The man goes ghostly pale, the blood draining from his face. With my boots on, I’m only an inch shorter. Dropping my hand and placing it on my hip, I wait and wait. He’s gone non-verbal. “Did I leave a shitty review at your place of employment or something?”
A string of emotions passes over his face before settling on something like resignation. He sighs heavily and says, “No. You didn’t. My name is Brandon. Nice to…meet you, Rune.”
Oh. My.God.
I take a healthy step back and gape. I’d know that voice anywhere—specifically, mynamebeing said with it. I hear that voice at least two days out of every week, sometimes more if I'm in the mood. There is no fucking way! Not now, not likethis, and not inthatbody. It’s…wrong! Unfathomable. What are the odds thatBehold Thy Hornssigned up for the same photo shoot with thesamephotographer, and we gotpairedtogether? I could scream or faint or—
“Everything okay over there?” Sadie chirps, slightly concerned by our intense standoff.
What the hell do we do now?
CHAPTER 04: BRANDON
I should go. It’s the only thought playing in my head.
Run with my ass on fire. I thought I was hallucinating a few minutes ago, having been thinking about Rune for most of my drive. How eager I was to see his response, how much of a tantrum he’d throw when he sawthat I dragged his favorite band through the dirt, but now? Now I can’t seem to stomach my actions, let alone face the man in real life.
He’s dressed to the nines—platform stompy boots with those cool buckles up the shins, a sheer, sparkly blouse poking from beneath his leather jacket, complete with spikes on the shoulders and chains hanging from the breast pockets. I can’t even comprehend his makeup. Ethereal and glittery as usual, with intense eyeliner that makes his already hauntingly blue eyes brighter. I want to throw up.
Flicking his teal curls over his shoulder, he lifts his pointy chin and seems at a loss. “I don’t want our drama interfering. I signed up for this. Ineedthis. And Sadie is a sweetheart. I’m game if you are.”
He’s…what? “You want to do this? With me?”
“No,” he admits. “But we’re here and—” Rune throws his hands up in exasperation.
“Then I’ll tell her I changed my mind. Consent is everything with this kind of thing, and I’d feel better if I left. The last thing I need is you telling half the internet I forced you to do something you didn’t want to.”
He considers my words for a moment. “Guys?” Sadie calls.
“We’ll be right there!” Rune stomps into my personal bubble and says under his breath, “Online, we might be enemies, but right now, I need you to get with the program. I don’t want to have another man walk out on me when it matters.”
He’s so close I can smell him. Sweet and airy. Like…flowers or something. His eyes are burning into mine with something like desperation. And what he said—thewayhe said it—settles in my chest and anchors.
“Okay,” I tell him. “Let’s do this.”
Blinking in surprise, he nods and gives me some space. “Thanks.”
Sadie quickly goes over her ideas for the shoot. We willeaseinto it, so to speak, and depending on our comfort level, the poses will become more complex. To start, she wants us to stand under some hanging branches with Rune draping his arms around my neck. I haven’t moved a muscle.
“Please let me know if anything is too much,” she says gently. “Brandon, are you okay with the pose?”
Rune keeps plucking at the chains on his jacket. I gulp down some of my anxiety and nerves before nodding. “Yeah. It’s good. I’ve never done this before.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I’ll talk you through it.” She gestures towards Rune.
I force myself to stand in front of him. Our eyes meet. Now that we are about to start, he seems more nervous than I am. His dark jeans clash with my dress pants, but this is the nicest outfit I own. If I had known he was going to wear something more…cool, I’d have dressed down.
“Do you want me to…?” I trail off, wondering who is supposed to touch whom first.
“Rune, hun, can you open up the jacket a bit so it’s hooked over your hip? The blouse is stunning and should be shown off. Great. Now gently loop your arms over Brandon’s neck. No–wait.” She scurries over to me, pushes my hair behind my ear, and off my shoulder. “There. Okay.”
We move at the same time. Rune’s arms band around my neck as I place my hands on his hips. “Lean into each other,” she urges.
I step closer, careful not to step on his boots and apply more pressure to my hold. His fingers work into my hair, almost fisting the strands at the nape of my neck. It’s…wildly intimate and a lot. This is the most I’ve ever done with a man.
“That’s it!” She starts snapping away.
“For whatever it’s worth,” I say softly. “You look really nice.”
