete’s shoulder. “Or get laid.”
Pete thought he was prepared for the touch, but when Kyle’s warmth soaked through his shirt, goose bumps popped up all down his arm. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to pull away or drench his entire body in the sensation. His instincts reacted for him, making him jerk like he’d been shocked.
Kyle retracted his hand and gave him a strange look. “Little jumpy there, Jaden?”
The use of his stage name brought Pete back to reality.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean to— Um. Never mind. What was I saying?” Promptly, all of his lines fell out of his head. Shit. What was he supposed to do next? He couldn’t remember with Kyle’s dark eyes watching him so intently.
He started to back away, but Kyle’s fingers closed around his wrist.
“You’re doing that thing again,” Kyle said, his voice suddenly rough.
Pete swallowed. “What thing?”
“Making me want to pin you down.”
Fuck. Please.
Pete’s heart went into overdrive. Kyle wasn’t going by the script anymore, and Pete sure as hell couldn’t correct him. The most articulate thought in his head right now was, Oh fuck yes, and that wasn’t going to win him a Pulitzer anytime soon.
He managed to remember his next line. “Why, Kyle, are you trying to seduce me?”
Kyle didn’t miss a beat. “I thought I’d made that clear by now.”
Damn. Good answer. Pete bit his lip.
That ended up being the wrong move, because Kyle’s eyes zeroed in on the feature. “I can’t seem to resist that mouth of yours.”
Pete’s brain went offline again. He could practically smell the hormones in the air. Suddenly, he no longer cared about the script. “Then don’t.”
“You mean that?”
This was it. Pete’s chance to prove himself. “I’m not going to bolt, if that’s what you think.”
Kyle’s eyes flicked toward the camera and back again. “Why would I think that?”
Continuity be damned. Pete went in for the kill. “I’m not going anywhere. So if you want me, I’m right here.”
Kyle stared at him for a moment. Then he exhaled raggedly and lifted his chin. “Prove it.”
Pete closed his eyes, intent on kissing him. Before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kyle shoved him, and the back of his calves hit the sofa. Pete fell onto it in a sprawl of limbs. He started to push himself up again, but Kyle kneeled between his thighs, freezing him in place.
All the oxygen in Pete’s lungs left him as Kyle leaned on his hands, one on either side of Pete’s shoulders. It would have been funny how easily he could make Pete feel caged in if it weren’t so hot. He wasn’t crawling over him yet, but the threat was evident in the curve of his full lips.
“Are you nervous now?” he asked.
“Yes.” There was no point in denying it.
“Want me to stop?”
Pete shuddered and exhaled, “No.”
Kyle closed the distance between their bodies. Pete expected Kyle to kiss him—wanted so badly for him to—but he didn’t. Instead, he propped himself up on one forearm and rucked Pete’s shirt up with his free hand. For a moment, he just stared at the exposed skin. Pete tried not to squirm beneath the intensity of his gaze. Then Kyle whistled, and his hot breath tickled Pete’s skin, making him flex.
“So you do have abs,” he murmured. “They were hiding. I was wondering if you would. Been thinking about it more than I’d like to admit.” He traced a finger around one of the muscles jutting faintly beneath
Pete’s skin.
Pete didn’t say anything—couldn’t say anything, if he were honest with himself. His entire world had narrowed to that single finger on his bare skin. It seemed like Kyle was touching all of him and none of him at once, and definitely not the parts Pete wanted him to touch.
After he was finished with the first muscle, he traced around the others, making Pete squirm. Pete never would have suspected Kyle was the sort to take it slow. He’d expected to get overpowered by the force of nature that was Kyle, to get overwhelmed, to get . . . well, to get fucked.
Instead, Kyle just touched him: stroked his skin, trailed fingers down his chest, even thumbed the hollows created by his hip bones. There was nothing inherently sexual about it, but it was one of the most sensual things Pete had ever experienced. All while he touched, Kyle moved their bodies slowly together, not thrusting so much as rolling like ocean waves lapping against the shore.
Pete could hear himself panting. The air itself seemed to be filled with Kyle, his scent or his pheromones or something. He couldn’t think clearly enough to decide.
Kyle skimmed his lips along Pete’s collarbone, and at the first scrape of stubble against Pete’s neck—just the way he’d imagined it when they first met—Pete threw his head back and moaned with abandon. He couldn’t fight it, couldn’t hold back, just had to feel.
“Jaden,” Kyle said, breath hot and damp against his jaw, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Please,” Pete pleaded. “Can you— I just— I want—”
Kyle shushed him with his mouth, brushing their lips briefly together. Pete tried to press harder against him, but Kyle stilled him with a hand in his hair.
“Just let me,” he said, voice ragged. “Will you let me?”
Pete nodded, going boneless beneath him. He was already struggling to breathe, but when Kyle kissed first one corner of his mouth and then the other, the entire concept of oxygen flew out of his brain. He wanted to beg, wanted to plead with him to end his agony, but he couldn’t form the words. Instead, he took a fistful of Kyle’s shirt, needing the grip to anchor him to the earth.
Kyle shivered—Pete felt it up the entire length of his body—and then finally, finally pressed their mouths together. The first touch was everything Pete wanted and not enough at the same time. Kyle surprised him yet again by not immediately trying to shove his tongue down Pete’s throat. He kissed just the way Pete liked: slow and deliberate and savoring.
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