THE NEXT EVENING, we arrived together at my next shootâwell, next shoot, because at this point I couldnât imagine doing them without Donovan.
As we walked into the locker room where the cameras were being set up, I saw Rafferty glancing down at where I held Donovanâs hand and raise a dark brow. He didnât say anything, only waved us inside, where Anita was setting up the wardrobe for the start of the scene.
âOh no.â Donovan held up a pair of white football pants, complete with thick padding, and gave me a look. âThis is payback for making you wear a tux last night, isnât it?â
I smirked, fingering the snug but stretchy fabric. âIf it makes you feel better, I think Iâll be wearing them too.â
âReeeally?â he said. âIâm not sure they make these big enough to fit what youâre packinâ.â
Reaching down between us, he cupped my dick, giving it a squeeze and making me groan.
âSave it for the cameras,â Rafferty called out as he passed by without stopping.
I sighed, pushing Donovanâs hand away. âYouâre trouble. I donât think you know how to be anything else.â
âWhich is exactly why you like me.â His wicked grin only grew as he leaned in to kiss me.
Then Anita stepped between us and shoved a football helmet against Donovanâs chest.
âYou. Masked man. Wear this,â she said.
Donovanâs nose wrinkled. âYou want me to put a used, sweaty helmet on head of hair? No way. My stylist will have a shit fit.â
âWell, here, am the stylist. Pretty boy wants a mask, hereâs a mask. And this.â She held up some kind of black face paint.
Donovanâs eyes collided with mine. âI take back what I said. This isnât just payback; now you owe me.â
âYou have something against football gear, ?â I grinned, enjoying this as I leaned against a locker.
âYes. Itâs smelly and reminds me of an ex.â
âNot Atticus, I assume.â Smirking, I reached out, curling my finger into the waistband of his navy pants, and tugged him toward me. He came, willinglyâ¦just like he would later, several times over. âYou think you can manage this? For me?â
Donovan groaned, and I could see his resolve weakening. âDammit, Kelly.â
âIs that a yes?â I rubbed circles along his lower abdomen with my thumb, then dipped below the waistband. âYou can be my tight end.â
He groaned again and stilled my hand. âItâs not a .â
âDonât worry, baby, Iâll be quick taking your pants off.â
Donovanâs gorgeous eyes heated, and I knew I had him.
And selfishly, I really wanted to see the way his ass would fill out that gear. He had the perfect body for a quarterback, all athletic, lean muscles and a cocky smile to match.
I widened my legs as Donovan stepped between them, pressing his hand against my chest so my back was fully against the locker. He ghosted his lips over mine, not quite touching, but just enough to drive me crazy. I jerked forward to capture his teasing mouth, but he was faster, moving his head back to keep out of my reach.
âUh uh,â he said, a shit-eating smile curving his lips. âSave it for the cameras, remember?â
âFuck the cameras.â
âHow about you fuck me the cameras?â
My cock practically lurched out of my damn pants.
It took everything I had in me to push Donovan away to go get ready, but I couldnât resist swatting his firm ass as he went.
I changed into the gear, with Anita assisting us both with the padding situation, which made the pants even more snug than Iâd expected. Donovan had been right about one thingâmy dick was already being choked to death in these suckers. Fuck me, I wouldnât have any circulation left if we didnât start this soon.
âSin, we need to talk.â Rafferty swept his ass-length braids aside to sit in the directorâs chair behind me as I stood in front of the mirror smearing thick black lines under my eyes.
âHere to set the scene?â I asked.
âNot really. Other than provide you the location and gear, you and your partner have free rein today.â
My eyes met his in the mirror. âWhy?â
âWhy what?â
âCome on, Raff, you love a storyboard. Whatcha got planned for us tonight? Rival players? Some hate fucking?â
He waved me off. âAny of that is fine. Your choice.â
That had me narrowing my eyes in suspicion, because . âMy choice?â
âYes.â
âSo if I wanted to ram the whole football team, thatâd be fine by you?â
âMight be a longer shoot than our schedule allows, but I donât see a problem with it.â
All right, now I knew something was up.
I turned, crossing my arms. âI get all this freedom why? Iâm new. I havenât paid my dues or whatever shit Anita said I needed to do.â
âNo, but you provided Xes with its highest-rated scenes in years. Their subscription rate is through the roof thanks to youâ¦â He gestured toward my hips. âAnd your sex hammer.â
My brows shot up as surprise filtered through me. Holy shit, that wasâ¦unexpected.
âThatâs also what I need to talk to you about,â he said, and something about his tone told me I wasnât gonna like whatever was coming next.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Donovan a few feet away pretending not to eavesdrop as Anita painted his face.
âYouâve been getting a lot of interest,â Rafferty continued. âSome of the biggest names in the industry have reached out, and itâs time to take advantage of your momentum. Expand your horizons.â
âMeaning?â
âAs of next week, youâll be shooting three times a week, rotating partners that Xes will be in charge of scheduling. Not to say they havenât enjoyed the masked man aspectâobviously the numbers on the site would agreeâbut their other performers get a little demanding when new talent shows up and they donât get a piece of the action.â
I nodded slowly as a handful of different thoughts and emotions rolled through me. Obviously this was going to happen. Iâd gotten into this business for a reason, and not one performer out there kept a monogamous partner for shoots. That wasnât anything Iâd expected either, butâ¦
That was before Iâd met Donovan.
I tried not to notice the way heâd gone so still that I wasnât even sure he was breathing. I wondered what was going through his mind, whether it bothered him at all or if he was cool with it.
Donovan was open about a lot of things, but I couldnât imagine heâd be quick to share, not after the possessive way heâd thrown down last night. That had been super hot, and so had hearing the word fall from those kissable lips.
Would he still feel the same way having a boyfriend who fucked other guys for a living?
Hell, would ?
Rafferty watched me intently as I swallowed and gave him a nod.
âThatâs the job, right?â I said, trying to sound more lighthearted than I felt. Because what I felt was a boulder dropping onto my chest. Which was stupid, because this was what Iâd signed up for. Even Donovan knew that when he met me.
That didnât do much to lessen the conflict warring inside me, though.
âPretty boy over there can be welcomed back as an occasional special guest if youâd like,â Rafferty said, rising from the chair, and before he turned to leave, his hand found my shoulder. âWhateverâs going on with you two will need to stay outside of work. But for tonight, have fun and go wild.â
Then he gave me a squeeze and wandered off, calling out for his assistant and snapping his fingers.
I let out a breath I didnât realize Iâd been holding and schooled my face into nonchalance as I turned to face Donovan. The last thing I wanted him to see was how affected I was about the news.
âEveryoneâs dying for a piece of Sin,â he said, trying for a smile. He was shirtless except for the shoulder padsâhis rock-hard abs were on full display, and those tight pants rode low on his hips.
Damn. I had to remember to thank whoever came up with this concept, because I never wouldâve guessed Donovan in football gear would make my dick rise to the occasion.
âDonât move.â Anita dabbed her finger in the black eye paint, and when Donovanâs smile faded, she went back to painting. I noticed he was getting thicker lines than Iâd swiped on, most likely to help cover his gorgeous face.
Always such a shame.
âCanât say I blame them,â Donovan continued, keeping his face straight for Anita. âI was the same. Eager for a chance to get my hands on you.â
âNo.â I shook my head and moved toward him, ready for Anita to get out of the way. âThereâs not one part of you thatâs the same as anyone else. Not even close.â
A faint grin tried to appear, but a huff from Anita had it dropping quickly. âWatch it, or your nickname will change to âSin the sweetheartâ instead of âSin and his sex hammer.ââ
That made me bust out a laugh, which made the rock of unease in my stomach break apart for the moment.
âAll right, all done,â Anita said, her voice laced with irritation. âCareful with the jersey.â
As she stomped off, I made a motion for him to spin around. He rolled his eyes, but did as requested, and I let out a low whistle.
âCan I just say how damn sexy you are, even in sweaty football gear?â
âIf you think this is hot, you need to get your eyes checked.â
âOh? You donât think I rock this?â I teased, turning around so he could get the full view as well. Unlike him, I had the jersey on already, and I almost laughed when I faced him again and saw his expression.
âYou look hot in anything, but I prefer you with nothing on.â
âThen I guess we should come up with a scene thatâll have you stripping me out of this pretty quick, huh?â
âWe should.â His mouth quirked as he nodded, and I reached out to hold his hands. âKellyââ he started, but I cut him off.
âWe should talk about this.â
Donovan was silent for a long moment, staring at our hands. âYeah.â
âWhat Rafferty saidâ¦how do you feel about it?â
âProud of you, first of all.â
My eyes widened. That was not where I thought he was about to go with this. â
?â I repeated.
âYeah. Highest-rated scenes? Getting so many people to join a site just to see you? Thatâs amazing.â
âNot like I had a whole lot to do with a God-given appendage.â
âOh my God, thatâs not it,â he said, rolling his eyes. âYou have a presence about you that the camera picks up on. Thatâs you, not your glorious dick, though thatâs a definite perk.â
âOne you donât mind sharing?â
Donovanâs mouth snapped shut, and he seemed to weigh his words carefully. If itâd been the other way around, I was sure a âfuck noâ wouldâve rolled off my tongue.
âHonestly?â he said after a long moment. âThis is uncharted territory for me. Iâm not sure what is right for me to feel.â
â
for you to feel? Why donât you just tell me you feel?â
âBecause itâs selfish,â he said, dropping my hands and taking a step back. âBecause I knew what I was getting myself into with you, and I did it anyway. This is your job.â
âAnd?â
His brow furrowed, and his hazel eyes searched mine. âAnd what?â
âAnd how does it make you feel, Donovan?â
âItâ¦â He took in a deep inhale then let it out slowly. âIt doesnât matter. Itâs not right to tell you to quit your job because I donât want you with anyone else.â
âAnd thatâs what you want?â I said, taking a step toward him. âTo be the only one who touches me?â
When Donovanâs back hit the locker, I took his chin firmly between my fingers so he couldnât look away. I knew the conflict he was feeling, knew which side he wanted to win out, because that was exactly what was happening inside me.
âWhat do want?â His voice was practically a whisper.
I wanted to answer, to have some magic solution for us both, but just like Donovan, I didnât know how to navigate these new waters.
âTalent, youâre needed on setâscene starts in five,â Raffertyâs assistant called over the megaphone.
âShit.â There was no time to work through all this right now, not when we needed to get excited for a shoot we hadnât even plotted out the basics of.
I dropped my hold on Donovan and backed away as I ran a hand through my hair. âWeâll, um. Talk about this later.â
He nodded. âYeah. Looks like weâre going to have a lot to talk about this weekend.â
I helped him into his jersey, making sure it didnât get stuck in the shoulder pads, and tried to shake off the gnawing feeling that was taking over.
was what I needed to focus on. For the next few hours, all I had to do was enjoy the man I craved with every part of me.
And whatever came after, weâd deal with it. Later.