I woke up and rolled over. My stomach felt funny and I glanced down at my torso. Cum was encrusted all over me. I trudged to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower, the events of the previous night coming back to me. I’d had a few beers with Harley and then lost him somewhere in the hotel. Achilles finally found him by the pool and I went down to assist as necessary. Little did I know I’d find an entirely edible Jayden by the pool as well.

My dick swelled at the thought of Jayden in his swim trunks, all that creamy skin just waiting to be touched.

I got dressed and headed to the dining room for something to eat. Harley was at one of the tables, hand on his forehead, sipping coffee. I grabbed a plate of food from the buffet, along with some juice and coffee for myself, before joining him. Harley looked at me sideways with bloodshot eyes.

“Have fun?” I asked.

“No. Achilles put me in the shower and then stood at the foot of the bed until I went to sleep. Do you know how hard it is to go to sleep when you know someone’s watching you?”

“He really has his hands full with you, doesn’t he?” I chuckled.

“Look at him. Fresh as a fucking daisy. He looks like he’s had eight hours of sleep!” Harley pointed to the table across the room where Achilles, Buster, and Hammer were eating.

“Harley, do you think you pull these stunts to get his attention?”

He snorted. “I’ve always done this shit. You know that. I can’t help it if I’m a fun drunk.” Harley sighed, sipping his coffee. “What about you? I saw the way you looked at Jayden last night. You come clean with him?”

“No. I don’t know if I can. Sometimes even I don’t understand my behavior.”

“I think you need to see a shrink, or have it out with your father.”

“Do you know he actually said he liked Axel? That he and Gareth were good together? Where was this man and his ‘gay is okay’ attitude before?”

“Not dying of cancer, Jinx.” Harley took my hand. “Look, I know your father said some hurtful things to you in the past, but people change, especially when they’ve looked death in the face.”

I gripped Harley’s hand tighter and leaned in to hug him. If Jayden thought my tattoo was beautiful, wait until he got a load of Harley’s.

“Life is short, Jinx,” Harley whispered. “Don’t let something good get away from you.”

“I could say the same to you, Harley. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want.”

“I have to be strong. I have no time for love or a relationship in my life, you know that.”

“You have to live too, Harley. Make room for someone other than your parents in your life.”

Harley stood up and looked down on me sadly.

“Listen to yourself and take your own advice, before you lose Jayden for good.”

I watched him walk away and noticed Achilles tracking him from across the room. Our eyes met and I smiled knowingly. Achilles turned back to Buster and Hammer. I chuckled. Oh yeah, our Trojan warrior might just have a thing for Harley, and vice versa, for that matter.

Gareth plopped down in the chair Harley had just vacated, scaring the shit out of me. He smiled and tilted his head at me.

“Long night?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, we’ll put our time in today, but then I want to go shopping on Melrose Avenue.”

“Are you going to pull a ‘Pretty Woman’?”

“I don’t think I can pull off the hooker outfit.”

“I don’t know. You’ve got some nice legs.” I waggled my brows.

“I want to see the Chinese Theatre, too. See all the handprints and footprints of all the celebrities.”

“I’m down for that.”

“Cool. Ransom’s coming too; I think he’s in need of some fun.” Gareth’s phone beeped and he looked down at it with a grin.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Jayden texted me. He wants to know what I’m up to today.”

“Do you have a crush?” I said it jokingly, but God help me, my stomach churned with jealousy. What the fuck was wrong with me? I wanted the guy, for once in my life; I could admit I wanted a man.

“No. He’s got ‘Jinx’ stamped on his ass,” Gareth snickered.

“Am I that obvious?”

Gareth planted his elbows on the table and regarded me seriously.

“Not to everyone, but I can see it. You both look at each other with this longing in your eyes. It’s how Axel and I look at each other. It’s as if I don’t know who I was without him, ya know? He’s that part of my puzzle that got tossed under the table or pushed under the rug by accident. Now he’s here and I’m whole.”

“Are you sure you’re only twenty-three?”

“Yes, now tell me what you think when you look at Jayden.”

Right then, Jayden walked into the dining room. He was with his bandmates and hadn’t seen me yet. One of them said something to him and he laughed.

“It’s like, when I look at him, the sun just came up and it’s warming me from the inside out. When he talks, I feel as if it’s a sound I’ve missed out on my whole life. That sound I’ve tried to find, tried to create ─ it’s all in him.” I realized I’d gone off into my own little world just staring at Jayden. My cheeks flushed and I grabbed my juice, trying to hide my smile.

“Now that’s the Jinx I know.” Gareth slapped my bicep.

“Huh?”

“God, I remember the poetry you used to write. Of course, with some tweaking on your part, we turned them into lyrics for the songs, but I remember reading it raw, before you turned it into something hard core and heavy.” Gareth took my hand. “You’re talented in so many ways, Jinx. Jayden needs to see that like the rest of us do.”

“Yeah? I bet he’d look at me differently if he saw me back when I was a kid. The only reason why he wants me now is because I don’t look the same. My hair isn’t greasy, my acne is cleared up, and I’ve lost some weight and put on muscle.”

“You really think Jayden is that shallow? I don’t get that vibe from him.”

“This is why I have the love-՚em-and-leave-՚em rule. I don’t get close and I don’t get hurt. I’m still that Jinx deep down, Gareth.”

“I know you are, and I like that guy.”

“Well, you’re the only one. No one else liked deep, thoughtful, poetry-writing Jinx.”

“Don’t forget rock collecting, blueberry muffin baking Jinx.”

I laughed. I really did like blueberry muffins. That was probably how I gained all that weight.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road!” Gareth stood up and waved Jayden over.

“I’m out,” I said quickly, nearly tipping my chair over as I got up to leave.

“Josiah Jett!” Gareth called after me.

I flipped him off and took the elevator to the main floor. I wasn’t ready to deal with Jayden just yet. The van was waiting and I bumped right into Ransom on my way out.

“Dude, did you steal something?” Ransom eyed me suspiciously.

“No, why?”

“You look like you just committed a crime.”

I was really bad at crime. I couldn’t even steal a piece of gum from the store. That made me laugh and Ransom peered at me closely.

“Are you on drugs?”

Was Jayden considered a drug? I thought so. I was quickly becoming addicted to his scent ─ his touch.

“Not the kind you’re thinking of.” I elbowed him playfully.

“Well, let’s hit the studio. Gareth wants to go out afterwards.”

“I know, I heard.”

The van pulled around and the door opened. Stan poked his head out and smiled at us.

“Hey, guys.” He waved.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“Meetings with the record label and I went to see Paul.”

“How is he?” Ransom asked.

“Hoping to see you guys,” Stan answered with a smile.

“We can’t wait,” I promised.

“Good. Now get going. I’m going to sleep for the rest of the day.” Stan winked as he walked past us.

“That sounds good, huh?” I glanced at Ransom.

“Yeah, not gonna happen. Now, move it.”

~*~

We spent the morning banging out our song. All of us were itching to get out, and I think Sebastian figured it out pretty quickly when Gareth started fucking up and playing Britney Spears. He let us go for the day and we all piled into the van that would take us to Hollywood. I sat in the back with Ransom, and Gareth sat next to Jayden in the front. I wanted to run my fingers through Jayden’s hair, touch his face and kiss him. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and that had never happened to me.

The van dropped us off in front of the Chinese Theatre and Gareth pulled out his phone, snapping pictures of all the stars on the walk. Jayden walked next to him, the two of them talking in hushed tones and laughing. I strolled behind them with Ransom, who also was taking pictures. Jayden was wearing form-fitting jeans this morning with a ratty pair of sneakers. How the guy managed to look like a model all the time was beyond me. I knew what I looked like now, but it still felt like I was acne-covered, overweight Josiah Jinx Jett. Falling for someone was not in the cards for me; I didn’t think I could truly be myself without thinking someone was going to laugh in my face again.

Sebastian was throwing a party that evening in the Hollywood Hills and we were expected to dress nicely. Like I had a tux lying around. I snorted to myself and Ransom turned his attention to me.

“What’s up?”

“We have to wear nice clothes tonight. Like I have a closetful of those.”

“That’s why we’re here, remember? If I recall, you have a gorgeous gray suit you wear to events.”

“I didn’t bring it! Hell, I didn’t know we were going to have to attend some swanky party.”

“Well, now’s your chance to Hollywood yourself.” Ransom yanked me into a men’s suit store and Gareth followed with Jayden. The sales clerk looked me over as Ransom perused the ties.

“Turn around please,” the clerk instructed.

I did and heard a low whistle behind me. I peered over my shoulder to see Jayden licking his lips. In a nanosecond, I was hard as a rock. Those eyes lifted slowly, eyeing my backside until they met my eyes. Jayden winked and the sales clerk clucked his tongue.

“I have just the suit for you.”

I stepped into the dressing room and waited for the clerk to return. He moved the curtain and handed me a navy suit. Shutting the curtain, I removed my clothing and tried it on. I turned and looked at my ass in the mirror. My cheeks stood out perfectly under the material. I turned to face the front and eyed my crotch.

“Yep. I’m Catholic,” I snickered.

“Jinx?” Gareth peeked behind the curtain and his mouth fell open. “Damn, you could be a model!”

“Let me see!” Ransom opened the other side of the curtain and gasped. “Damn, Jinx!”

“Are you both done?” I knew my cheeks were red. I stepped out of the dressing room, over to the full-length mirror beside a row of suits. The sales clerk bustled around me, measuring my inseam and making sure the pants were at the right length at my ankle.

“Wow. Jinx … just wow.”

I looked in the mirror to see Jayden behind me in his own suit. Fuck, God broke the mold on him. The suit was tailored just for him. Double-breasted pinstriped, with creases that accentuated his muscular thighs.

“Yeah, um, thanks.”

“Would you like this one, sir? I can have it ready in a few minutes.” The clerk was attentive, but not obsequious.

“Yes, please.”

Ransom and Gareth walked out to model their own suits. The two didn’t look a thing alike, but were both incredibly handsome in their own way.

“So? We ready for this party?” Gareth asked.

“Is Axel coming?” I asked.

“Yes, he’s already got a suit, though, as do the rest of the bodyguards. They gotta fit in, ya know,” Gareth replied.

Achilles in a suit? Couldn’t wait to see Harley’s reaction to that. Speaking of Harley…

“Where are Harley and Rebel?” I asked.

“At the salon,” Ransom chuckled.

“Oh hell, Rebel’s not getting a haircut, is he?”

“Nah, just getting a style, maybe a beard trim.”

 

We bought our suits and left. As we hit the sidewalk, a bunch of women began screaming at us and within seconds, we were covered up. I signed autographs along with the rest of the guys. Some woman had me sign her right boob. I looked up to see Jayden glaring at me. I didn’t know what to do at that point. I was Jinx Jett and I liked women, and it was a known fact. How was I supposed to reveal that I liked men? Well, one man. Jayden turned on his heel and walked to the van.