Encore Encore (26 page)

“No shit. Really?”

“Mmm, that means I can take advantage of you.” Will pressed him back on the couch and stretched out over him, pinning Kieran with his body. He ground their crotches together. “I always wanted to be a star-fucker.” His breath wafted over Kieran’s lips and his erection dug into Kieran’s thigh. “I wish I could have been there with you tonight. Next to you when they announced your name.” Will shifted, using his knees to spread Kieran’s legs.

“You looked so hot, so sexy. And I thought to myself, that’s my baby up there. God, I wish I’d been there.”

“You could have been there. Nobody was stopping you.” He didn’t want this, didn’t want to have this argument again, didn’t want sex and didn’t want Will, not now, maybe not at all.

What was wrong with him? He shouldn’t have drunk so much.

That had to be it.

“I bought you a present.” Will lifted his head, propped himself on one elbow and peered around the room.

“Yeah? What is it?” Kieran felt a fl icker of curiosity, but only a fl icker.

Will levered himself off the couch and walked over to where he’d dropped his jacket on a chair by the front door. From ENCORE! ENCORE!
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underneath the jacket he produced a wrapped box. He brought it over to the couch and held it out.

Kieran took it. It was light and felt almost like it was empty.

He fumbled with the paper then gave up and tore into it. Lifting the lid, he plunged his hands into the layers of tissue paper and drew out something soft and silky.

Lingerie.

Kieran held it up. It was a red teddy with spaghetti straps and an access fl ap at the crotch. There were peek-a-boo fl aps over the nipples that fastened with little velvet bows.

“It’s silk,” Will informed him, running a fi ngertip down the front. He caught his fi nger in the crotch fl ap and tugged. The material parted, revealing a sheer panel that could be undone with more little bows. “I can’t wait to see you in it. Why don’t you go put it on and model for me?”

Because it’s fi ve in the morning and I’m tired. Because I’ve been out all
night and I’m so drunk I can hardly stand up. Because I don’t want to fuck
you, or see you, or talk to you, not right now and maybe not ever again.

In his head, Kieran went through his list of reasons. But he said only, “Because I don’t feel like it.” Dropping the lingerie back in the box, he set the whole thing on the coffeetable and got unsteadily to his feet. He took two staggering steps before he was stopped by Will’s hand on his arm.

“What’s wrong?” Will stepped into him, tried to slide his arms around Kieran’s waist. “I thought you’d want to see me, celebrate with me.”

Kieran stepped back and nearly went sprawling over the coffeetable. He caught himself and sat down hard on the edge, which left his face at the level of Will’s crotch.

“Hey, now there’s a pretty picture.” Will thrust his hips forward, his dick fi lling as Kieran watched, that long thick shaft tenting the front of the black cotton briefs. “Maybe you got a present for me too?”

200 Gardner ~ His Leading Man

Kieran waited for the spark of desire. He loved sucking cock.

There had been a time when he’d loved sucking Will’s cock, loved the slide of that hot meat past his lips, the taste of Will’s pre-cum on his tongue, the way his fi ngers gripped Kieran’s hair, the sounds he made. But right then, sitting there with Will’s dick inches from his face, he couldn’t fi nd any of that eagerness inside him. Instead there was resentment that he’d come home to fi nd Will here, in his place, without an invitation, having let himself in with the key Kieran hadn’t wanted him to have; resentment that instead of by his side tonight, Will had been elsewhere, hiding their relationship as he always did. And yeah, maybe Will was happy for him and proud of him, but how much did that count when he was also ashamed of him?

Kieran shook his head and thought again of David’s text, those words that meant more to him than the mostly naked man standing in front of him. He should have answered, texted David back, or called. He could call and say what? Thanks for the congratulations? I wish you’d been there with me? I still love you like crazy and maybe I always will?

Christ, he was so fucked up.

Will had his dick in his hand and was stroking himself. He leaned in. “C’mon, babe, suck me. I’ve been horny for you all night.” He tapped the head of his cock against Kieran’s lips.

“Open up.”

Kieran leaned back, his head spinning. “I said no. Now let me up. I want to go to bed.”

“What’s wrong with you tonight? I thought you’d be happy to see me. I thought we’d have the whole night and maybe even the whole weekend, but you’re acting like an asshole.”

“Why don’t you just go home then?” Because Will wasn’t moving, Kieran swung his feet over the coffeetable, narrowly missing a tall crystal sculpture. He didn’t even like the damn thing. He’d only bought it because he’d met the artist and the guy was hot.

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“I can’t go home. Rox thinks I’m in Vegas and that I won’t be back till Monday.”

“Then go to Vegas.” Kieran got to his feet on the opposite side of the table. As he headed for the bedroom he reached for the zipper at the back of his dress and yanked it down.

“Don’t you walk away from me.” Will gripped Kieran’s shoulders and spun him around. Using his body, he crowded him back against the wall beside the bedroom door. The plaster felt cold against the bare skin of his back, Will’s body hot against his front, that hard cock pushing into his belly. One of Will’s hands fi sted in his hair while the other tugged at the neckline of the gown, snapping one of the thin straps.

“Will, stop. Ow, you’re hurting me.” Kieran shoved at the hand shoving his dress down to his waist. But his coordination was off from all the alcohol and Will simply knocked his hand aside.

“Yeah, that’s it, princess. You like it. Don’t tell me you don’t.” The dress slid to the fl oor with a soft sigh of silk. Will yanked aside Kieran’s underwear and gripped his cock. “We haven’t played rough in a long time, you and me.”

“I said, get off me.” Kieran got his hands up between them and pushed hard, throwing Will off balance. He stumbled back but he held on to Kieran’s hair and the two of them crashed to the fl oor. They struggled, rolling over and over, Will ending up on top.

“Shit, you’re like a wildcat tonight.” Panting hard, Will pinned Kieran’s wrists and tried to shove his legs apart.

The asshole was still hard. A feverish excitement burned in Will’s eyes, and Kieran realized with growing horror that he really did think they were playing, that this game was going to end in fucking whether he wanted it or not, whether he said no or not.

He reared up and sank his teeth into Will’s cheek.

“Fuck!” Will released him and clapped a hand to his face.

Wide, shocked eyes stared down at Kieran. “You bit me. You fucking crazy fuck, you fucking bit me.”
202 Gardner ~ His Leading Man

“I told you to get off me.” Kieran scooted back along the fl oor, out from under Will, who was now on his knees.

Secretly he had even shocked himself. He had never bitten anyone before. What the fuck was wrong with him?

Will got to his feet. Slowly he lowered his hand and stared at the blood. He walked to the bar in the corner of the living room and stared at his refl ection in the mirror hanging above it.

“I cannot believe you fucking bit me. On the face, for Christ’s sake!” Suddenly he spun around and glared at Kieran, his expression totally horrifi ed. “What the hell am I supposed to tell Roxanne?”

“So you bit him and all he did was say, what am I going to tell Roxanne?” Christine shook her head as she dipped the brush in the bottle of nail polish on the table beside her lounge chair.

“Pretty much. Well, after he called me a fucking crazy fuck.” Kieran picked up his water bottle and held it against his forehead.

His headache from last night had faded from skull shattering to a dull throb, thanks to the liberal use of aspirin and Christine’s super secret hangover remedy. “I swear, I’m never drinking champagne again.”

Christine snorted delicately and leaned over the foot she had propped on the edge of the chair. “Yeah, right, till next time.” They were sitting by Christine’s pool in the late afternoon sun, she in a green polka dot bikini and Kieran stripped down to a pair of ragged cutoffs.

“I’m not,” Kieran said.

“Quit lying and have some more licorice.” She nudged the bag closer to him.

“I hate red licorice.” But he took another piece and stuck the end in his mouth. Bit, chewed and swallowed. “Licorice is supposed to be black.”

“Black licorice doesn’t work. So what happened after the Roxanne comment? What did you say?”

“I said, ‘tell her you got bit by a Vegas whore’ then I went into the bedroom and locked the door.”

“And that was it? He left?” Christine dipped her brush again and returned to polishing her big toe.

“After I gave him his clothes.” Kieran adjusted the brim of his hat to compensate for the angle of the now setting sun. It
204 Gardner ~ His Leading Man

scattered dapples of golden light across the turquoise water of the pool. It was pretty but it made his headache worse.

“You should have made him leave naked.”

“He had his briefs on.”

“Hmm, I always fi gured Will Tierney for a boxer man. Still, that would have been funny.” She capped the polish. “Hand me that bottle of clear, will you?”

“It would have been, except he never would have left in his briefs. He’d still be there pounding on the bedroom door.” He passed her the clear polish. “Although if that were the case, my head would have exploded hours ago, so maybe it wouldn’t matter.”

“Honey, you so need to cut him loose.” The bottle of polish went click, click, click as she shook it.

“I know.” Kieran sighed and prepared to drop his bomb-shell.

“On the way home in the car, after the awards thing, I got a text from David.”

Christine’s head came up. “‘The’ David? What did it say?”

“Just congratulations and he signed it, best.” As much as he tried to sound cool and like it didn’t matter, just thinking about David’s text made his heart race.

“Hmm.” Finishing with the clear coat, she capped the polish, leaned back on her lounge and reached for her own water bottle.

“You know, now with this award and your contract coming up, you’re in a good position to make a career move.”

“Huh?” He was used to Christine’s nonsequiters, but this was pretty wild even for her.

“I’m talking about making the jump.”

“What jump?”

She made an impatient sound. “From small screen to big, silly.

What jump do you think? Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.”

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“Sure, I’ve thought about it. Every actor does.” He still had no clue where she was going with this. But knowing Christine she had a point.

“Okay then. So we’re agreed.” She reached for her phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“My brother. He’s getting ready to cast the movie he’s been working on and—”

“No.” Kieran made a grab for the phone. “There’s no way I can be in that movie.”

Christine eyed him. “And why not? Didn’t you like the book?”

She’d given him a signed copy of her brother’s latest novel when it came out. He still had it in his condo… somewhere.

Kieran’s cheeks grew hot. “I sort of haven’t read it yet.”

“Well, you should. The book rocks. Or I could get you a copy of the script. The main character is Michael. He’s a blind gay guy whose partner dies and— Oh, you should just read it. Anyway, I think you’d be perfect for Michael. I could talk to Gavin and—”

“You can’t, Tine. I can’t.”

“But why?”

Crap. He should have told her. He’d meant to, it just had never come up.

“Because the guy writing that script with Gavin is David Sullivan. You know, ‘the’ David, my David.”

“Oh, honey, I know that. I’ve known it for ages. I was wondering when you were going to get around to telling me.” She laughed. “You should see the look on your face. It’s priceless.”

“How did you fi nd out?”

“Gavin told me.” She stretched her legs out and examined her toenail polish. “It wasn’t long after that party where I introduced the two of you.” She sent him a sideways look. “Very sneaky of you, my dear. Did you really think I wouldn’t fi nd out?”
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He shook his head. “I meant to tell you but—” She waved away his attempt to explain. “No matter. But now that all the cards are on the table, Kieran, sweetie, maybe you can tell me why you don’t want to be in this movie that the love of your life is directing.”

“Because…” He tested out,
because he hates my guts
and found that it didn’t ring true.

“Because?” Christine prompted.

“He’d never give me that part, no matter how perfect I was for it.”

“Because?”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Oh, right, people always send congratulations to someone they can’t stand. Try again because that doesn’t even make any sense.”

Of course it didn’t make sense. But because he’d actually begun to think about what it might mean if he got that part—

not to his career, though that was certainly a consideration, but personally—and because he needed a reason it wouldn’t work, he’d thrown that out there. And yeah, she’d called him on it.

“You should call David. If not call then text.”

“What should I say?”

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks would be a good start. How have you been? We should get together next time you’re in L.A.? There are a million things you could say.” She pointed at him with her water bottle. “He opened the door with that text he sent. Now it’s up to you.”

“Maybe he was just—”

“Maybe my butt. He didn’t have to text you. He’s testing the waters. After what happened last time, he’s probably wondering if you’ll ever speak to him again.”

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