“Well, now I really need to know,” Trevor says. “Who’s your friend?”
“He’s coming.” Nick elbows Trevor with a glance toward the hallway.
“What the hell are you doing with my camera, Trevor?” Jace storms into the room.
“You said I could shoot off-bike footage,” Trevor pouts as if he’s done nothing wrong.
“Off-bike footage of thebike. Like what you do to maintain it. I didn’t tell you to barge in on Axel,” Jace growls.
“You didn’t tell me not to,” Trevor retorts.
“Everyone get the fuck out, now!” I roar, cutting them all off before they can get even more awkward. Unfortunately, my outburst only piques Jace’s interest since it’s so unlike me.
As Trevor and Nick’s bickering fades into the hallway, Jace’s gaze travels from my face to the floor, where Lennon’s clothes are still in plain sight. The skirt and black lacy briefs don’t seem to phase him, but I can tell the moment he spots the combat boots, since his eyes dart back to mine with what can only be described as betrayal.
I’ve heard the expression about how a look can feel like a punch to the gut, but I’ve never experienced it myself until just now. The confusion and raw hurt on my best friend’s face robs my lungs of air, leaving me helpless to do anything but sit guiltily in the bed.
“No filming today.” His voice is barely above a whisper when he finally speaks. “I’ll see you later.”
The room is so quiet the click of the door shutting is like a gunshot, and I flinch even though I watched it close. But I make no move to go after Jace. As shitty as it is to say, he’s not my main concern right now.
Fuck!
I scrub my hand over my face, giving myself a brief moment to feel like a jerk. Then I focus on the man beside me, pulling the covers back just enough that I can place a soft kiss on Lennon’s shoulder.
“Sorry about that. I won’t pretend they don’t do stupid shit for the camera, but they’ve never barged in like that before.”
He leans over the edge of the bed with the sheets clutched to his waist and starts to gather the clothes he had on last night. “My alarm was about to go off, anyway,” he says stiffly. “I have to get to work.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No need.” His voice is eerily level as he talks to the floor.
“You heard the guys, it’s raining. We won’t get any film today and I’ve got nothing else to do.” That’s a lie, there’s always something to do when we’re gathering footage for a movie, but all of that takes a back seat to the man in my bed.
In his time of need Lennon sought me out, and while I know that scares him—hell, it scares me too—I know it means something. Sexuality be damned, career be damned, there’s more than just chemistry between us, and I won’t let the man get rid of me because he’s out of his element.
“Really it’s fine.” Lennon rolls back into the bed with an armful of clothes, meeting my eyes for the first time since we were startled awake.It’s criminal that he wakes up looking that good. “I prefer to go on my own.”
“Don’t do that.” I shake my head
“Do what?”
“Run.” I drag my hand through my hair with a heavy sigh and decide to take a gamble. “You may have been trying to fuck away your pain last night but we both know that’s not all that happened. We don’t have to define it, but I’m not going to ignore it.”
“I’m not ignoring anything. I have to go.”
“And I’m still coming with you.”
“Axel, I’ve got a ton of shit to do today…”
“I’m sure you do,” I interrupt. “I won’t get in your way, unless you need the distraction.” I shoot him a playful wink, and my heartbeat accelerates when I catch him trying to bite back a timid grin. “But you haven’t slowed down since I met you and I’m not sure how long you can keep this pace up, so I’m coming with you.”
“You’ll be bored.” He makes a final attempt to protest.
Lennon sucks in a breath as I pick up his hand and link our fingers together. “Do you know what I’d do if I stay here? Watch dirt bike videos and drink beer, not because I want to, but because Jace thinks footage of me watching video and talking about what I see will be good filler.”
“That’s not fun for you?” His voice sounds a little breathless as I rub my thumb over the back of his hand.
