“I stand corrected,” he said as Ash burst into the room.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” Ash screeched to a stop at the sight of Jax sitting on the couch, shirtless, one of his long arms draped over the back of the couch.
“Sorry,” Ash said again before turning to me. “Sorry.”
“No harm done. Take a seat on the couch, Ash, and we can get started.”
Ash put his bag down and reached for the hem of his shirt. He hesitated and looked at me questioningly.
“You can leave it on. It’s fine. Jax would be half or mostly naked all the time if he had his way.”
“Right.” Ash sat on the other end of the couch. He wiped his hands on his pants, clearly nervous. His gaze skittered around the room taking it all in. The camera, the lights, the fact that I was standing behind the camera, and he was in front of it.
“You’re going to have to sit a bit closer to Jax.”
Jax patted the couch cushion. “Come on. I only bite if you like it.”
Ash’s uneasiness was clear as day as he shimmied closer to Jax.
“Closer, Ash.” I’d expected a little nerves, but Ash had been around long enough to know that he’d actually have to touch Jax. It wasn’t like they were strangers. Jax worked pretty steady to put himself through school.
When Ash didn’t get close enough for Jax’s liking, he rolled his eyes, then leaned over and wrapped his arms around Ash and hauled him close. Ash let out a little yelp, and his cheeks flushed bright red.
“That’s better.” Jax looked down at Ash. “Hey, cutie.”
On camera, they looked good together. Jax was taller than Ash and had a larger frame, but he wasn’t so much bigger that their size difference looked strange. Ash had the youthful, boy-next-door thing going on. Jax, with his regular gym routine andhis shirtless torso, paired with the loose basketball shorts he favored, looked like your textbook jock.
“Uh, hey.” Ash shifted nervously. He tossed a glance in my direction as if searching for direction.
“Get comfortable, Ash. You’re not going to do anything today that you’re not ready for. Maybe a little kiss. Maybe we just get you two talking to each other and see how your chemistry unfolds.”
“Right. I knew that.” Ash looked at me again. “Do I look okay? I tried on, like, fifteen outfits.”
Before I could answer, Jax took over. He cupped Ash’s cheek and turned his face so he was looking at Jax.
“You look amazing,” Jax told him, sincerity oozing from every pore. Jax was nothing if not charming, and he was the kind of guy who didn’t say shit he didn’t mean. His kind heart was part of the reason I wanted Ash to shoot with him. Jax would be good for him.
“Thanks.” Ash exhaled. “You look nice too.”
“These old things?” Jax plucked at the fabric of his shorts, making Ash’s face turn a pretty impressive shade of pink. “You really like them?”
Ash raked his gaze down Jax’s body, then back up again. “They suit you.”
“Are you nervous, Ash?” Jax asked quietly, not quite a whisper.
“A little,” Ash admitted, but he looked far more relaxed than he had a minute ago. It was like Jax was the twink whisperer or something.
“What if I promised to take care of you? To be extra sweet with you? Would that make you feel better?” Jax leaned in, and they were perilously close to kissing.
Through the camera, I saw the way Ash looked at him, like he was full of so many new sensations and wasn’t sure what to dowith them. He looked a little like a deer caught in the headlights, but then he nodded and Jax smiled at him.
It was obvious they were a good match. Jax would be able to ease Ash into a scene, to calm his jittery nerves. Something I hadn’t expected from him, if I was being honest. I guess I should have, but Ash had been pushing me for ages to do this, insisting that he was ready.
Jax, a seasoned pro, read the situation and moved in. He gave Ash plenty of time to stop, to say something, to pull away from the impending kiss, but Ash swayed toward it instead. Jax slid his hand into Ash’s hair and brought his other arm around him, pulling him a little closer as he deepened the kiss.
Ash’s hands rose off his lap, and he slid them up Jax’s bare chest, at which point Jax pulled away, smiling softly at Ash, who stared up at him with wide eyes. Then he looked at me, and I turned the camera off.
“You guys looked great. Did you want to see?”
