by Cate Ashwood
He could hear the splashing of Riley and Bran walking up behind him. He turned to see Cooper and Colt still lying on the beach. Colt was turned toward Cooper. Propped up on one elbow, he looked happy and relaxed. It was not something Evan had seen a lot of coming from Colt.
“You know,” Riley said from beside him, “the best way to get in is all at once. Kinda like ripping off a Band-Aid.”
“No… wait….” Evan protested, but before he could explain, Riley had picked him up around the waist and tossed him into the water as if he were a little kid.
He wasn’t thrown far, but the water was deep enough to go over his head. Evan began to panic as the cool water closed over him, the waves making it difficult to tell which end was up. He struggled against it, trying to bring his head above water but couldn’t. He felt like he was being pulled under and that his erratic movements were only using up his air more quickly.
He felt a strong arm slip around his waist and tug him up toward the sunlight. He gasped for breath as he broke through the surface of the water and then went limp as Bran swam the few feet to where he could touch the bottom. Evan clung to Bran—his arms wrapped tightly around Bran’s neck—and let him carry him into the shallows. His breathing was erratic.
Bran put him down carefully and Evan wiped his eyes, coughing as the water drained from his sinuses. Bran had let him go, but still had a warm hand pressed to his back, keeping him steady.
“You alright?” Bran asked with concern.
“Fuck, Jackson, I am so sorry.” Riley pulled Evan into his arms and held him for a minute. He wished it had been Bran, and not Riley to try to comfort him.
“I’m fine. Really,” Evan said with a weak smile. “I just, you know, never learned how to swim.”
Riley released Evan from the embrace, but held onto his arm. “I just—fuck—I am really so sorry. Are you okay? Can I do anything?”
Cooper and Colt, having seen what happened, had run into the water to make sure Evan was okay. He felt a little embarrassed by all the attention. It wasn’t that big a deal, and really he shouldn’t have panicked. They say that’s the worst thing you can do. It was really his own fault for not telling the guys from the get-go that he couldn’t swim.
“I’m good, I promise. Just had a bit of a scare is all. I’m just going to sit on the beach for a bit. You guys go ahead.”
Evan waded out and toward the beach. He could hear Bran behind him, the water sloshing around his legs as he trudged through the shallow water. His presence behind him did more to warm Evan than the rays of sunlight that were growing stronger as the sun rose in the sky.
He flopped down onto one of the towels spread out not far from the water’s edge. He lay on his back with his feet flat on the ground, anchoring him to the earth. He splayed his hands casually against his stomach so he could feel himself breathing, stomach rising and falling with each inhalation and exhalation. Bran stood over him, hands on his hips, shading him from the overwhelming brightness.
“You mind?”
Evan cocked his head in silent permission. Bran sank down beside him. They were quiet, listening to the laughter and shouts of the boys in the water. Cooper had swum out and pulled Kellan, already unsteady on his feet, off his surfboard and into the gentle waves. Kellan retaliated by pulling him under the water, then holding him down with knees on his shoulders. Cooper pushed him off and dunked him again.
Evan let the laughter wash over him, cleansing him of the fear he had felt in the water. The prickle of disquiet had finally subsided, pushed aside by the warmth and ease of the morning.
Evan was envious at the ease at which the other boys played together. Part of it was envy that they all seemed so adept in the water, but it was also how comfortable they seemed with one another. He had never been able to fit in like that. He was always the odd one out. And Bran, sitting next to him, a man who made him feel protected and too hot in his own skin all at the same time, was missing out because he felt bad for the poor little boy who couldn’t play with the big kids.
“Are you really okay?” Bran asked with muted concern. He obviously didn’t want to make Evan feel worse than he already did.
“Yeah, my ego is bruised more than anything else. I should have told you from the beginning that I couldn’t swim.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Evan shrugged. “Didn’t want one more thing to set me apart from everyone else, I guess. Maybe I was a bit embarrassed.”
“You are different from everyone else, but trust me when I tell you this, Evan, that is a very good thing. There’s a light inside you that shines just a little bit brighter than everyone else. Don’t ever hide that.”
Evan was quiet. Compliments were not something he had a lot of practice with, and he was unsure of what to say next. Coming from Bran, the praise was just a bit more meaningful.
Chapter 16
TWENTY minutes until the first scene of the day and Bran was fighting that niggling feeling in the back of his mind that he had forgotten something. He ran through the lists in his head one more time, making mental checkmarks next to each item.
Everything was in place, everything was ready. The guys were showering and prepping for their shoot. The cameramen had arrived and were setting up now.
He couldn’t shake that feeling that something was wrong. Maybe his sanity was beginning to unravel.
His thoughts drifted back to Evan at the beach. How panicked he had felt when he saw him struggling in the water, how difficult it had been not to punch Riley square in the face for putting Evan at risk, how relieved he felt when Evan responded to him, clinging to him like a scared child.
It had been so hard to let him go, but he knew if he had held on any longer, he would have lost all control and taken advantage of the situation. It made him sick to think that while Evan was scared and in distress, all he could think about was how amazing it felt to have him in his arms and how warm and slick Evan’s body was against his own.
It was becoming a problem for Bran. The inability to control his libido around the kid would be the death of him. There was still at least two weeks left of work to do on the shoot, where he would be in close quarters with Evan, kissing him, touching him, pushing inside the tight warmth of his body. Shit. He needed to stop thinking about fucking Evan through the mattress and start concentrating on doing his job or Les would never let him take the wheel on another project.
He wasn’t even scheduled for another scene with Evan. It wouldn’t be him kissing and touching and fucking Evan, it would be him watching someone else kissing and touching and fucking him.
He felt sick again thinking about it. He was going to have to get used to it though, and quickly. Ryan was supposed to do a scene with Evan that evening. Only a few hours to get his head out of his ass. He could worry about that later, though, for now he had a job to do.
Riley and Kellan had arrived in the weight room in their gym shorts, ready to go. They were already groping and fondling one another, getting hard for the beginning of the scene. Cooper showed up a few minutes later.
The sound guy was doing the last few checks when the door opened again and Evan walked through.
“Is it okay if I watch, as long as I stay outta the way?” he asked, a little meekly.
Bran smiled warmly, resisting the urge to pull him tight and nuzzle into his hair. “Of course.”
The weight room was certainly big enough and it was going to be a pretty straightforward shoot. Most of the equipment they would be using was on one side of the room, so it would be easy to stay hidden from the cameras. These guys were more or less pros anyway. Bran didn’t anticipate needing to do much directing in the next couple of hours, just watch for any major mix-ups, and everything would go according to plan.
Evan sank to the floor, tucked himself away in the corner, and drew his knees to his chest. He looked a bit pale—the nervousness was back—but Bran decided not to say anything. Instead, he sat down next to him and called action.
The guys got right to it. Riley and Kellan were starting the scene, kissing one another hungrily, moaning against one another. Cooper stood nearby, rubbing the erection visible through the flimsy fabric of his shorts. Kellan dropped straight to his knees, licking and sucking at the smooth, tanned skin just above Riley’s shorts.
“Fuck you’re hot. I’ve wanted to taste you all day. Feel your cock against my tongue. Gonna make you beg for it. You’re gonna beg me to let you come.”
“So what are you waiting for, then?” Riley answered.
Kellan stripped Riley’s shorts down, exposing his narrow hips and muscular legs, but no underwear. Riley thrust his hand down Cooper’s shorts, freed the rigid shaft, and then stroked it up and down with intensity. Cooper captured Riley’s mouth, licking and massaging his tongue.
Riley moaned louder as Kellan swallowed him down, tugging gently at his balls. He backed off, hollowing his cheeks, sucking Riley hard. Riley thrust his hips forward, fucking Kellan’s mouth.
Cooper broke the kiss, moving his mouth lower to tease and lick at Riley’s nipples, using his hands to stroke and fondle as he moved. Cooper’s shorts were pulled low, exposing the round of his ass and the top of his crack as he bent lower, giving the camera a show. He was on his knees now, next to Kellan as they both worked Riley’s cock, tongues moving as they kissed around his length.
Riley’s head fell back as he groaned, “Enough, guys, you keep that up I’m gonna come already.”
Kellan laughed and pulled Cooper into a deep kiss.
BRAN looked over at Evan, who hadn’t moved since the filming started. He still had his knees tucked in against his chest, wrists clasped around his shins. His eyes were wide, transfixed on the scene unfolding in front of him.
The guys were doing great, and the dirty talk was flowing as readily as the suggestive moans and wet suction noises. These three liked things a little rougher, especially Kellan, who more than looked the part with the piercings and tattoos, and Riley had a mouth on him that could make a sailor blush.
For someone as skittish as Evan, this was a lot to take in five feet in front of his face.
Bran leaned over, whispering low enough that the sound equipment wouldn’t pick it up. “You doin’ okay? You look a little… overwhelmed.”
Evan shook himself out of the daze he was in before he answered, “Yeah, just came in to distract myself before my scene tonight. Was driving myself a little up the wall thinking about it too much, I guess.”
“Well, this is one hell of a distraction.”
Evan giggled a little. “Yeah it is. Hasn’t really worked out the way I planned, though. I think I’m more nervous now than I was before I came in.”
“Nothing to be nervous about. You’re gonna be great. You did great last time. This time’ll be no different.”
Evan mumbled something under his breath.
Bran let it drop for now. He would talk to Evan again before the cameras started rolling on him. This wasn’t the time or place to talk about it, with the moaning getting louder in front of them and Kellan growling, “You want my cock buried in your sweet ass? Say it. Tell me how you want it.”
Bran looked back to see Riley laid out flat on the weight bench, knees pulled up and head to the side with his lips wrapped around Cooper’s dick.
Cooper laughed. “Think he’s a little busy right now, Kellan, but I’ll tell you that he sucks cock like a dream. Such a pretty mouth. Feels like heaven. So fucking good.”
“Good down here too, so tight.”
Kellan thrust harder, ramming Riley up and Cooper’s cock further down his throat. He swallowed around it, moaning like he was about to die of pleasure. Cooper pulled out of Riley’s mouth with a wet pop and all three shifted, moving seamlessly into a new formation.
Riley flipped over, straddling the bench and arching his ass into the air. Cooper stepped behind him, fisting his cock and pressing it easily into Riley’s ass. He moaned loudly, letting his head fall forward onto the bench.
“Oh yeah, Cooper. Fuck me hard.”
Cooper gave him what he wanted, driving into him with everything he had. The sound of skin slapping against skin was loud in the enclosed space but before long, the thrusting slowed as Kellan butted up against Cooper, pushing into him as well.
The three men moved together, skin slick with sweat as Kellan’s hips pushed Cooper forward into Riley, faster and harder until all three were too close to keep going. Cooper and Kellan pulled out at the same time, moving to stand above Riley as he flipped onto his back.
All three stroked themselves to completion, coming one after another in a series of satisfied grunts and gratified sighs.
“Well,” Riley declared, “I guess we got our workout for today.”
Bran smiled. That was pretty corny. He could decide later whether or not he wanted to edit that out. Leave it to Riley, though. The guys grabbed towels and cleaned themselves up as the cameramen shut down the equipment and hauled it into the living room for the scene they would be shooting after dinner—Evan’s scene.
Bran turned back to Evan, who looked a little less flushed now that the shoot was over. His job was done for the time being anyway, so he told Evan he was going to grab a beer and sit on the deck for a while, if he wanted to join him.
Evan nodded and followed him down the stairs; he climbed into the chair opposite him, but opted for a Dr Pepper instead. Another reminder of how young and innocent this kid was. He was a good kid and Bran was aiding in his corruption. He hated himself a little for it, but ultimately was far too selfish to do anything about it.
The sun was just beginning to go down, a hushed quiet falling over the forest in front of them. Even the birds seemed to sense that the boys needed some quiet to get focused. Bran was happy just being there, being quiet, and being with Evan. Bran wished he could stretch out the next few minutes into hours, to postpone what needed to be done for his own self-centered reasons.
After a while, Evan was the one to break the silence. “How do they do that?”
Bran rolled his head to the side and looked at Evan staring out at nothing. He was tucked into the chair, always seeming to want to make himself as small and as unnoticeable as possible, but Bran always noticed. He was always aware of Evan no matter what else was going on in the room. It was like Evan was a part of him. “Do what, Ev?” he said quietly.
“Let go like that? Be so nonchalant about everything, so easygoing about who and what they’re doing.”
“Just get used to it, I guess.”
“Will I get used to it?”
“Can’t say. Can only speak for myself. I was young when I started this. Younger than you. It was easy at first. Thought I was God’s gift, yeah? Then after a while it became draining. I learned to block it out, to pull away.”
“Is it… is it like that with everyone for you?”
Bran’s expression softened. “No, Sweets. Not everyone.”
Evan just nodded and stared back at the trees. It seemed like that was enough for Evan. They sat together for a long while, not saying anything, just being outside together until finally it was time for Evan to get ready.
They both walked back into the house, Evan ahead of Bran. He went to shower while Bran met up with Ryan in the living room to go through the scene. It was a straightforward one: Ryan sucks Evan, Evan sucks Ryan, then Ryan fucks Evan. Not too complicated. Bran felt sick to his stomach again. He had to get through this, had to get his head in the game. This was his job. He needed to pull it together.
Bran couldn’t watch, though. He couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself to put his emotions away and rely on the tried and tested method of separation, he just couldn’t bring himself to watch.
He realized this would be the first time Evan had ever given a blowjob. He needed to make sure Ryan would be gentle, go slow. He didn’t want his boy hurt.
His boy? Since when had he thought of Evan as his? Since the beginning, he realized. Since the minute he had walked into
that room and seen those giant eyes trained on him. Since the moment he felt his guts sink to the floor at the sight of the timid little bird in front of him. How the fuck was he going to get through the next few hours? It was going to be fucking torture.
Decision made, he said, “Ryan, I’m not gonna be here for your shoot. I got other stuff I need to take care of. You just yell action and cut on your own. It should be pretty straightforward. You’ve done this before. I need you to listen to me, though. Jackson isn’t as used to all this as the other guys. You need to go easy with him.”
“Yeah, no problem, Noah. Got it.”
Bran grabbed him by the shoulders and stared him in the eyes in an attempt to convey how deadly serious he was about this.
“No, Ryan, I mean it. This is going to be his first time giving head. You need to be careful. Gentle. Okay? I will cut off your balls and feed them to you if you hurt him.”
“Whoa, okay. Noah, seriously, I got it.”
“Good.”
And with that, Bran left the room.
Chapter 17
EVAN felt like he was going to throw up. He had never felt so nervous and agitated in his whole life. Even when he thought Phil was going to beat him for dumping his booze down the drain, he hadn’t felt as overwrought as he did right then. If he didn’t get a move on though, he was going to be late.
He steeled himself and walked down the hall into the living room where it looked like everyone was ready for him except Bran. Even Colt was there to watch.
“Where’s Noah?” he asked.
“Uh, he said he had some stuff to take care of, so we’re flying solo on this one,” Ryan replied.
“Oh, okay.”
Evan wasn’t sure if that made him more or less nervous. Bran always made him feel calm, safe, and protected, but it also felt wrong, the thought of kissing, fucking someone else, especially right in front of him. Almost like he was cheating. He knew that thought was ridiculous. It was Bran who had made the schedule. If he had a problem with Evan sleeping with other guys, he wouldn’t have scripted it.