ModelLove (12 page)

Ian stepped close to him, his cock bumping Temaru’s hip. “I
love that you like doing it outside so much.”

“Is it strange of me that sometimes I find it even more
intimate than a bed?”

“No. I think there’s something very natural and beautiful
about it.” Ian leaned toward him, a playful smile on his lips. “But I’d do it
anywhere, anytime with you, so I’m kind of biased.”

Temaru opened the condom and rolled it onto his cock. “I’d
call it being in love.”

Ian took the lube from him. “I like calling it that better.”
Squeezing his palm full of lube, he closed his hand around Temaru’s cock,
stroking it and slicking it from base to tip.

Temaru slipped an arm around Ian’s lower back, thrusting to
meet the strokes of his hand. Ian claimed Temaru’s lips in another kiss,
hungrier and more demanding. He took his cock in hand, pumping it along with
Temaru’s.

Temaru broke the kiss, grabbing Ian’s hips and pulling him
down as he went to his back. Ian dropped to his knees, one on either side of
Temaru’s hips. He leaned forward, resting a hand on Temaru’s chest, and reached
back, slipping his slicked fingers into his ass. Temaru shifted under him, and
Ian grinned, knowing Temaru was as eager to bring their bodies together as he
was.

Ian moved his hand from his ass to Temaru’s cock, holding it
steady and lowering down to it. His hole touched Temaru’s cock head. He
couldn’t wait any longer to take it in. He sank down, burying the hard, thick
rod inside himself with a gasp. His body tightened and released. His fingers
hooked into Temaru’s firm pectoral. Moaning deep in his throat, Temaru pressed
his hips up, as if seeking to be even deeper. No space between his ass and
Temaru’s body, Ian savored having him so deep and filling him.

Temaru lifted both hands, palms out to him. Ian placed his
hands in Temaru’s, each locking their fingers around the other’s. Using
Temaru’s strength to brace himself, Ian lifted up on Temaru’s cock and pushed
back down. For all his urgency, he set a languid rhythm, the feel of connecting
with Temaru, the cock sliding in and out of him, too good for him to rush.

The wind blew over him, cooling the light sweat breaking
over his skin. The sunlight had reached the veranda, its light casting up to
highlight Temaru’s tawny eyes. Temaru’s gaze was so intense on him. It moved
over him as if it were a caress.

Ian started to bend forward, needing to kiss him. Temaru
released his hands, propping himself up on one elbow to meet him, his lips
parted before Ian’s touched them. Ian slipped his tongue into Temaru’s tongue
as Temaru took over thrusting into his ass. The heat of his rising orgasm
circled through Ian’s balls. He wanted to grab his cock, stroke himself to
finish, then felt the brush of Temaru’s fingers moving down his chest. He ended
the kiss, breathing out a moan as Temaru took hold of his dick.

Temaru rubbed the tender spot at the underside of Ian’s cock
head with his thumb. “You’re close, aren’t you?”

Ian nodded. “So close. Harder. Give me your cock a little
harder…and faster.”

Temaru snapped his hips up, driving his cock into him. Ian
rocked back to increase the force, sliding his cock in Temaru’s hand. He was
there. Seconds away. It was building…stronger…taking hold of him.

Ian tossed his head back. “Temaru…” His climax slammed
through him before he could say more. His thick, white cum splattered across
Temaru’s golden skin and defined abdomen.

Temaru arched under him, letting out a hard groan. Having
become so familiar with Temaru’s body, Ian felt in how Temaru rolled his hips
that he’d released.

Temaru relaxed under him, his arms falling to the wood
planks with two soft thuds. “It’s so selfish of me, but right now I’m trying to
think of ways to make you stay.”

“I don’t think it’s selfish of you.” Ian leaned down to him,
smiling as he whispered, “I think it’s called being in love.”

Temaru let out a few breathless chuckles. “
Oui, mon amant
,
it is.” He lifted a hand, resting it gently on Ian’s cheek. “I wish I could
come with you.”

“I wish you could too. I know it’s going to take me a couple
of weeks to get things straightened out. You still think you can’t swing being
gone for that long?”

“Not with having appointments already set and no one to
cover.” Temaru sighed. “Now I’m really wishing I wouldn’t have procrastinated
for so long on finding help.”

Ian gave him a light, smiling kiss. “At least you’ll have
something to occupy your time while I’m gone.”

Temaru laughed softly. “I will.” His laughter faded with a
sigh. “I just hope after you’re away for a while, you’ll still want to come
back.”

Ian laid his hand over Temaru’s on his cheek. “I will.
That’s called being in love too.”

A bright smile rose to Temaru’s lips. “It is, isn’t it?”

Ian nodded and pressed their lips together. The thought of
getting on the plane and flying away from Temaru made his heart constrict. He
didn’t want to do it. And he knew Temaru didn’t want him to, either. But it
would be the first step in never having to walk away from him again and for
that, he would take on the hell of leaving the man he loved for a short time if
it would mean returning to paradise later.

Ian stepped into his apartment, closing and locking the door
behind him. A chill shook through him, the cold from outside still clinging to
him. It seemed as if he hadn’t been able to get warm since returning home two
days ago. At first he thought it was because he’d gotten so used to the weather
in Bora Bora. Really, it was because he missed the warmth of Temaru.

The day he left, it took all his willpower to walk onto the
plane. His heart, his mind, his body, all begged him to stay. But he didn’t
want to be a burden on Temaru. He wasn’t about to let Temaru work for both of
them. He wanted to not only pull his own weight, he wanted to provide for
Temaru. He knew Temaru wasn’t hurting for money, but he also knew he could earn
what Temaru made in a year from a handful of high-profile modeling gigs.

If he could get the kind of jobs he used to. He had to keep
reminding himself of that. Too bad he’d been so damn stupid with his money when
he was younger. Having grown up without much, he never would’ve thought it was
possible to blow through thousands of dollars in a month. He’d proved himself
wrong.

Of course, not everything he’d done with his money had been
wasteful. He and Aiden had bought their mom and grandparents two beautiful
homes. They both also donated a good amount to different charities, Aiden being
a little more on the generous side than he was. Another thing he would do
differently this time.

But also, the first year after Aiden was gone, he hadn’t
worked. At all. Part of it was because he was recovering from his own injuries.
The accident had left him with a broken collarbone, whiplash and a concussion.
The bigger part of it was his depression. He hadn’t cared to find a job even
knowing he wasn’t going to pursue modeling. It was only when his bank account got
dangerously low and he had nothing of value left to sell that his survival
instincts kicked in and he started looking for work. Now he could kick himself
in the ass for not saving some cash for an emergency, because getting back to
Temaru as soon as possible couldn’t feel like more of an emergency to him.

Ian walked into his living room and tossed his duffel bag on
the couch, flopping down next to it. He looked at Aiden’s urn on the shelf, the
pictures of them on either side of it. When he thought back to that first year
and even the two years after that, he at once couldn’t believe he’d lived in
such darkness and was amazed he came out of it.

Or maybe it was better to say, was coming out of it. He
still had moments where he could feel it creeping in on him, especially since
returning home. It took conscious effort to fight it back at times. Even the
night before as he lay in bed, he could feel the weight of his sadness and
loneliness pressing down on him. Those dark emotions made him doubt his dream
of being with Temaru, whispering heartbreaking thoughts that he wasn’t good
enough to model again, he was a has-been. That he’d never make it back to Bora
Bora.

The thoughts made sleep evasive and replayed through his
mind in an attempt to slay his motivation to make his dream come true. But one
thing broke those, a call from Temaru. With the time difference and Temaru
being out with customers, they hadn’t gotten to talk much. It was three o’clock
in the morning when Temaru called, but he was grateful to hear his voice and
told him so when Temaru tried apologizing for calling at that hour. Just
hearing from him, listening to his beautiful French-accented voice with the
Tahitian lilt, was enough to fuel his determination to get back to him.

Ian sagged back on the couch and closed his eyes. He was
going to have to get ready for work soon, but he needed to rest for a few
minutes. He’d been at the gym all afternoon. His time with Temaru, swimming,
diving, hiking—not to mention all the sex—started him back on the path to
getting in condition again. He wanted to keep it up.

He had to admit, it felt good. He was remembering how much
he enjoyed working his body, feeling his own strength and the contented fatigue
that came after a good workout. He still had a way to go with his body, but by
the time he did his shoot with Rodney at the end of next week for his new
portfolio, he would be looking much trimmer than he had in Bora Bora.

Ian glanced at the clock. Just after four. He couldn’t
procrastinate any longer. He had to get up so he could make it to work by five.
The thought of going to wait tables made him nauseous, but he needed every
dollar he could get until Mitch got him booked for something.

He started to push off the couch, pausing as he heard his
phone ringing in his bag. He pulled it out, seeing Mitch’s name and number on
the screen, and answered. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Big happenings for you, that’s what’s going on! You’re not
going to believe who was in my office earlier today and who I had lunch with.”

“And I’m not going to try. Who was it?”

“Sergio Fabbri.”

“I don’t know who that is.” Ian listened to the silence
coming from the other end of the phone.

“Was that a joke? Because if it was, I didn’t get it. How
the hell can you not know who Sergio Fabbri is?”

“Because I don’t. You know I haven’t followed who’s who in
the fashion world. And there was always some new hot designer or model or
photographer who’d burst on the scene and faded out just as quick. I couldn’t
keep track of everyone even when I was in the middle of it all.”

“You don’t have to be in the middle of it all to know who he
is. He’s only been one of the hottest designers of men’s fashion for the past
two years.”

“That’s great. I’ve still never heard of him.”

Mitch sighed into the phone. “
Anyhow
, I’ve known him
since he came out and we get along very well. He’s in town for a few days, so
we were getting together for lunch today and he stopped into my office,
unexpectedly. I was supposed to meet him at the restaurant, but he thought
since it was on his way, he’d pick me up. And he was anxious to look through
some portfolios because he’s looking for the right person, someone special, to
lead the campaign for his new summer line. Guess whose shots he happened to
see.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yours!”

Ian paused in confusion for a moment. “What shots are you
talking about?”

“The ones from Bora Bora.”

Anger rose up in Ian. “Those were supposed to be kept
private!”

“I know, but it was an accident! He walked in as I was
looking at them and when I stood up to greet him, I left the folder open on my
desk.”

“They shouldn’t have been in your office to begin with!”

“Will you settle down? I told you, it was an accident.
Rodney printed them this morning and he was so excited for me to see them, he
brought them to my office. I was planning on stopping by your place after I
wrapped up work to give them to you. But let me tell you, this was a nice bit
of kismet at work. Sergio damn near fell over himself when he saw them. Turns
out, he’s been an admirer of yours for a very long time. He wants to meet you
to discuss you leading his summer campaign.”

Ian froze, bodily, mentally and vocally for a moment.
“What?”

“He wants you to lead the campaign for his summer line. His
spring line has already released. But I think there could be more to it than
summer. When he was looking at the shots, he mumbled to himself how he was
going to need, he actually said
need
, you for his fall line. Looks like
you’re back, babe.”

Ian snapped himself out of his shock. “I don’t have the job
yet, so I wouldn’t bank on that. Even if I did look good in those shots, Temaru
was with me. And I was in a tropical paradise. Who couldn’t look good there?
You, me and Rodney all know lighting is the secret behind a great-looking shot
and the sun was gorgeous that day.”

“Knock off the self-condemnation, will you? That attitude’s
not going to work if you want to get back into this.”

Ian took a deep breath. “I know. You’re right. It’s
just…hard.”

Mitch’s voice came softer. “I know it is. But one thing I
want you to keep in mind, there’s absolutely no pressure on you. I know you’re
going to still put it on yourself, that’s just how you are. We’re going to move
into this at your pace. And I’m going to make sure I’m at every shoot and show
and I’m not going to let anyone give you shit for anything. I promise.”

Gratitude welled inside Ian. He whispered a rough “Thanks.”

“It’s not needed. I just want you to know you’re not going
into this alone. You’ll have me, Rodney and of course, Temaru.”

“I wish I had Temaru with me now.”

“I know you do, but you’ll get back to him soon once you get
your stuff here straightened out.”

“Yeah. I’m about ready to have all my crap hauled down to a
charity center, pack a bag and go.”

“Why not do that? I mean, what are you going to take with
you? Your frumpy old couch?”

Ian looked around his place. He’d already started packing.
Now looking at the boxes and thinking of what was in them, he wondered if any
of it really was worth bringing with him. “You got a point.”

“Of course I do.” Mitch paused for a moment. “So, about
having dinner with Sergio tonight—”

“Tonight?! You didn’t say anything about having dinner with
him tonight.”

“Which is why I’m saying it now. I told him we could get
together tonight so he could meet you and we could talk some business.”

“I can’t tonight. I have to work.”

“Ian? Honey? I’m going to say this in the least pressuring
way as I can. Why the hell would you go wipe up people’s food spit when you
could be dining with one of the most sought after fashion designers in the
world, for a job that will probably pay enough to buy that crappy little
restaurant you’re working at.”

“Another good point.”

“Yeah, I’m full of them. So call in tonight. Better yet,
call in and quit and meet me at seven for dinner.” Mitch relayed the name of
the Japanese restaurant and directions.

“All right. I’ll be there.”

“Perfect. Do you want me to send a car for you?”

“No, I’ll take a cab.”

Mitch made a low noise in his throat expressing his
disapproval. “Just be on time.”

“I will, if you’ll let me go so I can get ready.”

“Okay, I’ll let you go. See you at seven.”

“Yes, you will. Bye.” As Ian went to hang up, he heard Mitch
shouting, “Wait!” He put the phone back to his ear. “Yeah?”

“What’re you going to wear?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to look through my closet and see
what looks good.”

“Right…I know what’s in your closet and you’re not going to
wear some Kmart special to meet Sergio Fabbri. You need to get your ass to
Nordstrom, STAT!”

“Nordstrom isn’t exactly in my budget.”

Mitch exhaled a frustrated huff through the phone.
“Obviously. And that’s why I’m going to give you some money.”

“Mitch…”

“Lend, I meant. I’m going to lend you some money. I know
you’ll be good to pay me back once you’re on your feet again.”

Ian closed his eyes. His earlier gratitude returned stronger
than before. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Taking care of you is what I do.”

Ian heard the smile in Mitch’s voice and it brought one to
his own lips. “And you’re damn good at it.”

“I try. So here’s what I want you to do. Get in the shower
and get ready. I’m going to send a car to pick you up, I’ll give the money to
the driver for you…and I know I don’t need to tell you to count it when he
gives it to you. I’ll have him take you to the store, then the restaurant. We
only have two and a half hours now, so you’re going to have to shop fast and
wear what you get right off the rack. It sucks, I know, but there’s no time for
dry cleaning or fitting. Also, make sure you hit the cologne counter on the way
out. Have you shaved yet today?”

“No.”

“Good. Don’t. Sergio likes his men a little scruffy.”

“He knows he’s just looking at me for work, right? Nothing
else.”

“Of course. He saw the shots of you and Temaru together and
damn near swooned when he did. For good reason too, because you two looked hot
as hell.”

“Now I’m dying to see those shots.”

“I’ll bring them with me to dinner. But right now, you need
to start getting ready. Chop, chop.”

Ian laughed. “It’s so nice not having any pressure on me.”

“Okay, I might put a little pressure on you, but just enough
to make you move your ass. So I’m hanging up now to tell my assistant to call
you a car. Get in the shower. Now.”

“See you soon.”

“Bye, babe.”

Ian hung up, smiling and shaking his head. He stood and
headed toward the bathroom. He definitely didn’t want to keep Mitch waiting. He
also hoped this Sergio guy really wasn’t looking to get anything out of him
other than modeling. His days of sleeping around were done. There was only one
man who he desired to give himself to. Everything he did from this moment
forward was going to be for Temaru and their future.