“Plenty of space to get washed up for them, anyway,” a deep voice responds from behind him. Caught off guard, Blake spins around to find Paxton leaning against the sink, his arms crossed over his open shirt and partially bare chest.Have mercy.
“You into that kinda stuff?” Blake asks casually, trying to look cool by mimicking Paxton’s pose and instead losing his footing and nearly falling head first into the water closet. He recovers by grabbing hold of the pocket door, which rewards him by sliding out and being absolutelynohelp at all inregaining his balance. Cheeks burning, Blake straightens up to the sound of Paxton laughing, but the look on his face has Blake smiling too. What kind of soulless monster could ever regret making such a gorgeous man look likethat?
“I am,” Pax says coyly, wandering closer and into Blake’s space once again with absolutely no reservation. “Very much. However…” Here, he pauses, his fingers walking shamelessly from Blake’s belly button up the middle of his chest before reluctantly slipping away, back into Paxton’s fist. Blake shivers, feeling like his body is on fire standing so close to this man, but he resists making a move. The last thing he wants to seem is desperate.
The green light isveryclearly being flashed his way, though.
“Something about you,” Paxton muses, his eyes tracking from Blake’s chest up to his face when Pax tips his chin up justso,and now Blake feels like his body is disconnecting from his brain. There’s more than pure attraction flowing between them. Whatever it is, it’s powerful,strong,and — well,somethingis right. “I think you could hold my attention all on your own. It’s been many years since I’ve met someone who—” Paxton cuts himself off abruptly and searches Blake’s eyes, making his breath come short and fast, which Blake fights to hide.
Kiss me,he thinks, but Paxton doesn’t, just scours him down to his soul with that piercing gaze.
“Think about it,” Paxton says, before pulling away and stepping backward towards the door to the bedroom. “I’d loveto find out.” He disappears into the chaos of the shared sleeping space, leaving Blake behind to fumble for his brain cells and to try and jam them back into his non-functioning head. Paxton is fucking weird, that’s for sure, but it’s a weird Blake is drawn to like a damn magnet. He wants him, wants more of him, in a way that feels terrifying in both its novelty and its strength.
It makes Blake want to run (swim?) screaming from this bizarre place, as much as it makes him want to follow Paxton blindly wherever he might go.
That’s crazy, he reminds himself. You just met the dude.
Blake shakes himself off and decides there’s a simple answer here. Hebadlyneeds to get laid. Sounds like Pax is up for that, anyway, and Blake is going to make it fucking happen.Tonight.
_____________________
After they’ve all settled in and claimed beds, everyone takes turns freshening up and changing from beach-wear into party clothes. While the bathroom is full to capacity with dudes showering and girls straightening hair and putting on makeup, some of the cast slips away to explore the grounds. That includes Blake, though he doesn’t seek out a buddy to explore with him. Instead, he keeps to himself, mainly out there tofinallygrab a quick dip in the pool.
The mics are waterproof, so Blake leaves his on, as instructed. He plunges in without hesitation, diving smoothlyunder the glass-like surface with barely a splash to mark his presence.
The water is cool and refreshing compared to the air, and Blake makes no bones about relaxing down into it. After a few laps back and forth, he drapes himself over the side, arms soaking in warmth from the sun-heated pavers.
Early evening here is quiet and peaceful, the just-setting sun a perfect backdrop for Blake to take a moment and get out of his own head. He exhales intentionally and tries to ignore the mishmash of confusing feelings this day has provoked inside of him. The liquid around Blake’s body buoys him gently,finallyrelieving some of the stress and tension, as well as cooling his overheated skin.
While he’s floating there, Blake can’t help but notice something interesting. Down on the beach, maybe thirty yards away from the pool, Vincent and Amber are splayed out side-by-side on lounge chairs. Despite feeling like a creepy voyeur, Blake watches intently as they close the space between them and launch into averyenthusiastic make-out session.
Well,Blake thinks — as he also watches a cameraman capture the whole thing from the POV of Vin’s feet — at least if he and Pax get down and dirty later, they won’t be the first.
Back in the shared bedroom, there are clothes and accessories strewn everywhere as everyone scrambles to look their best for tonight. In Blake’s opinion, that translates more closely to club-ready than upscale party, but he’s not complaining. Not an upscale bone in his body, that’s for sure.The girls especially come out looking hot as hell, and Pax does too. He keeps the linen pants from earlier but trades out his collared shirt in favor of an obscene white tee that puts his nipples on full display. Blake does his best not to drool, what with the way the cotton clings to his muscles and dampens with sweat spots almost the second Pax steps outside the heavy bedroom door.
The hell is wrong with him?Pax is just a dude. A hot — okay, really hot — dude, but that’s it.
Expectations low, Blake reminds himself. Pax is here for the same reason as everybody else — to hook up and have fun, no strings attached. Eyes on the prize. Break some headboards, shake some floorboards, go so hard everyone involved is walking funny the next day — that’s the name of the game. Don’t you fuckin’ forget it, Lawrence.
For his part, Blake keeps it simple where it comes to his look — second-skin jeans that show off his best assets combined with a black t-shirt. Fresh gel in his hair after a quick shower, since the sea breeze, pool water, and sun seem to have melted his morning style away and left his skin tacky and gross. Satisfied, Blake winks at the mirror before joining the rest of the group outside their room.
There’s a palpable tension in the air — equal parts unsure anxiety and sexually-charged anticipation for what’s to come — and that energy invades their casual conversations. Even Ariana is distracted and giddy when Blake engages her as they wait to head to dinner, lingering next to the hot tub. She continuallylooks past him, smiling dopily at that Dani chick and glaring at anyone who so much as dares to talk to her.
It’s pretty cute, Blake has to admit.
Leah chatting upPax,on the other hand, her fingers flirtingly squeezing his bicep and then trailing down his forearm — not so cute, and Blake is surprised at the possessive irritation he feels bubble up in his stomach at the sight.
Even more so, he has to cope with the fact that his jealousy is overPax,not the bendy, busty co-ed who would probably not be opposed to getting in between them (Blake’s guessing).
Fuck,does he want Pax all to himself? Is that what these stupid feelings are? Blake can’t even remember the last time he cared what a hookup did before or after they were in his bed. This is… unprecedented, to say the least. Alsoweird,and Blake doesn’t like it one bit. Maybe he’s just getting too old for this — that’s what Hayden said, anyway, when Blake slapped the contract down on his desk, all puffed-up bravado and cocky charm.
“Aren’t you tired of this kind of stuff?” he’d asked, totally non-judgemental but cocky about it all the same.
“Tired of hot sex on tap with no strings attached and maybe free money? Uh, no,” Blake had replied without even pausing to think about it.
Turns out that maybe Hayden was more on the money than Blake thought. Hehateswhen Hayden’s right. Kid has the most annoying “told you so” face on the planet.
Dinner is served smorgasbord-style in the kitchen Rachel showed him earlier, and Blake mixes and mingles with nearly everyonebutPax while they eat and drink. The alcohol flows freely, but Blake is sharp enough to take note that the producers have no apparent interest in discouraging the cast from partaking in as much as they like. They want them tipsy, want them to let their guards down. It’s working.
