And Ben’s serenity wasgone.
He wriggled at least partly free, pushed and struggleduntil he was upright, called Liam’s name once more, saw Liam half turn before Wilton reclaimed his attention and directed him to the open limo door.
Liam was leaving. Ben had built up his courage, come all the way to the city, risked himself, exposed himself, and Liam wasn’t even noticing his efforts. Liam was leaving with another man, and Ben would be alone. He’d lose Liam again.
Hecouldn’tlose Liam again.
And right there, in the crush of paparazzi and autograph-seekers, celebrities and security, Ben roared. Nothing as coherent as words, just frustration, anger, need—passion. He roared, and heads turned toward him.Liam’shead turned toward him.
Eric Wilton turned too, butfuckEric Wilton. This wasn’t about him. Now that Liam was looking at Ben, this wasn’t about anything oranyone that wasn’t the two of them.
“Ben?” Liam’s voice was carried away by the commotion, but the word was clear anyway. Ben had been seen. Recognized. Acknowledged. And maybe that should have been enough, but damn it, it wasn’t.
He squirmed free from the grip of a guard who’d clearly been surprised by the volume of Ben’s cry and stumbled forward. “Liam!” he called.
And Liam was stepping towardhim, although he looked more concerned than amorous. “What the hell’s going on?” Liam yelled. He shook his head, grabbed Ben’s wrist, and tugged him forward.
Before Ben understood what was happening he was being shoved into a limo, soft leather upholstery cushioning his graceless sprawl. He stayed still for a moment, one arm and leg on the seat, the others on the floor, trying to figure out whathe’d just done.
As the vehicle began to move, he struggled gracelessly onto the bench and stared at the two men opposite him. Liam was staring back. Eric Wilton, on the other hand, looked smooth, polished, and slightly amused.
“Am I the only one thinking ‘threesome’?” the actor asked.
Ben closed his eyes and tried to find a moment of peace, but there was none to be had. So he opened them, lookedat Liam, and said, “I hope you are. But I’ve screwed all this up badly enough, making the decisions myself. I think I have to put myself at Liam’s mercy now.”
