Page 30 of Touch In Excess

Skye opened his mouth to say that of course Avan hadn’t spread it around, but he realized that could be a lie. Avan didn’t know Rami was that man at the time. The day he showed it to Skye, the guy on the screen had been some anonymous, faceless FanCore star.

If Avan had known, he would have kept it entirely to himself.

“He doesn’t know it’s you,” Skye said softly. “I don’t know who he told, but I swear I won’t say a word about who it is until you tell me I can.”

“What if it’s never?” Rami chanced.

“Then it’s never. This is your secret, and I will protect it from everyone if I have to. It’s not their business. It’s never their business.”

Rami reached for him. “Kiss me again. We can still do that, right? You said as many as I want?—”

“And I meant it.” Skye surged in and kissed him, deep and possessive. His toes curled against the grass, and Rami’s fingers dug into his shirt. When it was over, he pulled back and realized that Rami’s jeans were still undone. He met his gaze and reached between them, doing up his button and fixing his shirt until he was put together again.

‘Thank you,’ Rami signed.

Skye kissed him for that, then pushed to his feet and offered both hands out. “Come on. I make a great sandwich, and you can teach me the way you like yours done.”

“I’m a simple person,” Rami warned as they headed for the house.

Skye laughed and tugged on his hand just a little. “Exactly the way I like you.”

Rami smiled, looking bright and happy—exactly the way Skye liked him.

“Wow.” Rami’s voice carried in the chapel. It had taken a massive amount of convincing and promises to get Rami through the doors. The place could look like a sex dungeon, and there was a St. Andrew’s cross on the dais, but when it wasn’t trussed up for a client, it looked like the inside of any cathedral—minus several statues and most of the pews.

Now, though, it held seven Renaissance era–style paintings done by August of each one of the Sins.

Rami had given them each a cursory glance, but he was now transfixed by Skye’s portrait. It was him lounging back on a throne made of cushions, two men and two women around him. Three were kneeling at his sides, and one—the taller man—was hovering beside him, leaning halfway into a kiss.

Skye was still in awe that after sitting for several hours, this was the result. The painting felt lonely though. Almost everyone else’s had come with the image of a lover they now had. Even Flint’s had two lovers that looked very much like Luke and Tomás. Skye thought maybe the sinners in his painting would forever be anonymous. But now, he was starting to wonder ifAugust had some clairvoyance because the man leaning in to kiss Skye looked a lot like Rami.

“You’re very beautiful,” Rami murmured.

Skye bit his lip and shrugged. “The idealized version of me. Or, well, my Sin.”

Rami turned and looked at him and shook his head. ‘Same-same,’ he signed.

Skye didn’t entirely agree, but it wasn’t a hill he was willing to die on. Art was subjective, after all, and so were the aesthetics of living people. Rami saw him in ways he didn’t see himself. Skye had a feeling Rami saw him in ways most people didn’t. Or couldn’t.

“I wanted to sculpt you when I first saw you,” Rami said as they moved toward Mauro’s painting. He didn’t linger on it, nor did he linger on Avan.

Skye coughed a little. “Did you say you wanted to sculpt me?”

Rami nodded and turned to face him. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he signed. ‘I wanted to put that in clay.’

“You can,” Skye said aloud. “If you ever want me to sit for you.”

Rami shook his head quickly. “I don’t have models sit for me. I study them, and then I make the piece on my own. It’s…complicated.”

Skye tugged him close and kissed him softly on the corner of his mouth. “Your process is your process. But you have whatever permission from me that you need.”

Rami’s breath trembled a little on his exhale. ‘Thank you,’ he signed. His fingers hit Skye as he drew them down.

The door across the room opened suddenly, and Rami went stiff, shoving his whole body into Skye’s arms. Skye quickly pulled him close and glanced over, relieved that it was just Hen.He was the easiest person to meet. He had a way of making everyone feel at ease.

“Hey, babe!” Hen called.

Rami stiffened, and Skye quickly tipped his head down. “He calls everyone that. He’s with King. Greed,” he clarified, pointing to the middle painting. “You’ll like him.”

---