Chapter 17
DYLAN
A WEEK LATER
W arren accepted my coming out better than I had anticipated. He got busy working on a media plan in conjunction with the book launch.
Once Max fully recovered from his food poisoning, we got into a routine of rising early, working on the book, and then going our separate ways the rest of the day—me on my film set in the countryside and him working on his other books.
We still hadn’t talked about the kiss. But I thought about it plenty. Too much. Hell, I had to bite my tongue so many times to stop myself from flirting with Max that I swore I tasted the coppery tang of blood in my mouth.
Several times I’d made the mistake of staring into his dark gaze too long and watching his mouth too closely.
Then his lips would kick up in a filthy grin and yeah, he knew exactly where my thoughts had wandered.
Max wasn’t immune to me either. He’d fidget in his seat while he gave me a dirty once over.
How long would this unrelenting teasing go on?
Sitting for hours with a boner on a sweltering summer day ain’t fun, y’all.
And neither was the want I had for Max. It was relentless, crawling into every part of me until I felt like I would do just about anything to satisfy it. Had I replaced one addiction with another? Some days it felt that way.
I was hungering hard to touch him, so much that I couldn’t think on anything else. I was distracted on set and started running on the treadmill twice a day just to expend energy. My hand had new calluses from all the jacking off I was doing every night.
To make matters worse, Rowan and Andrew were arriving this afternoon to stay on board for a week. I loved my closest friends like family, but I didn’t know how they’d get along with Max. And my concern over that was making me edgy.
Max stood beside me on the bridge deck as the tender came into view. Rowan and Andrew waved, and even from a distance I could see their broad smiles. The honeymoon phase was still in full effect with those two.
Charlie slowed the boat and slid up beside the lower deck. I noticed George walking down from the wheelhouse, his uniform as starched as his expression. I guess when the boss showed up, you had to make an appearance.
Like the true gentleman he was, Andrew stepped out onto the deck and held his hand out to help Rowan. Once Rowan was safely on board, Andrew pulled him in tight, no distance between them. Love looked good on them, and I could plainly see that my best friend was happier than he’d ever been.
George greeted them and helped Charlie unload the boat while Rowan and Andrew walked up the stairs to meet us.
“I’d say welcome aboard, but it’s your ship,” I quipped.
“It’s your ship for now. In fact, I think other people visit Now, Voyager more than I do,” Rowan replied and pulled me in for a quick hug. Me being me—and Rowan being British—we saved the hugs for special occasions. I greeted Andrew and turned to Max.
“Max, meet my best bud Rowan and his husband Andrew. They’re newly married so you might wanna put your sunglasses on. Between their glowing faces and permanent smiles, you can see them from outer space,” I joked.
“Jealousy doesn’t become you, Dylan,” Rowan quipped and turned to Max. “As you can tell, Max, he’s got quite the mouth. Just keep him stuffed and you’ll have no problem.”
Max coughed into his fist, then he laughed out loud.
“I’ve already thought of that,” Max replied and gave me a dirty grin.
Getting on my knees for Max and being stuffed full of his cock was the only solution I wanted. Then I remembered where I was and shook myself out of my naughty sidetrack. I could feel the weight of Rowan and Andrew’s stare on me, but I ignored it.
“Speaking of eating, Jana was setting up food in the lounge. A snack before we head off to Jared’s. You guys hungry?” I asked.
“How about we change first?” Andrew replied and we all agreed to meet in the lounge in an hour.
Back in my room, I had a quick shower and slipped into my suit.
Good thing I’d brought my favorite white linen with me.
I hated formal wear, but this was as relaxed as I was gonna get without looking like a total slob.
I wore a matching shirt, leaving a few buttons undone and added a braided black leather wrap to my wrist. No fancy shoes, so my white Chucks would have to do.
A spritz of my usual cologne, some styling crème to tame the unruly waves in my hair, and I was good to go.
A flutter released in my stomach the closer I got to the lounge, and I told myself to quit it.
I could hear Ro and Andrew’s voices along with Max and I took a cleansing breath before entering the room, centering myself.
Seemed I was doing a lot of that lately.
Shit, I was turning into a proper California boy by embracing mindfulness, leaving my steadfast Texas roots in the dust. If my family could see me now, they’d hoot and holler to no end.
I stepped into the room and my eyes immediately sought out Max.
He was sitting at the bar, while Rowan poured two glasses of white wine.
Dressed in slim navy pants, a matching button down, and leather loafers, Max looked stylish and elegant.
He slowly shifted to face me. I felt his eyes wander slowly over my body like a heated caress.
My hands started to shake but they were stuffed in my pockets, so he was none the wiser.
With his dark stubble and glasses, he looked every inch the sexy professor. I wasn’t a great student, but maybe I could benefit from a hands-on teacher with experience…
“We were worried you weren’t joining us. You Hollywood types always take so long to get ready,” Ro teased me, and I gave him my best finger in return.
My friend’s eyes sparkled with a mischief I knew all too well. Until he caught my gaze as it wandered to the bottle of wine, and he suddenly tensed. I shook my head.
“Don’t baby me, Rowan,” I warned and walked over to sit down on the couch beside Andrew.
“Yeah, Ro. Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” Andrew quipped, and I barked out a laugh.
Andrew was a movie buff, and we shared the same sense of humor. He loved to tease his husband as much as I did.
On the coffee table sat a rustic wooden platter overflowing with a selection of cheeses, fruit, and charcuterie. I grabbed some grapes off the tray and popped one in my mouth, the burst of sweetness hitting my tastebuds.
“Speaking of movies, is your entire cast and crew going to be attending this party?” Rowan asked.
“Most of them, and some of Jared’s close friends. He mentioned Aiden might be there.”
“I’m not surprised. They met at our wedding and Aiden’s been retained by him. Any excuse for Aiden to leave the office,” Rowan replied.
He walked over to sit down bedside Andrew, passing him a glass of wine and stretching his arm over the back of the couch.
Andrew turned to thank Rowan and one quick kiss between them turned into two, and when that kiss lingered, I bit back a sigh.
Their easy affection with one another made a strange longing rev to life inside me.
Then Max sat down, bumping his knee against mine.
One touch and I thought I’d melt right into the couch.
“It’ll be a party for sure with Aiden there,” I commented as I popped another grape in my mouth.
I met Aiden Barstock years ago at a fancy party Ro had organized.
A barrister from London, Aiden was incredibly smart and even more sarcastic than Ro.
Then I saw him again at Ro and Andrew’s wedding and nothing had changed.
He was quick to snark at every romantic moment of their day.
After the ceremony, guests lined up around the dance floor in a circle, holding hands while the grooms in the center had their first dance.
The circle was supposed to symbolize our support of the couple in their new life together, but Aiden swore we were all being initiated into a cult.
I’d never laughed so hard in my entire life.
“Wait until you meet him, Max. His sarcasm is next level,” I said in between bites of cheese.
“Be warned, he has a sharp tongue, and he will not hesitate to skewer you. It’s not personal, he does it to everyone,” Rowan quipped as he took a sip of his wine.
“Now I’m intrigued. I can’t wait to meet him,” Max replied. We both leaned forward and reached for the same strawberry, and when our hands touched a spark zipped up my arm, kickstarting my heart.
“You take it,” we both said in unison and laughed awkwardly.
God, we sounded like two dorky teenagers on a first date. I leaned back and looked around to find Ro and Andrew giving me a knowing smile. I rolled my eyes and ignored the heat in my cheeks. I was never so thankful for a sunburn in my entire life.
Andrew’s phone buzzed. “That’s Charlie. The tender’s ready.”
We made our way down to the lower deck and piled into the boat. I made sure to sit a bit aways from Max. He was deep in conversation with Ro so that worked out fine.
Speeding away to shore, the bright lights of Marseilles got bigger as we entered the marina. Jared’s driver picked us up and a short while later we found ourselves once again at his castle by the sea.
Alex, the bodyguard, was there to greet us and introduced the two other members of the security team.
Bearing the same grim expression on his chiseled face, I wondered if the man ever smiled.
Then again, security was no joke for someone of Jared’s notoriety so maybe hardcore hard-ass was the way to go.
Our phones weren’t confiscated, but Alex made it clear that there were no photos allowed and everyone had to e-sign an NDA. That was more than fine by me.