Twin Pines Grizzlies 12

Proud Alpha

One click and it's all over…

Photographer Logan Tucker loves his job snapping hunks for Hot

Jocks, but the last place he wanted to be was in a mountain town

during the winter. That is, until he realizes the Twin Pines College

campus is literally filled with sexy athletes. When his lens captures

a man unlike any other, Logan debates sticking to his strict no-

dating-the-models policy.

Adrian Grace worked hard to get into Twin Pines College on his

own merit, and the last thing he needs is some photographer

plastering his image everywhere and blowing his cover. But there

is no denying the instant and intense attraction between them.

Hungry for freedom, Adrian decides that for one weekend he'll

indulge himself with Logan.

Breaking the rules releases Adrian's deeply sensual side, and

Logan is there to capture every erotic image, but when their

playing turns serious, will either man survive what fate has in

store for them?

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 36,314 words

PROUD ALPHA

Twin Pines Grizzlies 12

Anitra Lynn McLeod

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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PROUD ALPHA
Copyright © 2012 by Anitra Lynn McLeod
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-465-6

First E-book Publication: June 2012

Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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McLeod from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
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DEDICATION

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with the world, this one is for you.

PROUD ALPHA

Twin Pines Grizzlies 12

ANITRA LYNN MCLEOD

Copyright © 2012

Chapter 1

Logan Tucker had never laid his eyes on so much beefcake in his

life. Every guy who went by was hotter than the last. Thank God for
his long coat or he’d be showing off a big, hard, and potentially off-
putting erection. Not like this was anything new, just that Logan had
never had the cloak of winter clothing before. Blending in was a hell
of a lot easier this way than wearing baggy pants and hoping they
covered up his lust.

Rather than continuing to wish evil upon his boss for sending him

to this godforsaken town nestled in the heart of the Rocky
Mountains—affectionately known as the Snowbelt—Logan was
starting to thank the man. Profusely. Every click of his camera
showed him why the all-male college of Twin Pines Colorado was the
perfect hunting ground for Hot Jocks.

Even if half these guys weren’t technically athletes, he’d be

willing to fudge that fact just to get them on the website. If he were
very lucky, he might be able to get a handful of them to disrobe. If he
were extremely blessed, Logan might find one that would fit his most
particular bill.

Most of their downloadable hunks stayed fully dressed, but every

once in a while Logan managed to find a guy who wanted the extra

Proud Alpha

9

money a naked photo shoot would bring. The guys also got a
percentage from the downloads, which encouraged them to spread the
word and drop the clothes.

Generally, it was the exhibitionists who stripped down and posed

for Logan. But sometimes, it was the shy ones who found freedom in
being on the other side of the lens. Somehow, being in that kind of
space allowed them to let their freak flag fly. Only once had one of
the guys changed his mind after the shoot. Logan had destroyed the
photos. Reluctantly, but he’d done it because a deal was a deal. And
Logan was a man of his word.

Logan had long ago learned to keep his hands off the

merchandise. As cold as that seemed, to call the male models
“merchandise,” it also kept his relationship with the men in
perspective. He loved looking at them, and he loved making them
look their best, but he also loved his job. Logan wanted to keep
working for Hot Jocks. He also loathed drama. Some guys were cool
with a quick hookup, but Logan found those kinds of relationships left
him feeling hollow. So he didn’t go there.

Logan wanted more than a fling.
Although, considering what he did for a living, that was going to

be unlikely. Any serious guy wouldn’t want to forge a relationship
with a photographer whose job it was to go to various campuses
around the country and photograph scantily clad sportsmen.

Maybe he would find what he was looking for here, buried under

the snow. Wouldn’t that be fitting? Logan hated the cold. He’d lived
his entire life near the sunny beaches of Southern California. His
travels over the United States were mostly done in spring, summer,
and fall—the prime time for most sports and the most likely time for
him to find Hot Jocks in their element.

But this place was special.
Or so his boss had said. Their most popular downloaded Hot Jock

of all time was from here. What made that more stunning was that the
hunk in question—Mitch Gay—was clothed in all his shots and he

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

was still the number-one download.

Given that Mitch was twenty-one, six foot four, and two hundred

twenty pounds of hunky wide receiver, it was no wonder men and
women alike loved downloading his pictures. Mitch had a way of
looking over his shoulder, with his tousled, dirty-blond hair tumbling
into his sky-blue eyes, that just made the viewer beg for him to turn
around. Mitch’s ass was nice, but the people wanted to see the front.
When they finally got to that shot, they weren’t disappointed.

Mitch Gay had been number one for over four months now. The

only thing Mitch had taken off during his shoot with Denis was his
shirt. Everything else stayed on. Frankly, in Logan’s humble opinion,
removing the shirt was enough.

Mitch Gay’s chest was utter perfection. His pecs were so

profound that they could probably turn straight men gay. But the man
had a cock that even through the thick weave of his football pants
stood out. The most popular shot was one of Mitch in his black
football pants that were wet from him chugging a bottle of water and
letting it dribble down his chest. Fuck. Just picturing that shot
aggravated the already tense situation in Logan’s boxers.

The fans of the site loved Mitch, and they clamored for more of

his brothers. So here Logan was in the middle of winter hoping to find
some other guys from the Grizzlies football team. Or maybe just one
special guy so he could finally beat out Denis and Mitch for that
number-one spot.

And then, Dreamboat walked by surrounded by a cluster of males

who paled in Logan’s gaze. Dark auburn hair glittered in the sunlight,
and his eyes, not hidden by sunglasses, were the most perfect shade of
emerald green. A faded splash of freckles washed across the bridge of
his nose. He was tall, at least as tall as Logan at six foot two, and he
had to match Logan’s own two hundred pounds.

“We could fuck the hell out of each other,” Logan whispered to

himself as he focused his camera. At the exact second that he clicked,
the man looked right at him. Logan kept right on shooting as

Proud Alpha

11

Dreamboat’s gaze narrowed, and he pursed his lips into a confused
little frown. Yum. His mouth could launch a thousand blow-job
fantasies. If Logan’s cock got any harder, it was going to shatter in
this cold.

“You. There. With the camera,” Dreamboat called out to him, but

Logan kept right on shooting. Every move the man made was like
raunchy visual poetry in Logan’s lens, although, to be fair, he was
picturing the man naked. Logan couldn’t do a damn thing with the
pictures without a model release, but that wouldn’t stop him from
pouring over them on his laptop later. Pouring over them while his
boxers were down and his hands were full of his own lubed-up cock.
Damn, but he could come really hard just looking at the man’s face.

As Dreamboat walked toward him, Logan kept on clicking. His

stride was long, easy, and ate up the distance between them in
seconds. Too late, Logan realized the man was practically in his face
and he still had the camera viewfinder screwed to his eye.

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” The voice

matched the face. Husky, sexy, and just slightly posh. East Coast
preppy? Logan wondered. Checking out his clothing confirmed that
assessment, what with his loafers, khakis, and double-breasted wool
coat all in shades of matching brown. He was what his mother called
“beautifully put together.” Logan had no doubt that his socks and
underwear matched his outfit.

“I’m taking pictures.” Logan smiled, hoping to get Dreamboat to

smile back. No such luck. Dreamboat considered him, his camera, and
then looked around their immediate area. For what, Logan didn’t
know.

“I don’t recall asking you to take my picture.”
“I don’t recall asking you to give me the biggest boner I’ve ever

had, either, but what can I do?”

“I beg your pardon?” Dreamboat’s sexy emerald eyes widened,

revealing some of the longest, lushest lashes Logan had ever seen.

Leaning very close so that his breath would caress those perfect

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

cocksucking lips, Logan said, “I don’t recall asking you to give me
the biggest boner I’ve ever—”

“I heard you the first time!” Dreamboat cut him off harshly as he

glanced around.

“Then why’d you ask?” Logan drawled, enjoying the fact that

Dreamboat was clearly annoyed but didn’t resort to bullying behavior.
Alas, maybe he was straight. That would be a true pity with those lips.

“I thought—that is—I was certain you—who are you?” Clearly

befuddled by Logan’s straightforward nature, Dreamboat resorted to
questioning him. But two could play that game.

“Who are you?”
“I am Adrian Grace.” He stood a bit taller then narrowed his

intense gaze again. “Who are you?”

“I’m every wicked fantasy you’ve never let yourself have.”
Oh. God. Dreamboat blushed. Adrian Grace, a name that Logan

swore he would never, ever, as long as he lived, forget, blushed so
hard the tips of his ears turned red. Logan lifted his camera and got a
shot off before Adrian clutched the lens and pushed it down.

“Stop that!”
“Why?” Logan lifted his camera again and stepped back, clicking

photos as Adrian tried to wrest the object from him.

“I demand that you stop taking my picture at once!”
“I’m not your bitch.”
Adrian grasped the camera lens in one big hand. He lowered it

while using it to pull Logan near so he could place his mouth against
Logan’s ear. “I’ll make you my bitch.”

Intrigued, Logan let the camera drop to his chest. He met Adrian

eye for eye. “Will you now?”

“Dare to lift that infernal device again and I will.”
“What if I want you to?” Logan took a half step into Adrian. They

weren’t touching, but they were as close as they could possibly be
without contact.

“You want me to make you my bitch?” Up went Adrian’s long,

Proud Alpha

13

aristocratic nose.

“If you think you have the balls.”
Cupping Logan’s cock quickly, effortlessly, without anyone being

the wiser, Adrian’s face flashed a quick burst of pleasure before he
stepped back. “I have the balls to command you.”

“Then I’m all yours.” Logan lifted his hands. “Where to, Master?”
“Don’t call me that. Such titles are pathetic.” Adrian glanced over

his shoulder at the men he’d been walking with. They were still in a
loose circle, watching him and Logan interact. The group of them
seemed mildly curious, almost as if they had seen Adrian confront
photographers before. Or maybe they’d watched him turn some guy
into his bitch before. Who knew? “Stay here.”

Without seeing if he would do as commanded, Adrian went over

to his friends, chatted with them briefly, and then returned to Logan’s
side.

“Well, at least you can follow directions.”
“Indeed I can.” Logan had toyed with some rough-and-tumble

BDSM. Nothing formal, nothing where they had titles or anything.
But one thing he loved about his job was that he was always being
exposed to new things. And since technically this man wasn’t one of
his models he wasn’t breaking any rules. “Now, where to?”

“First, you will explain to me about the camera.” From his coat

pocket, Adrian extracted a pair of leather gloves and pulled them on
over long, dexterous fingers. The move was a common one that he’d
probably made a hundred times before, but something about the way
Adrian pulled on his gloves excited the hell out of Logan. He felt as if
he were the leather being stretched over those magnificent hands.

“Are you on the football team?” Logan asked.
“As if you didn’t know.” Adrian sighed. “I am the holder and the

backup quarterback. Now please, this act is tiresome. You aren’t the
first paparazzi to come to Twin Pines sniffing out a story, but I assure
you, there is nothing here.”

“No?”

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

“No. Now, I insist you destroy those images. I see that you have a

digital camera? Simply give me the memory card, I will give you the
standard fee, and we will be done.”

“Standard fee?”
“You want more?” Adrian lifted the collar of his coat around his

neck. The rich brown accented the wash of freckles across his nose.
Damn, but the man was simply stunning. His picture on the website
would make Logan a fortune. Just like the models, Logan worked for
a percentage. This encouraged him to find the most handsome men
and do his best to persuade them to disrobe.

“I don’t want money.” Logan moved closer.
A befuddled frown lowered Adrian’s brows and pursed his lips.

“What do you want?”

“Sex.”

Proud Alpha

15

Chapter 2

Adrian had never met a more infuriating paparazzo in his life.

“You expect me to give you sex in exchange for the pictures you
took?” Adrian had thought by cupping the man’s cock he would put
him off. He mistakenly thought the man was straight. However, he’d
apparently mired himself in an entirely new dilemma.

“If you want the shots that badly, it’s a small price to pay. And

like I said, I’m perfectly willing to be your bitch.”

The shots the man had weren’t worth anything. Adrian had been

talking and walking with his teammates, nothing more. To engage in
sex with this man would give him proof to the rumors that the heir to
the Loveland fortune was gay, something that would infuriate his
father and confirm his assessment that Adrian couldn’t be responsible
enough to manage his trust fund. The last time Adrian had grabbed a
photographer’s crotch, the man had dropped his camera screaming
and calling Adrian a fag. In the hubbub, Adrian had scooped up the
camera, removed the memory card, and then walked away unscathed.

That time he’d been trying to protect a man he’d wanted to date.

They’d been toying with one another’s hands while they stood in line
at a bistro in New York. It wasn’t a smoking gun, but those images
would enrage Adrian’s father. This time, though, the man hadn’t
pulled back. This time, the photographer had leaned into his touch,
offering up the full length of his cock for Adrian’s palm. He’d felt
hot, heavy, and clearly hung. Adrian frowned. Maybe that was the
ploy this time. Send him a man who would be happy to be fondled to
lure Adrian into more damning photographs.

“You’re willing to be my bitch?” Adrian asked.

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

“Did I stutter?” Logan replied.
“A good bitch doesn’t talk back.”
“Well, then, I guess you’re going to have to beat me, Master.”
“Stop it. I’m not going to play that game with you.” Adrian

looked around again, convinced there had to be a second
photographer. God save him, but if another had captured him fondling
this man on film, Adrian would never be able to stop his father from
cutting him off from managing his own damn funds. All his father
needed was one excuse, and out Adrian went on his rear.

“You don’t want to play that game with me? Maybe I should

make you my bitch.” Logan stepped into Adrian.

“Touch me and I’ll sue,” Adrian snarled.
Logan’s eyes narrowed. “You’re serious.”
“Try me.”
Logan lifted his hands and stepped back. “Okay, whoa. I

thought—never mind. Whatever I thought isn’t what’s going on.”
Logan lifted the camera from his chest, fiddled with it, and then
extracted the memory chip. “Here.” He offered out the slender bit of
plastic. “I wasn’t trying to do anything but get shots for Hot Jocks.”

Adrian grabbed the memory stick. “What is that? Some new

tawdry society rag?” Although with that name, that made no sense,
but the question had left his lips before he thought it through. Still,
Adrian didn’t care to get any deeper into this mess than he already
was. He had the shots. He should turn and go, and yet here he was,
standing with snow tumbling into his loafers, looking into the most
alluring pale green eyes he’d ever seen.

“It’s a website. My job is to go around to colleges and get pictures

of sexy jocks.” Logan shrugged, displaying wide shoulders under his
rather ill-fitting winter coat. “I wasn’t trying to con you or get money
or whatever the fuck you think. I just thought you were the hottest
guy I’d seen all day.” He paused. “No, that’s a lie.”

“Aha!” Adrian cried triumphantly.
“Actually, I think you’re the hottest guy I’ve seen ever.”

Proud Alpha

17

God save him from idiocy, but Adrian believed him. No one had

ever been so straightforward in complimenting his looks. It was
unnerving to say the least. Moreover, it made Adrian feel like a
jackass for his behavior. “Let me see your card.”

“My business card?”
“If you have one.”
“Sure.” After patting himself down, which alerted Adrian to the

fact the coat wasn’t his, but borrowed just as he suspected, the
photographer extracted a business card from one of his many coat
pockets. The card he offered up was garishly colored with cartoon-
like script, but at least it gave Adrian the man’s name. Logan Tucker.
He was indeed a photographer for the website called Hot Jocks. From
another pocket, Logan extracted a sheaf of papers.

After a quick glance, Adrian assessed it was a model release.
“See?” Logan asked. “I can’t do anything with the photos unless

you fill that out. It’s not a scam. You can make really good money,
but I guess a guy like you doesn’t need to make his own money.”

A guy like you doesn’t need to make his own money. The

sentiment echoed in Adrian’s head like an accusation. It rankled. Like
Mr. Logan Tucker was saying Adrian was nothing but a moocher.

Infuriated, Adrian hissed. “Listen, Mr. Tucker, contrary to what

you and some others might think, I earned every dime of my
inheritance.” Family dinners, the insufferable living up to every
ridiculous demand for the last twenty years. Even the length of his
hair had been dictated to him by his unrelenting father for two
goddamned decades. Adrian had suffered about as much as any man
could bear without going off. “I defy anyone to live with my family
for a month, let alone a lifetime, do what they demand, and still think
they are well paid!”

“Hey, whoa, I didn’t mean it like that.” Logan looked ashamed.

“I’m not knocking you. I don’t know you.”

And Adrian realized he didn’t. This guy didn’t know him from

Adam. Just as Adrian didn’t know him, either. For some reason,

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

Adrian found it perfectly acceptable when he made snap judgments
about others but then faulted them for doing the same thing. He was a
hypocritical ass.

For the first time in a long time, Adrian laughed with genuine, not

manufactured, delight. His reputation had not preceded him. But
soon, all too soon, this Logan Tucker with the tousled brown hair and
the pale green eyes was going to realize exactly who he was. Would
dollar signs replace those flashes of authentic interest in his eyes?
Heaven help him, Adrian would give just about anything to slip the
cover of his cumbersome family name for even one night. Just one
night of sexual bliss without any strings or ramifications.

Maybe the perfect opportunity had fallen into his lap. This man

was handsome, and he seemed to be open to whatever life threw at
him. Adrian could learn a lot from a man like him. Moreover, with his
camera and the obvious interest they had in one another, they could
certainly do something Adrian had never done before. Oh, but that
would be so dangerous. If the pictures leaked out, if this man made
trouble down the road, if Adrian got too caught up emotionally...but
those were all things the usual Adrian worried about. The new and
carefree Adrian wouldn’t concern himself with tomorrow as he would
be too busy living for today.

To buy himself a moment, Adrian studied the card. After

confirming the information he’d gleaned, that Logan Tucker was a
photographer for Hot Jocks, he also confirmed what Logan had said,
that Hot Jocks was a website that showcased sexy athletes from
around the country.

“Who buys the photos on your site?”
“Men, women. Just about anyone who appreciates hunky guys,

really. Sometimes artists who are doing something like a cover for a
book or looking for inspiration for a painting. Oh! We even had one
guy buy a download so that he could turn the guy into a superhero for
a comic.”

“How interesting.” Adrian was intrigued by the idea. He had so

Proud Alpha

19

little free time lately, what with school and his position on the football
team, that he didn’t keep up with what was currently popular. But
now that the holiday season was over and a new year was upon him,
he had time to spare. Football was finished until next fall, and he’d
dutifully spent Christmas with his family. Moreover, a long weekend
loomed with the holiday on Monday. If ever he had the time, the
place, and the inclination to do something outrageous, all the elements
aligned.

“Yeah, it’s not like all porn and stuff. I mean, it varies depending

on the user. But there’s a huge fan base of folks who just like to look
at young, athletic guys.”

From the card, Adrian realized they’d been in business since the

midnineties. “And how long have you worked for them?”

“Three years.”
“You go all over the country?”
“I specialize in the West Coast, the Rockies, and the Southwest.”
“You’ve never been to the East Coast?”
“No. Not my thing. Too cold and upper-crusty. No offense.”
“None taken.” Adrian had never heard the East Coast elite

referred to as upper-crusty, but he loved the description. His father
was certainly stuffy. To Adrian, it seemed his father was coated in
delicate crust that the merest ripple of upset could flake off, exposing
the fragile pink skin below. If Adrian wasn’t careful, he’d become
just like him.

“Besides, we have guys there. It’s cheaper to have photographers

placed around the major areas of the country, you know?”

Adrian didn’t know, but he could imagine that was so. And this

explained why this Logan Tucker, with his sexy, honest face and his
open, engaging eyes didn’t know who Adrian Grace was. If Adrian
played his cards right, he’d never find out. What would it be like to
have just one brief moment of time where he wasn’t himself? What
would it be like to step into the shoes of someone else, to live the life
of another man, a man with far less on his shoulders? Adrian was

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

willing to do what he had to in order to find out.

“You’re going to look me up, aren’t you?” Adrian asked.
“Yeah. So? Why? What am I going to find, Mr. Adrian Grace?”
“Who knows?” Adrian grinned up at him as he fingered the model

contact. A few things might pop up under that name, but it was
unlikely they were going to connect to the name Adrian Loveland.
That was his legal name. Grace was his mother’s maiden name and
the one he used to try to fly under the radar in Colorado. Apparently,
the ruse had worked. Adrian had just overreacted to a man with a
camera. He considered the contract in his hand. For it to be official, it
would have to bear his legal name. As long as Adrian used an alias,
he could back out of any and all agreements. “I guess we’d better get
this taken care of first, right?”

“Yeah.” Something about Logan’s face expressed that he was

almost disappointed. But Adrian couldn’t pinpoint what, exactly,
bothered young Master Tucker.

“Why don’t we go back to your...where are you staying?”
“I have a room at that motel off of Pine Street.”
Adrian knew the place. “The Twin Pines Motel.”
“Yeah.”
It was inexpensive but clean. Moreover, it was an older place run

by a family who had lived in Twin Pines since Hector was a pup. It
was unlikely to have security cameras, and there was simply no way
Logan Tucker had been able to alter it to have spy cameras. The
thought of taking the delectable Logan back to his home flittered
through Adrian’s mind, but he dismissed that notion. It would be too
close to being who he was and not this fictitious man he wished to be.
He remembered reading that one could know a man intimately if one
could only see within the walls of his home. So Adrian would keep
Logan out.

“Have you ever fucked one of your models, Mr. Tucker?”
“No.” Logan touched the contract in Adrian’s hand. “Once you

fill this out, it’s strictly business.”

Proud Alpha

21

Frowning, Adrian peered into pale green eyes. There was some

reluctance there. Almost as if Logan didn’t want Adrian to become a
model for his company.

“Forgive me, Mr. Tucker, but I’m confused. I thought you were a

photographer and recruiter for this Hot Jocks company.”

“I am.” Logan nodded and then looked down at his camera. “I just

thought—never mind.” Logan met Adrian’s gaze and smiled, but it
was forced. “If you want to do a shoot, I need to sit down with you
and explain everything.”

“So the earlier pictures?” Adrian held the memory chip aloft.
“You can keep them or let me use them.” Logan shrugged. “It’s

up to you.”

“Why do I sense reluctance, Mr. Tucker?”
“I thought there was something between us. But I guess I was

wrong.” Logan grabbed something from his pocket—another memory
chip—plugged it into his camera, and then lifted it. “Ready?”

“No.”
“Sorry, not more photos, but let’s go over to that building there.”

Logan pointed. “That’s the cafeteria, right? We can talk there and you
can read over the contract and—”

“I’m afraid I’m going to be difficult.”
“What? Why?”
“I am a greedy man, Mr. Tucker.” Adrian leaned close so his

whispered voice wouldn’t carry any farther than Logan’s ear. “I want
you to photograph me and fuck me.”

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Chapter 3

Logan swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to say that he simply

didn’t fuck his models, but what came out was, “I’m sure we can
make suitable arrangements.”

Adrian smiled.
Oh, fuck. The man had an almost impossibly handsome smile. It

just flowed across his features right up to those dynamite eyes.
Instinctually, Logan lifted his camera and took several shots before
the smile faded into a grin.

“You truly are fascinated by me.”
“I am.” Logan saw no reason to hide that fact. What was so

strange was that even with his spectacular looks and Logan’s obvious
enchantment, Adrian wasn’t full of himself. How could a man with
his appearance be humble? It was like he knew he was fucking fine
but didn’t care because it wasn’t really him. It was just a mask he
dutifully put on every day.

“I find I am mutually fascinated by you.” Adrian turned and began

to walk toward the cafeteria building.

“Me?” Logan fell into step with him, matching his stride like they

were made for one another. “I’m afraid my looks are a dime a dozen.”
Logan had what he’d dubbed California sorta-surfer. He didn’t have
platinum-blond hair, but his was sun streaked and tousled just like a
surfer’s hair was. He was bronzed like one, too. He’d been told he had
the body of one, what with the thoroughly ripped abs. The only thing
was Logan didn’t surf. He put his time in at the gym, but when he got
to the beach, he preferred to doze on a towel.

“I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. I would love to

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paint you.”

“You paint?”
“Indeed I do.” Adrian lifted his glove-clad hands. “I have a

fondness for working with my hands.”

“You’re very talented.” It slipped out of his mouth before he

could stop the compliment. But since he had, he forged ahead. “The
way you touched me was quite expert.”

Adrian laughed. “I would say I’m sorry for that, but I’m not. You

felt very good.”

“So did you.”
Their gazes met, locked, then disengaged as they came to the

door. Adrian opened it and bowed. “After you, good sir.”

“Why thank you ever so much.” Logan stepped in, and the smell

of the place stunned him. This smelled nothing like what he
remembered his school cafeteria smelling like.

“You seem surprised.”
“Yeah. This smells like actual food is made here, not industrial

slop.”

“They make very good food here. The school’s founder is quite a

connoisseur, and he refused to let them serve just any old hash.
Would you like something?”

If he was going to fuck and photograph Adrian, he didn’t want to

do it with his stomach growling. So they got some food, which Adrian
paid for, and then they settled at a table with space for them to review
the contract.

Once they had their table, Adrian removed his gloves, tucked

them away, and then removed his coat. As Logan fumbled to remove
his borrowed jacket, he found himself positively amazed at the way
Adrian was put together. Every article of clothing fit him perfectly.
Each piece enhanced the items around it. Even his watch matched the
burnt-amber color of his shirt. Logan wanted to click shot after shot
of him stripping down, but then he wanted to capture him re-dressing.
Both directions would be simply marvelous in photographs. And the

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thought that he would get to fuck him in between was just like fifty
cherries on top.

“Logan?” Adrian called his name with that miraculous voice of

his, snapping Logan out of his fog.

“Yeah. Uh, so here’s the deal.”
Since he had to tell him all about the contract and point out where

he had to sign and initial, they sat side by side. This close, Logan was
able to smell the subtle cologne Adrian wore. It was spicy, masculine,
and just a tiny bit wicked. Well, if wicked had a scent, Logan
imagined that was what it would smell like.

This close he noticed little details, like how the shirt smoothed

perfectly against Adrian’s chest. There was no telltale puffing up
from hair, so his chest was apparently smooth. Each button of the
shirt was perfectly sewn on with a faultless X across the four button
holes. The stitching along the placket was so evenly spaced it was
artwork in and of itself. And then, ah, a little imperfection that made
Logan grin. Adrian had nicked himself shaving. Right under his
strong jawline was a tiny nick. Almost imperceptible. But not to a
man who noticed details.

As Adrian read over the document, they ate, and the food was

good, but Logan barely noticed as he watched Adrian fondle the pen.
Rather than use the cheap pen Logan had offered out of one of his
pockets, Adrian extracted a beautiful pen from the inner pocket of his
coat. The pen matched his outfit. From what Logan could tell, that
was where he kept his wallet and checkbook, too. Logan didn’t see
them, but he imagined they matched as well. Everything the man had
or did was stylish. Even his fingernails were buffed and trimmed.
Logan looked at his hands. Jeez. He had dirt under his nails, and
rather than trimming them evenly, he’d developed a bad habit of
simply biting off his nails when they got too long.

Way to go, skankoid, Logan mocked himself. He was starting to

think this guy was just messing with him or maybe he was slumming
with him. Either way, this was just a passing fancy. No way would

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this man want anything permanent with a guy who was almost his
opposite in every way.

While he sat there comparing his hands to Adrian’s, he also

compared his clothing. Logan wore battered jeans and a T-shirt with
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” emblazoned across the
front. Great. Adrian was old-money sleek while Logan was dime-
store trashy.

“Why in the world would a guy like you want to fuck a guy like

me?”

Up went Adrian’s eyebrows. “Pardon?”
“You’re sophisticated, elegant—”
“Upper-crusty,” Adrian supplied then grinned.
“Yeah, and I’m—fuck. I’m about one step up from a bum.”
Adrian considered him for a long moment. While he did, he

caressed the pen in his hands. The way he rolled the instrument from
fingertip to fingertip made Logan wish for that same movement upon
his cock. When he looked up at Adrian’s face, he found a curious
frown.

“You’re not a bum. If you’ll look around, you’ll see you are

dressed like every other man here.”

Logan glanced around at the few students who were in the

cafeteria, and he realized Adrian was right.

“I am the odd man out, not you.”
“But you’re clearly better than I am.” Christ. If Logan didn’t shut

up, he was going to talk himself right out of a shoot and what would
probably be a fantastic fuck with an interesting man.

“Better dressed, perhaps. But there is an old Arabic saying that

you would do well to remember.” Adrian paused as if summoning the
correct phrasing. He said something in actual Arabic, which
impressed the hell out of Logan.

“What does that mean?”
“Don’t be impressed by the whiteness of the turban. Soap is

bought on credit.” Adrian initialed the contract. “What that means in

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more basic terms is don’t let the trappings of wealth—fancy watches,
exotic automobiles, palatial homes—impress you when all those
things are bought on credit. One can appear to be exceedingly wealthy
when one isn’t.”

“Are you?” Damn. He did it again. Maybe he should shove all his

food in his mouth to make himself shut the fuck up.

There was a long pause as if Adrian debated telling him the truth.

“I am.” Adrian turned and looked him right in the face.

“Then why do this if you don’t need the money?” That was what

most guys did it for.

“Perhaps I am full of myself and think that I would be popular on

your site.”

“You’re not full of yourself. If you were, you never would have

talked to me let alone bought me lunch.”

Adrian moved incrementally closer. “Perhaps I’m an

exhibitionist.”

“You wouldn’t have been upset at me taking your picture earlier.

You would have reveled in it.”

“Damn. You have found me out.” Grinning, Adrian slid his hand

up Logan’s leg and cupped his cock. “All I really want is to fuck
you.”

“That begs the question of why would a guy like you, a guy who

can clearly have his pick, settle for me?”

“Settle?” Adrian now made those same enticing motions on

Logan’s cock just like he had with the pen. Hell. A few more strokes
and he was going to blow a load in his jeans. “You do yourself a
grave injustice.” Adrian squeezed just a little harder. “You are as
intriguing to me as you say I am to you. I would very much like to
hear what you would sound like while I thrust my cock into your ass.”

It was so sudden and so vulgar that Logan let out a strangled

moan.

“Ah. That is a most delightful sound.” Adrian scooted closer still.

God, if he got any closer he was going to end up in Logan’s lap. “I

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think I would like to hear your throat choking up as my cock rammed
in and out of your mouth, too.”

Logan uttered another gasping groan.
“And then, I would certainly love to hear what sound you would

make when I finally let you come.” Adrian got right up to Logan’s ear
and whispered, “When I finally let you come across my lips, my face,
my chest, and then allowed you to photograph what you have done.”

The sound that came out of Logan was a cross between a growl, a

groan, and a whimper. But what was more important was the way
Adrian reacted to that plaintive sound.

Growling low and hungry, Adrian grasped Logan’s hand and

pressed it against his cock. The fabric of his trousers was silky and
displayed Adrian’s straining prick in almost-perfect detail. Not that
Logan was looking, but his sensitive fingers traced over the
particulars of Adrian’s cock like he was trying to memorize him. The
only fact he’d managed to push into his overexcited brain was that his
dick was huge and uncut. More than anything, Logan wanted to wrap
his lips around his prick.

“We should finish up here and then get back to your room.”
“Right.” Reluctantly, Logan pulled his hand back, but Adrian kept

his on Logan’s cock. It was a possessive gesture, almost as if Adrian
was imprinting the heat of his hand over Logan’s crotch to warn off
other marauding beasts. It was a mark that said, “This man is mine.”
And Logan wasn’t angry but pleased.

While Logan finished his lunch and Adrian signed the contract,

Adrian kept his hold on Logan, rubbing him almost absently. He kept
him simmering right at the edge of going into a rolling boil, but never
quite let him get there. It was as arousing as it was maddening.
Normally, when Logan felt the urge to get off, he did. With or without
someone. He simply couldn’t stand the ache in his balls when he
wanted to climax.

Intuitively, Adrian had found the most difficult thing for Logan to

deal with, and deliberately inflicted it on him. Maybe what he said

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earlier was true. He was going be Adrian’s bitch whether he liked it
or not.

“There. All signed, sealed, and delivered.”
Logan blinked at the paperwork. He’d done this a hundred times,

but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall what steps he was supposed
to take next. “Yeah. I. Uh.”

“Yes?” Adrian leaned closer, concerned. “Why, is something

wrong, Mr. Tucker?”

“Fuck yeah, something’s wrong.” Logan placed his hand over

Adrian’s to get him to stop massaging his dick. “You’ve got me all
revved up, and my balls are throbbing.”

“We should attend to that situation at once.” Adrian looked

around. “I see a closet over there.”

Frowning, Logan looked over at the closet. “There?”
“Come.”
Logan practically did just at the way Adrian said the one word.

When he extracted his hand from his lap, Logan almost whimpered.

Standing, Adrian said, “We shall attend to your issue forthwith.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Logan looked around, but the

cafeteria was now mostly empty.

“Why, my dear Mr. Tucker, I’m proposing to take you into that

closet and suck your cock.”

Logan’s eyes almost bugged right out of his head. “You what?”
“Come.” Adrian offered out his hand. “No one will bother our

things. The campus is quite safe.”

Logan slipped his hand into Adrian’s and felt like he’d just

tumbled down a hole and wound up in some alternate dimension.
With a dozen steps they were at the closet door. Adrian looked
casually about then slipped inside, pulling Logan in after him.

“Now, to attend to your dilemma.” Adrian’s dexterous fingers had

Logan’s jeans open and down in three seconds. “You have a stunning
cock, Mr. Tucker.”

“Good Lord. If you’re going to suck my dick, you should

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probably use my first—name.” He gasped the last because that was
when Adrian bent over and pulled Logan’s cock into his mouth.
Logan was so stunned by how hungrily Adrian went after him that he
had barely settled into a rocking rhythm when he came. Adrian
cupped his buttocks, pulled him as deeply into his throat as he could,
and drank him down. Never in his life had he had a blow job like
what Adrian had just done to him.

Adrian stood up. Now that Logan’s eyes had adjusted to the

limited light in the closet, he was able to see Adrian lick his lips and
grin.

“Are you quite ready to go now?”
“No.” Logan grasped the back of Adrian’s neck, pulled him close,

and kissed him. The taste of his pleasure combined with the taste of
Adrian was astoundingly rich. Logan threaded his fingers through
Adrian’s short hair, loving the silky feel of his strands and the slightly
sweaty spot right where his collar pressed against his neck. Rather
than pull away, Adrian pressed close, wrapping his hands around
Logan’s waist, pressing their hips together. This caused Logan to feel
Adrian’s needy prick.

Tearing his mouth away, he dropped to his knees and struggled to

expose Adrian’s cock. “What the hell is up with these fucking pants?”
For the life of him, Logan couldn’t figure out how to undo the
complicated fasteners of Adrian’s trousers.

“I’ve never had a man so hungry to suck my cock.”
Logan looked up to find Adrian peering down at him with a lusty

grin. Ever so tauntingly, Adrian unfastened his pants and then pushed
them down.

“Fuck me.” Logan had never seen such a perfect cock. Just like

the rest of him, his prick was beautifully put together. It was thick,
long, and since he was fully hard, the foreskin was pushed down
around the head.

“Right now?” Adrian teased. “I thought you wanted to—”
Logan didn’t let him finish. He wrapped his lips around the crown

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and sucked him into and out of his mouth while flicking his tongue
over the slit.

Adrian stumbled back a bit, clutching the wall for balance.
Logan couldn’t help a satisfied little grin. If he knew anything, he

knew how to suck a dick. His tongue was talented, but the real factor
that made him so good at oral sex was the fact he utterly loved to do
it. Nothing made a man an expert like taking full pleasure in what he
was doing.

Adrian trailed his fingers through Logan’s hair. Rather than trying

to direct his movements as some control freaks did, Adrian seemed
content to let Logan do whatever he wanted. So he did. After teasing
the head of Adrian’s cock, Logan dove down until his nose was
pressed against Adrian’s belly. The lunge and the full enclosure of his
cock in Logan’s throat caused Adrian to gasp.

Pulling back, Logan cupped his hand to Adrian’s balls, loving that

he was lightly covered with fine, crisp hair. As to the color, Logan
would have to be surprised later, but he hoped it was the same as the
hair on Adrian’s head. To have his body dusted in dark auburn hair
would make him uniquely stunning.

“You are a master at this, and you know it.”
Rather than pull back and answer, Logan bobbed his head,

eliciting a low moan of surrender. By adding his fist twisting around
Adrian’s shaft to the mix of sensation, he had him climaxing in
moments.

Adrian dug his fingers into Logan’s hair, holding him still as he

came without making a sound. Frankly, it was as amazing as it was
strange. Adrian climaxed silently while keeping his body utterly still.
Never in all his life had Logan encountered such a unique style of
climax. Was it because they were in a public closet and he feared
discovery? If that was the case, Logan couldn’t wait to get Adrian
back to his motel room. Since his unit was at the very end of the block
of rooms, and no one else seemed to be staying there, Adrian could
make all the noise he wanted.

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More than anything, Logan wanted to hear the man lose control

and howl with pleasure. If he accomplished nothing else on this trip,
he was going to have the very delicious Adrian Grace screaming as he
came.

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Chapter 4

Adrian held perfectly still as he pumped into Logan’s most

talented mouth. Never had anyone gone down on him with such skill
and enthusiasm. Combined, they equaled a powerful burst of pleasure
that had Adrian screaming, but only inside his head. To the outside
world, he was as he always was—unruffled, unflappable, apparently
unmoved. However, inside he was a wild man thrusting and uttering
dirty commands as he worked his prick into Logan’s beautiful mouth.

Looking down, Adrian discovered Logan peering up at him, his

expression a curious one. No doubt he thought Adrian’s reaction
strange. And it was. But he didn’t want to discuss his problem, so he
drew Logan to his feet and kissed him.

“You’re a master.” Adrian would have heaped more praise on his

head, but he thought Logan knew how good he was.

“You’re a puzzle.”
“Yes, well, you’ll have plenty of time to pick me apart later.”

Adrian set his clothing to rights and then ensured that Logan was
presentable as well. He didn’t want to discuss his issue here, not now,
maybe not ever. If he did what he was planning to do, maybe he
would no longer have an issue. “Allow me to see if the coast is clear.”

By pressing his ear to the door, Adrian was able to hear that no

one was talking near the closet. He pushed the door open a crack and
then peered out the slender opening. There was one student at the
bussing station, scraping trays and then stacking them for the washer.

Adrian exited the closet with Logan on his heels. Their items were

exactly where they had left them. That was one of the best things
about Twin Pines College. The level of trust was unlike anywhere

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Adrian had ever been. He could leave money hanging out from one of
his text books and no one would steal it. As miraculous as he found
that, it shamed him a bit, too, and he wasn’t certain why. Maybe he’d
always been so fiercely protective of what was his, that not having to
safeguard everything all the time was somehow deflating.

“There’s one last thing for the contract.”
“Oh?” Adrian felt a little badly about what he was doing. It

seemed unkind to trick Logan into thinking he was going to get a full
shoot and post it on his webpage when the fact was the pictures would
never see the light of day. But Adrian pushed forward. He would be a
different man if only for this long holiday weekend.

“I have to see your driver’s license. You know, to confirm you’re

over eighteen. I mean, obviously you are, but it’s just a legal thing.”

Adrian lifted his wool coat and pulled his wallet from the inside

breast pocket. He flipped through the plastic cards, found his license,
and showed it to Logan without taking it from the plastic cover. “This
seems rather silly given what we just did.”

“I know, but it’s this thing with my boss.”
Deftly, Adrian covered up his last name. “Satisfied? I could

remove it from the holder if you’d like.”

“No, it’s cool. You’re of age.” Logan waved the offer off and

grinned.

Relieved, Adrian slipped the wallet back into his pocket. “Should

we go?”

“Yeah.” Logan folded up the bogus contract and slipped it into a

zippered pocket on his coat. If Adrian were very clever, he could
retrieve the document when they were finished. Logan would have
pictures but absolutely no right to distribute them. “I’m parked out in
the guest lot.”

Adrian pulled his coat on and walked next to Logan. Oddly, they

fell into perfect step with one another just as they had on the way in.
Their legs were the same length, and they began on the same foot
each time. It was uncanny. Moreover, Adrian discovered he walked a

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little taller with Logan by his side. Despite what he thought about
himself, Logan was an exceedingly handsome man. He had a rugged,
scruffy appeal that said “man” in many ways. Masculine and clearly
comfortable with himself, including his orientation, Logan walked
with easy pride. Adrian wished he could mimic Logan. Oh, Adrian
always appeared cool and collected, but he didn’t feel that way inside.
He had simply projected that image so often it was like a mask he
slipped on. The truth was Adrian always worried about doing or
saying the wrong thing and thus becoming the object of ridicule.

“You seem deep in thought.” Logan opened the driver’s side door

of a family-style sedan.

“Sorry, I was replaying our interlude in the closet.” Adrian

realized it was the exact right thing to say when Logan flashed him a
self-satisfied grin.

“Yeah, that was unique.”
“Have you ever had sex in a public place?” Oh, my. Adrian had no

idea where that had come from. Maybe he was taking this role as a
new man too far.

“Was that considered public?” Logan slid into the car then

unlocked the door on Adrian’s side. Before Adrian could enter the
vehicle, Logan had to clear the clutter off the passenger seat and floor.
Into the back went fast-food wrappers, candy wrappers, empty drink
containers, and the assorted clutter from a fairly lengthy road trip.

“No, not that. But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Actually, it was as deep-seated as his desire to just stop with the
entire charade as the diligent son and be who he wanted to be. Sadly,
it had been so long that he wasn’t sure he even knew who that man
was anymore. If he was allowed to be anyone, just who would he
want to be?

“Yeah?” Logan turned the car on and gave it a moment to warm

up. “Where would you do it around here?” Logan glanced at the
snow-shrouded campus. “You’d have to be fast not to literally freeze
your ass off.”

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“Perhaps on a beach under the blistering sun.” Adrian could

picture Logan sunbathing on a towel when Adrian came upon him.
He’d start at his toes, slathering him in oil, then work up to that
marvelous prick of his.

“I’d be sure to cover you with sunscreen. Your pale skin is really

beautiful. I’d hate to see you get burned.”

Adrian didn’t want to see Logan get burned, either. What he was

doing would waste the man’s time and potentially damage his job.
But he couldn’t bring himself to stop this. Not yet.

“Have you ever had a shoot go badly?”
“What, like, an accident or something?” Logan settled dark

sunglasses on his face then pulled out of the guest parking lot.

“Perhaps the man seemed attractive until you began shooting him

and then it turned out that he was rather not photogenic.” There were
so few pictures of Adrian where he hadn’t been forced to adopt a
ridiculous pose that he had no idea how he would look in a casual
photograph, not to even mention a nude one. He feared he would look
clumsy and awkward because that’s exactly how he felt inside most
of the time.

“You are going to be stunning.” Logan clapped his hand to

Adrian’s knee then placed it back on the steering wheel. “Trust me. I
saw you through my lens, and I knew you were going to put me on
the map.”

“What? I thought you’d been at this company for three years?”
“I have. But, ah, what the hell.” Logan flashed him a grimace that

caused Adrian’s blood pressure to rise. “Truth be told, I’m
competitive. Really competitive.”

“And?”
“There’s this other photographer at the company, Denis. Good old

Denis the Menace. He has the number-one guy, and he’s been the
number-one guy for over four months now. I think you could knock
him right out of that spot. Even if you decided to keep all your
clothing on, which would be tragic, by the way, I really think you

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could monopolize the site for even longer than the current guy’s
reign.”

Adrian was flattered and frightened by the assessment. Again, he

worried that he wouldn’t be nearly as good as Logan thought he
would be. And then he realized he was never going to let the
photographs see the light of day, so what did it matter? Still, it did
seem unkind to allow Logan to pin his hopes on him when there
wasn’t a chance in the world it would happen.

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable with this kind of pressure.”

Adrian hoped the comment would get Logan to ease off a bit.

“Oh, shit. Whoa.” Logan pulled the car over. “I didn’t mean to

freak you out. I’m not expecting you to do this. It’s—aw, damn. Can I
just take all that back?”

“The bell has been rung, I’m afraid.”
“Let’s do the shoot and then see what happens. Okay?” Logan

pulled back into the street. “I didn’t mean to squeeze you like that.
I’m competitive, but you don’t have to be. You just have to be you
and have fun. Let’s just click some shots and see if you like them.”

“You would leave it up to me?” Adrian figured Logan would keep

pushing to post them as soon as he could.

“Yeah, I’d leave it up to you.” Logan gave him a reassuring nod.

“It’s always in the model’s hands. Just so you know, you can back out
of this at any time.”

“I can?” Adrian thought he was tricking Logan, but apparently,

there was always an escape hatch.

“If you feel weird, or you don’t like the shots, or, well, if anything

bothers you, I will destroy the pictures.”

Adrian was so flabbergasted all he managed to ask was, “Really?”
“Really.” Logan pulled up to his motel room. He turned off the

car then faced Adrian.

“Don’t you only make money when the shots go up on your

website?”

“Yeah, but I don’t do this just for money.” Logan sighed as he

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pushed his glasses up. “This is my job. It’s how I make my living. But
it’s also supposed to be fun for both of us. If you’re uncomfortable,
that’s not fun. If you’re going to regret it, that’s not fun, either. If you
feel the photos I take are unflattering and you’re embarrassed by
them, that sucks the fun right out of it, too.” After a big breath, Logan
added, “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, because my dick is
screaming at me to shut the fuck up, but if you don’t want to fuck and
photograph, we don’t have to do that, either. We can do one, or the
other, both, or neither. I swear, I don’t want anything from you that
you don’t want to give to me.”

No one had ever been so straightforward with him. Ever. It was

astonishing. Logan was more of a man than Adrian had ever been.
And still, he found he simply couldn’t let it go. “But you have a
signed contract in your pocket.”

“Yeah.” Logan patted the pocket that held the paperwork. “All

that’s for is to let me take the pictures. There’s nothing in there about
you having to let me post them anywhere. What happens in a shoot
with me stays in a shoot with me until you’re satisfied with the end
product.” Logan paused. “You seem really surprised.”

“I am.”
“Look, I’m not some skive who makes a living turning nice

college boys into porno stars. I take candid shots, show them in their
best light, and then we agree about what goes up and what doesn’t. I
can even show you a mock-up of your page on the site by putting
some images into a template on my laptop. You get final approval of
everything.”

“I lied to you.” Adrian had to come clean, and he had to do it now.

Logan was nothing like what he’d thought at all. He was genuine and
cared about what he did. Moreover, he cared about the men he
photographed.

“What?” Logan pulled back just a bit.
Adrian took a deep breath. “I never intended to let you post the

photos. I just wanted a chance to be someone I’m not. To do

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something I normally would never do. I just wanted, for one weekend,
to be...someone other than me.”

They sat in silence for a long time.
“Okay.” Logan nodded.
“What?”
“Let’s let you be someone else.”
Adrian uttered a dry laugh. “I don’t even know who I am

anymore.”

“Then let’s find out.” Logan grinned. “We’ve got all weekend,

and it’s a long weekend.”

“But your work.”
“I make enough residuals to float me for a week.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t actually do anything wrong. You came

clean before I invested my heart and soul.” Logan again patted his
leg, but this time his hand lingered. “And I really would like to shoot
you, if only so I could see the images just once. No one else ever has
to know.”

Adrian considered.
“You’ll be breathtaking. I’m telling you.”
“It’s not that. Just, would you mind coming to my place? I would

be more in my element there.” Adrian had thought he’d keep Logan
out to avoid any hint of intimacy, but now he wanted that. If he was
going to expose himself to this man, he was going all in by showing
him not just his body, but his soul.

Logan nodded eagerly. “Sure. Let me grab the rest of my

equipment from my room.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and cancel the room? You might as

well stay with me.” Adrian realized that sounded pushy. “It will save
you some money. You’ll have your own room.”

“Your place got cable?”
“Satellite with some ridiculous five hundred channels or

something like that.”

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“Score!”
“You’re really not angry?”
“I’m really not.”
It was the first time in a long time that Adrian felt proud of

something he’d done. As strange as the feeling was, he was glad he’d
told Logan the truth and that he was still interested in spending time
with him. Maybe this different man he was trying to be was a better
man than the one he was currently.

“Just do me one favor.”
Adrian would be happy to do him a dozen. “Name it.”
“Out of all the images I shoot, let me have just one. Not for the

site, not for anyone’s eyes but mine. Just one. It’s all I ask.”

“Done.”
Logan retrieved his things from the room, loaded them into the

trunk, and then checked out. They were headed to Adrian’s house in
under ten minutes. His car was back at the campus, but he doubted
anyone would bother with the fully outfitted SUV. Again, it seemed
everything was perfectly safe with his fellow students.

“How do your shoots usually begin?” Now that he was actually

going to go through with this, Adrian was nervous as hell. His palms
were sweaty, and he never sweated unless he was exercising.

“Relax.” Logan checked for traffic then turned where Adrian

indicated. “We’re going to have fun. Remember?”

“Right. Fun.”
As Adrian continued to direct him through town, he tried to

remember the last time he’d had fun. He gave up after he went all the
way back to his childhood and couldn’t find one memory where he
wasn’t having manufactured fun. That was what Adrian had dubbed
the forced smiles and the hollow laughter he put on for relatives.
Keeping up appearances was always so much more important than the
simple wishes of a little boy. All he’d wanted was to have a cake
shaped like a train and share that with his friends. What he got was a
birthday extravaganza on a real train that was so fancy he wasn’t

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allowed to touch anything. Instead of cake, he’d been given some
horrible dessert that had tasted of bitter oranges. He’d hated it but
smiled at the camera. Adrian suspected that when he died, his face
would naturally fall into a faux smile. Even in death, one should keep
up appearances.

“Adrian?”
“Sorry. We need to make a stop first.”
“Sure. Where to?”
“We are going to get some cake.”

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Chapter 5

Logan laughed. “Awesome. Let’s get ice cream, too.”
“We will. And Popsicles. Do you like them?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never had one.”
“Well, it’s time you did. There’s two feet of snow on the ground,

but what the hell.” Logan had a feeling that Adrian was going to fully
embrace the idea of having fun. That he chose sweets said a lot about
his childhood. A kid like Adrian, growing up in a stuffy family,
probably didn’t get to do a lot of the things most kids did all the time.
Like have cake. And eat Popsicles. And play in the sprinkler. Well, it
was too cold for that, but they could certainly mimic something in the
shower.

“You ever stay up late and watch nothing but scary movies?”

Logan asked.

“I have not.”
“Then we must.”
“We must.”
They pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store.
“Wait.” Adrian placed his hand on Logan’s leg.
“What?”
Adrian grasped the edge of his coat, pulled him close, and kissed

him. “Thank you.”

“For?”
“This. All of it. I feel happy for the first time in my life.”
“Good.” Logan waggled his brows. “And I intend to make you

feel even better before the sun goes down.”

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“I’ll hold you to that.”
They got out of the car before they ended up naked in the front

seat. After grabbing a cart, they went on a shopping spree for every
forbidden treat Adrian could think of. Nothing but junk went into the
cart. Logan considered the small section of condoms and was thankful
he always brought his own magic suitcase with him. He wondered if
Adrian had ever played with adult toys. Since he hadn’t played with
kid toys, it was unlikely he’d played with anything else.

“Oh, the possibilities.” Logan just about creamed thinking of the

blank canvas of Adrian.

“Pardon?”
Logan pointed. “Beer and chips. Can’t have a fright night without

them.”

“Into the cart.”
“Let’s see. Sugar, salt, fat, alcohol—yep, I think we have the

major college food groups covered.”

By the time it was all said and done, they had amassed four bags

of junk food and Adrian’s wallet was over two hundred dollars
lighter.

“Happy?”
“Yes.”
“Try saying totally okay?” Logan again asked, “Happy?”
“Totally.”
“Better. It sounds funny with your accent, though.”
“I don’t have an accent. You do.”
They debated this as they continued on to Adrian’s home. When

they arrived, Logan gave a long, low whistle. “Holy mother.”

Adrian’s uplifted brows asked the question.
“I was just surprised that you’re in a place this big. Good night,

Irene. There has to be enough room for like two dozen people to live
in there.”

“My family has come up to ski on occasion.”
“They’re not due anytime soon, right?” That was all Logan

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needed. This wouldn’t be any fun at all with a bunch of family
members hanging around. He figured he was going to have his hands
full just getting Adrian to relax.

“After the holiday season, they spend a month in the tropics.”
“And you didn’t want to go with them?” Logan couldn’t imagine

passing up a chance to lounge around in some exotic locale.

“I’d rather sit through an entire production of Don Giovanni as

performed by drunken frat boys than spend three minutes in my
family’s company.”

“They must be lovely people.”
“About as lovely as having a perpetual hemorrhoid.”
“Ooh, that stings. And you are definitely a master at the swear-

free insult.”

“And this is a good thing?” Adrian grabbed two bags while Logan

grabbed the other two.

“Fuck yeah!” He snickered. “Being cutting without expletives is a

valid art form in my humble opinion.”

“I shall endeavor to impress you.”
“God, I really love the way you talk. It’s all sophisticated and

sexy.”

Adrian grinned and blushed so sweetly Logan almost said

awwwww.

At the doorway, Adrian entered a number on the keypad rather

than using a key.

“Slick.”
Once he entered the foyer, he disabled the alarm.
“It’s supposed to be superior to a lock and key, but a criminal

could still just break a window.”

“And have the cops here lickety-split.”
“This is true. But I’ve found crime is practically nonexistent in

Twin Pines.” Adrian led Logan into the kitchen, which had to be a
gourmet cook’s wet dream. Every conceivable appliance that existed
in the universe gleamed from about half a mile of counter space.

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“Do you cook?” Logan asked.
“I do.”
Logan couldn’t wait to uncover his other talents.
“Set those here and we’ll go back for your things.”
They were halfway to the car when Adrian grabbed the back of

Logan’s coat, pulled him up short, and kissed him. It was
spontaneous, and Adrian seemed about as surprised as Logan did.

“Yeah, I like that, too.” Logan slid his hand down and cupped

Adrian’s cock. He was as hard as Logan. “Let’s get everything in and
then get down to business.”

“The photo shoot?”
“No. Fucking each other simple.”
“You mean I shall have to fornicate with you until I’m rendered

incapable of coherent thought?”

“Yeah.”
“Sounds delightful.”
Logan couldn’t remember ever hustling so fast. They had his gear,

clothing, and computer stuff in and settled in a plush guest room. He
would rather stay with Adrian in his room, but he had to admit,
having a place for all his gear was nice, too. That way, they could use
Adrian’s room for sex. And hopefully, lots of it.

They made their way back to the kitchen, where Logan took

photographs while Adrian put everything away.

“You don’t like clutter, do you?” Logan zoomed in on Adrian’s

face, loving the way his brow wrinkled ever so slightly when he
frowned.

“I don’t. It’s distracting. But how did you know?” Rather stiffly,

Adrian reached up to place the bags of chips into a cabinet.

“Relax. I want you to get used to me with the camera. And I know

because I look around at all these clear horizontal surfaces. The only
thing that has something on it is the bookcase. There aren’t any
knickknacks or objet d’art.”

“I knew bringing you here would reveal the truth.”

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“That you’re a neatnik? Yeah. Secret’s out, dude.”
Adrian smiled. “A maid comes once a week.”
“I’ll bet she has to do very little.”
“He. And yes, he has mentioned that I’m exceedingly clean.”
“He? You have a male maid?” A rush of totally unfair and

unfamiliar jealousy stiffed Logan’s spine, and he clutched his hands
tighter around his camera.

“He’s a student at the college, and no, he isn’t my lover.”
“Do you have a lover?”
“No.” Adrian paused with the package of hotdogs in his hand.

“But I would like to.”

“Anyone in particular in mind?”
“You.”
Logan clicked just as his lips caressed around that single word.

Oh, God. He was afraid Adrian was going to melt his camera with his
hotness.

“Take off your shirt.”
Adrian placed the franks in the fridge and turned. While looking

right into the lens, he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his burnt-
amber shirt. A length of perfectly smooth alabaster skin peeked out.
With a flick, Adrian extended his arm, unbuttoned the cuffs, and then
continued with the line of buttons until he reached his waist.

“Should I continue?”
“Your shirt isn’t off yet, is it?”
“Bossy.”
“I know what I want.”
“Indeed.” Smiling, Adrian pulled his shirt out of his trousers and

worked his way down to the very last button.

With his head tilted down, he looked up, and Logan caught that

shot. It made his eyes seem enormous. Lifting his hands to his collar,
Adrian straightened the shirt, and then slid his hands down the edges
on either side.

Breathlessly, Logan waited for the full reveal. He wasn’t

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disappointed when Adrian wrenched his shirt open and posed
playfully as if he were a superhero.

“Too much?” Adrian asked.
“Just play. Have fun. That’s all I want you to do.” God, his chest

was perfect. Tight, brown nipples sat low on his pecs. And just as
Logan had suspected in the cafeteria, his chest was hairless. He
dropped his gaze to his belly button. A perfect innie. It had been too
dark in the closet for him to tell if Adrian had a happy trail. He hoped
he’d find out soon.

Turning his back, Adrian slid his shirt across his shoulders as he

lowered it down, showing off a back that was nothing short of
amazing. After bunching the fabric up along his waist, he let go, and
the shirt floated gracefully to the floor. Looking back over his
shoulder, Adrian made sure he had Logan’s undivided attention
before he turned around.

“Oh, fuck.” Logan found it difficult to focus on the images when

he was drooling.

“Here?”
“I—yeah. I’d love to fuck you right here.”
“But I’m still mostly dressed.” Adrian’s hand hovered over the

waistband of his pants. “Wouldn’t you like me to continue?”

“I’ll cry if you don’t.” And to think he was worried that Adrian

would be too uptight. Somehow, once he got into the moment, he let
go and did exactly what Logan had hoped for. Adrian had fun.

“I would hate for you to cry.” Rather than undo those complicated

fasteners, Adrian toed off his loafers then removed his socks. He
tucked them out of the frame by pushing them aside.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this?” Every move Adrian made

was utterly perfect.

“I’m positive. Why? Is it good?”
“You’re amazing. Move back just a bit into—yeah.”
Adrian moved until the light above the sink highlighted his head,

showing off the deep auburn color of his hair. He closed his eyes and

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lifted his face, allowing the light to caress his features. For that split
second, Adrian looked like he was receiving a blessing from God. It
was nothing short of magical. Without a pause, he moved on to
removing his pants.

“Photographing you is like having ten different guys all at once.”
“How so?” Adrian worked his way through the fasteners, glancing

up at Logan as he reached the last one.

“You’re playful, then serious, then spiritual, then, just,

everything.” Logan couldn’t believe it, but he was falling for him. Oh,
no. Danger flares went off in his head, but he couldn’t stop. Not now.
Not when Adrian was so beautiful. This was exactly why he didn’t
mix business with pleasure. It blurred the lines and made a mess of
both.

Because one thing Logan knew for sure, he and Adrian would

never be more than a hookup. Opposites may attract, but there was
very little that could hold them together when they had next to
nothing in common.

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Chapter 6

As more of his clothing came off, Adrian felt free. Logan wasn’t

just throwing him idle compliments. He was honestly enjoying what
Adrian was doing. He knew this because there was no way the man
could fake the expression on his face or the erection in his pants.

“I think we should go to a different location for this part.” Adrian

walked past Logan and into the dining room. He flipped a switch on
the wall, filling the area with glittering light from the modern
chandelier that hung over the center of the glossy black table. “I think
before we eat all those pedestrian treats I should perhaps offer you the
best of my home.”

Logan’s camera clicked as he captured every move Adrian made.

“The best of your home?”

“The most decadent and rare treat that I possess.”
“What’s that?”
“Me.”
Logan lifted the camera away from his eye. “You?”
Adrian eased the zipper of his trousers down.
Hastily, Logan got the camera back up to his eye.
Looking right at him, Adrian allowed the pants to fall down

around his ankles.

“Oh, fuck.” Logan’s camera clicked so fast Adrian was afraid the

thing would catch fire. “Your briefs are, God, Adrian. Everything
matches so perfectly it’s uncanny.”

He looked down at himself. His prick was barely contained by the

cocoa-brown briefs that displayed his pale skin to best advantage.
Easing himself back, he settled on the edge of the table, and then slid

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his entire body onto the surface so that he could lie down on his back.

“I’m all yours.” Lifting his arms above his head, he offered

himself to Logan.

“Don’t move. God, just, I can’t even think clearly.” Logan moved

around the table, taking shots from every conceivable angle before he
set the camera aside. Silently, he stood looking down at Adrian.

“Do you see anything you like?” Adrian asked.
“I want it all.”
“A greedy man, are you?”
“Very.” Logan leaned over and kissed him. “You’re a natural.”
“It’s different in here with you. I’ve never liked cameras until

today.” Actually, he’d learned to loathe them. Always, he had to be
perfect and live up to a name that he secretly despised.

“I noticed that at the campus.” Logan trailed his hand across

Adrian’s chest, exploring the planes and valleys of his muscles. “You
thought I was a paparazzo.”

“My real last name is Loveland.” Adrian waited for the inevitable

recognition. When it didn’t come, he wanted to shout with joy.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know it. Are you mad?”
“I’m pleased.” He reached for Logan, who stepped back.
“Hey, I’m the one being offered treats here.” Logan continued to

touch Adrian’s upper body. Tauntingly, he edged right up to the line
of his briefs, but went no farther.

“Tease.”
“I’m greedy, but I’m also into taking my time. I like the

anticipation.” Logan made a few adjustments to Adrian’s limbs. “Do
you mind?”

“Shoot away. I honestly can’t wait to see what you see.” To have

himself exposed by a lover’s eye would be an entirely unique
experience. Adrian had never had a lover in the full sense of the word.
Frantic and clandestine blow jobs and hand jobs were all he’d ever
done. This—playing and talking and exploring—was wonderfully
new and utterly engaging. “But I think I should clarify the treat I’m

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offering.”

“Okay.” Logan held his camera, waiting.
“I’ve never gone all the way with someone so I guess, technically,

in the common vernacular, I’m a virgin.”

If not for the strap around his neck, Logan would have dropped

his camera on the floor. “You’re shitting me.”

Frowning, Adrian quipped, “I assure you, I am not now, nor

would I ever, do something as disgusting as defecate—”

Logan’s lips were against his, cutting him off. This kiss was

different than the rest in that this one felt serious. Possessive,
determined, and oh so protective, the kiss that Logan gave him spoke
volumes without saying a word.

With a sigh, Logan pulled back, but he didn’t pull away. He

stayed close, stroking his fingers through Adrian’s hair. “I wish to
God I could give you the same, but I can’t.”

“I don’t mind.”
“I do.” Logan kissed him very sweetly. “I’m not a manwhore, but

I’ve been around. Always super safe with condoms and the like,
but...”

“What?”
“You’re like this amazing gift, and I feel I have nothing to offer

back.”

“But you do.” Adrian tried to rise, but Logan held him down.

“You’ve given me this. A weekend of fun. A chance to do something
I never, ever thought I would do. If someone had told me on Monday
I’d be doing a naked photo shoot with a gorgeous photographer on
Friday, I would have laughed myself into a hemorrhage. Yet here I
am. And I’m having the time of my life.”

Logan looked surprised and oddly touched.
Adrian pulled him close. “Now, finish up the shots, as this table

isn’t very comfortable.”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything so shiny.”
“It’s Makassar Ebony.” Adrian had seen the table and fallen in

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love. It had cost a small fortune, but he’d decided it was an
investment that would never lose its value.

“I thought it was lacquer.” Logan peered closer at the table. “I

didn’t even see the wood grain until you mentioned it.” A curious grin
twisted Logan’s lips. “Is it okay to get it wet?”

Adrian wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but he was game for just

about anything. “It won’t hurt it.”

Logan went toward the kitchen then returned with a glass of

water. “May I?”

“Certainly.”
Logan poured the water along Adrian’s chest then across his

briefs. It was warm, but the shock of it caused goose bumps to wash
over his flesh. “Close your eyes.”

Adrian heard the camera clicking all around him as Logan took

his shots. And then he felt him caressing him through his briefs.

“I want you fully hard. I want your cock to strain against that wet

fabric.” In seconds, Logan had what he wanted, and the clicking
began in earnest. “Can I pull them down?”

“Yes. Or would you rather I do it?”
“You.”
Adrian pinched his briefs on either side of his hips and pushed

down. For a long moment his cock was caught in the elastic
waistband then sprang free. There was a flurry of clicks and Logan’s
gasping encouragement. Adrian kept on pushing until the briefs
bunched under his cock.

“Ah, you do have dark auburn body hair. Oh, God, Adrian.

You’re so beautiful. So incredibly beautiful.”

Wrapping one hand around his cock, Adrian lifted the other to his

neck, which tightened his abs. He had no idea what he looked like,
but it must have been good, judging by the way Logan moved around
him. But then the clicking stopped. Before he could look down,
something hot wrapped around his cock.

Adrian didn’t bother to open his eyes. Logan sucked at his cock

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until he was a bare stroke away from climax, and then he took more
pictures.

“God, you must be freezing.”
“I’m fine, but yes, this is a bit cold.”
Logan helped him from the table. While Adrian went to get a

towel, Logan dried the table. When Adrian returned, Logan looked up
at him, and then looked away, blushing.

“What?”
“I want a shot that’s a bit odd, maybe.”
“Describe it to me.”
“I want you to come across table.” Logan blushed a bit. “I just

keep thinking of your cream jetting across the glossy black surface.”

“With the added bonus of watching me masturbate.”
“Yeah. That, too. We don’t have to if it’s too much for you right

now.”

Adrian dried himself then slid off his wet briefs. With his eyes

closed, he started stroking himself.

“What are you thinking of?” Logan asked as his camera clicked

away.

“Your lips around my prick. Sucking as your tongue flicks and

then you dive down to the base, taking me as deeply as you can.”
Adrian came. His head went back as he jetted across the table. When
he looked down, all he saw was creamy, white strings across the black
wood, but he also saw his own pleasure rendered in its most simple
component. He turned to see if Logan had enjoyed the shots.

Logan set his camera aside, pulled Adrian into his arms, and

kissed him for a long time. When he pulled back, he whispered, “You
are fearless in your sensuality.”

“Am I?”
“Utterly. I’m worried that I won’t be good enough to capture you

as fully as I’d like.”

“I think you will.” Adrian glanced at the table. His ejaculate was a

soft, white curve against the rigid grain of the black wood. “I thought

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I would feel silly or it would look ugly, but I feel wonderful, and it’s
oddly artistic.”

“It’s also fleeting.”
“As are most things in life.” At that, Adrian felt a little sad. He

wrapped his discarded towel around his hips. This entire interlude
was likely to be just a footnote in his life. He always thought once he
obtained his majority and got his trust fund he would have the
freedom to be who he wanted to be, but he realized that simply wasn’t
so. The pressure to live up to his family name would be even greater.
Demands upon him to step into the company, to provide the next heir,
to do to his son what had been done to him—

Logan nipped Adrian’s lower lip playfully, cutting off his

thoughts.

“What was that for?” Adrian asked.
“You looked tragically sad, and I didn’t like it.”
“Then I will do my best not to look like that ever again.”
“Good.” Logan took one last shot of the table. “Now, let’s clean

this up and then see what we can do with you in another setting.”

“I think not.” Adrian cupped the camera and slipped the strap up

and over Logan’s head. “Perhaps I should put you in the crosshairs.”

Logan dutifully stood and allowed Adrian to take his picture.
“Undress for me.”
He did, and Adrian did his best to capture him, but he found he

was distracted by the man himself. Rather than pictures, Adrian
wanted to sketch him in something quick, like rough outlines of
charcoal. “Would you pose for me?”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Logan toed off his sneakers and his

socks. He did this very clumsily. In the end, he had to hang on to the
back of a chair to get his socks all the way off. As comical as it was, it
was also endearingly charming. Logan had no airs about himself.
“Damn, you did that so much sexier than I ever could.”

“I meant pose for me in my studio.”
Up went one brow over a pale green eye.

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“Come.”
“Damn, but I love the way you say that.”
Adrian almost left the camera behind, but Logan scooped it up.

And he wiped down the table. “I wouldn’t want you to have to
explain that to your male maid.”

“Why is the fact that he’s a man so interesting to you?”
“I keep seeing him in a French maid’s outfit.”
“You’ve obviously watched too much straight pornography.”
“Well, finding good gay porn is damn near impossible.”
“Is it?” Adrian loved to hear Logan talk. His rhythm of speech

and the colloquialisms he used were so different from what Adrian
was used to hearing.

“There’s nothing more pathetic then half-mast cocks trying to fit

into unwelcoming backsides.” Logan rolled his eyes. “Most of the
guys look bored, scared, or stoned. And the fake moaning and
groaning. Gag.” He gave Adrian a sample that had him laughing out
loud. “It’s like listening to someone trying to go to the bathroom in
space.”

“In space?” Adrian could barely get the question out since he was

laughing so hard he could hardly stay upright.

“Yeah, like, they’re fighting because there’s no gravity. Uh. Uh.

Uh.” Logan made faces to go with the noises.

“Oh, my.” Adrian couldn’t stop laughing.
Logan grasped his waist and humped up against his towel-covered

hip while making more horrible porn noises.

Adrian clutched his sides.
“You okay there?”
“I’ve now laughed so hard my sides hurt.”
“Your first?”
“Yes.”
“Stick with me and it won’t be your last.” Logan glanced around.

“Now, which way is your studio?”

“Up.” Adrian pointed.

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“Should we take supplies?”
“I think we should take some beer.”
“I noticed I had to flash my ID at the store.” Logan gave him the

inquisitive brow. “How old are you, young man?”

“I’ll be twenty-one in a week.”
“Then you can have a beer in a week.”
“Spoilsport.”
“As the only adult here, I can’t let you do anything stupid.”
“Like get involved in a terrible pornography production ring?”
“Yeah, like that.”
As they gathered supplies, Logan made more horrible grunting

noises that had Adrian laughing all the way up to the very top floor of
the house. When they walked up the stairs right into the room,
Logan’s mouth dropped open.

“Holy Hanna.”
“Is that good?”
“That’s—yeah.” Logan stepped in.
The entire upper floor was one large studio that captured the light

from enormous windows. Rather than walls, there were pillars to
maintain the structural integrity. Whitewashed pine in wide planks
covered the floors and kept the light of the room high. There was a
space for painting, one for sculpting, one for drawing, and another for
a discipline as yet undecided. Perhaps mixed media.

Logan snapped a few pictures of the studio then turned his lens

onto Adrian.

“Wait, where are you going?” Logan called after him.
“To get some pants.”
“I was digging that towel.” Logan followed him back down one

flight of stairs to his bedroom.

Again, he marveled at the decor and took a few shots. “It’s all like

something out of House Beautiful. All you’re missing is—”

“What?” Adrian pulled on a fitted green T-shirt and a pair of

comfortable sweats.

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“I was going to say a wife and kids.” Logan pretended to slap

himself. “Stupid, right?”

“That’s what my family wants.”
“And you?”
“I want to come home to someone who loves me for me. And

being that I’m attracted to men, I think I would like that to be a man. I
would like children, though, and that’s going to be difficult with a
man.”

“Difficult but not impossible.” Logan clicked a shot.
“I would be very unhappy in the role my family has mapped out

for me.”

“Then don’t accept the role.”
“If only it were that simple.” Adrian settled on the edge of his

bed. “This is mine. I mean, the house and all that’s in it is mine. Over
the years I invested the money I was given for birthdays, holidays,
whatever occasion and the small inheritance that came directly to me
from my maternal grandfather. Real estate is a solid investment. And I
knew I wanted to live here.”

“Why?”
“Because there is something here that makes me feel good. When

I am in Twin Pines, I feel that I am in my rightful place. My
grandfather, my maternal grandfather, brought me here when I was
ten. We went fishing, and he told me this story about the mountain
having a secret heart where the souls of men and beast were forged
together to make this unique creature. He painted fantastical stories
with his words, and I remember being enchanted. It was the only time
I remember feeling almost normal. I wore dungarees, and I was
allowed to get dirty. I drank soda from a can and ate lunch from a
box.”

Logan grinned.
“Of course, my father put an end to that. My paternal grandfather

immediately took me to Europe where we toured until I was fifteen.
By the time I came home to the States, I was thoroughly educated in

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all things European and my maternal grandfather was dead.”

“I’m so sorry.” Logan let the camera dangle around his neck and

settled himself on the bed next to Adrian.

“Thank you.” Adrian clasped his hand. “I swore that one day I

would come back here. And so I slowly but surely built this.” He
lifted his free hand to indicate the house.

“But as a kid, how could you?”
“I had to build the money first, which I did. Once I was eighteen, I

could enter into a contract.”

“And your father?”
“Was livid. He called it a waste, and he vowed I’d never get the

money out that I put in. But I didn’t care, because I think I got
something much better out of this place than wealth.”

“And what’s that?”
“Please don’t laugh.”
Logan crossed his heart.
“I think I found my destiny.”

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Chapter 7

“I don’t think that’s funny, I think that’s wonderful.” And Logan

was starting to think that maybe under all this snow and all the
complicated layers, he’d found his destiny, too. He’d never felt so
comfortable with anyone in his life. He felt like he could do or say
anything and Adrian would accept him with open arms. As good as it
felt, Logan tried to keep a hold on his emotions. He didn’t want to go
head over heels for someone who didn’t feel the same. Guarding his
heart had become second nature given his job. So many men put on
an emotional front that turned out to be utterly bogus. However, in his
gut, Logan thought that Adrian was the real deal.

“I feel that my potential is here, waiting for me to find it. My

father and I argued over my schooling. The disagreements became
unbelievably vicious. Only the top ten ivy leagues would do for his
son. And of course I got in. I had the grades, the pedigree, the money,
but I didn’t have the heart. I applied here, and I was rejected.”

“What?” Logan couldn’t believe any college, let alone any

establishment, period, would reject a man like Adrian.

“They said that though my grades and all were in perfect order, I

would add nothing to their student body.”

“That’s terrible.”
“My father was livid.”
“Ah.” Logan saw the angle. “Were you really rejected or only

pretend rejected?”

“I was honestly rejected.”
“Oh. Sorry, I thought—never mind.”
“I thought my father would leap upon this as proof that I should

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go where he wanted me to go. I felt so foolish that all of my feelings
about this place had been nothing more than the imaginings of a ten-
year-old boy.”

Logan felt heartbroken for him even though Adrian had obviously

been able to turn the tide.

“But then I realized it was a challenge to prove myself worthy. To

show that my commitment to come here was genuine.”

“And how did you do that?”
“I continued to build this place, what I’ve always considered my

home, and I went to the college of my father’s choosing. Until I was
able to offer the school here something different.”

“And? Damn, Adrian, you have more pauses than, than, damn, I

don’t know what, but something with too many pauses. It’s like
watching a video with my aunt. We have to stop every ten minutes so
she can go tinkle. I love her, but it’s infuriating!”

“Forgive me.” Adrian grinned. “You are the only person I have

ever told this to, and I find myself wondering why I am telling you.”

“Because you trust me?”
“I think that is it. You have a trustworthy feel about you.”
“Thank you.” Logan kissed his hand. “Now continue, or I swear I

will wet your bed. Or start humping on your hip while making that
terrible fake noise of pleasure.”

When Adrian laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkled up, making

Logan laugh right along with him. God, when Adrian was happy he
went beyond handsome and right into the realm of something godlike.
If Logan captured nothing else, he vowed to capture that moment on
film.

“To show my mettle, I gave them unique artworks.”
“Ah.” Logan thought that explained the amazing studio that took

up the entire top floor of the house.

“And finally, in my junior year, they allowed me to transfer.”
More than anything in the world, Logan wanted to see the

artworks Adrian had submitted to Twin Pines College.

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“But they had one very odd request.” Adrian paused, but Logan

refused to prompt him again. Instead, he placed Adrian’s hand on his
crotch and started moaning in that phony way. “Ugh. That is horrid. If
I kiss you, will you stop?”

“Uh. Uh. Uh.”
Adrian kissed him silent and then said, “They insisted I join the

football team, of all things.”

“And you did?”
“I tried out thinking I would be a disaster. I’ve played polo and

rugby. But rugby is very similar to football. Anyway, I had a gift of
hands.” Adrian lifted them and together they considered his long,
beautifully formed hands. “I became the holder and backup
quarterback. Next year, the coach wants me to be the quarterback as
Brandon Sanders will have graduated.”

“And all this so you can be here in the mountains where you feel

your destiny is?”

“I know it sounds crazy. Truly, I do recognize how odd that

seems, but there is something here for me. I know it. I feel it.”

“Is that why you never hooked up with anyone?”
“I hooked up, as you say, but it never went very far. I was afraid

of getting caught.”

“Is that why you were silent when you climaxed in the closet and

even in your own house?”

“Sadly, yes.” Adrian considered. “In my head I’m screaming and

talking dirty, but nothing gets out.”

“You go perfectly still and make no sound at all.”
“So I could not be in one of your horrible pornos?” Adrian pushed

him back into the bed then straddled his hips. “I couldn’t be a bored
young man who was looking for trouble?”

“You could be. And I got your trouble right here.” Logan lifted

the camera and clicked off several shots of Adrian looming
menacingly over him.

“You aren’t taking me seriously,” Adrian accused.

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“Make me,” Logan dared.
Adrian flashed a fierce expression, which Logan captured, and

then Adrian popped the top button on Logan’s jeans. He worked the
zipper down, and the fabric soon followed. And then Adrian’s
magical hands were around Logan’s cock.

“You realize you’re one behind me at this point? Climax, I mean.”
“Am I?” Logan captured a few images, desperate to keep his

focus both literally and figuratively, but he was lost when Adrian
stacked his hands and massaged the length of his shaft. The term
magical hands had never been more apropos. Logan knew he had the
mouth, but Adrian matched him with the skill in his fingertips. “Ah,
fuck.”

“I swear, you keep saying that, and I will have no choice but to

comply with your wishes.”

“Do it.” Logan grinned up at him. “I’d love to be your first.”
Adrian grinned as he considered. “I’ve never...”
“So you said.”
“But you have?”
“Both ways. Always with protection.”
“Would you trust me to go bare?”
“Bareback?”
“Is that what it’s called?”
“Yeah. And I would. I would. God, Adrian. Are you serious, or

are you just fucking with me?” Logan looked up and caught the grin
before it could deepen on Adrian’s face. “Let me rephrase that. Are
you seriously asking if I want to do this, or are you just testing the
waters?”

“I want to be with you without any barriers.”
“It’s your first time.”
“I know. That’s why I want this to be as plain as it can possibly

be. Just you. Just me. Nothing between us. We dispensed with the
lies. We ended the insufferable posturing. We agreed to have fun. To
that end, we stopped pretending to be someone we’re not. Why can’t

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the rest of this be like that as well?”

Try as he might, Logan couldn’t think of one very good reason

why they couldn’t do exactly what Adrian so longed to do.

“Destiny.”
“Destiny,” Adrian echoed.
Logan had always been diligent in protecting himself and his

lovers. But if Adrian was willing and Logan trusted him, which he
did, and if Adrian trusted him, which he clearly did, then they were
good to go.

“Just one thing.” Logan dared to put the last bit of his heart out for

consideration.

“Anything.”
“I don’t want this to be some random hookup.”
“I don’t know what that means.” Adrian peered down at him, his

hands still against Logan’s cock. Just like he had in the closet, Adrian
held so perfectly without movement it was almost unnatural.

“I don’t want this to be a fling. If you want to go bare, and I’m

going to go bare, then there has to be some kind of...”

“Commitment,” Adrian supplied.
“Yeah. I know that’s fast, but I’m sick of these weekend things

that don’t really satisfy. I want something more.” Just as Adrian had
spilled his soul out for Logan to examine, Logan did the same for
Adrian. “I want to be with someone, and I mean the whole shebang. A
life with someone. A whole big existence with work and play and
everything.” And then he waited, praying for anything other than
laughter or rejection.

When Adrian smiled and bent over to kiss him, Logan knew they

were on the same wavelength.

“I want more.” Adrian brushed his lips over Logan’s as he

possessively cupped his cock. “I’ve always wanted so much more.”

Logan didn’t know how to react but to go with his gut, and his gut

told him to let the camera go, embrace Adrian, and spend the last of
the fragile daylight in Adrian’s amazing bed.

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“I have to be honest,” Logan said, pulling his camera off and

setting it on the floor. “I swore I wasn’t going to take a serious plunge
until I knew everything about the guy including his shoe size.”

“I’m a sixteen.”
“Yeah? Finally, a guy I can share shoes with. Now kiss me like

you mean it.”

And Adrian did. Moreover, he didn’t stop. He kept right on

kissing Logan while stroking his cock.

“Oh, no, the sun is going down.”
“So?” Adrian pushed at Logan’s jeans. “We have all weekend.”
“Yes, but I wanted to see the artwork that convinced Twin Pines

College to let you in.”

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Chapter 8

“I would love to show you the artwork that got me into Twin

Pines College.” Adrian stood, and Logan followed. He pulled up his
jeans and zipped them, but he left the tab undone. Adrian found that
jutting-out bit of fabric to be almost an invitation to pick up exactly
where he’d left off. And for once, Logan left his camera behind.

Back in the studio, with the winter sun beginning to set, the room

was the most beautiful shade of gold.

“The room itself is a work of art.” Logan darted his gaze all over

the space.

“This is the place I feel most at peace.”
“I can see why.”
“Here is the piece that I think got me in. And this is of course a

copy as I donated the original to the school.” Adrian had taken a high-
quality image of the work and had it printed as a poster. He’d then
had it matted and framed. Rather than hanging it on a wall, he kept it
hidden in a stack of blank canvases. Why he did this, he wasn’t
exactly certain.

“Whoa. It’s intense.” Logan studied the image of a man and a

beast being fused together in a mythical forge. “What’s the title?”

“Mountain Forge. This is what my grandfather’s story was about.

This place in the mountain where the souls of man and beast are
forged together.”

“It’s really amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s like they’re in pain from this melding, but when they come

out on the other side, they’re gonna be far more powerful together

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than they ever were apart.”

“That’s exactly what I was trying to convey. Either I’m very good

or you’re very perceptive.”

“Both?”
“I like that.”
“And so you finally were granted entrance to the place of higher

learning.”

“I was. And then I discovered I had another dilemma on my

hands.”

“Oh?”
“I was lonely. But I do believe I’ve solved that now, too.”
“I think so.” Logan stepped close.
“Kiss me like you mean it.”
And he did. Logan kissed him and eased him backward until he

had Adrian pressed up against one of the pillars. Off came his T-shirt
and his sweats.

“I just put those on,” Adrian noted between kisses.
“Yeah, well, I think there should be a rule that each of us can only

wear one article of clothing.”

“You have on two.”
Logan shoved his jeans down then practically stumbled over them

while stepping out of the legs. “Damn. I’m seriously going to practice
stripping down with some finesse.”

“I like how you do it now. It’s most becoming.” Adrian pulled

him close.

“Do you have any idea what you look like standing there in the

golden light of the sunset?” Logan glanced back over at the poster.
“It’s like you’re waiting for your beast.”

“Hark, I think he’s here.”
Logan growled as he captured Adrian’s hands, pinning him while

kissing him.

“Turn and hang on.”
Adrian did as instructed. He faced the pillar and pressed his hands

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against the smooth, lacquered wood, wondering what Logan was
going to do. Slowly, Logan kissed his way down along Adrian’s back,
caressing him everywhere as he went. Then he was teasing his fingers
along the split of his bottom.

With a sigh, Adrian lifted his hips just a bit, encouraging Logan to

continue. His big hands were strong and sure against Adrian’s body,
and when he parted his cheeks, Adrian held his breath, waiting for
contact. He wasn’t disappointed. Logan breathed out against him,
eliciting a moan in response. With his teasing breath alone, Logan had
Adrian in a state of frantic need.

When he licked along the crevice, Adrian uttered a sound that was

so raw with need it was almost a cry of anguish. He lowered his upper
body, using the pillar for balance, so that Logan could continue with
his teasing.

Each brush of his breath, each swipe of his tongue, primed Adrian

for more until he felt as if he were a piece of artwork that only now
had come into being. Logan was making him real, giving him life, and
Adrian was opening his eyes to the world for the first time.

“Logan.” Adrian said his name and nothing more. He wanted to

tell him everything he was feeling, but there were no words for this
exquisite longing.

Logan answered by slipping his tongue against his puckered flesh.

Adrian swore he practically lost consciousness it felt so good. He
tilted himself up farther, offering himself, giving himself to his lover.
He practically came by what Logan did with his talented tongue in his
ass.

“Do you have any idea how incredible you look?” Logan stood,

teasing his fingers over Adrian’s backside. “Golden light all around
you, highlighting the auburn hair of your beautiful body. God, I could
never ever capture this. Don’t move, Adrian. Please, just, stay very
still.”

Adrian stayed where he was, disappointed that even in this, Logan

couldn’t let go of his obsession with the camera. As he stood there

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alone in his studio, he looked out to the highest point along the
mountain range. The sun was slipping behind that peak, and to his
eye, it looked as if the pointed range were piercing the sun.

Logan returned, but all he had in his hand was a bottle.
“To ease my way. I couldn’t bear the idea of hurting you.”
That for once he’d forgotten his camera pleased Adrian. And then

Logan’s slippery fingers toyed with his bottom, making him breathe
and sigh in bursts of pleasure.

“You’re so beautiful. So impossibly stunning. Are you ready for

me?”

“Yes. Please. Now.” Adrian watched as the peak seemingly

penetrated the sun, and he felt Logan doing the same to him. A brief
flicker of pain caused him to arch up and Logan to move back.

“God, Adrian, am I hurting you?”
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” He glanced over his shoulder.

The look of heartbreak on Logan’s face at the mere idea of hurting
him was so profoundly touching Adrian almost cried. “Fill me.”

Panting, Logan eased his way inside, his fingers holding firmly

against Adrian’s hips. “So tight. So beautiful and, ah, Adrian, I won’t
last.”

“It’s okay. I won’t, either.”
With his strong, sun-kissed arms, Logan embraced him, lifting

him up, holding him steady as Adrian’s body pulled Logan’s cock all
the way within.

Together they exhaled a sigh of blissful completion as the sun

slipped fully behind the mountain peak.

“The light on you is astounding. You’re glowing orange and

pink.”

Adrian looked down at where their arms overlapped. The same

light that showed off his pale skin enhanced the bronze beauty of
Logan’s. They contrasted and yet complimented one another, like
grains of wood.

“Seeing our arms like this makes me think of the table downstairs,

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and how the same piece of wood has so many variations of the same
shade in its grain.”

“Ever the artist.” Logan kissed the edge of his ear. “I’m thinking

of us twined like the man and the beast in your artwork.”

“Which of us is the beast?”
“All men at their core are beasts.” Logan angled Adrian’s head

back for a kiss that blended passion and care.

“You have the heart of a poet.”
“Do I?” Logan laughed lightly. “I always thought I had the heart

of a lusty pirate.”

“A pirate?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but when I think of my heart I picture a

pirate. Is that odd?”

“Perhaps no more odd than what I picture.”
“And what’s that?” Logan had eased him into a more relaxed

posture with his seemingly idle chitchat.

“A bear.”
“You’re too hairless for a bear,” Logan teased, brushing his hands

over Adrian’s mostly hair-free hips and buttocks.

“I see myself as a grizzly bear with blond-brown hair and

powerful claws. Nothing frightens me.”

“Nothing should frighten you.” Logan kissed him softly. “You

have the whole world in your hand.”

And for that moment, Adrian believed him. He could have

everything he ever wanted. He just had to be brave. That was the
ticket. He’d gotten into the college by refusing to give up and
fearlessly exposing the artist in himself. This was no different than
that. It was just that here, with Logan, he had to expose the lustful
creature inside himself and do so as fearlessly as he had with his other
challenges.

Using the pillar for leverage, Adrian rocked back and forth on the

length of Logan’s cock.

“Ah, hell, Adrian, I’m going to come so hard.”

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“Wrap your hand around my cock. Take me with you.”
“Hold on. Oh, God, Adrian. Hold on.”
Logan stroked his hand down Adrian’s cock as he simultaneously

thrust into Adrian’s upturned bottom. To maintain his balance, Adrian
clung to the pillar, moaning in time to the rhythm of his lover’s
movements.

“That’s it. I want to hear you. Tell me how you feel. Show me

how good you feel.”

Adrian lifted his head and uttered a cry of shocked pleasure when

he climaxed and clamped around Logan’s prick.

“Ah, damn, you’re so fucking tight. So sweet and hot, ah, Adrian,

you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Hang on. Hold on, I—”

Adrian knew when Logan came because his fingers dug into his

hips and he uttered a roar that shivered another small climax through
Adrian’s body as he joined him. Together they lifted their heads and
growled like animals enjoying the full depth of their pleasure.

In that moment, with that noise, Adrian felt his soul bond with

Logan’s. It was as if layers of dust had suddenly been blown away by
an arctic wind, and he clearly saw the truth. The forging of his soul
with the soul of the beast had happened long before he’d been born.
Always the bear lurked inside. The way to free the beast came by
finding his mate. And his mate was this man. Logan had allowed
Adrian to take another step toward finalizing the complicated ritual
that would lead to his ultimate being. Now his reasons for waiting, for
always seeking more, were clear.

Logan was his mate.

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Chapter 9

“Don’t move. Please don’t move.” Logan wrapped Adrian up in

powerful arms to support and comfort him. “I want to remember this
moment forever.”

Claiming his virginity in the most remarkable setting, with the

most diligent care, amidst strong emotions—hell, Logan wasn’t sure
what was real and what was from some kind of intense sexual
connection. The depth of feeling he had for Adrian this quickly was
frightening. Logan was a realist who didn’t fall in love at the drop of
a hat, but something profound happened when he’d taken—claimed—
Adrian.

Claimed?
A voice had whispered that word into his mind.
Logan tried to shake the word and the images it evoked out of his

head, but the harder he tried to rid it from him, the more firmly the
notion gripped him.

He’d been honest when he admitted that he didn’t want another

meaningless hookup, but he hadn’t expected to find something so
emotionally engaging, either. It was as if in some way he’d always
known Adrian. Now that he’d taken—mated—with him, he was
simply remembering what he’d forgotten.

Mated?
Oh, no. Logan lowered his head and pressed his face against

Adrian’s neck and shoulder. What had he done? Logan had never
been in love, but he had a sneaking suspicion his pirate heart had just
been plundered and stripped of booty.

Eventually, they had to part when Logan’s cock slipped from

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Adrian’s body and the room grew dark.

“The sun sets fast this time of year.” Adrian’s voice sounded

wistful.

“Are you okay?” Logan wanted to touch him everywhere to

assure himself he hadn’t injured his mate. Boyfriend, he told himself,
but that word wasn’t right. Adrian was his mate, and that was that.
Logan had never taken romance too seriously, mainly because he’d
never seen the point. Now, though, love hit him very suddenly, very
deeply, and very unchangeably.

“I’m better than okay.” Adrian turned so he could kiss him more

fully. “I feel like I’ve taken another step.”

“You, too?”
Adrian nodded. “Come on, let’s go warm up and wash off.”
Logan didn’t feel so odd about his quick and deep attachment

once he knew he wasn’t alone. Maybe this was how it happened to
everyone who fell in love. It wasn’t a slow slip-slide but a growling
thrust, and bam there he was, smack-dab in the middle of love.
Although, if he was going to tell Adrian, he might want to put things a
bit more poetically.

“That was wicked awesome.” Oh, for fuck’s sake! Logan almost

slapped his forehead.

“It was.” Adrian stopped in midstride to kiss him half a dozen

times.

“I was going to say something more profound.”
“Why?”
“To impress you.”
A smile of complete and utter acceptance crossed Adrian’s face.

“You don’t need to impress me. Just be here with me.”

“That I can do.” And Logan stopped beating himself up. He was

probably always going to remove his clothes like a klutz and say silly
things, but if Adrian was okay with that, then he would be okay with
it as well. And that was when he realized something about love he
didn’t know before. Being in love made him more secure with exactly

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who he was. He didn’t have to try to be anyone else other than
himself.

“You look deep in thought,” Adrian said.
“You accept me for exactly who I am.”
“I do.” Adrian pulled him into a shower that was big enough for a

party of six.

“I’ve never had anyone do that.”
“Do you like it?”
“I fucking love it.” He pulled Adrian close. They kissed and

teased one another as they soaped up and rinsed off. When Adrian
winced at Logan’s tender touches to his bottom, he winced right along
with him. “I’m so sorry that it hurt.”

“I’m sensitive but not in pain. It was worth that pinch, because

that will fade, but the memory of that moment will be with me
forever.”

“Okay, see, that’s what I wanted to say. Something sexy and

sweet like that.”

“In your own way, you did.”
They exited, dried off, and then Logan took his time covering

Adrian’s body in lotion. He wanted to protect his skin but also soothe
some of the hurt away.

“I’m fine, honestly.” Adrian pulled on another T-shirt, this one a

mustard yellow that set off the auburn color of his hair, and
sweatpants in navy blue.

“You’ve got clothing scattered all over the house now.”
“Good. I’ve never been messy, and I find I quite like it.”
“Uh-oh. I’m a terrible influence.” Still wrapped in his towel,

Logan led Adrian downstairs. “For the rest of the night I propose we
watch trashy movies, drink beer, and stuff ourselves with junk.”

“Sound positively enchanting.”
They covered the couch with crumbs, and stacked their beer cans

into a pyramid, and then ending up fondling one another under the
blanket.

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“Do you want to see what I’ve shot so far?” Logan couldn’t wait

to see how the shoot turned out.

Adrian tensed.
“I’m telling you, you’ll be stunning. And remember, it’s all fun.

Nothing is happening with any shot unless you say. Remember?”

“I remember.”
In short order, Logan had his photos loaded onto his laptop which

he in turn linked to the wide-screen television in Adrian’s living
room.

“This way we can watch them as a slide show.” Using the remote,

he was able to forward through the random shots he’d taken at the
campus. He paused on the one where Adrian had gotten right up in his
face. “Whoa. Look at how pissed you are.”

“I look like my father.” Adrian covered his face with his hands.

“Please, move along. I swear I will never make a face like that again.”

Logan clicked forward until he arrived at the shots in the kitchen.

“See? You’re a natural.” Every shot was perfect. “There isn’t a tosser
in the bunch.”

“Tosser?”
“That’s what I call the ones I delete. I toss them in the trash,

hence the name tossers. And you simply don’t take any tossers.”

Adrian laughed. “I’ve never seen myself this way.”
“So, you like this?” Logan felt a bit like he was fishing for a

compliment, and maybe he was, because he honestly wanted Adrian
to enjoy what he did.

“It’s wonderful. Truly. I am honestly able to see myself the way

you see me, and I’m...beautiful.”

“You seem surprised.”
“I always thought I was rather pedestrian, but in your eyes I’m

special.”

“You are.” Logan pulled him close and kissed the top of his head.

“You are special, my mate.”

Adrian went very still, and for a moment Logan thought he’d

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pulled that word into their relationship far too early. He was thinking
he could pass it off as a British saying, but then he looked up at the
television.

“Oh. My. God.” Logan clicked the pause button.
Adrian appeared to be floating right on the surface of perfectly

still black water. His pale skin didn’t look fragile against that
darkness, but powerful, as if what held him above the water was his
inner light.

Out of every shot Logan had ever taken, this was the one that he

would always remember. It was a riveting image that showed Adrian
as both a man and a beast. What gave him that tang of animal was the
powerful erection pressing against his briefs.

“I hardly recognize myself.”
Logan had never considered what he did high art, but this was.

“You look almost carved out of alabaster.”

“Go to the next one.”
Each shot enhanced the others, changing the perspective,

deepening the myth, until they came to the shot after Logan had
poured the water on him.

Adrian gripped his hand so hard it almost hurt.
The shot was beyond high art.
When Adrian turned and looked at Logan, he had tears in his eyes.

“No one has ever told me that I was special, or important, or
handsome. You managed to do all that in one shot.”

“You are all those things and more.” Logan cupped his chin and

simply touched him, reassuring him that everything he’d seen in the
photographs was exactly what Logan saw when he looked at him.
“Do you see now why I wanted to photograph you so desperately?”

“How could you know it would be like this?”
“I didn’t. I thought it would be awesome, but I had no idea it

would be epic.” Logan glanced at the television. “Do you want to go
on?”

Adrian nodded, and they continued through the shoot. The shots

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of Logan stripping down were comical, but there was a sweetness to
the candid shots, nonetheless.

“That’s how you see me. Sexy, kinda silly, but overall sweet.”
“Give me another chance, and I’ll try to make you as amazing as

you made me.”

“Maybe with your art, but not mine.” Logan clicked past the shots

of himself. The rest of Adrian were amazing, but those of him on that
table were sublime. “I’m almost afraid I’ll never do anything as good
as that ever again.”

“You will.” Adrian clicked off the television and turned into

Logan’s arms. “I’ll gladly let you take my picture whenever you
want.”

“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Adrian grinned. “Now kiss me like you mean it.”
“You like saying that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I would say fuck me like you mean it, but I’m a little

too tender for that.”

“There are other things I can do to you.” Logan waggled his

brows and uttered what he hoped was a pirate-like laugh.

“Am I supposed to run?”
“Naw. Too much beer and junk for me to give chase.” Logan

couldn’t help himself. His gaze kept darting back to his gear.

“You want to work, don’t you?”
“I do. I’m sorry. I’m usually such a night owl once I have a shoot

done. And this one was truly amazing.”

“I still haven’t agreed to anything.”
“I know. I just want to organize them and, well, play with them.”
“Look at you. You’re like an addict,” Adrian teased.
Logan started shaking and rubbing his arms. “I gots to just look at

them one more time, mister.”

“Fine.” He kissed his forehead. “Have your way with my images.

I am going to be virtuous and go to bed in a timely fashion.”

“Do you want me to join you or sleep down here?”

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“Join me when you’re done. I don’t care what time.”
And Logan realized belatedly that maybe after his first time

Adrian would want to snuggle in bed.

“Logan, stop fretting. Play with the pictures. I have a feeling if I

take you to bed you won’t be able to sleep.”

“Yeah. Okay. Off with you now so I can play.” He rubbed his

hands together like a greedy miser.

Once Adrian was gone, he turned the television back on and went

right back to the shot of him on the table with his cock pressing
against his briefs. God. It was beyond beautiful. And to think that
only tonight he’d been granted the gift of claiming him.

Logan had no idea what he’d done to deserve Adrian, but he was

damn thankful. A wicked grin crossed his face when he realized he’d
reached his other goal. True to his word, he’d make Adrian howl with
pleasure. Now all he had to do was talk him into letting him release
these shots.

In an effort to persuade him to post the images, Logan set to work

on building the mock webpage he’d told Adrian about earlier. His
only problem was in determining which pictures to highlight.
Normally, he didn’t have this problem, as there were tons of tossers.
Not so in Adrian’s shoot. Every shot was a keeper.

But finally, he picked the top twenty, set them into the template,

saved the work, and then packed it in. He was exhausted, and the
thought of crawling into bed with Adrian had him grinning.

Tomorrow he would begin to work on him in earnest.

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Chapter 10

Adrian felt Logan slide into his bed. Bleary eyed, he blinked at the

clock and realized it was practically morning. Still, it was his art, and
Adrian understood. When he’d been working on Mountain Forge,
he’d been practically crazed from lack of sleep. He wanted to show
the exact vision in his head, and he’d pushed himself harder than he
ever had. In the end, the results had been worth the weeks of lost
sleep.

“Are you happy?”
“Shit. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Logan slid over and spooned

up to him. “Yeah, I’m blissfully happy. With the photos, you,
everything. Right now I’m so ecstatic I think I’m orgasmically
happy.”

“Me, too.”
“Yeah?” Logan kissed his neck. “Damn, you’re all nice and

warm. And, since you’re awake...” Logan pressed his erection against
Adrian’s backside.

“You’re horny?”
“Listen to you using such raunchy talk!” Logan rolled him onto

his back. “I’m so horny I could bust a nut.”

“Sounds painful.”
“It is. Take pity on me. Please.”
“You had me at ‘you’re awake.’” Adrian wrestled with Logan

until he got him over on his back.

“Okay, you also wrestled, too, didn’t you?”
“I did.” Adrian captured Logan’s hands and pressed them into the

bed. “Now, what will I do with my captured prize?”

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“Fuck me?” Logan asked hopefully.
“You have been begging me to do that to you all day.” Adrian

sighed dramatically. “Well, if I must, I must.”

“Ah, I’m supposed to resist? Stop. Oh. No. Don’t. Stop. No. Don’t

stop. Don’t stop.”

“I don’t think that’s resistance so much as it’s encouragement.”

Adrian chuckled as he kissed Logan. “It’s going to be impossible to
be serious if I’m laughing.”

“What a dilemma.” Logan struggled below him then started in

with the faux-pleasure sounds.

“God, no! Cease and desist at once!” Adrian kissed him silent. “I

never want to hear that type of sound coming out of you again. Ever.”

“I promise.” Logan relaxed. “Do you want to fuck me?”
“Yes.” Adrian rose up so he was straddled across Logan’s hips.

“But like I said before, I’ve never done this.”

“Take your time.” Logan grinned playfully in the mostly dark

room. “Do to me what you will.”

“Where do I start?”
“Wherever you’d like.”
Having never had the opportunity to explore anyone, Adrian took

his time with Logan. He discovered that his obliques were strong but
ticklish, and when he swirled his tongue around his nipples, his cock
twitched. His skin was remarkably sensitive, especially when Adrian
placed soft, openmouthed kisses all over his neck and chest.

“I can practically hear you begging me to go lower.”
“I’m screaming so loud in my head the sound is apparently

coming out my ears.”

Chuckling, Adrian did go lower, exploring the way his body hair

felt thick but soft against his fingertips and the way Logan held his
breath whenever Adrian came tauntingly close to his prick.

Working his way between his legs, Adrian teased him with the

heat from his breath and then kissed along his shaft while stroking his
fingers over his sac. Lower he went with his strokes until he was

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teasing the terribly sensitive skin of his ass.

“Ah, there. Tease me there.”
Adrian did, doing to Logan what he had done to him earlier in the

studio. Toying with Logan’s sensitive skin with his fingers compelled
him to lower his head and lick across Logan’s hole.

In response, Logan lifted up, uttering a moan of pure bliss.
Encouraged by his obvious enjoyment, Adrian tongued him,

holding his hips down to keep him from thrashing.

“Inside. Get inside me before I lose my mind.”
“Is that what you’re in danger of losing?” Adrian asked, working

his way up to Logan’s lips.

“My mind and my load. Damn, for a novice, you’re very good.”
“I want to fill you so slowly as to make you go mad.”
“I’m already there.” Logan looked to the bedside table. “Lube. I

want to slather you then feel you fuck me simple.”

“Stay here. If you move...” Adrian could not think of a suitable

punishment, so he simply let his voice trail off as he slipped from bed.
With quick steps, he went up to the studio, found the lube amongst
their discarded clothing, and grabbed it up. His anticipation was high.
Finally, after a very long time of wondering when and where he
would take his first lover, he was pleased to do so in his home and in
his own bed.

Adrian turned to go, but the poster caught his eye. Moonlight fell

across the work, the paleness of the light altering the colors. Bright
intensity was faded, but somehow, this brought out the fierceness of
the beast as it entwined the man. In the night, the beast was stronger.

Adrian returned to Logan and found he had not moved.
“See? I can obey simple commands.” Logan cupped his hands

behind his head.

“Impressive.” Adrian slipped between the sheets. “Have you ever

been ravished by a lover?”

“What, like, had one rip all my clothing off and just go crazy?”
“Something like that.”

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“Not really.”
“Would it frighten you if I did?”
“Adrian, I’m sensing something else here.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’ll tell you if you do, just like you did with me. Okay?”
Adrian nodded. There was a bundle of fear in his belly. He

worried that his humanity wouldn’t be able to overpower his animal if
he set it free. He feared the strength of his inner beast losing control
and then injuring Logan.

“I’ve always felt this hunger inside me. A beast waiting to find

this one perfect man. And no, not perfect in mind, body, or soul, but a
man who would match me. That kind of blending of the two that we
could find nowhere else.” Adrian looked right into Logan’s eyes as he
deliberately lubed up his cock. “You match me in some ways,
compliment me in others, yet contrast me in more. It’s the very best of
both our human and animal sides blended.”

For a moment, he thought Logan would laugh or perhaps deflect,

but he smiled and nodded. “I thought that, too, upstairs, right as I
claimed you.”

“Claimed?”
“Yeah. I thought that word was so odd, but now, not so much.”
“You called me your mate earlier.” Adrian teased his finger in and

out of Logan’s ass, preparing him, gauging his reaction. “Did you
mean that?”

“I did.”
“So do I.” Adrian lowered himself over Logan, pressing the tip of

his prick to the snug pucker of his bottom. “You’re my mate, and I’m
laying my claim to you.”

Without another word, Adrian pressed forward, watching Logan’s

expression for any hint of pain. There was none. Only blissful
pleasure radiated from his face as he closed his eyes and allowed his
head to go back. When he turned his head to the side, exposing his
vulnerable neck, Adrian couldn’t help but growl. Looking down at the

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expanse of his neck, Adrian lowered his lips, latched onto his skin,
and bit him sharply enough to feel him buck below his body and hiss
in surprise.

Adrian continued to draw his skin into his mouth, sucking and

biting so that he marked him. Primitive and fierce, Adrian allowed his
beast to claim his human form. A part of him stood back, watching
Logan for any hint of pain, but when he found none, his beast reveled
in taking him.

Holding his hips down, Adrian bit at his neck and thrust into him

as deeply as he could. Logan released a cry of surrender and parted
his legs wider, granting Adrian deeper access.

Frantic blow jobs and his own desultory masturbation sessions

couldn’t compare to the snug, gripping heat of Logan’s ass. Each
press into him caused him to utter a little cry, and each bite of his
neck elicited a moan of surrender. It was as if Logan instinctively
realized what Adrian needed. This wasn’t simple sex but a need for
his beast to claim both human and beast in Logan. Rather than
struggle and prove himself the alpha, Logan did as Adrian had done.
Logan gave in and gave up for his mate.

“More. Fuck me, Adrian. Fuck me. Bite me until you draw blood

if you have to, but I’m begging you to ride me until I cry with the
pleasure of your possession.”

Spurred on by his words, Adrian found himself biting and sucking

at his neck, and he thrust hard into his bottom. His prick drilled into
his mate, marking him, making him ready for the ultimate mark that
would come.

“I will never let you go.” Adrian growled the words against

Logan’s now-tender neck then forcefully pushed his head to the other
side, and latched on to the unmarked area of his neck. Logan cried out
in a mix of pain and need.

“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He had used those words earlier, teasing, but now Logan’s tone

was plaintive with need.

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“Fuck me. Claim me. Don’t let any part of me go unscathed.”
Adrian did as he asked. “I will own you as you owned me.” And

then his very human heart surged forward, ashamed, because Logan
had claimed Adrian with caution and care. What Adrian was doing in
return was violent and base.

“Ride me,” Logan demanded, tearing Adrian’s mouth away from

his neck. “You ride me, Adrian. I want you to fuck me as hard as you
can. I want to feel you come so deep inside of me I can taste you.”

Stunned, Adrian felt his human and beast battle, but his beast won

out because only in this way could he forge the bond that they needed.

Digging his knees into the bed and his fingers into Logan’s hips,

Adrian fucked him like a machine. Sweat poured from his brow,
down his chest, allowing their bodies to slide together, trapping
Logan’s prick between.

“Don’t you dare come. You hold off. Hold yourself off.” Adrian

felt Logan slide his hand between their bodies and wrap his fingers
around his own prick. “Save yourself for me.”

“Come, Adrian. Fill me. Fuck me.” Logan lifted his body up with

his legs spread wide so that Adrian could drill himself into him as
deeply as possible. Clutching him with powerful hands, Adrian
poured his prick into his mate and climaxed with a cry of completion
that damn near rattled the windows.

Before his cock had even finished spurting, Adrian pulled out,

dropped down, and sucked Logan’s cock into his mouth. Greedily, he
drank his climax. His pleasure was salty, sweet, and sublimely
decadent. Logan was everything and more than Adrian had ever
dreamed of.

As he lifted up, both the man and the beast within satisfied,

Adrian peered down at Logan and possessively snarled, “Mine. Mine
for always and forever.”

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Chapter 11

Logan lay below Adrian, exhausted and entranced. With the last

bit of his strength, he reached up, cupped the back of Adrian’s neck,
drew him close, and murmured, “I am willingly yours just as you are
mine for always and forever.”

“Yes.”
Adrian collapsed beside him.
They snuggled together and slept, entwined. Normally, Logan

hated to snuggle. He wanted to have his space and demanded it by
leaving shortly after the sex was done. But not this time. Tonight, or
this morning, rather, he wanted to be plastered against Adrian as he
fell into slumber.

The work he had done on the shoot was immaculate. Logan

couldn’t remember a better or a more comprehensive shoot ever in his
life. And this was from half a day with Adrian. Given they still had
two more days before the weekend was officially over, he was almost
afraid of what he would capture. Afraid, because Logan worried that
he wouldn’t be able to match what he’d already done. In the back of
his mind was the fact that Adrian, given his position in high society,
would never let him show the images. But that concern was secondary
to just the fact that, show them or not, Logan could never do better
than what he had done.

If Adrian pulled the plug, Logan would understand.
As much as it would pain him, he would grasp how difficult it

would be for Adrian to be exposed on Hot Jocks and deal with his
upper-crust family. It didn’t matter what went down between them.
There were issues that Logan couldn’t really grasp. But if nothing

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else, he had captured the heart, soul, and wicked beast of a man that
he loved. And Logan was proud of that. Adrian on that table, floating
in the black water, his cock so needy below those chocolate briefs—
oh, God. No image could compare to that. Adrian had agreed to let
him keep just one image no matter what, and that was the one he
wanted.

Logan knew Adrian could cut the whole thing off. One word and

it was over before it began. But Logan could hold out hope that
Adrian would let him show the most astounding photograph he’d ever
taken. Adrian was an artist himself, and appealing to his artistic side
was the key.

Just as he was falling into slumber, he felt Adrian slipping from

the bed.

“Where are you going?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, but I need to go work.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Adrian slipped a robe over his shoulders then tossed a

second one on the bed. “For you in the morning. Anyway, I just had
the most amazing idea pop into my head, and if I don’t get some
rough sketches out, I’m afraid I’ll lose it.”

“Go.”
“Really?”
“I understand completely.” And Logan did. It was the exact same

feeling that had gripped him earlier. “As a fellow artist and a man
who just came to bed an hour ago myself, I totally get it.”

Adrian kissed his forehead.
“Go make beautiful art, you.” Logan watched him leave. A part of

him wanted to follow him up to the studio and watch him work, but
after putting in his own lengthy session, he was wiped out. So he
settled in, took a good deep breath of the sex they had just had, and
went to sleep.

Logan awoke to just about the best smell next to sex. “Coffee.”
“With all the fixings. Come on, sleepyhead, sit up and let me

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pamper you.”

Logan blinked his eyes open to find Adrian holding a tray that had

everything he could ever want, even a little flower in a vase. “That’s a
nice touch.”

“I get flowers delivered every Friday in honor of my grandfather.

He said a true gentleman appreciates the beauty of nature.”

“That’s sweet.” Logan had noticed the flowers in the foyer when

they’d come in but hadn’t commented because he was too busy
thinking about getting Adrian naked and sexing him up. “Aren’t you
going to join me?”

Once he sat up, Adrian settled the tray across his lap. “Most

definitely.” He nodded to another tray on the bench at the foot of the
bed. “But I wanted to get you taken care of first.”

“This looks and smells fantastic. So, what do we have here?”
With remarkable grace, Adrian slid into bed and placed his tray

across his lap. “We have eggs Benedict, coffee, toast, and a blow job.
Well, after we shower, we can do the latter.”

“Breakfast and a blow job. I tell ya, this is the absolute best place

I’ve ever stayed.”

“So you’d maybe like to stay here again?” Adrian wiped his

mouth with a fabric napkin. “Yes, that was subtle.”

“I like how you thought you had to ply me with breakfast to

summon the courage to ask about our future.”

“I was going to try alcohol, but I thought it was too early for that.”
“Probably.” Logan polished off the eggs in record time and

realized he could probably eat about three more. “Did you cook that?”

“As I said, I am a man of many talents, and cooking is one of

them. Mainly, I learned to cook just to annoy my father.”

“Seems you have quite a penchant for that.”
“I do. He thought it was beneath me, as a real man should be able

to hire a cook. But the kitchen at our house was the best place to be.
Everyone in there was nice to me, and they realized why I wanted to
hide in there with them.”

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“To avoid your family?”
“Give that man a cigar.”
“Naw. I’m holding out for that blow job. Is that where you learned

languages, too?”

“How very astute of you. Yes. We had staff from all over the

world. I know a little bit of many tongues, but I’m not really fluent in
anything.”

“Good skill to have.” Logan realized he’d deftly turned the

conversation away from where and how they were going to work out
their living situation. A part of him wanted to bring it up and hash it
out, but another part wanted to avoid that discussion for as long as he
could. “Now, about that blow job.”

“Shower first.” Adrian stacked the dirty dishes onto one tray then

stacked the trays. “Get started and I’ll join you.”

“Might there be more of that downstairs?”
Adrian grinned. “I see you are one of those lucky people who can

eat with gusto and not gain a pound.”

Logan took the trays from Adrian’s hands. “Let me. It will help

me work off what I eat.”

“But that’s what the sex is for.”
“Ah. I see your plan now. It’s a good one.”
They got the dishes downstairs, Logan ate another serving while

Adrian watched, and then they showered.

“How’d it go in the studio last night?”
Adrian’s face lit up, and he started talking a mile a minute about

an idea he’d sketched out. “It’s either going to be utterly remarkable
or a dismal failure. At the moment I’m not certain which.”

“Can I see it?” Logan smoothed soap over Adrian’s back then

slipped his hands along his buttocks.

“Of course. I was hoping to get your opinion.” When Logan slid

his soapy hands between his buns, Adrian winced.

“Damn. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m okay.” Adrian turned and kissed him. “I’m just a little sore.

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It’s not every day I lose my virginity, and you were as gentle as you
could possibly be.” Adrian stroked his hands over Logan
experimentally. “Are you okay?” He winced as he stroked his fingers
over the twin marks on Logan’s neck.

“Right as rain. I’m a little more used to that than you are.”
“But you’re not a manwhore.”
“No. More like a toy freak.”
Adrian’s brows went up.
“You’ve never—yeah, right. Well, I should come clean now.”
“While we’re in the shower.”
“Ha-ha. Yes, I’m a toy aficionado. When I travel I always take

what I call the magic suitcase. Within its locked confines are more
wicked sex toys than the mind can imagine.”

“And you didn’t present this to me yesterday?”
“Are you kidding? We’d just hooked up. You were sorta shy and

confessed you were a virgin. I thought if I sprang that stuff on you,
I’d freak you right the hell out.”

“Good lord, just what exactly is in this suitcase?”
Logan waggled his brows as he soaped up Adrian’s cock. “Are

you certain that you want to go down that road with me, young man?”

“I don’t know.” Adrian sighed as he leaned into Logan. “Frankly,

who needs toys when you’re that good with your hands?”

“But I can use a toy to tease your lovely ass and still have my

hands free.”

Up went one of Adrian’s brows.
“I see you’re intrigued.”
“I am.”
“And I promise they won’t hurt you. They might even take some

of the pain away.”

Adrian peered at him with one eye. “So they are magic toys

then?”

“Trust me. They don’t call me Doctor Love Toy for nothing.”
“Who calls you that?”

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“Well, nobody, but it sounds good, right?”
“It does indeed.”
They finished up, and Logan retrieved his suitcase. After rolling

the numbers into position, he opened it with a flourish while saying,
“Ta-da!”

Adrian peered in and frowned. “I don’t recognize a single thing in

there.”

“Do you trust me?” Logan grabbed one of his all-time favorite

prostate massagers. Once it was inserted, it would stay in position
while he did other things to Adrian. “I can put you into orbit with this
stuff.”

While biting his bottom lip, Adrian considered the device in

Logan’s hand. It looked like a somewhat-squashed C with a button on
one end.

“Okay. What do I do?”
Logan let fly a maniacal laugh.
“Okay, maybe not.” Adrian backed away with his hands up.
“Aw, come on. It really will surprise you. Now, just lie down on

the bed and let Doctor Love Toy work his magic.”

With a somewhat dubious frown, Adrian relaxed on the bed while

Logan lubed up the toy. Carefully, he inserted it, noting that Adrian
made a frown of discomfort.

“Relax.”
“I’m trying.”
When Logan turned it on, Adrian’s eyes went wide.
“Good?”
“Yes.” He wriggled experimentally. “I see now why the curious

shape.”

“Good vibes inside and out.” While it vibrated against his

prostate, it also did so against his perineum. Logan straddled Adrian’s
hips, which helped hold the device in place. “Now, we add my magic
hands to the mix.” Logan wrapped his hands around Adrian’s cock
and started stroking. “Good?”

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“God, yes. I—it’s—fuck!”
“I got you to swear! Awesome.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t run for your camera.”
“Come to think of it.”
“Don’t you dare!” Adrian closed his eyes and lifted his hands to

his chest where he toyed with his nipples. “God, it’s so good. Just this
nice, slow vibration, and your hands stroking at the same time. Kiss
me, Logan. That will make it perfect.”

Logan leaned forward and kissed him as he continued to tease his

cock.

“Harder.”
“No.”
“What?” Open came those emerald-green eyes.
“I’m going to make you wait for it. Trust me. I am a doctor.”
“Of sex toys.” Adrian sighed and lifted his hands. “Fine. Do your

worst.”

“I’m going to surf you.”
“Do I want to know what that is?”
“I’m going to get you right to the edge of release and then keep

you there, surfing you right on that wave of pleasure without letting
you topple over.”

“And the point? Besides making me crazy, that is.”
“When you finally do climax, it will be three times as intense.”
After another dubious look, Adrian settled in and let Logan

command his body. What he wouldn’t give for a shot of the look on
Adrian’s face. He wanted to come, but he also wanted to keep going
for the potential reward.

“Stop rocking your hips. You’ll go off too fast.”
Adrian groaned but did as Logan ordered.
After surfing him for a solid twenty minutes, which was

impressive for a first timer, Logan began stroking him in earnest.

“You ready to come?”
“Yes.” Adrian blinked blearily up at him. “Fuck yes.”

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“That’s what I want to hear. Dirty talk. Tell me what to do to you,

Adrian. Be a vulgar, nasty boy.”

“I—hell, Logan. I don’t know what—” When Logan eased off on

the grip of his fists around Adrian’s prick, he bellowed, “Jack my
cock harder. Fuck me with your fists. Faster. Yeah, like that, just like,
oh, yes!”

Adrian went off like a geyser. He gushed up onto his chest in six

spurts that, by the time they were done, left him gasping on the bed.

“I would ask if that felt good, but the results speak for

themselves.”

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Chapter 12

“You’re going to be slapping yourself on the back over that all

day, aren’t you?” Adrian didn’t get up for at least an hour after
surfing. He’d never experienced anything that intense.

“I did rock your world and got you to swear like a sailor.”
“One of these days I shall do the same to you.”
“Promises, promises.”
They were now in the studio with Adrian working on his latest

piece while Logan photographed him. After a while, he hardly even
noticed the camera anymore. It was like an extension of Logan
himself.

“I think that work is going to be even more impressive than

Mountain Forge.” Logan was on the floor looking up as Adrian
continued with his rough sketch of his untitled piece.

“I hope so.”
Right now, it was just an outline, but the end result was visible.
“Explain it to me again.”
“It’s two men turning into a bear.” Adrian couldn’t explain it

beyond that. He had no idea what it meant, but it was connected to his
other work. How, he couldn’t explain that, either, but he felt the truth
in his gut.

“You know those two guys look sort of like us.”
“They do?” At the moment the two men were just broad strokes,

but he realized Logan was right. “You’ve obviously made an
impression on me.”

“Obviously.”
While they worked, they talked of Logan’s childhood in Southern

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California and Adrian’s on the East Coast. They couldn’t have had
more different experiences.

“You never went to the beach?”
“Not to sunbathe or play volleyball, no. My family wouldn’t be

caught dead doing something so plebian.” Adrian added another line
that sharpened the image of the bear. “And you’ve never been off this
continent?”

“Nope. I haven’t even been to Canada or Mexico, and they are on

the same continent.” Logan fiddled with his camera. “Have you been
on every continent?”

“All except Antarctica.”
“I would say let’s go, but it’s too cold for me here in Colorado.”
“Considering that ninety-eight percent of the surface of Antarctica

is covered in ice, you wouldn’t like it there at all.”

“Have you ever been out to California?”
“I have.” Adrian had loved how different the culture was there

compared to his home state of Connecticut. “Everyone seemed to be
more relaxed than the upper crusts of my home state.”

“I didn’t mean to put them down like that.” Logan found a patch

of sunlight and stretched out like a cat.

“They are upper crusts, so it’s an entirely fitting adjective.”

Adrian sensed the unspoken question Logan was asking. The issue of
where they would live was a big one. Just the thought of leaving his
home, the place he’d worked so hard and long for, made Adrian feel
sick in the pit of his stomach. But the idea of not giving Logan any
choice but to join him here seemed unfair. As much as he didn’t want
to say it, he probably should say something before they went any
further. Although to be fair, Adrian already felt they’d gone too far to
turn back. “You wouldn’t want to live here?”

“In Colorado?”
“No. Here. In my home. With me.” Adrian kept his gaze on his

work because he dreaded seeing disappointment on Logan’s face.

“Yeah, I guess we’d better talk this out.” Logan cupped his hands

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behind his head but stayed in the patch of sunlight that spilled through
the west windows. Just the fact that he sought out a place in the sun
spoke volumes. “I love the beach. Always have. I like heat and lots of
it. When my boss first sent me here, I thought I was being punished
for something.”

Adrian’s heart sank.
“But then I met you.” Logan opened his eyes right as Adrian

braved a glance at him. “And I decided the snow wasn’t so bad after
all.”

“It does melt in the summer.” Adrian thought that sounded

pathetic. Even in high summer the days rarely got above ninety, and
at this altitude, the nights were always crisp. “And we can travel.”

“I understand how you feel about this place. Given your history

and how hard you worked for it, you don’t want to leave it. You put
down roots hard and deep. I’ve never done that. I live in a house with
rotating roommates. At last count, I think there were six. It doesn’t
matter much to me as I’m never home.”

Adrian waited, wondering where Logan was going with this.
“I guess I could live here as well as anywhere.”
It took a moment to sink in. “Are you saying you’d move in with

me?”

“Are you asking?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes.” Logan grinned. “See how easy that was?”
“Then why wouldn’t you talk about it earlier?”
“I had to think it through. I’m like that. But there’s a catch,

Adrian.” Logan sat up, and the sunlight danced over the streaks in his
hair. “I’m willing to bend on where we live if you’re willing to let me
keep working for Hot Jocks.”

Taking a moment to consider, Adrian decided that he could do

that. “How often would you be gone?”

“Well, with my locale switched to here, there are plenty of

colleges I can explore right in Colorado.”

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“How do you know that?”
“I may have looked it up last night after I was done playing with

your luscious photographs.”

“You’ve already thought this out.”
“Yeah. But I didn’t want you to think I was being pushy or

something.”

Adrian set his project aside for the moment and grabbed another

sketch pad. “Stay there.”

“Okay.” Logan settled himself in the patch of sunlight.
“So you’d want to keep working for Hot Jocks.” Adrian sketched

Logan with quick, broad strokes of his charcoal. He wanted to show
an impression of him, not the details.

“I would.” Logan kept his head still but frowned. “Are you

worried that I can’t be trusted?”

“Actually, no. I’m worried your models will be all over you, not

the other way around.”

“That’s happened, but I deflect it pretty effortlessly. Before you, I

had a strict no-dating-the-models policy.”

“So you broke your own rules for me?” Adrian was actually

pleased about that.

“Well, not technically, in that you haven’t actually agreed to have

the photos on the site. So, right now, I’m just banging the guy I’m
photographing.”

“Banging?”
“Er, making love to?” Logan grimaced. “See how gay that

sounds?”

“We are gay.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have to sound like it.”
Adrian tossed his charcoal at him then followed it up by pouncing

on him. “You’re crazy.”

“A little bit.” Logan wrestled him down into the sunshine. “Wow.

Stay there.”

“Not again.” Adrian had a feeling he better get used to this if they

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were going to live together.

“Yes, again. Indulge me. I sat still for you.”
“For a grand total of five minutes.”
Clicking and movement surrounded him.
“The sunlight through your hair is just gorgeous. And since you

didn’t shave, your face has this reddish gleam. Wicked hot.”

Adrian basked in the glow of old Sol and his lover’s compliments.
“Undress, Adrian.”
It didn’t take long to remove his T-shirt and sweats. He’d forgone

wearing briefs since they would only slow them down in the heat of
the moment.

“Stretch out.”
Adrian dutifully followed all of Logan’s commands until he was

satisfied. He couldn’t wait to see these new shots, especially after the
stunning results of yesterday’s shoot. But he still wasn’t certain he
wanted to share them with the world. They were marvelous, and he
was proud of Logan’s skill, but the scandal would be insurmountable.
His father would never forgive him, and things at home were tense
enough without this adding to the mix. But to deny Logan the
opportunity to showcase his brilliance seemed cruel.

“Whatever you’re thinking of, stop it. You’re making that fussy

face that just looks terrible.”

“Fussy?” Adrian laughed. “Makes me sound like a baby with a

wet diaper.”

“Well, ironically, that’s what you look like.”
“I was thinking of your photographs.”
“And? Oh, Adrian, stop right there. There’s no pressure to show

them. I know you were stunned last night, but I’m still sticking with
our original agreement.”

“But it’s your best work. You said so yourself.”
“My relationship with you is more important.” Logan set the

camera aside. “And maybe we can have a deal that when we’re both
old doddering fools and there’s no one left to care, we’ll release them

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then.”

“You’re sweet.”
“Yeah? Kiss me like you mean it.”
Together they lay in the sunshine, kissing and touching, using

their discarded clothes for pillows. When the sun finally set, they
rose, dressed, and left the studio to debate what to do for dinner.

The next two days passed in almost a carbon copy to the first

twenty-four hours. Each night they would review the shots Logan had
taken, Adrian added more detail to his sketch of what he’d decided to
call The Twinning, and they made love in every conceivable way and
location.

It was early on Monday morning when the shit hit the fan. Logan

was still in bed, exhausted from his late night playing with that day’s
photographs, when the phone rang.

Adrian had just barely answered when his father’s voice

thundered in his ear. After calling him a plethora of names and
damning him to hell three times, Adrian finally ascertained that what
had enraged his father were photographs. Baffled, Adrian did as his
father requested and turned on his computer. Once it warmed up,
Adrian realized he had thousands of e-mails waiting for his attention.

He opened one, and there was the image of him on the dining

room table. His mouth dropped open. The pictures had gone up on
Hot Jocks on Saturday morning and had become a sensation. Once it
was revealed the subject of the photo shoot was the heir to the
Loveland fortune, another swell of interest swamped Hot Jocks with
so many requests they crashed the entire site.

“He swore to me he wouldn’t release them without my

permission.” Even as the words came out of Adrian’s mouth he felt
beyond foolish.

“And you believed him?” Adrian’s father berated him. “This is

why I don’t want you getting your hands on your trust, Adrian.
Obviously, you don’t have the judgment needed to manage your
personal affairs let alone—”

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Adrian hung up. The phone rang within seconds. He answered,

hung up, and then turned it off. He sat staring at his computer for
what felt like an eternity.

“The damage has already been done.” Once the photos were out,

there was no getting them back. Even if Adrian sued, and he had a
damn good case, he would never get back what was most important,
and that was his trust in Logan.

Just once, he’d wanted to be someone other than who he was and

do things he would never do. Now he had. Sadly, he would pay dearly
for the privilege. What hurt more than anything was Logan had
assured him and reassured him that the images would go no further
than the two of them.

Logan had looked him right in the eye and lied with such

conviction that Adrian sat wondering what else he’d lied about. There
had to be more. The feelings and everything they’d shared. Was all of
it a sham? It seemed to him quite suddenly that they’d lived a lifetime
in three days. Adrian had fallen in love, and now he had a broken
heart and a shattered reputation. No matter what he did now, his life
would never be the same.

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Chapter 13

“We just need to get my car from the lot at school.” Adrian had

woken Logan and tossed him his clothes. He seemed distant and
preoccupied, but Logan didn’t press him for answers. Maybe he was
rethinking moving in together. Everything had happened rather fast. If
he needed to slow things down, Logan would be okay with that. He
had a shoot in California this weekend that he couldn’t get out of
anyway. Maybe a week or two apart would give them both a chance
to put this in perspective.

Adrian gave him directions back to the school.
“Which one is it?”
“I can walk from here.” Adrian had his hand on the door latch. He

took a deep breath, faced Logan, and said, “I put all your things in the
trunk while you were in bed. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Before Logan had recovered from his shock, Adrian was out and

slamming the door hard enough to shake the entire car.

“What the fuck?” Logan struggled to get out of his seat belt,

which had somehow gotten tangled up in his coat. He finally got out
the door and was on the verge of calling for Adrian when a student
passed between them.

“Adrian!”
Adrian turned toward the voice.
“Saw your shots on the news this morning. Damn, dude, and to

think you’ve got all that and money!”

Adrian shot Logan a look a pure loathing.
Shots? Logan was baffled, but Adrian got in his car and took off

with tires squealing on the blacktop.

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“Hey, what shots of Adrian were on the news?”
The guy turned and shouted, “Sexy shots. They’re all over and so

is the truth about who he is.”

Logan sank down into the car. He pulled his phone out of his coat

pocket. Fuck. He’d turned it off on Friday while he was shooting
around the campus so he wouldn’t be interrupted, and he’d never
turned it back on. There were over a dozen messages from his boss.

As Logan played them, he realized what had happened. His boss

had seen the mock-up webpage that Logan had put together for
Adrian. Rather than confirming he had all the paperwork, his boss
jumped the gun and posted the images.

Within three days a shit storm exploded, crashing his site, creating

a media frenzy. All this because Logan hadn’t tagged the template as
a mock-up. He always backed up his shoots by storing all the shots on
his boss’s offsite storage account. If anything happened to his gear, he
still had his work. He’d never had a problem because he never did a
mock-up until he had permission. But he’d wanted the template ready
to show Adrian so he could try to convince him to post the images.
He’d backed that up automatically with everything else.

When his boss hadn’t been able to get a hold of him, he went

ahead and ran the photos. In so doing, he violated Adrian’s privacy
and ruined any chance Logan had with him. No way would he ever
forgive him after repeatedly assuring him the images were just
between the two of them. When Logan had continued to upload
images, his boss must have assumed everything was going great.

“Oh, Adrian.” Single-handedly, Logan had destroyed Adrian’s

life. Even if he called his boss and told him to take the photos down,
he was a day late and a dollar short. They were already out there, and
there wasn’t any way to get them back. “I’m so sorry.”

Logan sat in the parking lot, wondering what the hell to do. He

wanted to go and apologize to Adrian, but that wasn’t going to do
anyone any good. Given the way he stormed off and peeled out,
Adrian obviously didn’t want to talk to him. If he went to his house,

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he wouldn’t answer the door. Even if he had his phone number, which
he didn’t, it was unlikely Adrian would answer.

Feeling sick at heart, Logan returned to the Twin Pines Motel and

got a room for the night. He confirmed he had a flight out tomorrow
that would get him back to California. Driving down into Denver in
the morning would give him plenty of time to play the what-if game
with himself. Once he had that squared away, Logan called his boss.

Franklin Willow was a very tall man with a big appetite for food

and life in general. He loved what he did for a living, as he loved hot
young men, but like Logan, Franklin didn’t cross that line.

“Basically, you don’t shit where you eat.” Franklin said he’d been

sorely tempted by some of the guys, but he kept things in perspective.
“I like my money, and besides, I’m getting too old to believe they’re
actually interested in me anymore.”

Logan had listened to Franklin after his one disastrous

relationship with one of his models. Both of them walked away
feeling burned, and that was when he’d vowed to never break that
rule again.

“I fucked up, Franklin. I fucked up really badly.”
“Tell me about it, kiddo. I’ve got major news people from all over

the US of A calling me to get details on you, him, what all. This is a
mess. I hope to God you’ve got a signed contract.”

“I don’t.”
There was dead silence on the other end.
Logan explained what had happened. He expected Franklin to

explode into a shower of foul words, but he did the unexpected. He
copped to his own part in the fiasco.

“I should have waited for you to call me back. Damn. But the

shots. God, Logan, he’s incredible. I couldn’t let them just sit there.
I’ve never seen any shoot that was all keepers.”

That was exactly what Logan had thought as he was putting the

top twenty together.

“And when you sent more, I just assumed all was well. Fuck me.

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That’s why you don’t assume. You got any idea who this guy is?”

“He told me, but I didn’t recognize the name.”
“Loveland is the name in biopharmaceuticals.”
That still didn’t mean a whole lot to Logan, but he got that the

family had a name they’d want to protect. Having a son doing a
spread for Hot Jocks was not something they would be fond of.

“This is going to get ugly and involve a lot of lawyers.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“So am I.” Franklin sighed. Even over the long distance, Logan

could picture him leaning back in his office chair and putting his feet
up on his desk. “But this is more my fuckup than yours. So there’s no
paperwork on this guy?”

Logan patted his borrowed coat, found the contract, and pulled it

out. “He signed the model release, but that’s not permission to post
the images. And he signed it ‘Adrian Grace.’”

“Well, keep that close. We’re probably going to need it.”
“I’m coming back tomorrow.” Logan gave him the flight

information. He figured the only reason Franklin was going to pick
him up from LAX was so he could berate him in person.

“I don’t even have to ask because I can hear it in your voice and

see it in the shots. You got involved with him, and now he’s pissed.”

“That about sums it up.”
“Come on home, kiddo. We’ll get it sorted out.”
Logan hung up, pulled out his laptop, and wrote out the longest,

most heartfelt letter he’d ever written in his life. He explained
everything to Adrian and how because of one stupid mistake all of it
had gotten so completely out of hand. There weren’t enough words in
the English language that would ever express how sorry he was. But
Logan tried anyway. He worked on the letter all through the night
then copied it out, by hand, on the cheap motel stationary. Since they
provided envelopes, too, he sealed it up and drove to Adrian’s house.

The whole place was dark. Given that it was four in the morning,

that wasn’t much of a shock. Logan sat peering up at the studio

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windows. Lying in that patch of sunlight, kissing and holding
Adrian’s hand had been one of the best times of Logan’s life. And
now, because of a simple mistake, everyone in the world would be
able to see Adrian lying in that light. The absolute trust on his face
would haunt Logan for the rest of his life.

He placed the letter in the decorative mailbox and left before he

started crying. There was nothing to be done now. He’d screwed up
royally, and he was going to have to pay for his mistake. He’d be
lucky if he didn’t destroy Franklin’s business with this fuckup.

Logan returned to the motel, couldn’t sleep, and then left to drive

into Denver. As soon as he got on the plane, he ordered a drink. The
stewardess, God bless her heart, didn’t question why he was drinking
his breakfast.

By the time Logan landed in good old California, he had quite a

buzz going. It didn’t do anything to mitigate his depression, but it
dulled the edge just a bit. Franklin met him at the baggage carrousel
looking as miserable as Logan felt.

They didn’t talk as they waited to retrieve Logan’s checked bag.

They didn’t talk in the car as Franklin drove him home.

As Logan was slipping out of the car, Franklin said, “Get some

sleep, kiddo. Things will look better once you’ve gotten some shut-
eye.”

Logan tried but sleep wouldn’t come. He wondered if Adrian had

read the letter before tearing it up. He tried to picture Adrian being so
touched he was driven to call the number Logan carefully printed on
the bottom of the last page. In his hand, Logan clutched his phone.

No calls.
But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t ring.
If he was really, really lucky, it might. And Adrian might say he

understood and forgave him and they could start all over. But the
phone stayed silent until the next morning.

“Hello? Hello?” Bleary-eyed, Logan sat up so fast he made

himself dizzy.

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“Come on in, kiddo. We’ve got to talk.”
Before he heard the words, Logan knew he was fired. Hearing

Franklin say it would just rub salt in his wound. So Logan told him
they would just have to end things here on the phone, because Logan
wasn’t going to be going anywhere. He hung up and then stared up at
the ceiling.

The phone rang again, but he knew it was Franklin and let it go to

voice mail. There was only one person he wanted to talk to, and it was
unlikely he would ever hear from him again.

Days passed in a blur. Logan made it to his scheduled shoot,

something he did only so he could pay his rent, and did a passable
job. It was just a simple party, and all he had to do was take candid
shots of the guests. He was offered free eats and drinks but didn’t
have the stomach for either. Depression made him want to just curl up
in bed and sleep. When the job was done and the DVDs were made,
he turned them over, got his money, paid his rent, and went back to
bed.

His dreams were almost all about Adrian. He saw him on that

table, his body so beautiful and strong. A slow-motion montage of his
climax splashing across the black surface gave Logan painful
erections that woke him up in the middle of the night, but he was
unable to summon the energy to masturbate. But the worst dreams
were the ones where he didn’t fuck up. He remembered to make a
simple notation on the file that it was a mock-up for eyes only. Those
dreams crushed his soul, because he’d awake thinking everything was
okay, and he’d feel buoyant for about ten seconds before reality
crashed around him again. After one of those dreams, he found sleep
wouldn’t come for several hours.

It was one of his roommates who finally got him to get up and go

out.

“Frankly, dude, you are starting to smell. Take a fucking shower

and do some goddamned laundry, or we’re all gonna gang up on you.
I mean, we’re dudes, and funky is fine, but we aren’t wallowing

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pigs.”

Dragging himself through the motions, Logan cleaned up himself

and his room. He picked up his camera but set it back down. Not just
yet. But he needed to recharge. He grabbed a towel, some oil, and
headed for the beach. Logan was just getting comfortable when a
shadow crossed over him and stayed blocking the light until he
looked up.

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Chapter 14

Adrian didn’t return to school when classes started up on

Tuesday. Given what had happened in the parking lot on Monday, it
was obvious everyone knew. He thought in a week things might have
died down enough, or something new would take the spotlight off of
him and those photographs. Until then, he was lying low at home.

There was still a ton of junk food from his shopping spree with

Logan, but he wasn’t even tempted. He felt foolish for even thinking
he could have one weekend away from who he was. Unable to face
his father, Adrian hadn’t bothered to turn the phone ringer back on or
to listen to any of the messages. At last count there were over fifty.
Although to be fair, some of those were probably from his fellow
students.

The only blessing in the entire mess was that the media did not

know about his home here. He’d been very careful to buy the property
under the name Adrian Grace, and it was unlikely that anyone would
be able to link him to the school. At least not right away. But all too
soon someone would, and then Adrian would have no choice but to
leave his sanctuary. That his foray into danger now cost him the only
place he’d ever felt safe was devastating.

Still, he blamed no one but himself. He was destined to be a

replica of his father, and that was that. There was simply no running
away from himself. Even if he disappeared today and tried to start
over, he would still, at the very core of himself, be Adrian Grace
Loveland.

There was a knock at the door that Adrian tried diligently to

ignore, but whoever was there simply would not go away.

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Annoyed because he had a perfectly good doorbell that no one

ever seemed to use, Adrian listened to the knocking.

The person would knock politely three times, wait ten minutes,

and then knock three times. After an hour of this, Adrian finally
looked through the peephole.

A very tall man stood there with a briefcase in his enormous hand.

A lawyer, perhaps? God save him from the deluge of lawyers who
would simply love to get their hands on this potential money maker.

“I’m not interested in anything you have to say. Please leave my

property before I call the police.”

“Please, Mr. Grace, I’m here to apologize.”
Adrian’s brows lifted. “Apologize for what?”
“I’m Franklin Willow, the owner of Hot Jocks. I’m the one who

posted your pictures, not Logan. Please let me have just five minutes
of your time.”

Was it a put-up job to get him to open the door? Adrian examined

the front porch through the peephole, but he didn’t see anyone other
than the very tall man standing there. Judging by the hangdog features
of his face, he did seem truly sorry. But then again, Logan had
seemed so very earnest.

“I’ve heard your apology. You can go now.”
“Please. I can’t stand the thought of Logan being blamed for

something I did.”

Adrian wanted to believe him that none of this was Logan’s fault.

But even if he forgave Logan for what had happened, that still left
him with a shattered life. Debating with himself for almost five full
minutes, Adrian reluctantly gave in and opened the door.

“Thank you. May I come in?”
At least the man had manners. Adrian opened the door and

granted him entrance.

Mr. Willow stepped into the foyer. He waited for Adrian to close

the door, and then he followed him into the living room. Adrian
settled on the couch, and Mr. Willow took the recliner.

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“I promise I will not take up much of your time.” He settled his

briefcase on the coffee table then flipped it open. “I’ve worked with
Logan for about three years now, and this is the first time anything
like this has ever happened.”

Adrian said nothing.
“In order to safeguard my photographer’s work, I provide them

with a storage account that they can upload their work to. We’ve used
this system since—well, the point is that it also allows me to keep
tabs on my photographers and preview their work. Normally, when I
see a website template that is complete, I assume the paperwork is in
order.”

“The template.” Adrian remembered Logan saying he could plug

his photos into one so Adrian could see what his page on the site
would look like.

“He explained to me, too late, I’m afraid, that he’d created it

solely to sway you into releasing the photographs.”

Adrian realized now that Logan hadn’t been lying to him.
“This has all been a tragic error, but it’s my error, Mr. Grace. All

of it is my error.” Mr. Willow sighed. “I know in this day and age I’m
supposed to say nothing, to let my lawyer duke it out with your
lawyer in court, but I was taught to be a man and take responsibility
for my actions. I am truly sorry for what I’ve done. I know there’s
nothing I can do to undo what’s happened. I’ve removed the pictures
from the site, but as you know they are splashed everywhere. I have
been tracking down the sites that have used the photos without my
authorization. I know that sounds pathetically sad, but it’s the only
thing I can do.”

Adrian was stunned that Mr. Willow had taken responsibility

without a thought to what the potential ramifications might be. Adrian
had thought he would have a huge lawsuit on his hands, but to what
end? It wouldn’t change anything.

“Thank you, Mr. Willow, for apologizing. I’m not going to sue

you.”

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“You could have my business, my home, my second home, and

well, everything right down to the socks I’m wearing.”

“I hardly think they’d fit me.” Adrian laughed wryly. “And there

is no point. I understand now it was a mistake.”

“Do you? Because I don’t want you to blame Logan.”
“Is—” Adrian couldn’t bring himself to ask about him. Had he

just listened to Logan, he would have realized the truth. But just like
his father, he jumped to a conclusion and didn’t bother to check out
the facts.

“Logan quit, and he won’t answer my calls.”
Adrian’s heart broke even worse. That he hadn’t even let Logan

offer a breath of explanation spoke of how much Adrian had acted
just like his father. Rather than listen so he could understand, he
reacted with swift and terrible finality, shutting Logan out completely.
It was exactly what Adrian despised most in his dealings with his
father. The man simply wouldn’t listen to anyone once he’d made up
his mind. And here was Adrian turning right around and doing it to
someone he loved.

“I haven’t heard from him since he quit.” From the depth of his

briefcase, Mr. Willow extracted a sheaf of papers. “I know that I
made a terrible mistake that I can’t change. However, I can fix it
somewhat.”

“How?”
“You saw Logan’s work?”
“Yes.” Adrian had never seen himself in such a light until he saw

himself through Logan’s eyes. “His talent is amazing.”

“His talent and your fearlessness together are beyond anything

I’ve ever seen, and remember, I’ve been in this business for a very
long time. I have never, ever seen a shoot like what Logan did. There
were no tossers. Not one.”

“Logan said that, too. He seemed very surprised.”
“Because that doesn’t happen. There’s always an awkward shot or

a strange shadow or something that just doesn’t look right, but not in

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the entire bank of your photographs.” Mr. Willow settled the sheaf of
papers on the table. “This is a contract giving me permission to
license and distribute the images. I can’t unring the bell, as it were,
but I can gain control of the images and go after anyone who uses
them without my permission.”

Adrian frowned.
“It’s the only way I could think of to give you some kind of

protection. I have three lawyers whose raison d’être is to hunt down
people posting or distributing my copyrighted images. They make
their lives hell and sue the shit out of them. Er, pardon my French.”

“It’s okay. Remember? I was around Logan for three days.” And

nights filled with bliss, and I let it all go over a misunderstanding. My
pride got in the way and cost me a relationship with a really good
man.

“Right. He’s quite the potty mouth. Anyway, without a contract

between you and me, those images are in limbo. If you want to have
any control over what happens to them, we need to get something in
place.”

Again, Adrian peered at the contract.
“Look at it, have your lawyer look at it, but time is of the essence.

I don’t want this to run too far afield before we start slapping hands
and sending dunning notices.”

“There was a contract between Logan and me.”
“I have it here.” Mr. Willow tossed it onto the coffee table. “But a

model release simply gave him permission to take the photographs.
Now we have to talk distribution and payment.”

“Payment?”
“So many people tried to buy copies they crashed my site. We’ve

got it listed as temporarily out of business due to that crash. That’s
going to hold up for another day or so, but then people will think
there’s a problem.”

“Just enough time to have a new contract in place.”
“And all the money goes to you.”

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“All?”
“Hey, I made a mistake, and this is the only way I can think of to

fix it and pay you back.”

“What about Logan?”
“You want to give him something, you can, but you have to put

that into the contract.” Mr. Willow pushed the papers toward Adrian.
“It’s all up to you.”

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Chapter 15

“Look, pal, you’ve picked the wrong day to stand in my

sunshine.” Logan peered up and realized the man in front of him was
wearing a suit. Moreover, the sun was filtering through dark auburn
hair, making his head glow reddish gold. Oh, God, he was
hallucinating. “Adrian?”

“Your roommates said I could find you here.”
“You’re at the beach in a suit.”
“I know. I got here and realized I don’t have any beachwear.”

Adrian looked down at himself. “I look ridiculous.”

“You look beautiful.”
Even with his face in shadow, Logan saw Adrian flash a wry grin

as he said, “I have sand in my loafers.”

“What are you doing here?” Maybe he’d come to kick Logan’s

ass in person. Or maybe he’d decided to tell him off. Logan glanced
down at Adrian’s hand, and his heart sank. Or maybe he’d come to
serve him with legal papers. Apparently, Adrian wanted the joy of
delivering the coup de grâce himself.

“I came to give you this.” Adrian offered out the papers.
For a split second Logan decided he wouldn’t touch them. He

remembered reading that being served didn’t count if he didn’t take
the papers. But that would be childish and wouldn’t buy him anymore
than a few days at best. Eventually, he was going to have to pay for
what he’d done. Reluctantly, he accepted the paperwork.

“Did you at least read my letter?” Logan asked.
“Letter?”
“The one I put in your mailbox.”

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“I don’t have a mailbox.”
“What’s that thing that’s right by the sidewalk up front?”
“You mean the decorative bird feeder?”
“Fuck. I can’t even put a goddamned letter in the right place.”
“What did it say?”
“That I was sorry. That it was all a mistake. I didn’t mean for the

photos to go up. I made the mock-up to show you to hopefully sway
you into letting me post the photos, but my boss didn’t know that.”
Logan blinked up. “I’m really sorry, Adrian. If there was anything I
could do, I would.”

“Anything?”
“Sure. I mean, I can’t undo it, but if you want to beat the crap out

of me, or I guess, sue me.” He held up the papers. “But suing me is a
waste of time. I don’t have anything except my camera equipment.”
In another month, he wouldn’t even have a place to live unless he got
his shit together and found a paying gig.

“What if I asked for something unconventional?”
“Like what? You want one of my kidneys or something?”
“Your penis, perhaps.”
“You want my dick?” Logan rubbed his eyes, but the backlit-

Adrian shadow was still there. “You want that all at once or just a bit
off the top or—”

“I want your cock at my command.”
Logan grinned. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Whenever I want you day or night, you would have to do

whatever I say.”

“And what kinds of things would I be doing?”
“Posing for me as I sketch you. Masturbating for my amusement

or perhaps fucking me until I scream. It simply depends on my whim
at that moment.”

As Logan’s brain caught up to Adrian’s words, his grin widened

to a full-blown smile. Maybe he was dreaming. This Adrian wasn’t
furious with him but playful. Logan took a moment to look at the

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paperwork in his hand. “This is an agreement between you and Hot
Jocks.”

“Yes. For the exclusive right to distribute the photos you took of

me.”

“He gave you everything.” Logan’s jaw dropped. “And you

turned right around and gave me half?”

“I thought that was fair.”
“Fair? I ruined your life, and you’re allowing me to make a

fortune off what I’ve done? Are you crazy?” Logan got to his feet.
“I’m not taking it, Adrian. You can’t make me.” He tried to shove the
paperwork back into Adrian’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it.

“You just agreed to do anything I ask.”
“Yeah, well, that was before I realized you’ve gone crazy.” Or

maybe Logan had finally fried his brain in the sun. Too little sleep
and nothing to eat made the photographer loco.

“I’m not crazy. Well, crazy in love, perhaps. Do as I ask, and

accept what I’ve decided to do so we can move forward.”

“I ruined your life.” Logan was going to blow right by that

mention of love because that really cinched his insanity. No man
could love him after what he’d done.

“That’s what I thought, but it turns out that you gave me a

different life. Ironically, that’s what I’ve been after all along.” Adrian
lifted the edges of his blazer. “I fear I am melting in this heat. Before
you decide on anything, could I persuade you to come with me to a
more comfortable location so we can talk?”

“You do seem overdressed for the beach, but I’m afraid I’m

underdressed for anywhere but here.” Logan looked down at his
beach shorts and flip-flops.

“What about my room?”
Logan looked up and right into emerald-green eyes. “Your

room?”

“We’d have total privacy there. I could even take off my suit so

we would be more similarly dressed.”

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“Yeah.” Logan’s brain was stuck on the idea of watching Adrian

slip off his outfit piece by piece.

“I see now why you wear them so baggy.” Adrian grinned.

“Although, to be fair, they’re not really helping you hide your
erection.”

“It’s difficult to hide something that big.” Logan grabbed his

towel and shook out the sand.

“Indeed.” Adrian pointed to the upper lot. “My rental car is

parked up there. Where is yours?”

“I walked. It’s one of the reasons I live with all those other guys.

It’s cheap and within walking distance of the beach. That way I don’t
have to have a car.”

They fell into step with one another as they walked toward the

parking lot.

“I thought everyone in California had a car.”
“Naw. Just most. It’s too much of a hassle to maintain, and when I

go out on shoots—when I used to—it was just easier to rent a car at
the destination than to drive. And why the fuck are we talking about
this?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because what we need to talk about is a

little frightening.”

“Yeah.”
They got into the car and were silent until they parked and made

their way up to Adrian’s room.

“Nice.”
“Thank you.” Adrian took his blazer off and draped it over a

chair. “Your boss said something to me that was pivotal in turning all
this around.”

“Franklin said something profound?” Logan grinned. He dearly

loved his boss, but he wasn’t much of a deep thinker. The smartest
thing he’d ever said to Logan was “don’t shit where you eat,” and
Logan had fucked that up royally.

“He said that he was taught to be a man and take responsibility for

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his actions.”

“Sounds good.” And that’s what his misplaced letter had been all

about.

“What Franklin said is almost in direct opposition to what I

learned from my father. Growing up surrounded by lawyers, I was
taught that nothing is my fault until it’s proven in a court of law.”

“You must have had a weird childhood.”
“Ah, well, that was different. At that age my father was judge,

jury, and executioner all rolled up into one. But once I came of age, it
was drilled into me to never admit to anything. My father is a master
of doing something wrong, something that he knows is not only
morally wrong but legally wrong as well, and then denying it to the
bitter end.” Adrian slipped off his loafers and laughed at how much
sand had accumulated in them.

“Yeah, those don’t really work with the beach.”
“I will remember that.” Adrian looked at Logan. “Sit.”
“I’m covered in oil.”
“Do you want to shower?”
“If you’ll come with me.”
“I guess I can tell you the rest in there as well as out here.” Adrian

removed his socks, his shirt, his trousers—all with his hypnotizing
grace—until all he wore was a pair of green briefs that matched his
eyes.

“No amount of baggy fabric can cover up what looking at you

does to me.” Logan’s cock ached it was so hard. Worse, he had no
underwear on, so it was pointing at Adrian like a big finger saying
that’s what I want! Him, right there!

“We seem to have similar problems.” Adrian’s briefs corralled his

cock, pressing it sideways, making it appear to be struggling to get
free.

Together they undressed the last of their clothing then went into

the shower. It wasn’t nearly as nice as Adrian’s at home, but it was a
far cry from the one at Logan’s shared abode.

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“Wait.”
“What?” Adrian asked as he poured shampoo into his hand.
“You don’t have anything to cop to in this. It was my mistake and

Franklin’s. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Logan turned under the
spray, wetting himself before trading places with Adrian.

“I didn’t give you an opportunity to explain. Just like my father I

was judge, jury, and executioner.” Adrian lathered up Logan’s hair.
“Had I taken five minutes and simply listened to you, all this sadness
and heartache could have been avoided.”

“It wouldn’t have changed anything.” They traded places again so

Logan could rinse and lather up Adrian.

“No, it wouldn’t have changed the situation, but it would have

showed you that I do indeed love and respect you. Instead, I behaved
like a child.” Adrian sighed with obvious regret. “I always berated
him for not listening to me, and I turned right around and did the
exact same thing to you.”

“You were upset. I would be in your shoes.” Logan snickered as

they switched places again. “Your sand-filled shoes, even.”

“Do you forgive me?”
“God, Adrian. Seriously? I made the mess, not you.” Logan

grabbed the soap and started smoothing bubbles all over Adrian’s
beautiful body.

“I forgive you,” Adrian said.
“You do?”
“I do. Can you forgive me?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Good. Now.” Adrian moved close. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
Logan pulled him close and kissed him softly at first, but given

the heat between them, the kiss went wild. Soapy fingers were
everywhere, gliding and teasing, until they had to rinse off and exit
the shower or risk severe injury.

“Wait, we still have to talk.” Twice now Logan had breezed past

Adrian’s declarations of love because he was too terrified to let

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himself believe they were real. He’d wanted a do-over, a second
chance, and now that he had it, he couldn’t quite believe that it could
be this easy. But maybe that was the trick to a solid relationship—
love made one forgive and forget much easier than one could without
love.

“Not right now. Please.” Adrian tugged lightly on Logan’s cock,

drawing him toward the bed. “Everything will be worked out, and I
swear I will from this day forward always listen to you before
jumping to a conclusion. But right now, I want to feel you inside me.”

His need sparked Logan’s, and suddenly, he forgot everything but

exploring Adrian. Logan touched and kissed and licked him
everywhere. If this was a dream, he was going to get everything he
could out of it before he woke up.

“You’re not a dream, right?”
“I’m not a dream.”
Below his hungry lips, Adrian became the lover he remembered,

the man who was fearless in his sensuality. Easing him to his back,
Logan slipped between his legs, longing for completion.

From the bedside table, Adrian grabbed and then handed him a

bottle of lube.

“You came prepared.” Logan considered as he greased up his

cock. “What if I would have said no?”

“I would have plied you with breakfast foods. And liquor, now

that I’m of age.”

“You are?”
“As of today.”
“Happy birthday.”
“You could make it happier.”
“How?”
“Fuck me like you mean it.”
“Oh, no. Not this time.”
“No?” Adrian had never looked so disappointed.
“No.” Logan lowered himself over Adrian, pressing his cock into

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his body so slowly as to be maddening all the while keeping his
attention on Adrian’s face. “I’m going to show you how much I love
you.”

Adrian drew a shuddering breath when Logan reached the limit,

and then he sighed. Carefully, he wrapped his legs around Logan’s
hips. Kissing, grinning, sighing, and moving gently, they made a lazy
kind of love. To Logan, it was almost as if they were back in that
patch of sunshine in the studio. There was no rush to be somewhere or
to do something. They had all the time in the world to simply be
together.

“I don’t ever want to fight with you again.” Adrian cupped

Logan’s shoulders.

“We will fight, though.”
Adrian frowned.
“That’s okay because we’ll fight more fairly next time. And then

we’ll make up.” Logan lost a little of his rhythm when Adrian nipped
his neck. “That mark you put on me is still there. Faded, but there.”

“Did I hurt you? I remember being so hungry for you.”
“Like a beast.”
“Like a beast,” Adrian echoed. This time he didn’t bite so much as

he kissed and nibbled.

Eventually, the heat between them grew unbearable, urging them

to move faster, harder, deeper.

“I haven’t climaxed since I was with you,” Logan confessed.
“Me, either.” Adrian wrapped his body tightly around Logan’s. “I

needed to wait for you. To be with you. Ah, God, Logan.”

By watching Adrian’s face and knowing the rhythms of his body,

Logan was able to time their climaxes within seconds of one another.
For a long time after, they held forehead to forehead, coming down
from the almost-unbearable high of loving each other physically.

Carefully, Logan eased up and out of Adrian, pleased when he

didn’t wince. “No pain?”

“None. You showed me very clearly how you feel.”

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“Good.” Logan lay down beside him. “But what about your

reputation, your family?”

“I wanted to be someone else, and I got my wish. I also found out

why my father has made such waves about my trust, and it has
nothing to do with my orientation or my supposed lack of
responsibility.”

“So what’s the real deal?”
“My father has been siphoning funds out for a long, long time.”
“Your dad has been stealing from you?” Logan was shocked.
“Indeed he has. And I told him I don’t care.”
“You don’t?”
“Not anymore. I told him he could have the money as long as he

left me alone.”

“And?” Logan couldn’t imagine a father walking away from his

child for money.

“He took the money.”
“Adrian. That’s awful.”
“In a way, perhaps. But now I’m free. He can’t dictate to me or

wrap me up in knots with his criticism. I have my own way of making
money.”

“The pictures.” Logan grinned. “How very inventive of you to

turn a negative into a positive.”

“That shot of me on the table is being referred to as the shot seen

round the world. It’s famous. So am I. So are you, as the
photographer of the infamous shot.”

“But Hot Jocks.”
“Is the sole distributor of my images. After Franklin and I came to

an agreement, he reopened the site with more bandwidth to handle the
enormous influx of customers, and my shots cost triple what they did
before. Media outlets now claim the entire thing was simply a slick
marketing campaign.”

“They think it was done intentionally?”
“Yes.” Adrian grinned. “It’s genius, really. We are making more

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in a day than I would from my monthly trust payouts. But that’s not
as important as what all of this means.”

“Okay, what’s that?”
“Money doesn’t buy happiness. However, what money does buy

is opportunity. When I have money, I can decide where I wish to go,
who with, and how to spend my time.”

“And that is?”
“I do want to keep my home in Colorado. Again, I’ve never felt as

peaceful anywhere, but that’s only when you’re there with me. Before
it was a house. With you it’s a home.”

“I want to be there with you.”
“Good.” Adrian kissed him softly, sweetly. “As for the rest, I

want to travel, with you, and I want to explore myself as an artist. I
think that is my true calling. I will of course continue my education,
as I think that’s important, too, but I will push more into my artwork.”

“And me?” Logan asked.
“And you?”
“Well, what will I do?”
“That’s up to you.” Adrian rolled over so he could rest his chin

against Logan’s chest. “But I was hoping you’d continue with
photography. Our fans will constantly be clamoring for more shots,
new shots, and I have it clearly stated in my contract that I won’t
work with anyone but you.”

“Only me, huh?”
“It’s not just me or just you that make those shots work. It’s us

together. According to Franklin, we have a unique chemistry.”

“That we do.” Logan rubbed his fingers through Adrian’s still-

damp hair. “So, in the craziest way, everything has worked out.”

“It has.” Adrian kissed his nipple then swiped his tongue across

the pebbled flesh playfully. “We have a tremendous freedom now that
we didn’t have before.”

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Chapter 16

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Logan stood enraptured by

Adrian’s latest artwork. “It’s almost familiar to me.”

“I feel that way, too. Almost as if...well, as crazy as this sounds, if

we tried hard enough, we could do this.”

“That would be trippy.”
The Twinning was two men who together were able to become a

bear. Adrian had been driven to get the image out of his head and
onto paper, but so far that wasn’t working. He wanted to show the
men blended together and the bear ripping out from between their
twinned bodies. He’d refined the line drawing somewhat, but it still
wasn’t quite right, as he didn’t think the men looked accurate and
neither did the bear. In a way, it was almost too generic. He’d toyed
with making the men look more like him and Logan, but that wasn’t
quite right, either.

“What?” Logan wrapped his arm around him from the side. “You

seem unhappy.”

“No, frustrated, but not unhappy.” Adrian kissed Logan’s cheek.

“Now that you’re here and things have settled down, I’m very
satisfied with life. It’s just there’s something—I don’t know what. I
thought once I settled my life, settled in with you, this would come
together.”

“What does any of that have to do with this piece?”
“I don’t know.” Adrian shook his head. “Believe me, I hear how

nutty I sound. But there’s something here. Like with Mountain Forge.
I felt a truth to that work and I feel it with this one as well, but I can’t
seem to get what’s in my soul onto the paper.”

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“What can I do?” Logan eased behind him and rubbed his

shoulders. “Back rub, breakfast foods, or how about a nice blow job?”

Adrian laughed, and his tension slid away. “How about all three?”
“I can do that.”
They had just gotten to making breakfast for dinner when

someone knocked on the door.

“Why does no one use the doorbell?” Adrian wondered aloud.
As if in answer, the doorbell rang.
Logan chuckled and his brows went up. “You expecting anyone?”
“No. You?”
“No.”
“Get rid of them quick so we can get to that blow job.” Logan

waggled his brows.

“Just keep an eye on those eggs so they don’t get rubbery.”

Adrian hurried to the foyer and looked through the peephole. Bright
blue eyes surround by long black hair greeted him with a big grin. He
opened the door and let Josh Ratcliff in. “What in the world are you
doing here?” Josh was a linebacker on the Grizzlies football team, he
studied prelaw, and he had to be one of the hottest guys on campus. If
Logan was going to pick up a new guy for Hot Jocks, Josh Ratcliff
would be perfect.

“I need to see you and Logan for a moment.”
“Sure.” Adrian called for Logan, who entered the living room.

Adrian performed introductions, which was odd, as Josh seemed to
know Logan, but Logan didn’t know him.

Logan did, however, give him his card. “I could totally make you

a star.”

“Yeah.” Josh grinned. “I don’t know if I want the notoriety that

Adrian got.”

“You could keep your clothes on,” Logan offered.
“I’d insist on it,” Adrian teased, but the truth was that, as

gorgeous as Josh was, Adrian trusted Logan completely.

“Well, I just got this gig today, which is why you two were in

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limbo for so long. You guys are my first, and I really don’t know how
to do this, so I’m just going to leap right on in.” Josh grabbed Adrian
and kissed him. Shocked, Adrian opened his mouth to protest, and
Josh drew his breath away. He then turned right around and kissed
Logan, breathing into him.

As strange as it was, it also felt incredibly good. By the third go-

round, neither he nor Logan were putting up any kind of struggle at
all. When they became dizzy, Josh helped them down to the couch,
wedged his massive body between them, and kept right on breathing
and kissing until they were putty. And then all three of them
climaxed.

“Okay.” Josh stood up. “Oh, whoa, no. Not so okay.” He dropped

back down to his knees between them. “Fuck. I didn’t think it was
gonna be this intense. Dylan said it was wicked hot, but I didn’t know
it would be like this.”

“What did you do to us?” Adrian reached out and clasped Logan’s

hand.

“I twinned you. Welcome to the bear-shifting brotherhood of the

Twin Pines Grizzlies.”

Information exploded in Adrian’s head. The forging of the souls

of man and beast in the heart of the mountain wasn’t just a tale. His
soul and Logan’s soul had been forged to a bear long before they
were born. And now his obsession with the new artwork became
clear. He had been trying to access that information all along. It was
like he knew but had simply forgotten what he knew. He had
distanced himself from the work by making the men and the bear
generic when he was trying to show himself and Logan turning into a
bear. But showing them before they had the ability was why it didn’t
seem to work. Now that they were bound and twinned, Adrian knew
he could finish the piece. With the clarification of his place here and
his role with his brothers, his artwork became strong in his mind.

After a good ten minutes to recover, Josh stood and let himself

out. “I’ll always remember you guys as my first twinning.” He lifted

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the card. “And I’ll keep this offer in mind.”

By delving into the collective consciousness of their brothers,

Adrian knew that Dylan Peterson was the former nexus for their bear-
shifting sloth. But Dylan had found his mate and had to pass his torch
on to another. With Dylan unable to decide, the group had been in
limbo. After twinning Mitch and Dustin in the hospital, enjoying his
very last role as the nexus, Dylan had tagged Josh to take over. No
wonder Adrian had felt incomplete and edgy. He and Logan should
have been twinned long ago.

“And now your frustration with your artwork becomes clear.”

Logan reached over and started working apart Adrian’s pants.

“What are you doing?”
“Blow job.”
“What about the breakfast foods?”
“Later. I turned everything in the kitchen off, so we’re good. I

want to taste you right now.”

Their sex life had always been epic, but now, it was one step

beyond. Logan’s lips wrapped around his cock with a perfection that
was beyond comprehension. Logan didn’t have to look up to gauge
Adrian’s reaction because their bond allowed him to know exactly
what was happening inside Adrian. Reaching over, Adrian got
Logan’s trousers undone, and after a bit of a struggle, they were
draped over each other and the couch, sucking away into a soul-
searing, mutual climax.

“Fuck, that was good.” Logan lifted up. “You taste better now.

Not like you were bad before, because you weren’t, just that
suddenly, I swear you taste so good I could happily do that like four
times in a row.”

“I think I could, too. As both a giver and a receiver.” Adrian

kissed Logan’s softening prick and then grinned.

“What?”
“I want to try it out.”
“Shifting?”

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“Yes. I think if I can feel it I might be able to express it more

clearly in my work.”

“From what I’m getting from our brotherhood, we should get

naked for this.” Logan couldn’t look happier.

“If you had your way, I’d be naked all the time.”
“And again I ask you what’s wrong with that? Think of what

you’ll save on laundry costs.”

“Pervert.”
“You know it.” Logan winked. “And you love it.”
“This is true. Okay, so, naked and outside.” Adrian peered into the

snow-filled back yard. “It’s a good thing I built this place for
privacy.”

“It’s like you knew.”
And Adrian realized that was it exactly. His house abutted

property that, as part of a national park, would never be developed.
From his home, he and Logan could shift and spend time in the forest
in their most natural element.

“Now you know why.”
Adrian nodded. “I really thought these last few weeks that I was

going quietly crazy, because I had all these thoughts and feelings that
just seemed so out of place with normality. But now, it’s like in one
fell swoop, everything is resolved.”

“I thought retrieving my letter from the birdfeeder helped with

that.”

“It did,” Adrian assured him. “It was sweet, heartfelt, and—”
“Comical how I sent it to you via a birdfeeder.”
“That doesn’t change how touched I was to read it.”
They kissed softly.
“You ready?” Logan’s hand was on the door to the backyard.
Adrian nodded.
They stepped out into a light snowfall.
“Fuck! It’s cold.” Logan glanced down. “Ah, my junk! It’s

shrinking, shrinking!” He embraced Adrian so they could share their

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warmth. “What do we do?”

“From what I gather, we have to pull toward one another.”
As motivated as they were, nothing happened, and Logan’s lips

were turning blue.

“Babe, maybe we need to rethink this.”
“Not yet. Just, here, let go.” Adrian stepped away from Logan and

into the snow. “I want this. I want this so much I can’t even tell you.
All these years, all these crazy thoughts in my head, to find out it’s
real? It’s empowering. And I want to feel—entwined with you.”

“Adrian?” Logan’s voice was right there in his mind.
When Adrian blinked, he saw the world from an utterly new

perspective. They were lower to the ground, and with their eyes
farther apart than if they were human, it altered the shape of the world
ever so slightly. But what staggered his mind were the smells.

“Snow has a scent. Did you know that?” Logan asked.
“Not until now.” Adrian drew a deep breath, wiggling their snout.

“I can almost pinpoint where the water came from. It’s like water has
a smell. God, Logan, this is incredible!”

They explored the backyard and then rolled playfully in the snow.

With their thick blond-brown pelt, the cold didn’t even penetrate.

“But what’s the point?” Logan asked. “I mean, this is about the

coolest thing I’ve ever done, but why can we shift?”

Adrian accessed the collective consciousness, but all they had

were guesses at this point. Some had shifted for protection, to heal
their twin, or just for the sheer fun of it.

“What about the football thing?” Logan asked.
“It seems we settle our differences with other shifter groups

through football games.”

“Why football games?”
“Perhaps because no one would look twice at such rivalries?”

Adrian speculated.

Logan laughed. “Why do I find that as crazy as it is fitting?”
“Because in a way it makes sense. If shifter groups fought and

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killed one another, that would bring unwanted attention. But on the
gridiron? There is a history of long and deep football-playing
rivalries between schools and towns. It’s the perfect cover, really.”

“Do you think Coach Miller knows? Is that why he wants you on

the team as the quarterback next year?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to be there. What about you?”
“Me? What about me?”
“Are you going to apply at Twin Pines College so you can play?”
“We’ll see.”
“You’d look gorgeous in the uniform.”
“Would I?”
“Oh, yes. It’s black and hunter green. I can just see you now in

tight, black football pants, with your hair all wet with sweat that was
also sliding down your bronzed chest.”

“Uh-oh.”
“What the hell is that?” Adrian asked.
“I think you gave us a boner.”
“So we’re a boy bear.”
“What does that mean?”
“No one knows yet. Lots of speculation. And there’s a meeting at

Phillip Remson’s house this weekend. I guess we might find out. I
mean, if you want to go.”

“Are you kidding? Yeah I want to go.” Logan sighed into

Adrian’s mind. “This might sound a little nuts, but I always wanted a
brother. To find out now we’ve got over a dozen of them is nothing
short of totally awesome.”

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Chapter 17

Logan Tucker had never laid his eyes on so much beefcake in his

life. When he’d hit the campus of Twin Pines College, he’d been
amazed at the sheer volume of hot guys, but that paled beside how
many hunks were assembled in one room. The cold in the tiny town
had pissed him off, but in light of how much heat the men of the bear-
shifting brotherhood generated, the cold was negligible.

Besides, if things ever got too cold, all he had to do was shift with

his mate. Logan gripped his leg, drawing Adrian’s attention.

“You okay?” Adrian asked.
“I’m fucking awesome.”
“Indeed you are.” Adrian sat next to him on a fainting couch.
“Are you still thinking of your painting?” Just tonight Adrian had

put the finishing touches on The Twinning.

“No. It’s done and my inner artist is content.”
“I think it turned out wonderfully.” Once Adrian had made the

two men in the painting look like the two of them, the entire thing
came together. It was amazing how fast he was able to finish once he
had a clear vision.

“Go back to looking at our brothers and thinking of your own

art.”

“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
In this one room there were enough hunky men to keep Logan’s

camera happily clicking away for two years. His brethren were an
astonishingly handsome bunch. All of them had their freaks, their
passions, their foibles, but all of them had the power of brotherhood.

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For most of them, family was a dirty word until they discovered this
group.

“To new members.” Phillip Remson lifted his glass on high. As

the owner of the palatial estate, Phillip was remarkably down to Earth
and exceedingly generous. It was by his magic checkbook that so
many of their brothers had found their way into not only full-ride
scholarships, but in some cases, Phillip had granted them a way out of
hideous home situations.

Phillip’s twin, Ryan Stone, followed suit, lifting his glass. “To all

our brothers.” Ryan would graduate this June, and then he would
assist Phillip in developing the graduate programs at Twin Pines
College. In that way, they could keep their members closer longer.

“To all who come seeking belonging.” Danny Jones, their leader

who would graduate this fall after eight years spent as a waterboy to
various teams, was without a doubt the best leader they could hope
for in that he had no arrogance about himself.

His twin, Matthew Edwards, lifted his stein and said, “To those

who long for acceptance.” Matthew was a big guy but had no issue
with his twin being the man in charge. Matthew would also graduate
this fall but hadn’t yet decided if he would pursue a master’s degree
in accounting or not.

On the couch next to them was another couple. Brandon Sanders

had dark hair and pale skin. He was finishing up his final year to
obtain his architectural degree. Next to him was a platinum blond
with the same ice-blue eyes as Brandon. Derek Simmons would
graduate this fall but had no idea what he was going to do yet. Both of
them lifted their glasses and offered a wordless toast as they were
fully entwined with one another.

Across from them was Evan Bannon, who would be a sophomore

next year, and his twin, Tyler Morgan, who was working toward
becoming an arson investigator. They lifted their drinks, but since
both had their mouths stuffed with some of the great eats Phillip’s
butler, Wilkins, had provided, they refrained from speaking.

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Kevin Henderson and Anthony Reed both offered out toasts that

Logan couldn’t hear, as he was too near to the crackling fire.
Belatedly, he discovered that if he relaxed, he could hear everything
his brothers said in his mind without having to stress his ears.

Skye Martin and Kyle Water gave up praise for their brotherhood

because their brethren had been instrumental in helping Skye obtain
safety and a new life away from his abusive pimp. Water was
finishing up his senior year and would stay to work toward his
master’s degree while Skye started his college education in the spring.

Dustin Brooks and Mitch Gay were the last pair twinned by Dylan

Peterson before he handed his reign as nexus over to Josh Ratcliff.
Dylan was still welcome as a brother with his mate, Preston Athey,
even though they were now wholly outside the brotherhood. They’d
come tonight to answer any questions that Josh might have had. The
three of them sat together on a long couch and lifted their glasses in
unison.

Kade Rogers and Aaron Ludden grinned as they toasted then

turned their attention on Luke McCall and Nicholas Dillinger, who
broke apart from a kiss to offer out a quick toast.

Maxwell Wallace and Quinn English had a complicated history

that brought the bear sloth together with the wolf pack in Lone Pine,
but for tonight, they were here with the blessing of their other leader.

As the newest members, Adrian Grace and Logan Tucker had

stood for inspection and answered the questions of their brothers.
They were welcomed graciously, and then everyone had trailed off
speaking and fallen into bliss with their partners.

Josh Ratcliff was called into service when a new tugging began

between Adrian, Logan, Danny, and Matthew.

“I guess now we know who our bear twin is.” Danny grinned.

“Since we know our bear is a girl, I’m guessing yours is a boy.”

“Yeah.” Logan frowned. “What does it all mean?”
“We can only speculate at this point.”
Josh was also called on to twin Phillip, Ryan, Maxwell, and

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131

Quinn, which was a little touchy, as Ryan resisted. There was some
strife between him and Maxwell that hadn’t been fully resolved, but
when the urge to twin became too much for Josh to ignore, Ryan had
no choice, and the four of them were bound. Ryan was displeased, but
there was nothing to be done about it. Maxwell tried repeatedly to
soothe down his ruffled feathers, but that just seemed to make the
matter worse. Eventually, he left off, and Logan figured that Ryan
would come around on his own.

Exhausted, Josh excused himself and went off to bed.
“No wonder he’s tired,” Logan said, looking down at his trousers.

“Every time he twins someone he climaxes just like the guys getting
twinned.”

It was Phillip and Ryan who insisted the group, en masse, go out

and shift.

“Into the woods!” Phillip cried. “You beasts, you men of stout

heart! Into the woods go you all!”

And into the woods they did go.
Once they were in bear form, Logan and Adrian developed a clear

and fixated attention on the bear that Danny Jones and Matthew
Edwards made. So much so that they followed them around and once
they had them cornered, they tried to pounce. Luckily for Danny and
Matthew, the boy bear that was Adrian and Logan wasn’t very
skilled.

“Had my aim been better, you’d be our mate.” Logan tossed the

comment into the combined mind of Danny and Matthew, who were
so discombobulated they took over five minutes to answer.

“Had your aim been better, we would be your mate, and more.” It

was Danny who offered out the first tentative realization of what they
were doing in the woods. “We’re all sniffing around one another and
hooking up, boy to girl bear, for a reason.”

“And?” multiple voices asked.
“We are to mate. And I mean that literally.”
There was a long stretch of silence as all of them digested the

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Anitra Lynn McLeod

implications of that. They had speculated on this before, but there had
only been one bear twinning at that point. Now that there were three,
the mating of a boy to a girl bear became more clear.

Each pair of twinned men shifted into a bear, and each bear then

took on another mate from the shifted bears. The implications were
staggering. No one in particular asked the question, but all of them
wondered if this meant they could mate in the full sense of the word.
And if so, what would the outcome of their mating be?

“If our bear were to impregnate your bear, what would come of

it? A bear? A man?” Logan was trying to wrap his head around the
idea of being a parent. But to what? That was what was so enticing
and yet frightening. “What if we create a baby bear that can think
like a human?”

“Why would that be bad?” Danny asked.
“I’m not saying it would be, but what would we do with it? If it

were my cub, I wouldn’t want it to wander in the forest and maybe get
shot.”

“Good point,” Matthew said. “I guess we won’t know until it

happens.”

“The question is should we allow it to happen?” Adrian asked.

“Beasts we may be, but we are human, too. We can resist the call to
mate if we choose.”

“Can we?” Phillip asked. “When I knew Ryan was my mate, I

wasn’t able to resist him for long.”

“And if their girl bear was in heat, I wonder that we could resist

that drive.” Logan wanted to know the answer almost as much as he
didn’t. Because once they mated, the chips would fall where they
may, and there would be no going back.

“When do bears go into heat, anyway?” Derek asked.
“I looked it up,” Brandon said. “It’s typically June, and they stay

in heat until they’re mated.”

“And what compelled you to look this up?” Derek asked.
“Because of what happened the last time we all shifted together. I

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133

think this is about mating. But like Logan asked, the big question is
what will come of our mating?”

“I guess all we can do is wait and find out.” As Logan and

Adrian’s bear chased Danny and Matthew’s bear around, he pondered
the implications and decided that there was nothing to be done but
exactly what he’d said.

They would all have to wait and see.

THE END

WWW.ANITRAMCLEOD.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Reading, writing, and white-water rafting are the three things

Anitra Lynn McLeod enjoys the most. You can visit her at
www.AnitraMcLeod.com.

Also by Anitra Lynn McLeod

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 6:

Passionate Alpha

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 7:

Aggressive Alpha

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 8: Strong Alpha

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 9:

Dedicated Alpha

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 10:

Dangerous Alpha

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Twin Pines Grizzlies 11:

Daring Alpha

For all other titles, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/anitra-lynn-mcleod

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com