Landon’s body vibrated the whole drive back to his place. He wasn’t regretting inviting Bailey over, but was nervous that his body wouldn’t cooperate and would ruin what had been a really fun night. Bailey’s boisterous family was highly entertaining, and his chemist father had enough friends in the STEM industry that Landon had felt more comfortable mingling than he usually did. And it helped having Bailey around—strangely, his presence seemed to settle him down, his willingness to leave early reassuring.

He parked in his usual spot, and Bailey followed up to the door. Hating the way his stomach was flopping about, Landon tried to lecture himself into calming down, but his stern thoughts seemed to be having the opposite effect. He really didn’t need be this jittery. Especially since Bailey was hanging back, giving him plenty of space to open the door and greet Thor, who insisted on doing his “no one feeds me ever” meowing routine as soon as they were in the condo.

“I’ll just…uh…put out some kibble.” Landon lifted up the cat, who let out a self-satisfied sigh. He knew he was getting what he wanted. Landon wished he could say the same for himself. Might help if you knew what that was…

Bailey flipped on some lights while Landon fed Thor. Honestly, he was kind of grateful for the distraction before they headed upstairs. Upstairs. Fuck. Maybe he couldn’t do this. Kissing in the car was one thing, but his bed was a whole different algorithm, one with plenty of unknown variables.

When he came back out of the kitchen, Bailey had settled himself on the couch.

“You…couch okay?” Landon hated himself for the relief coursing through him that Bailey wasn’t waiting by the stairs.

“Your couch is awesome. I figured maybe after your reward we could play something before you run me home or watch a movie.” Bailey shrugged before grinning impishly. “And then we can say goodnight all over again.”

“Yeah.” Landon sat next to Bailey, not quite touching, but not oceans apart either. “I’d like that.”

“Or we can game first.” Bailey patted Landon’s knee. “Seriously, I’m here to spend time with you. No expectations, okay?”

“But I have expectations.” Landon groaned. “Back at the party, I couldn’t wait to get you alone. I don’t know why my head has to get all trippy when I actually get what I wanted.”

He’d spent two weeks in a near-permanent state of arousal from the late-night talk and cyber sessions, and the kissing at the airport had cemented for him how much he really did want to try this again with Bailey. He liked how he smelled and tasted and even liked his bumbling attempts at dancing. He liked how earnest Bailey was, game for trying new things, and how he didn’t seem to have a moody side. He liked him. He wanted this. But his brain was still balking. Sometimes the fear of having a panic attack was almost worse than actually having one.

“Wanna go back out to the car?” Bailey’s grin managed to be both soothing and playful. “Maybe you’ve got a fetish for gear shift bruises we can indulge?”

“You’re nuts.” Landon shoved his shoulder which led to a silly tussle, the sort he’d had a thousand times with Pike, but his friend never left him breathless and wanting. Pinning Bailey’s shoulders to the back of the couch, Landon leaned in for the kiss he’d been craving for hours. No panic. Just arousal. Growling softly, he kissed him harder. He was more aggressive than he’d intended, but Bailey seemed to like that, moaning against Landon’s mouth.

Landon plundered his mouth until Bailey pulled away, laughing. “Cat. Cat.”

It took a moment for his brain to catch back up. He glanced down and sure enough, Thor was winding his way between Bailey’s legs.

“Shameless. You got fed.” Landon picked up the cat and set him next to him on the couch, which meant scooting closer to Bailey. “Behave.”

“I’m trying,” Bailey groaned.

“Not you.” Landon pulled him close. “I’m not done with you.”

“Not gonna threaten me with a squirt bottle?” Bailey laughed before giving Landon a quick kiss.

“I’ve got better ideas for keeping you in line.” He slid his mouth over Bailey’s, slow and sweet. Like with the dancing, Bailey let him lead, seemingly happy to follow Landon’s whims. And thank God, Bailey was a much better kisser than dancer. Their tongues met, an electric tango that sent tingles down his spine. Sucking on Bailey’s tongue, he stroked Bailey’s broad shoulders and muscled arms.

The way Bailey was letting him have control went a long way to keeping him calm. Bailey being this pliant, all his considerable power at Landon’s disposal, made Landon’s cock ache. He still didn’t have any urge to tie Bailey up, but he liked this unexpectedly malleable side of Bailey’s far more than he would have thought.

Moving without much input from his brain, his fingers played with the buttons on Bailey’s dress shirt, which made Bailey arch up into the kiss. He might be pliable, but he wasn’t shy about letting Landon know what he liked. Undoing a few buttons, he slid his hand inside, reveling in Bailey’s warmth.

“Yeah. Touch me.” Bailey’s head fell back, making his neck an irresistible target for more kissing. Landon nibbled, enjoying the contrast between the fuzzy edge of his beard and smooth column of neck. And because he was good at multitasking, he continued his quest to unbutton Bailey. Strangely, he sort of liked how Bailey blushed when Landon pushed the shirt off. Like on camera, he was more self-conscious than Landon would have predicted, which was crazy because the guy was thick and built and when Landon wasn’t busy being nervous, he really, really liked Bailey’s chest and torso.

His fingers gravitated to Bailey’s pecs, sifting through his crinkly chest hair. He’d been paying attention on camera, knew how Bailey liked to rub his nipples lightly before any sort of intense play. Experimenting, he let his thumb coast over one flat disk, loving how it pebbled up and how Bailey moaned. Emboldened, he rubbed circles around both nipples while returning to Bailey’s mouth.

“Ah. Oh. Fuck.” Bailey muttered a low stream of curses between kisses.

“Love how crazy sensitive you are here.” Landon gently flicked one, teasing the peak. The angle of sitting next to each other was awkward, and he’d ended up half-kneeling next to Bailey, but it still wasn’t close enough. He shifted around, trying to find more contact.

“You want…” Bailey was breathing deep, eyes shut. “Want to get on top of me? I won’t touch you back until you say it’s okay.”

Oh yes. Landon’s body was all in favor of this idea, and he straddled Bailey even as his pulse sped up. The motion made Thor leap off the couch, stalking off like he couldn’t believe what his human was up to. Breathe. Breathe. This will be okay. Bailey was warm and solid under him, but as promised, he didn’t grab for Landon, instead lacing his hands behind his head. “Have at me.”

Landon laughed, body releasing some of the tension that had gathered at the base of his skull. “I love that you tolerate my nipple obsession.”

“Tolerate? I’m in agony.” Bailey groaned. “And just for the record, I’m in favor of all your obsessions. Feel free to make me tolerate whatever.”

“I like how this position negates the height difference.” Landon brushed a soft kiss across Bailey’s lips. He was working hard to feel okay with the four inches and change that Bailey had on him, and the height difference hadn’t bugged him as much dancing as it sometimes did with tall guys. But he did like sitting like this, how in charge it made him feel, how easy it was to get their mouths level.

“Uh-huh. You can draw me a graph later, Professor. Kiss me again,” Bailey demanded.

Landon complied, sucking at Bailey’s full lower lip as his fingers again explored Bailey’s chest. He liked how Bailey shuddered when he moved to flicking and light plucking. “I want to kiss you here,” he whispered.

“Go for it.” Bailey’s eyes were still clamped shut and his thigh muscles were tense under Landon, but he hadn’t broken his promise not to touch.

Ducking his head, Landon licked his way down Bailey’s neck, little kisses and nips that had Bailey moaning. His sounds turned to whimpers when Landon’s tongue finally connected with his puckered nub. And he took his time, teasing and torturing.

“Killing…me…” Bailey groaned. “Need to touch you. Please.”

“Not my head or hair, but yeah, go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Bailey’s hands skated down Landon’s back, the barest of touches. “You feel so good. Love your mouth.”

“Yeah?” Landon went back to using his tongue and lips to coax more needy sounds from Bailey.

“That feels amazing. More.”

Landon hadn’t even realized they were rocking together until Bailey urged him on, his hands on Landon’s hips, not yanking, but their warm pressure adding to the good sensations bombarding his senses. His cock throbbed, the friction of rubbing against Bailey’s thigh exquisite torture.

“Gotta kiss you.” Letting Bailey guide his motions, he devoured Bailey’s eager mouth. His fingers plucked at Bailey’s nipples again, going for the rapid pinching Bailey seemed to like on camera.

“Fuck. Fuck. That.” Bailey tightened his grip on Landon’s ass, but it only spurred him on faster, made him kiss harder. Heat gathered at the base of his spine. “Ride me. Just like that.”

“I think I’m gonna…” he moaned.

“Oh, do it. Please, baby, come on me.” Bailey’s voice was a harsh whisper. “God, Landon…”

“You…” He was trying to hold back, get Bailey off first, but his body had other plans, bucking hard against Bailey’s hard thigh. “Fuck.”

“That’s it. Come for me,” Bailey urged before sucking hard on Landon’s tongue. And fuck. That unexpected aggression pushed him over, the orgasm racing through his body, every cell awake. His hands shook on Bailey’s chest, and his kisses got sloppy as he struggled to breathe.

“Fuck.” Totally spent, his head rested on Bailey’s shoulder.

“Can I…need…?” One of Bailey’s hands snaked between them, hovering above his fly, clearly ready to jerk himself off.

“Let me.” Landon knocked his hand away, scooting so that he could undo Bailey’s fly. “I want to do it.”

“Not gonna take much.” Bailey’s head fell back as soon as Landon got a hand around his cock. It was every bit as thick and heavy as it had looked on cam.

“Tell me what you need.” Landon started a slow stroke.

“Kiss me again. Love your mouth.”

“Here?” Landon ghosted his lips across Bailey’s before dipping his head, capturing a nipple in his mouth. “Or here?”

“There. Fuck. Right there.” Bailey’s cock pulsed in Landon’s hand. He continued to moan and curse as Landon sucked. “Gonna get me off.”

Landon loved knowing that, loved Bailey’s low moans, loved the way his voice went harsh and dirty as he got close. Landon had seen some pretty cool things in his life—the Hadron, other experiments, sunsets in Santa Barbara, a grizzly at Yellowstone, but watching Bailey come apart was seriously one of the coolest things ever. He sped up his strokes, moving so Bailey could thrust up into his grip. When he sucked harder, Bailey cursed and shuddered as he came all over Landon’s fist.

“Yeah that’s it.” Landon released his nipple in favor of sharing soft, lingering kisses as he stroked Bailey through the aftershocks.

“Fuck.” Bailey laughed, the way he always seemed to after cyber as well. “Tell me that was good for you.”

“Not freaking out.” Landon went ahead and laughed with him as he climbed off Bailey and flopped next to him. “I got kind of carried away…”

“I like you carried away. Feel free to do that whenever you want.” Bailey yawned.

A fresh set of worries swept over Landon. Should he ask Bailey to sleep over? How would that work? Would—

“I can see you thinking.” Bailey brushed a thumb over Landon’s mouth. “And you’re adorable when you think, but seriously, no worries here. Run me home when you’ve recovered. Or if you’re tired, Mom’s a night owl like us. I can probably get a ride.”

“You’re okay with that? I kind of want to invite you to stay but…”

“I’m stupendous. I’m not sure I’ve ever come that hard. And honestly, I’d rather you got some good rest, felt up to getting together tomorrow. Rachel and I were talking about going to the Huntington Gardens to take some pictures. I want you to come, and you being comfortable matters to me.” He squeezed Landon’s hand.

“So…tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.” Bailey made it sound like a promise, and Landon liked that. There was still so much uncertainty between them, but he had to admit that he couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the weekend brought. It was going to be damn hard to see Bailey return to Oregon, but knowing that he was leaving was also vaguely reassuring, a reminder that neither of them could get too deep in this thing.

* * *

Bailey had had sex before—good, bad, awkward. He’d thought he’d run the gamut of potential outcomes, but nothing had prepared him for the intensity of sharing orgasms with Landon. Hell, he’d had to jerk off to the memory to be able to fall asleep after Landon brought him back to his parents’ house, and he woke up with Landon on the brain. Bailey loved how arousal transformed Landon, made him go from shy and uncertain to aggressive and in charge. But he also loved how afterward, they’d sprawled together on the couch and watched some video clips and gone back to the easy banter they’d established over the past month.

But before he could see Landon again, he had a meeting Saturday morning with Rachel’s bosses at the talent agency. He’d already submitted the application online and had a phone interview. And he felt guilty about not mentioning either of those things to Landon, but he wanted to make sure this was what he wanted first. And to be certain it wouldn’t spook Landon, ruin what they were building.

“So this is our in-house studio.” The owner of the talent agency, Aimee, a tall woman with short dark hair who’d been a famous runway model back in her twenties, led him to a room at the back of the agency offices.

“This is a nice setup.” He walked around the space. It had a variety of lighting options, backdrops, and a functional layout. It wasn’t that different from the studio he worked out of at the mall, but it would be cool to have all this for himself, not sharing with other hourly employees. And no teenage manager constantly harping on the need to upsell packages people didn’t really want or need. Bailey loved taking pictures, but he sucked as a salesperson.

“Of course, you’d have some flexibility to do some outdoor and location shoots as well. Between our new clients and existing clients updating their portfolios, we keep our photographer busy, but Dale always had time for his freelance work as well. And sometimes a project like a fashion show will see your work in a portfolio and hire you for that—it’s all very organic and fluid and we like that a lot. Essentially, you’d be one of our assets.”

“That’s cool.” Bailey could totally see himself working here. No more packages to sell. Helping people get pictures that would help their dreams of stardom come true. Able to take on interesting freelance work and work on gallery shows at the same time. And the money was far better than the mall job.

“It’s more than cool. Your portfolio is most impressive, and you have a knack for capturing people’s potential and energy. I especially enjoyed the pictures from your calendar work.”

“Thanks.” Bailey’s skin heated at that. Landon’s model release did give Bailey permission to use the photos in his portfolio, but he had a feeling Landon wouldn’t be thrilled about a whole team from the talent agent scrutinizing the pictures.

“Do you need some time to think about the job? We’re trying to nail down our replacement before Dale leaves, but I can give you a few days. I know moving is a big deal.” For all her regal stature, Aimee had kind eyes and a sympathetic voice.

“Yeah, could you give me until Tuesday? I need to think about…logistics.” Bailey tried to sound professional and not rattled. Sometimes getting exactly what he wanted was damn stressful.

He met up with Rachel in the lobby and filled her in on what had happened. She groaned and punched his biceps. “What do you need to think about? This is great for you.”

“It’s a big change,” he hedged on the walk to Rachel’s car. “And maybe don’t mention it this afternoon…”

“Bailey. If he balks because you’re moving closer, he’s really not worth the headache.” Rachel shook her head. “You can’t put your life on hold for other people neuroses.”

“Girl trouble?” Bailey was only too eager to change the conversation to Rachel and Savannah.

“Sort of. I like her so much, and I told her that I think I’m falling in love, but her response was…tepid, and she’s been resisting invitations to meet my family.” Rachel sighed as she started the car. “She actually seemed relieved that Mom wasn’t feeling up to your dad’s party, which pissed me off.”

“Maybe she wants to go slow? Not everyone can go at your breakneck speed through life.”

“There’s slow and then there’s elephant pregnancies.” Rachel groaned. Even though it was a Saturday, traffic was heavy heading toward San Marino, where the library and gardens they were meeting at were located. “I just need a sign that this is more than hot sex to her.”

“You’ll get it.” Bailey tried to sound upbeat. He had a similar problem, wanting to know his relationship with Landon was more than a casual friendship with a side of kissing, but also wanting to honor Landon’s need to go slow.

“It’s frustrating because I really think she could be the one, you know?” Rachel maneuvered around road construction on Highway 134. “It’s like waiting for Christmas and then being told presents aren’t being opened until New Year’s.”

“You’ve always sucked at patience.”

“And you have almost too much. It’s okay to want this job, Bailey. Go after your future.”

“Maybe.” Bailey wished he was more like Rachel, leaping into things with both feet, no thought to whether the parachute was functional. Instead, the status quo seemed like a safe bet—keeping his Portland life, maybe seeing Landon on visits—and rushing things felt big and scary. What if he sucked at the job? What if he and Landon didn’t work out? Would he regret moving back?

Savannah and Landon were already waiting in the parking lot for the library and gardens. It was the perfect spring day, the grounds full of greenery and promise, the sky blue and cloudless. Landon was wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed #NoFlux and had an equation beyond Bailey’s meager science skills to interpret. For once, Landon’s hair wasn’t back in a ponytail, instead falling around his face in waves that made him look more angelic than usual.

“Nice shirt. And I like your hair down.” Despite kissing goodnight in his parents’ driveway last night, he still wasn’t sure how to greet Landon. But unlike yesterday at the airport, Landon was bolder, giving him a fast hug.

“Thanks. I couldn’t find a hair tie. Overslept.” Landon’s blush had Bailey thinking that maybe Landon engaged in the same wakeup activity as Bailey had.

“You were up late.” Bailey gave him a pointed look.

“Come on. Let’s explore.” Savannah took charge, leading them to the themed gardens that were the draw for Rachel and Bailey and their cameras. The sprawling grounds were full of great photo opportunities. They started in the California garden, with its Mediterranean-style covered walkways. The San Gabriel Mountains made a great backdrop to his photos of the Celebration Garden with all its colors and giant ceramic urns.

“Come on,” he said to Savannah and Rachel, “Don’t make me stick to landscapes today. Let me do some pictures of the two of you.”

“I guess. I suck at posing, though. Why not take more of Landon?” Savannah suggested.

“I had my fill of modeling, thank you very much.” Landon laughed. “I’d much rather watch Bailey work his magic.”

Damn it. Now Bailey was all nervous and wanting to impress Landon. “Why don’t you guys sit by that fountain?”

He got a few basic posed shots before Rachel decided to get silly and flick water at Savannah, who yelped. Snap. Snap. These were the sort of unscripted moments Bailey loved capturing.

“Think if you order them to kiss they’ll get over whatever’s troubling them?” Landon asked in a low whisper.

“Savannah looks like she might smash my camera at the thought. And I like my camera.” But right as he said that, Savannah leaned closer to Rachel, saying something he couldn’t hear, but the expression on her face was a perfect blend of affection and irritation, giving way to something softer when Rachel squeezed her hand. Bailey captured the exchange as best he could.

He tried again for some portraits in the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, getting some nice shots by the teahouse, but Savannah and Rachel seemed to be losing patience with him. In the Desert Garden, he cajoled Landon into posing with the giant cacti. “Come on. You get to leave your clothes on. And these are only for fun—I won’t put them on social media or my portfolio.”

“Okay. Okay.” Landon let him talk him through a few shots while the women wandered around, admiring the seemingly endless varieties and shapes of cacti. “The things I do for l—you.”

Bailey’s stomach warmed at Landon’s almost-reference to love. And since he couldn’t tell Landon all about the complicated ball of emotions rattling around inside him, he tried to put his feelings into his work, searching for the angles and lighting that would best capture all the things he liked about Landon—his smile, his confidence, his playful side, the way his eyes could go from silly to serious and solemn.

Everyone wanted to see his pictures, so he brought his laptop into dinner with them. They’d decided to eat at the terrace at the hotel near the gardens, relaxing under the white canopy above their table.

“Oh wow.” Savannah leaned closer when he got to the pictures of her and Rachel. “Is that really how we look?”

“What? Are you just now noticing the pink hair?” Rachel laughed, but there was an edge to her voice.

“No. It’s more… Bailey makes us look like we’re in love.”

“Maybe because we are?” Rachel rolled her eyes. “And maybe we look like an adorable couple because that’s what we are.”

“You really think so?” Savannah’s voice became soft. “That we’re in love?”

“Yes,” the rest of them said in unison, and Savannah gave a high-pitched laugh.

“Okay, okay. Maybe I’ll learn to trust the pictures.”

“Good.” Rachel leaned in for a quick kiss. “You should learn to trust us.”

Bailey glanced at Landon. Could he ever do the same? Learn to trust Bailey and what they were building? Man, he really hoped so.

“Want to see the ones of you?” he asked, voice thick.

“Sure.” Landon scooted closer. He didn’t say much as Bailey scrolled through, but he looked thoughtful, licking his lips the way he did when he was mulling over something important.

See what I see, Bailey thought. See how I see you. See what you mean to me.

“You’re so talented,” Landon said at last, and it seemed like he might be going to say more, but then their food arrived, and Bailey had to put the laptop away. He and Landon had yet again made a shared meal out of appetizers. It appeared to be their thing. Bailey liked that, liked having little quirks.

“So am I taking Bailey back or are you?” Rachel asked Landon on the walk to the parking lot after their meal was done, direct as usual.

“Uh…I am.” Landon’s cheeks went scarlet as he turned to Bailey. “What time do you need to be back anyway?”

Morning. “I’m flexible.”

“Want to come over and do a quest for a while?”

“Is that what you guys are calling it now?” Rachel laughed before hugging them each goodbye.

Landon sputtered as she walked away. “I meant—”

“I know what you meant.” Bailey slid into the passenger seat, waiting until Landon was in the car before continuing, “I want to game with you. You need my superior fighting skills for the raid.”

“Oh fuck you. I fight just fine.”

“Don’t threaten things I might like,” Bailey drawled. “Because that can totally be arranged.”

“Seriously?” Landon blinked at him.

“Told you. More than once. I’m flexible. And if fucking’s really not your thing at all, that’s cool too. But, sure, you want to fuck me tonight—after I kick ass on the quest—I’m all for it.”

“Gaming first?”

“Gaming first,” Bailey said firmly, even though he was dying for more kissing and more Landon. But he knew Landon by now, and he’d be more relaxed if they played first, and Bailey was all in favor of whatever made Landon feel good.