Page 23 of The Casting Couch

Nico leaned back casually against the couch, already slipping into some cocky, bedroom-eyed persona like he was born for this.

And me?

I sat there in my drawers… sweaty… nervous…

Laura clapped her hands.“Alright, boys.Places.”

Nico shot me a sly grin and stretched his arm across the back of the couch like this was the most casual thing in the world.Meanwhile, I sat there practically vibrating with panic.

“Action!”Laura barked.

Nico didn’t hesitate.His large, warm hand slid onto my thigh like it belonged there.

I flinched.Not because I didn’t like it.Hell, I definitely liked it, but because… well… holy shit.This was happening.On camera.In front of people.

“Hey there…” Nico’s voice dropped low, warm and teasing.His thumb started making lazy little circles on my skin.“You’re Blake, right?”

For a second, I forgot my own fake name.“Uh… yeah.Blake.”

Smooth.Real smooth.

Nico grinned wider, completely unfazed, and leaned in a little closer.“Mmm.Been hoping they’d pair me with someone like you.Sexy.Nervous.New.”

His fingers drifted higher up my thigh and my brain fully short-circuited.

I cleared my throat and tried to flirt back.“W-well… you’re… um… not bad yourself.”

Not bad, yourself?Jesus Christ, Bradley.Who flirts like a middle schooler at summer camp?

Nico let out a soft, amused laugh, then reached up and brushed his fingers against my cheek.The touch was gentler than I expected.Deliberate.His thumb grazed just under my eye, then down along my jaw.

“You’re the sexiest guy I’ve ever been on camera with,” he murmured, voice low enough to rattle my spine.

And the worst part?For one fleeting second, I actually believed him.

I met his gaze, and there was something there… something that didn’t feel like acting.Heat pooled low in my stomach, curling tighter with every slow stroke of his thumb against my skin.

From behind the camera, Laura muttered, “Okay, enough stalling, boys.Get to the good stuff.”

Nico let out a breath like this wasn’t exactly his ideal first date, either.Then, without another word, he leaned in and kissed me.

And holy hell.

It wasn’t just a kiss.It was… a Kiss.

Capital K.Italicized.Full sensory overload.

His lips were soft but insistent, moving over mine with slow, sinful precision.His hand slid behind my neck, tilting my head just right.

For a moment, the entire room vanished.The camera.The bright lights.Moira and Laura watching like bored judges on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

All I could think about was the taste of him.The feel of him.The way his chest pressed against mine as the kiss deepened.

I kissed him back, hungry and eager and way too into it for a guy who was supposed to be “auditioning.”My hands slid over his shoulders, then lower, finding the hard lines of muscle beneath his skin.

And that’s when I realized…

Oh.God.

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