Page 71 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

Syn’s eyes widened.

The anger on his face broke apart, shock taking its place. Then humiliation.

Syn glanced away. “Wow.”

“Corbin.”

“No, that’s…” Syn scoffed, as if he was trying to make sense of it all. “Damn. I guess you showed me.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

“Like I did this to make you feel small or not needed.”

Syn’s gaze cut back to him. “Didn’t you?”

The tears welling in Furi’s eyes burned. He fought them back because tears wouldn’t help, they’d only seem like manipulation.

But staring at Syn’s face nearly undid him. The embarrassment in his eyes was something he hadn’t prepared for.

Anger, yes. Confusion, maybe.

But not this.

“I surely wouldn’t make that delivering food, huh?” Syn laughed harshly.

Furi sighed. “I just wanted to help. Why do you think you’re the only one who can make sacrifices?”

Syn stared at him incredulously. “There are hundreds of other jobs besides adult entertainment. Construction, lineman, commercial driving, repairmen. But I guess the gorgeous Furious Styles wouldn’t be caught dead doing such menial work.”

Furi’s sadness shifted to frustration, then annoyance, to hot defensiveness. He’d done the only thing he could think of that would stop the roof from falling in on their heads.

Yeah, maybe he’d gone about it the wrong way, he should’ve been truthful. But he’d be damned if he was going to just stand there and let Syn twist it as if he’d done it for vanity.

“So I fuckin jerked off on camera,” Furi snapped, throwing one hand out. “So-the-hell-what. These videos will help us until the shop stabilizes, and these internal affairs fuckers pull their heads out of their asses and let you go back to work.”

Syn went very still before he gritted between clenched teeth. “‘Videos’…as in plural.”

Furi froze.

Shit.

Syn frowned. “How many?”

Furi looked at the broken laptop on the floor, then back at the man he loved. There was no point in shaving pieces off the truth now. He straightened his spine. “Three.”

Syn’s nostrils flared.

“They’re already recorded. Now I’m done.”

Syn scoffed. “Where have I heard that before?”

Furi’s temper blazed hotter.

“You think you’re the only one who has to make hard decisions?” he demanded. “You think because you’re out there grinding yourself into the pavement that I’m supposed to sit at home like some goddamn kept man and wait for you to fix everything?”

Syn’s expression darkened, but Furi didn’t stop.