Page 51 of Starring Role

Chapter nineteen

Jimmy's gut told himhe needed to be at that airport, by hook or by crook, to meet his boyfriend. Coop's mental health had been deteriorating, probably along with his physical health, ever since he'd left home. Part of it was likely just exhaustion, and a great deal more was probably stress, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Jimmy was honestly afraidfor Cooper right now, and he didn't like feeling that way. He didn't want to make his boyfriend think he didn't trust him, but Coop was fragile. It went along with his gentle nature and his vulnerable openness. He couldn't always close himself off from pain.

He'd seemed so distant the last few times they'd talked, farther away than the miles separating them, as if he was struggling not toget lost in his head. That scared Jimmy. He'd never really had to figure out how to deal with someone else's pain in this way. The only thing he could think to do—and really, it was a compulsion at this point—was to get Coop home, hug him, feed him, and then hold on to him while he slept. Keep him safe from everything for a while, including his nightmares.

He was probably being foolish tothink he could fix it, but some part of him, some deep, internal wolf instinct, said it would be OK if he could just get there and protect his mate.

His mate?

Mate, boyfriend, what's the difference at this point?I'm going to spend my life with him. He was sure of that in a bone-deep way he couldn't explain to anyone.

He would step back if there was someone Coop loved more, and who wouldbe better for him. Coop was a special guy, and he deserved the best. But right now, Coop didn't want him gone. Coop was scared their relationship would end, and was holding back parts of himself, and he seemed to think Jimmy was going to get fed up with him. But he wasn't going to ever really want to get rid of Jimmy. He wanted someone steady and loyal and loving in his life. It went fardeeper than sex, what was between them.

Right now, Jimmy's gut instinct told him he needed to be at that airport when Coop arrived, and not make him be alone one more second than he already had been. Then, not let him out of his sight for a good long while.

And he's going to eat some real food if I have anything to say about it, too. A whole meal, not just a few bits of meat and vegetables,holding back so he won't gain weight. He's fit enough, and I don't care if his trainer agrees.

He was going to have words with some people over this, because no boyfriend of his was going to end up on a constant diet. Even if it was physically healthy enough, it was emotionally taxing at this point, and Coop had enough strain on him to break a camel's back. He needed a break, in severalareas. He needed not to have to be obsessed with calories and protein and all the rest of it. He needed to justeat,at least for now. That was what Jimmy's wolf side knew to be the case.

The publicity schedule on top of an intense filming schedule might get some pushback from him, too. Coop wasn't made of steel, whatever these guys might think. What good was a hit show if you drove yourstar into the ground or gave him a nervous breakdown? (Jimmy refused to believe Lincoln was the star at this point, if he ever had been.)

At some point, Coop would no doubt have to tell him to back off and not micromanage his life. Jimmy was prepared for that, and he would step back as soon as he had to. But right now, he wasn't going to let his boyfriend crash and burn because Coop was tooworried about losing his job to push back about some of the requirements that were being heaped on him.

Since they weren't budging about the scheduling, and Hope refused to get involved trying to pull strings (Jimmy was starting to see that she didn't actually have any strings to pull, despite her being the best security guard they had), he called his brother Mike, the one who looked the mostlike him. Always eager for a prank, Mike was excited to take part and agreed as soon as Jimmy started to explain what he wanted.

Mike thought it would be hilarious to pretend to be his brother for a few hours and fool everyone here. If he was asked to work the job in any regular sort of way, without the trick, he'd have refused, saying he'd be bored to tears, even if it paid well. But this,he was glad to do for free. It appealed to Jimmy's inward scamp, as well: putting one over on them, if they weren't going to be reasonable about the schedule.

He wondered if he was going to be able to keep this job long-term if it kept interfering with his relationship. Obviously, it was good to be a responsible adult and keep a job. But he thought he'd rather live in a drain and scour thetrash for leftovers than let Coop go off on his own for weeks again like this. It had hurt them both, but Coop more. That wasn't a price he should have to pay, especially when he was still struggling to believe Jimmy actually loved him and was going to be here for him.

What kind of boyfriend leaves a guy like Cooper to face all that bullshit alone?Phone calls hadn't been enough; maybe theynever would be. He should have been there.

The trade-off with his brother went quickly, without a hitch; he hid in the men's room and waited till Jimmy had a break, then they quickly changed clothes. Mike slicked his hair back and pulled his cap low.

"Don't overdo it, Mikey, and don't talk to any of my coworkers except Hope," he warned his brother, fixing the collar Mike was now wearing.Mike grinned at him, eyes sparkling. "And please don't pull anything that'll really get me into trouble. This is bad enough. No stink bombs, no letting the air out of anyone's tires, no throwing things at the back of anybody's head while they're busy."

"Jimmy, I've got this. Go get your guy." He gave Jimmy a big wink. "Unless you'd like me to take your place there. I'm not gay, but hecould get it."