“You okay?” he whispered.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being here.”
His smile transformed his serious expression into something unspeakably beautiful. “Ditto. I’m not going anywhere, Seb.”
So maybe I was guilty of reading into the sentiment. Maybe I heard validation, admiration, and something that felt like a promise. Because that was when I kissed him.
Kissed him.
In front of a full-capacity conference hall at a public event being recorded, photographed, and streamed online…I sealed my mouth over Trent’s in a serious lip-lock, pouring everything I had into the kiss until everyone around us disappeared and we were the only ones in the room.
I was dizzy when I stepped aside. The cacophony of raucous hooting and hollering roared in my ears. Holy shit. I couldn’t believe I’d done that. I’d never kissed a man in public in my life. Not Gray, not Giorgio…and no one in between.
“That was—I…”
Trent peered over my shoulder, then gave me a lopsided smile. “Looks like your bodyguard just became your boyfriend.”
Gulp.
11
TRENT
Look, I gotta come clean…
My off-the-cuff “boyfriend” comment at that conference was heat-of-the-moment word vomit. I wasn’t entirely sure where it came from. I’d experienced the strongest gravitational pull of my life watching Seb from the sidelines at that conference. I’d studied his handsome profile, noting the myriad of emotions crossing his features…pride and joy, yes. But then something darker too.
Something haunted and full of pain. I’d noticed it the first day we’d met. Later, once I’d heard about his ex’s engagement, I’d assumed he was wrecked about that. Now that I knew him better, I suspected it was something else altogether. Gray was never a source of pain. Gray was just the only other person who understood it.
And now…me.
However, I was no one’s savior. In fact, I was kind of a head case myself. I didn’t for one second think I could fix him or vice versa. But I couldn’t stand the idea of Pierce fucking Allen touching him. Even for the sake of meaningless publicity. Seb was mine.
I mean…not really mine. But there was definitely something between us. We had an undeniable connection. And it was strong enough that I couldn’t walk away from him, and I wouldn’t walk away when he seemed to need something from me.
Now it looked as if the guy who’d never had a boyfriend in his life had just landed a big gay fish.
We returned to LA on Rourke Studio’s private jet a couple of days after the conference as “a couple.” Code for “fake boyfriends” for a finite amount of time, which I assumed was until Gray and Justin’s wedding or until he got sick of me. Or vice versa. I couldn’t decide what was more strange—the coupledom part or the jet.
I’d thought first class was sweet, but it had nothing on this. I was blown away by the casual opulence of the lush interior—the soft white leather sofa, cushy captain’s chairs, and an honest-to-God bedroom and bathroom suite. On a fucking jet. It had never occurred to me that when I finally joined the mile-high club, it would be in the lap of luxury.
Don’t get excited—we didn’t have sex for ten hours straight. We watched a movie, ate chicken cordon bleu, sipped wine, and had lengthy conversations about what that kiss meant. Not romantic at all, but it was probably necessary.
“I honestly don’t know what the scrutiny will be like. I’m not a household name, so I doubt your everyday private life will be affected. That may change when Justin and Gray’s wedding gets closer or when the movie comes out. If at any time you’re not interested in the bullshit, I’ll understand. You may find I’m not worth the headache,” Seb said, brushing his foot up my calf as he slouched in his reclining airplane chair.
I captured his foot and massaged his instep with enough pressure to make him squirm in his seat. “I’m more concerned with real-life noise, like explaining this to my folks. Fake boyfriend is a new title for me.”
“We’re only sort of faking,” he insisted. “And ‘boyfriend’ is easier to sell than ‘short-term lover.’ ”
“So I’m supposed to tell people that you’re my boyfriend.”
“You don’t have to say a word. Everyone will make their own assumptions.”
I exhaled noisily. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. Ever. If this lasts another couple of months, my parents are gonna want to meet you. That’ll be interesting.”
“Will they be okay with it?”
“Yeah, I think so. But I can’t say it’s fake.” They’d be confused as fuck as it was, but I kept that to myself. “What about Charlie and Oliver?”
Seb sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure about Oliver. He really didn’t like Giorgio, and I think it soured his outlook on the whole boyfriend thing. Charlie, on the other hand, will obviously approve. You’re the all-around perfect solution. The PR machinery can stop the nonsense, bury the Pierce Story, and tell the truth.”