âPoint is, Devon, if you love this boy, fight for him. Donât let anyone tell you donât belong together.â He looked up in surprise as Devon turned abruptly and strode toward the door. âWhere are you going?â
âBack to the hotel to collect my stuff,â Devon whirled around and came back to kiss Mark lightly on the lips. âAnd then Iâm going home.â
âTo him?â
âA few weeks ago he asked me to marry him,â Devon said happily. âIâm going to tell him yes.â
Chapter Twelve
STANDING in the hallway outside Jesseâs apartment, Devon dropped his bags to the floor and knocked loudly. From inside came the thump-thump of heavy, pulsating music, and he frowned, thinking he could smell cannabis. A minute passed with no answer. Devon knocked again.
All the way there, he had drummed his fingers impatiently against his leg. The journey from the airport took forever, the driver cheerfully informing him that the traffic had been horrendous all day and he might as well sit back and relax. Which was easier said than done when he had called Jesse a dozen times since landing and he was still not picking up.
Added to which, every time Devon glanced out the window, there was another billboard with Jesse staring down, larger than life, giving the world his best mean and moody look. Devon had to admit the picture was a work of art. Jesse looked amazing and, overnight, had become the stuff of fantasy for women and men alike. Stopped at a red light, heâd watched a group of giggling schoolgirls stop by the billboard and snap Jesseâs picture on their phones.
Devon had swallowed a twinge of jealousy. Jesse was young, sexy, and beautiful. He would have to get used to other people finding Jesse as attractive as he did. It was a little late in the day to turn round now and tell Jesse he was opposed to him modelling when he was the one to encourage him in the first place. He had just not expected Jesse to be quite so big quite so soon.
The third time he knocked, the door finally opened. A skinny young man with a glossy mane of blond hair looked Devon up and down, an ugly scowl marring his handsome face.
âIf youâve come to complain, you can fuck off. The musicâs not that loud.â
âItâs not about the music.â Devon sighed at his blank expression and raised his voice a notch. âI said, itâs not about the music. Iâm looking for Jesse.â
The young man gave him an appraising look. âAre you his dad?â
âNo,â Devon said shortly. âIs he here or not?â
âOh, heâs here. Not sure heâs expecting company, though. Or should I say
more
company.â Blondie stepped back, beckoning him inside the flat. Pointing to a closed door off the hallway, he said, âHeâs in there. Enter at your own risk.â
His words filled Devon with trepidation. Not just the words, but the fact Blondie was getting a kick out of watching him walk hesitantly toward the door. Slowly, he pushed it open and stepped into the room. Whatever he was expecting, it was nothing compared to the sight laid out before him. Stunned to the core, Devon stared for several moments before he could even figure out what belonged to whom in the writhing tangle of naked limbs.
There were four of them locked together on the bed. A brunette with the biggest breasts Devon had ever seen on such a dainty figure lay spread-eagled on the rumpled sheets while a tall, red-haired man lay on top of her and fucked her enthusiastically. Beside her, with one leg thrown over the hips of the redhead, a thin blond man sucked noisily on one of the brunetteâs nipples. Jesse was buried deep inside the blond, head tipped back, knuckles white where they gripped skinny, fake-tanned hips. Devon knew him well enough to know he was close to coming.
He should turn away. Leave without Jesse ever knowing he was there. But his legs felt like