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Story: Notorious

Choked up at his words, and at the knowledge my brothers were growing into their own, I swallowed my emotions. At the knowledge of my entire family thriving in the past few years, only growing closer together since Ollie came into our lives, had me blurt out my feelings.

“I’m proud of you, Landon, and I love you.”

He cleared his throat and said,“Love you too, big bro. Lyric and I will be at the studio soon. Do you need anything?”

“Nah, we’re covered here, but be safe.”

Ollie cleared his throat when Landon rang off, and when I turned into his arms, I raised an eyebrow.

“Was I presumptuous? You know, when I suggested the interview?” Ollie asked.

Leaning in until our faces were close together, I pressed my lips to his soft ones and shivered in delight when he sighed. I loved the dreamy look on his face whenever we touched. In all honesty, there was a jolt in my chest at the complete trust he’d revealed to me.

The part of my personality where I dove in head first for the experience quieted to a hum inside me whenever we were together, something I never could have predicted.

“I…” my brow furrowed because I wondered if I hadn’t made my feelings clear. I knew we had jumped into a relationship once I came back from Vancouver when I asked him to be my boyfriend, but I realized we never spoke about our feelings or what we wanted for our future. The relationship was a whirlwind of sensations new to me, but not once had I ever conceived that Ollie and I would be anything less than everything to each other.

His brows drew down as he searched my gaze, the concern about stepping past a boundary evident in the pinch of his lips. I cupped his face and leaned my forehead against his and blew out a breath.

“Maybe it’s my fault,” I whispered.

There was a moment where he worked on deciphering my words, but in the end, his brows drew down and he asked, “What?”

I drew back while keeping eye contact.

“Ollie. I have no clue why I never said this earlier, especially since I’ve been feeling the same way for months, but I want you to know.

“Cariño mío, I am so in love with you. I’m surprised you can’t feel it when you look at me. You are my everything. My confidant and partner in every sense of the word, the one man who holds my happiness in your hands. I live for you, for us, and everything else that comes is a bonus. I thank the gods every day you walkedon that plane and gave me a chance and I will never, ever take you for granted.”

The pressure in my chest squeezed to uncomfortable levels when a sob escaped his throat, but then he wrapped me in a hug so tight he kept me from falling apart. Then a laugh broke through the tears and when I pulled back a couple of inches, his smile was gorgeous.

My thumbs wiped at the tears and then traced over his lips, filling me with such utter devotion in that moment. I vowed to keep Ollie feeling this happiness for as long as we lived.

“Oh, Connor. Thank you for the words I longed to hear. I love you, with all my heart.”

When our lips touched, I became lost in the moment. A sense of peace settled in my chest, and I groaned as my lips pulled the sexiest little moan from Ollie’s throat. But we jolted back when loud applause started. Then came to hoots and whistles. Ollie buried his face against my chest as I smiled when I glanced up.

Lewis stood behind Kaid, one arm banded around his chest as they both smiled at the scene in front of them. And not only them, but Addie and Gracie were shoulder to shoulder, both with beaming smiles on their faces. The crew surrounded us, patting Ollie on the back as the genuine happiness for their friend reflected on their expressions.

It had been a whirlwind of a day, but one I wouldn’t soon forget.

13

OLLIE

Istood in front of the mirror in the bedroom I shared with my boyfriend, a notion that brought a blush to my face as I studied myself in the mirror. The simple slim fit cornflower blue button-down shirt with black jeans and the black sneakers seemed both casual and dressy. I’d rolled the sleeves up my forearms and brushed my riot of hair, before giving up with one last sigh.

Connor scheduled a fitting with his tailor a week after we wrapped filming onHappy to Let You Go. The touching story on the page turned out to be an emotional, mature look at forgiveness, and I loved how it turned out. Kaid and Addie worked well together, and after another month of filming after the upheaval of the tabloids, the film was in postproduction. As I started, I was sure I’d mess up at the new position of script supervisor, yet it appealed to my organizational instincts, and I had a blast.

Along with it, came other changes I was unprepared for.

I’d never considered myself a man who would need custom tailored clothes, but then I met Anton. A whirlwind of tape measures and a discussion about color preferences, among somany other questions I couldn’t remember, and I was the proud owner of several suits in a smattering of colors, along with about a dozen button-down shirts. But instead of being finished for the day after choosing the suits, Connor pushed an armful of clothes into my arms with a demand to try them on.

He laughed at my expression as I stared at the pile of clothing in my arms before he walked back into the changing room, directing me with a hand on the small of my back. In complete honesty, I would have gone anywhere he wanted from a simple touch.

We arrived in the changing room bigger than an average sized apartment. He closed the door behind us before holding up the shirts he pulled from the racks against my chest, and staring at me with a critical eye, directing which shirt matched which pant and I slipped out of the tee and jeans I wore to the appointment.

With the last button on the dress slacks secured, I examined myself and found each item accentuated my frame.