I dropped my gear bag. The adrenaline from the shoot mixed with the panic from Evan’s question and the jealousy of seeing Cal with Jinx.
“She was doing her job,” I shot back. “Unlike you. You looked like you wanted to snap her neck.”
“Because she was all over you!” Cal snapped, pacing the small room. “Touching your chest. Whispering in your ear. It was unprofessional.”
“And you and Jinx?” I countered, stepping into his space. “She was draped all over you. Laughing. Whispering. You didn’t seem to mind her touch.”
“That’s different,” Cal scoffed. “Jinx is cool. It’s marketing.”
“Is it?” I challenged. “Because you two looked perfect together. The King and Queen of Darkness.”
I stopped, the real fear finally bubbling up.
“She’s your type, Cal,” I whispered, the fight draining out of me. “She’s a woman. She’s gorgeous. I know you like women too. I know I’m not… I can’t give you that image.”
Cal stopped pacing. The anger vanished from his face, replaced by a sharp, focused intensity.
“You think I want Jinx?” Cal asked quietly.
“I think it would be easier,” I admitted, looking at the floor. “If you were with her… you wouldn’t have to hide in hotel rooms. You wouldn’t have to lie to everyone. You could be out holding hands. It’s the life you’re supposed to have.”
Cal stepped closer. He didn’t touch me. He just stood there, radiating heat.
“You think I want easy?” Cal asked, his voice low. “I don’t want a prop girlfriend.”
He took another step, trapping me against the lockers.
“I want you,” Cal said, his eyes locking onto mine. “I want the guy who jumps off crates until he passes out. I want the guy who keeps snacks in the glove box for me. I chose you, Silas. Stop acting like I’m looking for an exit.”
He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear.
“Besides,” Cal whispered, the tenderness vanishing into something darker, filthier. “Do you want to know what I was actually thinking about on that throne?”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“I was thinking about how much better you would look riding me in it,” Cal murmured. “Right there. In front of the cameras. You, straddling my lap, taking the crown. We haven’t tried that yet, have we? You on top?”
My breath hitched. “No.”
“I was picturing it the whole time,” Cal continued. “How you’d look with your head thrown back. How I’d be able to watch your face while you rode me. We really need to try that, baby.”
Something inside me snapped. The jealousy, the fear, the desire, it all exploded.
I shoved him. Hard.
Cal stumbled back, hitting the lockers with a clang. His eyes went wide. “Silas—”
“Shut up,” I growled. “You talk too much.”
I didn’t wait. My hands went to the waistband of his trunks. I hooked my fingers in the fabric and yanked them down to his knees in one motion.
Cal gasped as his cock sprang free, already semi hard. “Fuck—”
“Mine,” I snarled.
I wrapped my hand around his shaft, gripping him firmly. I started stroking him with a rough, punishing rhythm.
“Oh god,” Cal groaned, his hips snapping forward.
