7. Cameron
CAMERON
Hopping out of the back of the van, Cameron pulled the last few cases of beer to the edge and mentally counted how many more trips he would have to make.
There were three cases, so judging by the lack of strength in his arms, he would have to make another three trips.
Damn it. Sometimes he wished he were a big, muscled dude like Caden or Nikolai. If he had their muscle capacity, he wouldn’t have to spend so much time rushing back and forth trying to get set up.
They were all in the large park, sitting in the middle of the town square. The town was having a summertime barbecue, trying to raise money for the retirement home that housed a large portion of their population—or so it seemed.
He, Ace, and Alexis were on bar duty, selling booze and sodas to those in attendance.
Marcus supplied the sound equipment, while Blade used his laptop to shuffle music.
As it turned out, Blade had a wide variety of musical choices, ranging from Metallica and Godsmack to Adele and the Backstreet Boys.
He even managed to find a few J.Lo and Rihanna songs.
So it was decided that Blade would play DJ, shuffling music that was kid-friendly but biker-appropriate—whatever that was.
Taking a deep breath, Cameron mentally prepared for the battle of the heavy beer cases. Placing his hands on both sides, he stopped when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
“Here. Let me.”
Cameron looked up just in time to watch the behemoth ex-con bouncer reach past him, grab all three cases, and lift them like they weighed less than air.
“Holy mother.” Cameron gasped, clutching his invisible pearls. “Are you seriously carrying all three?”
Basher turned and glanced down at him with concern.
“Did you not need all of these?”
Cameron shook his head. “No—I mean, yes, we need them. I’m just shocked that your arms haven’t fallen off and that you’re still standing upright.”
Basher smirked.
“Please. I bench more than four times this weight on chest day. Now, where do you want these?”
Still not believing his eyes, Cameron bounced in front of him, grabbed the small bag of supplies, then quickly turned and led the way. “Right this way, Hercules.”
They made their way across the parking lot and headed toward the table that Ace and Alexis were setting up.
From the corner of his eye, he watched as his silent hero walked steadily next to him. He still couldn’t believe that one man could carry so much weight and not even break a sweat. The guy must eat his spinach and protein shakes every day.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Basher apologized, startling Cameron out of his inner-thought bubble.
He looked up at Basher with a questioning gaze.
“Sometimes I don’t realize how scary my size and temper can be to some people,” Basher continued, lowering his eyes as if ashamed of what he had done. “Seeing me beat that guy yesterday must have been pretty scary.”
Cameron shook his head.
“Oh no. You have nothing to apologize for. Actually, it was kind of hot. I’ve never had someone step in and defend my honor like that.” He suddenly blushed, realizing what he had just admitted to.
The corner of Basher’s mouth turned upward slightly, as if pleased to hear his confession.
Fuck. How could one man be so goddamn sexy?
Basher was a complete mystery when it came to his sexuality. He looked and acted straight as fuck, yet every so often, Cameron would catch Basher watching him as if he were something to be devoured and ravaged.
The thought of Basher throwing him down on the ground, then having his way with him, was just… too fucking hot to fathom.
Just the thought made Cameron’s dick perk up. It had been way too long since he’d had a good pounding. He didn’t get many dates. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he worked for Marcus and his crew—who had a bit of a reputation—or because people just weren’t that attracted to him.
Judging by the number of subscribers and the tips he got on his adults-only site, he didn’t think his looks were the issue.
Come to think of it, when was the last time he had a collaboration on his site with another performer?
It had been a while. Perhaps it was time to call up one of his “friends” and see if they were interested in showing his ass a bit of attention.
“Jesus, look at those guns!” Ace said, watching Basher as he approached their table.
“You can drop those cases behind the table,” Cameron noted, pointing to the ground just behind Ace, who was… apparently ogling the new bouncer.
“Put your eyes back in your head, or you're not getting any dick tonight before bed,” Blade shouted from where he was unpacking a few things at the next table over. “And you!” Blade said, turning his attention to Basher. “Stop throwing that built bod of yours around, especially around the gay boys. I don’t need to be getting a complex because you just so happen to hit the gym religiously and have a smoking-hot body to show for it.”
Cameron tried not to laugh when the tips of Basher’s ears blushed red. He dropped the cases on the ground, then stood and looked over at Blade.
“Sorry, sometimes I forget that betas have sensitive feelings.”
Alexis screeched as something went flying past her face and struck the wood panel next to Basher’s head.
“What the—” Basher started, staring at the dagger embedded in the wood beside him. He turned back to Blade, eyes narrowing. “Did you just throw a knife at me?”
His words weren’t threatening. More curious than anything.
“Umm, no? Why would I ever throw a knife at your perfectly chiseled face? It’s not like I have self-esteem issues and don’t like other men turning my husband on,” Blade huffed, walking over to where they were standing and pulling the knife free from the wood.
He slid it into the loop of his back pocket.
Next, he turned to Ace.
“I think you’re done setting up here. It’s time for your vitamin D injection before it starts getting busy here,” Blade growled, grabbing Ace by the hand and yanking him toward the men’s restroom.
Judging by the grin spreading across Ace’s face, he clearly enjoyed his so-called “vitamin D injections.”
“Those two have issues,” Basher said, standing next to Cameron.
“You have no idea. Ace is Marcus’s kid brother—and Blade is the guy giving it to him. Just in case you ever wondered why Marcus keeps threatening to shoot Blade in the face.”
“Noted.”
“Thanks for helping me with these cases of beer,” Cameron said, grabbing Basher by the forearm and giving it a little squeeze.
Basher’s skin was warm and rough, with a light dusting of hair settling over his many tattoos.
Cameron wanted nothing more than to wrap himself in those massive arms.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Basher mumbled in typical Basher fashion.
Cameron watched as Basher turned and headed to where Marcus and Nikolai were busy setting up the sound system.
“Damn, that guy is one smoking-hot piece of beef,” Alexis said as she joined Cameron in watching the beast stalk away.
“I want him to smother me with those biceps before pounding me so hard I can’t see straight,” Cameron muttered under his breath.
“Or walk,” Alexis added.
They both started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Lucas asked, stepping up next to them.
“Just admiring that crazy-hot piece of ass,” Alexis noted.
“Yeah, I swear Marcus is hiring hot guys just to tease us taken folk. Still, I wouldn’t trade my super-studly piece of man for anyone. Caden knows exactly where all my horny buttons are.”
Cameron chuckled as they continued to watch Basher help Marcus and Nikolai with their setup.
“So, what do you know about Basher and where he’s from?” Cameron asked Lucas.
Lucas shrugged. “Only that he just got out of prison for drugs and assault, but nothing more than that.”
“I heard he killed a man,” Alexis added.
“He doesn’t seem like the type to kill a man unless it was self-defense,” Cameron noted.
“Who knows. He does seem to be taking a shine to you though,” Alexis added with a smile and an elbow to Cameron’s stomach.
Cameron felt his cheeks blush. The thought of Basher taking an interest in him had his insides all warm and fuzzy. Could Basher really play for his team? That was a thought he wished, more than anything, was true.
But unfortunately, he wasn’t that lucky.
Cameron continued to watch Basher throughout the afternoon. His eyes kept casually drifting to where the big, burly man was standing or carrying heavy equipment or listening to other people talk while occasionally nodding along—arms always crossed protectively against his chest.
Occasionally, he would even catch Basher glancing his way, always from a distance, always just the subtlest of glances.
There was something about Basher. The way he watched over everyone, as if silently protecting them all at once.
Judging by how quickly Basher jumped to his defense last night, Cameron got the feeling that honor and loyalty were very important to who Basher was.
Could a man with those types of traits get any sexier?
The cutest moment of the afternoon happened when Puppy—Gavin and Marcus’s dog—came trotting up to Basher and dropped a stick at the man’s feet.
Arms still crossed at his chest, Basher stared down at the dog, clearly not impressed with the dog’s social skills.
It was only after a few minutes of Puppy staring up at him, tail wagging and tongue drooping, that Basher glanced around to see if anyone was watching his doggy stare-down.
Convinced that no one was watching, Basher bent down, picked up the stick, and tossed it several feet away in the opposite direction from where Cameron was standing.
Puppy immediately took off after his prize, only to bring the stick back to Basher again for another throw.
Glancing around to still make sure no one was watching, Basher quickly picked up the stick before tossing it away once more.
Cameron watched as Basher and Puppy continued their secret love affair until Gavin, Marcus’s boyfriend, eventually came looking for his dog.
Resuming his stoic stance next to the tree, Basher watched as Gavin and Puppy walked away.
Seeing that sort of interaction made him wonder if there was secretly a big softy hidden under all that grit and bravado.
Jesus, that was just another thing that made Basher even more irresistible.
As the event wound down, Basher reappeared at Cameron’s table, hauling boxes and folding up tables to take back to the vans.
He never asked whether help was needed—just stepped in and got to work, once again proving that a man’s sexiness was measured by his actions, not his words.