Jon cornered Gabe upstairs the instant he walked into the Mean Green house for his Saturday shoot. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked.

Gabe stared. “What?” He wasn’t late. He hadn’t gotten the day wrong. He was there for a three-way shoot with Jon—they hung out so much off-hours that he had a hard time thinking of him as Boomer, even on set—and Dane. Gabe and Dane’s last three-way with “Colby” had sold well, and fans were asking for another one. With Colby retired, Chet had enlisted Jon as the third.

An unexpectedly annoyed Jon. “You got an offer to work with Puppy Farm and you said you’d think about it? Are you insane?”

“It’s a big decision.”

“No, it’s an easy yes. Dude, think of the exposure.”

“That’s all I’ve been thinking about.” They were alone upstairs, so Gabe could be honest with his friend. “I don’t want to do porn forever. Yeah, the extra money is always great, but the more times I’m seen, the harder it will be to find a good job after I’m done.”

“Some guys use it to their advantage.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not one of those guys. But I do need the money, which is why I’m telling Chet yes.” He’d figure out what to do about his mother later.

Jon’s eyes widened. “I am so fucking jealous of you right now.”

“Trust me, I’d let you go in my place if things worked that way.”

“And I would totally go. Do you know who you’ll work with?”

“No idea. Does it matter?”

“Well, yeah. The bigger the name, the more people will watch.”

Please, God, give me one of their lesser-known models.

Only Gabe’s luck wasn’t that good.

“I’m topping, so I don’t care,” Gabe said. Only half a lie.

They went downstairs to the set, which featured a fake bedroom with a loveseat to the left, against a prop wall. Chet was chatting with Danny, the director of photography, over by the cameras, while the crew fiddled with the lights. Dane was leaning against the far right wall, eyes closed, quietly fluffing himself.

Dane was hot. Six feet of solid packed muscles, a waxed chest with the kind of pecs that made Gabe jealous, and thick brown hair he gelled back sixties greaser style. He always sported about two days’ worth of stubble that he used to his advantage while eating ass. He was also one of the least chatty guys at Mean Green, rarely indulging in conversation that didn’t revolve around the shoot.

Not that Gabe spilled his guts all over the set floor, either, but he tried to be polite with his fellow models. It was how he got Shane dancing once a week at Big Dick’s.

“My boys,” Chet said when he noticed them. “Right on time. Tony, love, do you have news for me?”

Gabe nodded as he closed the distance between them. His gut rolled with nerves. “I’ll do it. I’ll do the Puppy Farm shoot.”

“I had a feeling you would. I’ll call Stuart back and let him know. He’s been haranguing me all week for an answer.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Excellent. That’s a weight off my shoulders. Now let’s get today started. Dane? Join us.”

Dane took his hand out of his jeans and ambled over. He spared polite nods for Jon and Gabe, as well as a brief “hey.”

“Straightforward shoot today, boys,” Chet said. “No narrative. Boomer, you liked what you saw the last time Tony and Dane shot together, so you want in. Dane, you feel like taking one today? Just let Tony know.”

Dane’s lips twitched, but Gabe wouldn’t call it a smile. The expression was almost sinister. He knew Dane was a switch. Dane had taken it beautifully from Shane a few months ago. And while Jon was more his type than Dane, Gabe never backed down from a challenge.

“Questions?” Chet asked. “No? Then let’s get started.”

The three of them piled onto the bed, making a sandwich of Jon. Gabe thought back to blowing Tristan in the bowling alley bathroom and his cock began to thicken. He’d already jacked off to the memory twice since Thursday. One of his favorite memories ever, and he hated that while Tristan had the words, he no longer had the pictures in his head.

Jon started off the prefuck chatting with his trademark “Boomer sass”. He liked to play nelly bottom for the camera, even though he was anything but in real life. It worked for him, though, because of his muscles and blond hair—a great contrast that would make the scene that much hotter.

Gabe was already hard by the time Jon leaned over and unzipped his jeans. He’d done enough three-ways to automatically reach for Dane. He drew him closer by the neck, then landed a hard, demanding kiss. Starting out as the dominant one just in case Dane did want to get nailed. Chet gave direction a few times, and the two cameramen did their thing while the models stroked, sucked and kissed until they were all three naked. Gabe eventually shifted the action to the loveseat so Jon had a better angle to kiss and stroke Dane while Gabe first rimmed, and then fucked Jon.

Once Jon was in a proper, frenzied sweat, Gabe put him down on the loveseat, then arranged Dane kneeling over Jon so Jon could suck his dick. Going off Dane’s signals, Gabe lined up behind him, one foot on the couch and one on the floor. Chet called a freeze so Gabe could put on a fresh condom and lube, and then got back to it.

Dane was crazy tight but he took it like a champ, fucking Jon’s face with each thrust from Gabe. The synchronicity worked well, and Dane came first with Gabe’s cock still in his ass. Dane moved off the couch so Gabe could reglove and fuck Jon into coming. Then Gabe thought of Tristan’s beautiful blue eyes and came all over Jon’s chest.

After Chet called cut, Gabe stood up and moved away, a strange feeling in his chest. He’d come and it had felt good, but it also felt…not good. He’d gone through the motions without really feeling anything. Not like in the bathroom with Tristan. They’d forged a connection, which had made the sex so incredibly moving and pleasurable. Instead of the energy he usually felt after a shoot, fucking Jon and Dane left him empty.

“Fantastic job, boys,” Chet said. “And Tony, you fucked the come out of both of them. This is going to be scorching when it’s edited.”

“Awesome,” Jon said. Someone tossed him a towel, which he used to wipe the various streaks of come off his chest. His cheeks were still red, his lips a bit puffy, but he looked like a well-satisfied, very fucked-out guy.

A pang of guilt surprised Gabe. He hadn’t hurt either of his scene partners, and everyone came, so the guilt made no sense.

“Dibs on the shower,” Dane said as he hustled off.

“When he’s done, you want to share?” Jon asked.

“Sure,” Gabe replied. They’d showered together plenty of times at the gym.

“Listen, Tony,” Chet said, “I’m going to go give Stuart a call, okay? Bear with me. I might have some specifics for you before you leave.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Gabe went over to his gym bag to check his phone for messages. The email notification from Tristan filled up the part of his heart that was empty and confused.

_

11/08

2:19 pm _

G—

A funny thing happened on the way to my art class. Okay, so actually at the art class because when I walked in I remembered the name of the art teacher. I’ve been looking at my journals of those classes, and I have a list of names I want to remember. I didn’t have a picture of her to associate, so maybe it was process of elimination since she was the only person in the room in her midthirties, but I knew Ms. Wendy Allen on sight. It was so cool! I got really excited, and I think I scared an old lady with big black glasses, because she gave me dirty looks the rest of the hour. Whatever. Ha!

Sometimes when I look at your picture I have these feelings. Not scary ones. Not really romantic ones, I don’t think. But strong feelings of knowing you. Of having connected to you. It sucks that I can’t remember the bathroom, but I have our notes, so it’s like having porn to reread whenever I want. I can’t wait for my evaluation on Monday. I really hope my doctors are impressed. I know I’m impressed.

I don’t really have anything going on for the rest of the day (I know, I checked my calendar), so if you’re free to Skype later, please call. I’d love to hear your voice. —T

“Okay, what’s his name?” Jon asked.

“Whose name?” Gabe played dumb for the fun of it. Sooner or later he wouldn’t be able to keep avoiding the conversation.

“You got that moon-eyed look again reading something on your phone. Same way you looked at the gym when you were checking messages. Are you seeing someone?”

“Not exactly.”

Jon’s pale eyebrows arched. “But you’re admitting there is someone.”

“Yes.”

“Details. Why are you ‘not exactly’ seeing him?”

“Because it’s complicated.”

“Is he already with someone? Are you some guy’s piece on the side?” For some reason the idea seemed to delight Jon.

“No. Christ.” Gabe crossed his arms. “He’s perfectly single.”

“So are you not seeing him because you do porn?”

“Are you going to keep asking questions, or will you let me tell you?”

Jon mimed locking his lips with a key.

“A few years ago Tristan was hurt pretty badly.” Gabe briefly ran down Tristan’s limitations and how they first met.

“Tristan. That’s very historical romance.”

“Shut up. We met up again in September and had a really great time, so we started trading emails.”

“Emails? What are you, forty?”

Gabe cuffed Jon across the back of his head for that one. “It’s the best way for Tristan to communicate. Anyway, he got involved in a clinical drug trial that is actually improving his memory retention. I spent the day with him and his friends this past Thursday.” He couldn’t stop a broad smile simply from remembering that day.

“Holy shit, you’re totally falling for this Tristan guy, aren’t you?” Jon asked with a healthy amount of awe in his voice.

“Yeah. And I know he likes me too. It’s just so…”

“Complicated?”

“Exactly.”

Jon scrubbed a hand through his short hair. “But you said his memory is getting better, right?”

“It’s getting better every day. He’s remembering names and faces and different kinds of information. The brain is such a mystery, even to most neurologists, so his doctor isn’t entirely sure what to expect in terms of improvement.”

“That’s pretty amazing, though, that the doctors might be able to fix him.”

“I know. Noel has been by his side ever since he was hurt, but I know Tristan wants to be independent again. He doesn’t want to be a burden to his friend anymore.”

The set had mostly cleared and enough time had passed, so Gabe grabbed his gym bag and headed for the stairs. Jon followed. He even kept his mouth shut until they were both under the showerheads in the main bathroom upstairs.

“So are you going to introduce Tristan to Debbie?” Jon asked.

“I’ll have to at some point, I guess.” He hated the idea of Tristan meeting his dirty little secret. Debbie was unpredictable in her drinking and her moods, and the very last thing Gabe wanted was Tristan witnessing one of her tantrums. “Just like I’ll have to tell him about this at some point.”

Jon snatched the bottle of body wash. “Some guys think dating porn stars is hot.”

“Is that what you tell yourself to fall asleep at night?”

“Fuck you, I’m not interested in dating.”

“Every guy isn’t going to be Rick.”

Wrong tactic. Jon’s eyes went cold and angry, and he turned away to finish washing up. Gabe sighed, then ducked under his own showerhead. He knew better than to bring up Jon’s ex, but he needed to get it through Jon’s thick head that controlling, verbally abusive assholes like Rick were not the norm. He could find a good guy if he allowed himself to look.

Jon would be mad at him for a while, so Gabe finished showering and got dressed. He didn’t just want to Skype with Tristan. He wanted to touch him. He wanted to be near him. Except not at home. On a Saturday night, he knew exactly where they could hang out and be alone.

Once he got outside, he called Bear.

* * *

Tristan glanced at the clock on his wall. 5:10. Twenty minutes until dinnertime. A small part of him was sad that he hadn’t heard from Gabe yet, but Gabe did have a life outside of their email conversations. He was probably busy working, which meant no Skype tonight.

After dinner he’d settle in and continue with season three of Modern Family. Now that he could remember things longer, he’d started catching up on sitcoms that Noel had recommended. So far he loved this one. Mostly because it starred the guy from Married…With Children, a show he’d once watched religiously in reruns.

Someone knocked on his half-closed door. Tristan twisted around on his bed. A drop-dead gorgeous—Gabe. His heart skipped.

“Hey!” Tristan scrambled off the bed and practically leapt into Gabe’s arms. Gabe hauled him into a tight hug that made Tristan never want to let go. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Oh definitely.”

Gabe released his grip enough so they could look at each other. He was grinning like someone with a secret. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Is this your first time at Benfield?”

“Yes. The nurse at the front desk seemed shocked someone else was here to visit you.”

“I don’t get many visitors. Mostly Noel and Shane. Sometimes my friends from college, Billy and Chris.”

“Well, now you’ve got me. And if you’re willing, I’d like to take you out for a few hours.”

“Really?” Tristan’s stomach flipped with excitement.

“Yes. I promised you a viewing of Star Trek Into Darkness.”

“Do you think it’s too long?”

“If you forget details of the beginning, I’ll fill you in.” Gabe’s smile dimmed a bit. “But if you think going out just the two of us is a bad idea, you can say so. It won’t hurt my feelings.”

“No, I want to. It took me a few seconds to recognize you when you first got here but I know you. I want to go out with you, Gabe.”

“Good.” He glanced down. “You might want to put some pants on.”

Tristan laughed. He tended to spend most days in pajama bottoms because they were more comfortable than jeans. “Do I need to know any kind of dress code?”

“Completely casual.”

“Okay.”

Tristan fished a pair of clean jeans and socks out of his dresser. Gabe amused him by turning his back while he switched from the pajama pants to the jeans. So gentlemanly. Once he had his socks and sneakers on, Tristan said, “Okay, I’m decent.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“You’re going to surprise the guy with the memory problems?”

For a split second, Gabe faltered. Tristan laughed, then planted a kiss on his cheek.

“So joking,” Tristan said. “Surprise away.”

“Brat.”

The affection in that one simple word made Tristan’s blood hum. He grabbed his jacket, a notebook and a pen, then followed Gabe to the Admin desk so he could sign out. The nurse there, Caroline, smiled at him. “And who’s this handsome fellow, Tristan?”

“My friend Gabe. We’re going out for a while.”

“Well, you have fun. And be safe.”

“We will.”

Once they were outside, Gabe took his hand. They walked to his car like that, the crisp air the only thing keeping him from combusting with joy. A small, perfect moment under the stars. Tristan didn’t know how many—if any—other perfect moments he’d had, so he clung to this one as long as he could.

Eventually, they reached Gabe’s car. Gabe opened the passenger door for him, which was one of the sexiest things Tristan had ever seen. Such a perfect gentleman. The car smelled like vanilla. He located a little scented clip thing on one of the vents.

Gabe got them on the road then took his hand again. Tristan contented himself with staring at Gabe’s profile in the dim light. They were going out. They were going to watch a movie. If all went well, they were going to get naked too. Tristan really, really wanted that. He wanted to be with Gabe so badly he ached with it.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Gabe asked.

Might as well be upfront.

“I want to have sex with you.”

Gabe’s hand jerked the wheel. “Jesus, Tristan. You’re going to give me a hard-on before we even make it to dinner if you say stuff like that.”

Tristan laughed. “Not sorry.”

“I bet you aren’t. And I didn’t come out here simply to take you somewhere and fuck you. I want to spend time with you.”

“I want to spend time with you too. And I wouldn’t have protested if you picked me up just to park us under a tree and fuck my brains out.”

Gabe shifted in his seat. “Okay, those mental images are not helping.”

“Good, because I would not object to said actions.”

“As hot as that sounds, I’m not exactly prepared for it.”

A tiny pang of disappointment was chased away by the bulge in Gabe’s lap. “You don’t keep a condom in your wallet?”

“Not for a while. Like I said, I’m not about casual hookups.”

“Tell me you have supplies somewhere.”

Gabe glanced at him, his intentions very clear in that brief moment of eye contact. “Oh I do. Trust me.”

Tristan’s own cock was half-hard from the conversation alone. He reached across their clasped hands to press his free hand against Gabe’s erection. Gabe jumped then pushed toward the pressure. “You should find a dark spot so I can help you out with this.”

“Christ. I didn’t think you’d like public sex so much.”

“Have we done this before?”

Gabe explained the bowling alley bathroom, and Tristan was fully hard by the time he was done. He also had Gabe humping against his hand.

The road to Benfield was mostly country, a winding two-lane through the forested hills of central Pennsylvania. They’d reached the stop sign and could only go right or left on the state road. One sign pointed toward the PA turnpike, the other toward a small town two miles away.

Gabe met his gaze, dark and seductive. Tristan slowly drew his tongue along his lower lip. Gabe’s nostrils flared.

He turned toward the town. Maybe a mile down the road, he pulled off at a roadside produce stand boarded up for the winter. Gabe parked behind the shack, then turned off the lights and engine. He captured Tristan in a hard, claiming kiss, his tongue thrusting deeply into Tristan’s mouth. Tristan savored the minty taste of him, the firm way he controlled the kiss.

So good. Oh my God.

Gabe pulled back, his eyes blazing. “Get in the backseat.”

Tristan nearly came from the growled order alone. He climbed over the console and tumbled onto the rear bench seat. Gabe joined him and, in a dizzying move, had Tristan flat on his back, his legs hiked up over Gabe’s hips. Their erections pressed together, a delicious friction Gabe intensified with brief thrusts.

He dragged Gabe down and into another tongue-lashing kiss. Everything about it felt right. Every sweep of tongue and clash of teeth. The heady taste of Gabe as the mint faded. The softness of his lips and light abrasion of his unshaven skin.

Gabe kissed his way along Tristan’s neck, sending shivers down his spine that went straight to his cock. “Fuck, so good,” Tristan gasped.

Tristan shoved a hand between them, making fast work of both of their flies. Gabe helped him get their jeans and underwear down, out of the way. Tristan licked his palm then clasped their cocks together in his hand. Too much for him to manage with one, so Gabe used his hand not braced on the seat to help him out. They fucked their circle of fingers together, cocks pressing and sliding, somehow finding a rhythm that worked.

“Christ, that’s good,” Gabe said. He licked and sucked at Tristan’s throat then moved back to his mouth.

Pleasure sailed through him on waves, and Tristan rode it. He closed his eyes and kissed Gabe, unwilling to sever any contact. He stroked Gabe’s tongue with his, mimicking the thrusts of their cocks, until his balls drew up. Everything was hot and tight and so, so fucking good, and Gabe. All Gabe.

Gabe swallowed his cries when he came, a sharp burst of pleasure that seemed never-ending in its brilliance. Gabe followed a moment later, their combined release slicking their hands and bellies, and Gabe collapsed on top of him. Sealing them together. Hot breath puffed against the damp skin of his neck.

Tristan had never felt so alive or content than in that moment on the backseat of Gabe’s car—Gabe a human blanket he wanted to cuddle with forever.

Eventually the cooling air and awkward position forced Gabe to sit up. His face was creased and his lips puffy, the very picture of satisfaction. Tristan had done that. Pride puffed his chest.

“Glad you pulled over?” Tristan asked.

Gabe chuckled. “Very glad. We should clean up. I still need to take you to dinner.”

“And then more sex?”

With a wicked grin, Gabe leaned over and licked the tip of Tristan’s softening cock. “Very definitely more sex.”