Page 34 of Sebastian

I shift a few inches away from him too and grab my beer from the coffee table. I need something to hold on to so I don’t miss his hand so much. “A couple days, I think. I need to finish editing and mastering it.”

He nods. “Should I do anything to prepare for it? Like, help promote it somehow?”

My brain kicks into business mode. “I’ve already teased it a bit on social media. But if you want, we can do a series of promo posts of us doing things together. Like, going for runs or getting drinks and stuff. Fans tend to like it when it looks like we’re friends outside of the scene.”

Christian seems to consider this. “So, would we actually go do all those things? Or set up a photo shoot?”

The implication of what I’ve suggested dawns on me and my stomach gets all fluttery at the idea of essentially going on dates with Christian. “Uh, with other guys I’ve worked with, we actually went out and did those things. Or at least, pretended to? It’s easier than trying to set up a photo shoot with props and stuff.”

Which would mean seeing Christian at least a handful more times. It would mean getting close to him, touching him, being cutesy with him. It would mean blurring that line that’s already kinda hard to make out.

From the way Christian looks at me, I’m pretty sure he’s thinking the same thing I am. Can we keep ignoring this thing between us for that long?

His chest expands as he takes in a deep breath. “Okay, sure, let’s do that.”

Okay, sure, let’s do that.

It sounds so innocuous, and yet my stomach feels like it might flutter right out of my body.

“And the story?” Christian asks, plaintively.

“We can tell the truth. You were curious about how the industry’s changed.”

“And if they ask about why I left in the first place?”

I think about it for a moment. The truth might work for that too. Not, like, the entire truth, but maybe a toned-down, white-washed version of it? “How about, you got fed up with the hectic schedule and wanted a quieter life with a better work-life balance?”

Christian doesn’t look convinced.

“That kind of stuff is pretty trendy these days. You know, people quitting big fancy jobs to like, go start a farm or something. You were ahead of the trend.”

He smiles and winces at the same time. “Go start a farm?”

“I’m not saying you went to start a farm. Just that you wanted a different kind of life and now things have changed and you’re going to dip your toe back in.”

“And if they ask whether we’re going to do anymore?”

The question sends a wave of heat through me. My stomach does more of the fluttering thing and my dick gets nice and hard in my jeans. “Well, um, I guess that’s something we can talk about, I mean, if you want.”

Christian’s gaze trails down my body, leaving me hot and trembling in its wake. When his eyes meet mine again, they’re dark. When he speaks again, his voice is a touch gravelly. “Okay, then it sounds like we have a plan.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHRISTIAN

I’m at Mars when the video goes live. I know it does because Sebastian gave me a heads-up about the timing. And also because my phone proceeds to explode right in the middle of a session with a client. I sneak a peek at it the first couple times it buzzes in my pocket, but then I turn the damn thing off before it burns a hole in my shorts.

After I wave goodbye to my client, I slip into the staff break room behind the front desk and turn my phone on again. It doesn’t do anything at first. So maybe it was just that handful of texts I got. But then the floodgates open. My phone literally heats up in my hand as notifications pop up on the screen faster than I can read them.

“Whoa, what’s going on there?” Sawyer, the front desk guy asks as he pulls a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Uh, nothing.”

“You sure?” He stares at my phone. “Phones don’t usually do that on their own.”

I throw a glare at him, which he shrugs off as he heads for the door. Donnie comes in as Sawyer’s going out.

“Watch out for Christian’s phone. It’s like a ticking time bomb.” Then Sawyer disappears.

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