Page 28

Art nodded slowly, nibbling at his own sandwich. I put my hand on his knee, squeezing gently.

“I promise, him leaving was inevitable. You’re not at fault here. He is. He was already on our last nerve. If it were Ruby or one of the other guys who got upset about us refusing that contract, I would’ve tried harder to explain it and gotten them to understand where we were coming from. Zion wasn’t worth the fight.”

Letting out a breath, he nodded. “Okay. But if I overstep, you should tell me. I was just trying to help, but Zion was right. I’m not part of the band.”

I didn't fully agree with that, not after everything he’d done to help us, but I got the feeling we’d go in circles all night if we didn’t move on from the conversation. I nodded to appease him and let it go, relaxing in my seat as I turned toward the view. We ate in silence for a while, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Art looked more at ease than he did when we first arrived, and after he finished eating, he fished his phone out of his pocket and started snapping pictures. I watched him with a smile on my face, just enjoying his excitement. He stood to get a better angle, snapping a few more, before tipping his head.

“You know, this would be a really good place for an album cover.”

Pursing my lips, I looked around. None of us had ever thought about album covers before. We just assumed the label would think up most of that stuff. I raised my eyebrows at Art.

“What’d you have in mind?”

It turned into a mini photo session, him adjusting my posture on the bench and moving behind me to get the view in the background. He made little comments, like how he wished I had my guitar, or how it’d look better with the whole band, but he seemed to be having fun and I liked being his model.

“If the bench didn’t have a back, then laying down with your guitar would look nice too,” he murmured. Some of his comments I felt were more for himself than for me, and he never seemed like he needed me to reply. I smiled to myself, letting him nudge me into lying across the bench with my head resting on the arm as he tried something new. “No… The back ruins it. I can’t see enough of you.”

“Then why not come over here and join me? You can see me better up close.”

He huffed out a laugh, moving to stand behind the bench, and looked down at me. “Not what I meant. I was mostly thinking out loud.”

Grinning, I grabbed his hand and tugged, leading him around the bench so he was standing in front of me. “I know. But I’ve got a different idea for the cover.”

His brows furrowed, but before he could ask for an explanation, I pulled him down until he was lying on top of me. He looked surprised, his body stiff like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“See, with the back covering us, people will wonder what we’re doing,” I murmured, sliding my hands down his back. “Where I’m touching you and how.” My hands moved over his ass, squeezing the tight globes. His breath caught in his throat, encouraging me to keep going. “All they’ll see is you on top of me, your lips on mine, and teasing them with what if.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I could see the want there. The orange glow from the city barely lit up his face, but I could see just fine in the dark. His pupils were blown and hisglasses only made his eyes seem bigger, emphasizing the needy look. I was curious if he’d make a move, but the longer I waited, the more tense and nervous he got. He wasn’t ready to take charge yet, not without a little encouragement. I cupped the back of his head, drawing him closer, and whispered against his lips.

“Kiss me, Art. Give the audience what they want.”

“There is no audience,” he whispered back, his breath intermixing with mine, he was so damn close. “I didn’t even set up my camera.”

I hummed, lifting my head enough to barely brush my lips against his. “I guess we’ll just pretend then.”

He closed what was left of the distance between us, pressing his lips to mine. It started off soft, hesitant, but with enough coaxing, he came out of his shell little by little. Shifting himself into a better position moved his body perfectly over mine, chest to chest, pelvis to pelvis. His kisses turned needy and frantic when I lifted my hips to grind against his. We made out like teenagers, tongues tangled, hands everywhere, until I had to pull away or risk coming in my jeans. The bench wasn’t big enough for any real action, so I sat up, dragging Art with me, and nipped at his bottom lip to get his attention.

“Time for your next lesson. I’m gonna introduce you to the joys of sucking cock.”

He shivered, his eyes heavy lidded and lust fogged. It was his turn to be the model, and I arranged him how I wanted, legs spread to make room for me, pants undone, arms on the back of the bench, head thrown back as I stroked him. A quick wardrobe change and he’d look like a prince waiting to be devoured by the devil.

“Now this would be one hell of an album cover.”

His strained laugh broke the quiet, his head dropping forward to look at me. “I think producers might have an issue with it.”

I shrugged, shooting him a wicked grin. “Not as long as they can’t see the goods. It’s a tease, remember? The bench is short enough that they can see I’m here, but not what I’m doing. I think that cover would be hot.”

Art swallowed hard, staring at me, his glasses slightly askew. “I… I’ve never done this before.”

I’d been about to lick him, to taste the precum already seeping from his cock, but I froze at his words, looking up at him.

“With another guy, you mean?”

He shook his head, his breath uneven. “No. Val never– She said it was gross, so we never–”

He looked embarrassed, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood, so I picked up where I left off, stroking his cock just enough to give him friction without actually getting him off. I leaned over, lapping at the head, and earned a shout from Art, his hips bucking automatically. I drew back, teasing him with a few more light strokes.

“Well, she was missing out because you’re fucking delicious.”