“What whole thing?”
“Being with me.” Jeremy’s voice broke on the words.
“In that case, it’s turned out to be better than what I signed up for.” Reg rubbed his back.
“Yeah, right. You have to deal with my annoying PR guy, and bugs, and me acting like a needy kid, and—”
“I’ll happily be your permanent PR-dealer, hug-giver, and spider-eviscerator.”
“Spider-eviscerator.” Jeremy snorted. “That’s funny.” He took in a deep breath and said, “Okay,” as he moved out of Reg’s embrace and squared his shoulders. “I’m good. Let’s go do some interviews.”
“THAT SHOW was your best one yet,” Reg said softly. They were back in the hotel room after the Madison Square Garden concert. Reg was leaning against the headboard, and Jeremy was curled around him, his head on Reg’s stomach, arm around his waist, and leg shoved between his thighs.
“You always say th—” Jeremy looked up and met Reg’s gaze. “Best one?”
“Uh-huh.” Reg set his phone on the nightstand and buried his fingers in Jeremy’s hair, massaging his scalp.
“Mmm,” Jeremy moaned and closed his eyes.
“Feel good?”
“Yeah.”
Spreading his fingers wide, Reg rubbed his way to the back of Jeremy’s head, where he knew he was most sensitive.
“You done answering e-mails?” Jeremy asked, his words coming out slowly.
“Yup.”
“Took you longer than usual.”
“That’s because Francis e-mails five times as often as my family and friends combined,” Reg said with a chuckle.
“I can tell him to stop.”
“No. I’d rather him e-mail me than you. This way I can screen what needs to be screened, and you only have to deal with the really important stuff. I’m your PR-dealer, remember?”
“That’s not a real thing. You’re just trying to keep me from yelling at him.”
“Partly,” Reg admitted. “But mostly I know you hate dealing with it, and it’s something I can take off your plate.” Reg slid his hand to Jeremy’s nape and pressed hard against the tense muscles.
Jeremy groaned.
“I want to make things easier for you, JJ.”
“You didn’t sign up to be my secretary.”
“I prefer the title ‘personal assistant.’” Though the personal things he wanted to assist with weren’t included in reputable companies’ job listings.
“You didn’t sign up to be that either.”
After weighing the potential risks and benefits of his response, Reg said, “I think this—me being here with you—has turned into something different from what both of us expected.” He cleared his throat. “Right?”
“Yeah.” Jeremy bobbed his head. “I figured you’d be a good travel companion and we’d have fun, but….”
“Uh-huh?”
“You’re, like, the best friend I’ve ever had,” Jeremy confessed in a whisper as he tightened his grip around Reg’s waist. “I know that might sound dumb with all the friends you have who text and call all the time, but—”
“It’s not dumb.”
Jeremy sighed and his body went lax.
“Roll on top of me.”
“What?” Jeremy blinked up at him.
Reg spread his legs and scooted down so more of his belly and chest were flat. “Climb on me, facedown, and put your forehead here.” He patted his chest. “That way I can get a better grip on your neck and shoulders and work out all your tension.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.”
Jeremy carefully climbed over Reg’s leg, settled himself between his thighs, and lay down. “Like this?” he asked once his upper torso was pressed against Reg from groin to chest.
“That’s perfect.”
Not as perfect as it’d be if they were naked and Reg could feel Jeremy’s dick and balls press against him, but he’d take what he could get. There was nothing he enjoyed more than touching Jeremy’s smooth, hot skin. Feeling his lean body in his arms, breathing in the scent of his hair, and hearing his soft moans made Reg so hard he ached. And in their current position, with him wearing nothing but a pair of thin cutoff sweats, he knew Jeremy could feel it. But, as he’d hoped, Jeremy didn’t back away.
“Reggie?” Jeremy whispered so quietly Reg almost didn’t hear him.
Reg slid his hands over Jeremy’s shoulders, working the muscles there before going back to his nape. “Uh-huh?”
“Do you ever, uh.” He gulped. “I mean, we’ve been touring for four months, and you’re with me almost all the time, so I don’t think you’ve hooked up with anyone, but—”
Tangling his fingers in the back of Jeremy’s hair, Reg tugged, bringing Jeremy’s gaze up to meet his. “I haven’t been with anyone since before I met you.”
Nodding, Jeremy said, “I figured, so, uh—” He rubbed his lips together. “—do you ever, um… of course you do.” He dropped his forehead back onto Reg’s chest. “Never mind.”
“Every day. Usually twice, sometimes more.”
Barely raising his head, Jeremy looked up at him from underneath his lashes. From his expression, Reg knew he wasn’t sure Reg’s answer was to the question he’d been too uncomfortable to articulate.
“Every time I take a shower,” Reg elaborated. “Morning, night, sometime in between, whenever. Me plus shower equals jacking off.”