drink.”
Well, fuck. How was I supposed to tell him about Channing now, after his comments about me and Ian? I wasn’t ashamed of Channing. Not in the slightest. But I did feel protective of him and what was blossoming between us. I worried that until Hank could meet Channing, he’d assume the worst about our relationship. I knew Hank wouldn’t let it go, though, so I had to tell him something.
“I’m seeing someone, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
I may as well have tossed chum into shark-infested waters. Hank leaned in, his dark eyes dancing. “How many drinks will I have to get in you before you talk about it? Because I am up for the challenge. It’s been fucking ages since you were in a serious relationship. It’s serious, I’m guessing?”
I shrugged. “It’s early. But I’m serious about him. He makes me feel...new. He gives me perspectives I didn’t consider before. With work and the show, I’ve been in a rut. A deep rut I didn’t even realize was there. He’s pulling me out of it and helping me see that there are things I want in my life again.”
It had taken that fucker Trevor to force me to admit I wanted Channing bad enough to break the rules. It had taken Channing, with his maturity and perseverance, to show me there were no rules being broken—that we could forge new ones. And if I was allowed to have a relationship with him despite all that had been stacked against us, what else might I be allowed to have?
“Like sex?” Hank waggled his eyebrows. His mind tended to stick to one track.
Laughing, I refilled our glasses. “The sex helps, but no. I mean passion. Drive. Thinking of things I want and figuring out how to get them instead of just—”
“Staying glued to an office chair.” Hank took a deep drink from his glass.
I knew he’d get it. He’d been an artist as well, though collage and mixed media had been his medium of choice. But ultimately he’d never been happy inside a studio or carousing from gallery to gallery. He’d opened a landscaping business that allowed him to still create beauty, but it also kept him outdoors and moving.
“Exactly.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Reagan. As much as I enjoy telling people my best friend is a famous TV star, I’d rather you be happy and doing what you love. Right now it sounds like that’s not the case.”
I leaned back, sighing. “Yeah. I’d quit it right now but I have the guys to think about. They’re getting paid for each of the episodes on top of the money and tips from the tattoos. I can’t just spring something like this on them if it means I’d be hurting their lives with my wants.”
Hank reached over and clapped my shoulder. “You’re too good for the world, Reagan. None of us deserve you. I gotta say, though, I’m stoked you aren’t on the market for love anymore.”
“Oh?” I smirked. “Why’s that?”
“Because there is some fresh meat here I do not want the competition for.” He pointed, and I turned in my seat to see.
There were three tall, slim guys at the bar. One of them I knew instantly, my mouth beginning to water and my cock twitching at just the sight of him, practically a Pavlovian response now. There was no missing the black, shaggy hair and firm, round ass. Channing. We’d agreed that it was important to not fall into the always-around-each-other pitfall of being in a new relationship. So he was supposed to be out with his friends tonight while I was connecting with Hank.
What were the odds that we’d pick the same bar?
“Uh oh,” Hank muttered. “I’m not the only one who’s taken notice.”
Hank and I sat and watched as a man went up to Channing and his friends, but his interest was clearly in Channing. In some ways, I realized, I was thankful to Travis, that pompous dickhead. The bear in me had been poked and raged when he’d been telling Channing off. But Channing had been right to point out that if I didn’t trust him to take care of himself, I wasn’t viewing him as an adult. Now I was able to relax, drink my beer, and watch the show, with no hint of jealousy.
Channing was beautiful and calm, elegantly turning the man away and paying attention to his friends.
“Damn,” Hank muttered. “A challenge, then. Even better. Should I take my shot?”
I