First Take (Lights, Camera, Love! #2)

Chapter 1

ONE

JAX

The last time I had sex with Blue Davies was three long years ago.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex with him again.

Oh, boy, did I ever. But Blue had rules, and his rules were hard and fast and it was well known that Blue didn’t hook up outside of scenes.

Blue Davies had sex on camera or not at all.

Did I know why? No.

Did it drive me crazy not to know? Sometimes, yes.

But Blue and I had formed a friendship over the years that was built on mutual respect and the way we could relate to each other.

Both Blue and I had worked our asses off to put ourselves through school.

It was on me to pay for college because my dad couldn’t, and in Blue’s case, his parents wouldn’t.

I’d even let Blue couch surf for a few months a couple years back when a pipe burst in his apartment and he’d been without a place to go. He’d have asked Lukas, but it was just after Leo died and Lukas was dealing with Asher and the fallout from that.

Some things never changed, because Lukas was still dealing with Asher. Asher had been dogging Lukas for two years to let him film a scene, and he had finally given in. But Lukas wasn’t about to let just anyone touch Leo’s baby brother.

As it would happen, Lukas wanted me and Blue to screen test with him.

If he’d have asked me two years ago, the answer would have been a resounding no.

Two years ago, Asher still had the face of a teenager.

I hesitated to call it baby fat, but over the last year he’d matured a bit.

His face had lost that teenage roundness, his shoulders had gotten a bit broader.

He was only twenty, so he was still young, but now I didn’t feel weird about checking him out.

And he was a sweet guy. What a shame he was hopelessly infatuated with Lukas, because that was never going to happen.

Even if Lukas hadn’t started seeing someone recently, Asher never stood a chance.

Blue was another solid choice to be Asher’s first scene partner.

Blue was dynamite in bed. A true vers, he could rock your world on top or bottom.

The idea of him and Asher together had become jerkoff material.

Blue could be bossy in bed, and though I had no idea what Asher would be like, my instincts screamed to protect him.

Everyone around Lukas knew Asher by now, and plenty of guys were chomping at the bit to be the one who got to be his first, but when Lukas approached me, there was no way I was going to say no. Then he’d floated the idea of me or Blue, and that quickly became me and Blue.

Asher was late for the screen test, which was unusual for him, but when he screeched into the room, almost tripping on his apologies, I knew he was nervous as all hell. He looked at me, eyes meeting my bare chest, making contact with my nipples.

“Sorry,” he said before turning to Lukas. “Sorry,” he repeated.

“No harm done. Take a seat on the couch, Ash, and we can get started,” Lukas said, getting straight to business. With how jittery Asher was, it was probably for the best.

After a moment’s hesitation, and reassurance that he didn’t have to strip down, Asher opted to leave his shirt on.

He sat on the couch, but way too far away for my liking.

I’d been on board with being Asher’s scene partner even before now, but seeing how sweet he was, how uncomfortable he looked, made me all the happier that Lukas had trusted me for this.

When it became clear that Asher needed some encouragement to get things going, I leaned over, wrapped my arms around him, and yanked him closer to me. My unexpected maneuver had earned me a little yelp from him.

“That’s better.” I smiled as I looked down at him. “Hey, cutie.”

“Uh, hey.” Asher shifted around and looked at Lukas, clearly floundering and in need of a little direction.

“Get comfortable, Ash. You’re not going to do anything today that you’re not ready for. Maybe a little kiss. Maybe we just get you two talking to each other and see how your chemistry unfolds.”

“Right. I knew that.” Ash looked at Lukas again. “Do I look okay? I tried on like fifteen outfits.”

The way Asher pined for Lukas was fucking palpable, and almost painful because Lukas lived in denial about it. But if there was one thing I was good at, it was being a distraction.

I cradled Asher’s face in my hand and turned his head so he was looking at me. I poured every scrap of sincerity into my voice. “You look incredible.”

“Thanks.” Asher’s exhale was ninety-nine percent pure relief. “You look nice too.”

“These old things?” I plucked at the fabric of my basketball shorts, one of far too many pairs I owned. “You really like them?”

I’d asked as a joke, but I couldn’t help but want Asher to like me. I wanted everyone to like me. I’d always been wired that way, and I think it was part of the reason I worked so hard to be charming. To be the easygoing one. The one people could count on.

I didn’t hate the way Asher looked me up and down, his eyes mapping my bare skin. I liked the way he looked at me, kind of awestruck, kind of turned on. But still that hint of trepidation lingered in our interactions.

“Are you nervous, Ash?” I whispered, even though the camera would catch it anyway.

“A little,” he responded.

“What if I promised to take care of you? To be extra sweet with you? Would that make you feel better?” I leaned closer, angling my body toward his.

We were so close to kissing I could smell the lingering cinnamon from the gum he favored.

Part of me wanted him to initiate the kiss, but Ash wouldn’t.

He was three nerves and a giant fucking boner.

After letting the tension build until I almost couldn’t breathe through it, I leaned in and gently slanted my mouth over his.

I slid my hand into his hair and wrapped the other arm around him, drawing him closer. Ash melted into me, sliding his hands up my bare chest. I could feel him tremble as he touched me.

I pulled back, smiling at Ash, who looked at me with wide eyes. And then the spell broke and he looked at Lukas for feedback. For approval.

“You guys looked great. Did you want to see?”

Asher was off the couch and hovering next to Lukas in the space of a single heartbeat.

As Lukas restarted the footage, I joined them, slinging an arm around Asher.

Kissing him had been nice. More than nice actually.

I’d kissed a lot of guys and most of the kisses weren’t memorable, but I’d forever remember how soft Asher’s mouth was.

How he melted into me when I pulled him close.

I didn’t believe in things like love at first sight, but I believed in chemistry. I already wanted to kiss him again.

“We look good together,” I told him, but it was Lukas he looked to for confirmation. It was hard not to mind, but Asher’s crush on Lukas was legendary and not a secret.

“Do you think so?”

Fuck. Asher sounded weird, like his heart was breaking in real time. I wanted to wrap him up and keep him close.

“I think you and Jax are very well suited. I’d still like to see you with Blue, but I like the idea of you and Jax. I think you looked good together, especially when you started to relax.”

“And what about Blue? Is he still coming?” Asher asked, sounding even stranger.

I was worried about him, I realized. And what would happen when he eventually came to terms with the fact that Lukas would never see him the way he wanted. It was fucking painful to watch.

“Blue will be here in like five minutes. He had to work today, but he was excited for this.”

“Really? Why?”

Asher was truly oblivious to his appeal. I indulged my temptation and kissed him on the cheek. “Because you’re you. You’re always flitting around here looking cute as fuck.”

It was as if my action reminded Asher of my existence, and he shook loose from my hold.

I didn’t take it personally. He’d let me hang off him without noticing for a few minutes.

He’d relaxed against me, whether he knew it or not, and I liked how good it felt to have him trust me like that, even subconsciously.

“I’m not cute,” Asher scoffed, clearly unimpressed with my choice of words.

“Awww, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean it like a bad thing.

” The last thing I wanted was for Asher to feel bad or to think I didn’t want him the way I did.

Or that he was merely cute when he was also sexy as fuck.

I pulled Asher into a hug because he always looked like he needed one, and right now I had free rein to indulge.

“Maybe cute wasn’t the right word. You’re absolutely sexy as all hell, Ash, and I hope you pick me to shoot with.

I love Blue, but I’ll fight him for you if I have to. ”

“Why are you fighting me?” Blue swanned into the room. Leaving his backpack by the door, he flopped down on the couch in his typical dramatic Blue fashion. He raked a hand through his platinum blonde hair which, if I remembered correctly, was soft as fuck.

“I’m fighting you for first scene rights with Ashy here.”

“Ashy?” Asher looked at me, his brow pinched in confusion.

“Oh, fat chance, Jax. Ash is all mine. You’ll see.” Blue reached for Ash and grabbed his hand. He pulled Ash close, then down on top of him. “See, much better.”

Blue looked at me with triumph on his face. Smug bastard. Smug, beautiful bastard.

Blue drew Ash closer, hand cupping his ass. God, they looked hot together. Blue in his tight jeans and his crop top, Asher looking like the boy next door. I hoped Lukas was getting good angles of this because it was already spank bank material, and they hadn’t even kissed yet.

Anyone who’d worked with Lukas over the past couple of years had met Ash. We’d interacted with him before, but now it felt different because, for once, Lukas wasn’t Asher’s sole focus.

The kiss Asher and Blue were currently sharing was hot.

I wasn’t going to lie. It really did it for me.

It was an intense kiss to watch, the kind that made my dick hard in two seconds flat, but Blue had always had that effect on me.

Clearly he had the same effect on Ash because Ash started to grind himself against Blue, and as suddenly as it started, it was over.

Ash pulled out of the kiss, looking shocked that he’d just been making out with Blue Davies.

“That was unbelievable.” Blue’s smile fucking sparkled but the shine didn’t reach Asher, who still only had eyes for Lukas.

Ash stood up, putting distance between himself and Blue.

“How was it?” he asked. “Can I see?”

The four of us pored over the footage of Ash and Blue. Blonde bombshell and the boy next door. The contrast, the chemistry. Damn, it was hotter than I’d thought it would be. Blue was great with anyone, but there was something about the two of them together that really flipped my switches.

“I want to see one more thing. Jax, you sit on the left. Blue, you on the right. Ash, I want you in the middle.” Lukas didn’t look up from his camera as he gave us directions.

“What?” Asher’s voice was barely a squeak. Blue and I shared a look of concern, but said nothing.

“I think the three of you together might be perfect.”

“Lukas, can I talk to you outside?” Asher didn’t wait for an answer and shot out of the room like his ass was on fire. A weird look of determination had settled on his face, and I knew in my bones that nothing good was about to happen.

Lukas followed Ash out of the room, and I sat down next to Blue.

“Well, this went sideways really fucking fast,” I said to him. Blue gave me a sad kind of smile. “I hope he’s okay and that it’s just nerves, but I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

“I hope whatever’s going on, that if he still wants to film, that he’ll decide to film with us.”

“Us?” Blue arched an eyebrow at me. He had eyes the color of the Mediterranean, crisp and blue, sharp. There wasn’t much of anything that got by Blue.

“I have to admit that I’ve been dying to work with you again.”

“It has been a long time.”

Before Blue and I could get any further in our conversation, a dejected-looking Lukas entered the room.

“Uh-oh.”

“He, uh… Ash left.” Lukas dropped down onto the ottoman like he’d been deflated.

“Can you two check on him? He’s had a bit of a rough moment, and I think he could use a friend.”

Blue was on his feet in a second. “I’ll catch him.”

With Blue looking after Ash, I turned my attention to Lukas. “He finally made his move, didn’t he?”

“What do you mean, finally?” Lukas’s cluelessness was astonishing.

“He’s worshipped you for years, Lukas.”

He let out a sigh that came from the depths of his soul, his very exhausted, exasperated soul. “I know, but I didn’t want to know, you know? I thought if I ignored it, if I made it clear that it wasn’t going to happen, that he’d forget about it.”

“You’re a good guy, Lukas. Delusional, but good.” I clapped Lukas on the back. “Blue and I will look out for him. Don’t worry.”

“Text me an update, okay?”

“Will do. In the meantime, Blue was right. We need copies of that footage.” I winked at Lukas, then slipped out of the room and went in search of Ash and Blue.