Liam’s shoulders hit the wall with a wet thud, chest heaving against Jacob’s. He tugged once on instinct, but Jacob’s grip only tightened on his wrists. Tension sang through him; muscles straining, fingers twitching against Jacob’s hold as if testing what he would allow. A shiver ran through him, lips parting, eyes dark with something Jacob recognized.
“You like being held down,” he said, watching the way Liam’s breath hitched.
Fuck. Jacob loved that silent surrender. The dilation in Liam’s eyes, and the raw want rolling off him in waves, were addictive as hell.
“Apparently,” Liam murmured. “You keep unlocking new shit.”
Jacob’s mouth curved. “Good. Something to play with later.”
He dropped to his knees in one smooth motion, water splashing around him. Liam’s startled breath was loud over the spray. Jacob gripped his hips, thumbs digging in, and looked up at him through the steam. “Keep your eyes on me.” Then heleaned in and took him into his mouth, the taste of him mixing with water on his tongue.
For a man who’d thought himself straight his whole life, this should have been a line he couldn’t cross. With Liam, the questions didn’t matter—only the reckless need did. Wanting drowned out hesitation, rewrote instinct, and made him greedy for more.
He licked a long line along the underside of his cock before sealing his lips around him and pulling back in a slow, deliberate drag. Liam’s head tipped back, a broken sound escaping his throat, making Jacob instantly hungry for more.
He took his time, every movement deliberate, working Liam over with purpose until he was trembling beneath his grip.
“Jacob—” Liam whimpered.
Jacob’s grip only tightened, holding him in place as he took him deep and swallowed around him. Liam’s whole body jerked, a groan ripping out of him, as fingers locked in Jacob’s hair hard enough to sting. He didn’t stop until Liam broke, spilling into his mouth with a helpless cry that Jacob claimed with dark satisfaction.
The taste was all Liam—sharp, hot, and addictive—and Jacob didn’t waste a drop, swallowing it all without breaking eye contact.
He rose slowly, water streaming down his face, watching the wrecked look in Liam’s eyes. He smirked as he brushed a thumb over Liam’s jaw. “Guess I’m a quick study.”
Liam’s incredulous laugh barely left his mouth before Jacob kissed him deep, sharing the taste still lingering on his tongue. He grabbed Liam’s hand and guided it down until it pressed exactly where he ached for him. His voice was a rasp against Liam’s mouth. “Your turn.”
Liam shuddered, his grip tightening at once. Jacob’s mouth curved into a wicked smile at the first stroke. This was going to be good.
***
The party was loud. Not wild or chaotic—just loud in that particular way people got when the work was over, the alcohol was free, and exhaustion turned into something bright and loose. The studio had scattered lights through the trees, strung up like constellations. Music drifted over the hum of voices, food was set out on white platters, and the faint scent of citronella fought with perfume.
Tonight, Jacob didn’t hate it, not with Liam here.
He looked handsome, hair damp from the shower, dressed in dark jeans and a loose white shirt. Jacob was fixated on the hollow of his neck where the fabric gaped open.
Liam had used Benji’s makeup kit, and it had done its job. The makeup had hidden the marks he’d left, covering the proof of what they’d done. He should’ve been relieved. Instead, all he could think about was how wrong Liam looked without them.
Jacob leaned against a porch column, watching him laugh at something a crew member said, that beautiful smile breaking over him like light. For the first time in longer than he cared to admit, Jacob felt content—not the hollow comfort he’d forced on himself for years, or the grateful-to-be-safe kind, but something that sank deeper. Something rare and startlingly real.
It was fucked up. He wasn’t supposed to feel this good, not standing across a crowded party watching a man who wasn’t his.
Liam glanced over and found him instantly. Their eyes locked and Jacob froze. For a heartbeat, neither moved—then Liam smiled, genuine and private, meant for him alone. It landed withquiet force, stealing the breath from his chest. He tore his gaze away first, taking a long pull of his drink as if it could steady him.
This was a problem.
The sex? Fine. He could shove that into a box and call it chemistry, or stress relief, or even temporary insanity. But this—this lightness in his chest, that fucked-up little glow under his skin every time Liam looked at him? That was harder to explain away.
“You’re scowling,” Liam said, suddenly close enough that his voice brushed the space between them.
Jacob didn’t look over. “Am I?”
“Deeply.” Liam took a sip of his drink. “Tragic, really. It’s killing the vibe.”
Jacob’s mouth twitched, the sound that followed close to a laugh.
Liam bumped his shoulder. “I know you don’t like parties.”
