“What the fuck!”
Coming over a dune on the supposedly private beach was a guy in cargo shorts and a bright polo shirt. At first I thought he was a preppy d-bag from another mansion, but then I saw the serious looking camera in his hand.
“Wow, you’re seriously trespassing to cop a fucking picture?” I demanded.
The photog froze in his tracks. “Who says I’m here for Gavin? Maybe I’m taking a picture of the beach.”
“You said it, wise guy,” I snapped. “All I asked was why the fuck you’re on private property with your camera. But now I know.”
“What do you know?”
“I know you’re invading someone’s fucking privacy!” My voice rose loud enough to carry over the waves, but I didn’t care. I could not believe the audacity of these assholes. And how he had the nerve to get sassy with me as if I wasn’t right. “You better get your ass out of here before—”
The photog raised the camera and took a picture of my outraged face. In one second, my jaw dropped. In the other, my anger exploded and turned me into a rage monster.
“You son-of-a—”
“Are you Gavin Brawley’s assistant? I heard he has one.”
“It’s none of your—”
Flash.
I blinked several times and stormed towards him.
“Friend? Lover?”
The douche asked the last question with a laugh in his voice, and it set me off like a rocket. I crossed the distance between us in two strides, grabbed his camera before he could react, and threw the damn thing towards the water. It didn’t make it all the way, but it was definitely damp after a hard landing.
“Hey!” the guy shouted. “Do you have any idea how much that cost?”
“Do you have any idea how little I fuckin’ care?” I shoved his shoulder. “You’re on private property. Technically, I could beat the shit out of you and drown your ass, then say I felt threatened. Try me.”
“Jesus Christ . . .” The photog scrambled for his camera. “You’re a real asshole.”
“No, you people are the assholes. He’s not a fucking animal at the zoo. You don’t get to gawk just because he’s locked in here.”
“He’s famous. Everyone gets to gawk.”
It was so enraging that I strode towards him again, but a hand dropped on my shoulder. I glanced over my shoulder to see Gavin looming over me with a seriously amused expression on his face. Christ, he was cute when he did that stupid little half-smile of his. Not that I saw it much. I mostly saw everything but his smile since he walked around exactly as he was right now—shirtless, shoeless, and wearing basketball shorts that barely hit his thick, muscular thighs.
“Your assistant is an asshole,” the photog squawked.
“That’s why I hired him.” Gavin didn’t move his big hand from my shoulder or take his eyes off me even as he jerked his head. “Beat it, Vito. If I catch your ass around here again, I’ll let him smack you around.”
Vito flipped us off and hurried away.
“That was some language for a buttoned-up yuppie with a master’s in social work.”
“He pissed me off,” I said, turning to face him. “People act like you’re not a real person. Like they can just do whatever the hell they want.”
“Most people think they can.” Gavin squeezed my shoulder and let his hand drop away, the fingers skimming down my arm. “Why’s it bother you so much?”
“Because it’s bullshit! For all we know, he was going to lurk around and take pictures through your windows.”
“Probably,” Gavin said, nodding. “What’re you gonna do if he does?”
“Punch him in the face.”
Gavin burst out laughing. It was such a foreign sound that it startled me, as did the way his golden eyes crinkled at the sides. The sound was so oddly pleasant that my irritation crumbled. I grinned.
“Look, I get a little riled up when it comes to people invading privacy and dehumanizing. I went through it a lot in school when people found out I’m gay. They thought it automatically meant I had some kinky sex life, and they were entitled to the details. Or to watch.” I glanced in the direction the photog had gone. “I know it’s totally different, but it drives me insane. You may be a rich asshole, but you’re still a person.”
“You really are a righteous little hero, aren’t you?”
“If that’s how you want to put it.” I stalked around him and headed back to the patio. “I’m not trying to humble brag. I just like helping people. And defending people who can’t defend themselves.”
“You think I can’t defend myself?” Gavin asked incredulously. “Wow. This is a conversation I never thought I’d have.”
I threw him a dry look. “I’m not talking about physically, you big damn jock. But if you think about it, you have zero control over what they say about you and what they make people believe about you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. I think it sucks.”
Gavin’s brows rose. I expected him to say something disparaging or sarcastic, but he just looked down at me with his arms hanging at his sides. He seemed . . . confused. Maybe surprised.
“You’re a person,” I said again. “And they should treat you like one.”
When the silence continued to stretch, I turned away to hurry to the patio again. I expected his damn turkey burgers to be dry, but I’d just saved them from destruction. I placed them on the platter while Gavin quietly trailed behind me, and returned to the massive kitchen. He sat on one of the stools and watched as I arranged his food on a plate with seafood salad I’d picked up from the market that morning.
“Who were you talking to on the phone?” he asked, changing the subject likely because I’d made him uncomfortable.
I shoved the plate and giant tub of salad at him. “Someone.”
“Who?”
I sighed. “A person. Eat your food.”
Gavin glanced down at his plate then at the empty space in front of me. He scowled. “Which person? Loverboy from Friday night?”
“Why is this important to you, Gavin?”
“Because I wanna know who you’re discussing me with, Noah.”
“Oh, please. Like my every conversation revolves around you.”
Gavin stared at me like he knew I was completely full of shit. Then looked at his food again. “Where’s your overpriced Subway sandwich?”
My jaw dropped. “You’re calling my food overpriced?”
“Yes. Eight bucks for chemical-infused bread and a little bit of meat. Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.”
“Wow. Good thing I didn’t ask for your scintillating review of what I eat.”
Gavin dropped his elbows on the table. It was unfair how his biceps stood out like carved boulders just by him moving his upper body around. It was also sickening how soft and shiny his hair was in the streaming sunlight. He savagely bit into one of the burgers, killing a half pound of turkey in four bites.
“So, where’s your lunch?”
“Why are you so hung up on this?”
“Because I’m sitting here stuffing my face while your skinny ass sits there with nothing.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that your people skills are severely lacking?”
“You just talked about how much the media hates me. People read me about my faults all the damn time.”