Sneak Peek Excerpt: Kissing Cody Starr

Hiya, everyone! So, in less than a week, I'll have a new book out, Kissing Cody Starr. Eek! I'm going to go ahead and start getting my new release jitters going early, but while I'm doing that, I wanted to give you all a chance to meet Christian Larson, a.k.a. Cody Starr, and Finn Madigan.

The book will be released on May 16th at Ellora's Cave and is currently available for pre-order.

I really loved working with these guys and I hope everyone who reads their story will love them, too!

Blurb:
Known as Cody Starr to his fans, Christian is one of the most popular and desirable young actors in gay adult films. His sweet looks, sensual skills and charisma on camera have earned him fame. Now he wants out of the adult industry, but his fear of what could—or couldn’t—be waiting for him keeps holding him back.

Finn is an Army veteran who knows what it takes to protect people. When he meets Christian, something tells him the pretty young man needs protecting in more ways than physically.

Tension between Christian and Finn can only hold back their attraction to each other for so long before passion takes hold of them. For all the heat and emotion between Christian and Finn, the challenges of Christian’s fame may tear them apart.

Excerpt:
Prologue

Tucked into the shadows, Christian bowed his head toward his drawn-up knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. No one would notice him if he could make himself small enough. Or if someone did happen down the alley and spot him, he would appear to be nothing more than another piece of trash or yet one more hungry stray.

His stomach growled and clenched. He’d surpassed hungry that morning. He was starved. So starving his legs couldn’t carry him without stumbling. His head felt light, dizzy and holding a thought of anything other than food took all his concentration.

Maybe he should go back to the shelter.

Christian discarded the thought. His fear of going back overrode his hunger. He stayed there for a couple of weeks, coming and going while he looked for work. The place was rundown and it didn’t have enough beds or food for everyone, but he learned the times to show up to ensure he got a meal. Unfortunately, it seemed half the homeless population of L.A. turned out at the shelter at the same time. Most of the people were harmless enough and same as him, they only wanted a meal to ease the aches in their bellies. 

But there were some who wanted more. Who wanted to take what little others had from them. Who wanted to hurt.

Christian lifted his head, tipping it back and resting it on the building behind him. The gang had jumped him in the shelter’s bathroom. It was risky to shower there, he knew that, but he felt so dirty and wanted to be clean so badly. He’d finished dressing when they came in and no one else was there.

The gang of five had surrounded him, taunting him. He didn’t respond to their words. Even with all the horrible things they called him and said they wanted to do to him, he kept his head down, trying to not antagonize them, hoping someone else would walk in and scare them off.

No one did.

Three of them jumped him, punching, kicking, throwing him to the ground. The other two grabbed his backpack holding the few things he’d taken with him when he ran away from home, including his phone and his last fifty dollars.

His screams must’ve carried through the door, because a group of men rushed in. His attackers took off, shoving the newcomers to the floor to get out the door, though, they were careful to not forget his backpack.

The people at the shelter treated his injuries as best they could, but there wasn’t much to be done for a black eye, split lip and other bumps and bruises than handing him ice packs and antibiotic ointment. They tried to convince him to file a report with the police, but he refused. He knew what would happen if he did. The police would take him home.

No way in hell was he going back there with his drunk of a mom and stepdad. His step--dad was an ass when he wasn’t drunk and a violent ass when he was. And his mom, she was a slug. She wouldn’t even yell at his step-dad to stop hitting him. She’d lay in her bed, crying. As if that did anyone any good.

He couldn’t take their shit anymore, so he left. He still wasn’t sure if that was a good decision or a bad one. Considering he was sitting here with nowhere to go for shelter, having not eaten in over twenty-four hours and still wasn’t sure if it was a bad decision to leave home, that said it must’ve been a good one. He didn’t regret leaving. Even now, he didn’t want to go back. He missed some of the few meager comforts he had there, but nothing else.

No, he had to stay strong. He bought the bus ticket from Las Vegas to L.A. for a reason. To become an actor. He could still do that. This was a down moment, but he’d get back up. Somehow…

Tears moistened Christian’s eyes. It was all so much harder than he thought it would be. He thought he’d come to L.A., go to a few auditions, land a role in some teen movie and he’d be on his way to stardom. If he had to, he’d settle for commercials and modeling to get him by until he got picked up for a big role.

Stupid. He suckered himself with his own stupid fantasies. He didn’t plan anything out and thought it’d all fall into place. When the hell had anything ever fallen into place for him? Never. He should’ve known better. Now instead of trying to figure out how to make his dream come true, he needed to figure out how to survive.

Christian swallowed his tears. He wouldn’t allow any more of them to come out. He didn’t have the time or energy to waste on crying. He needed to pull himself together and get some food.

He inhaled deep and let out a slow exhale. He only had one option left. He was going to have to steal. He’d tried to get by being honest and honesty was going to end up starving him to death. It wasn’t as though grocery stores had great security. He could stuff a package of lunch meat down his jeans and be out the door before anyone noticed.

His resolve set, Christian pushed to his feet. A rush of dizziness sent him off balance. He braced a hand on the building to steady himself.

Then again, he might not make it the distance to a grocery store.

The spell passed and he made his way down the alley. The streetlights stung his eyes after sitting in the darkness for so long. The cars rumbling by seemed far too loud. He wondered if being as hungry as he was made him more sensitive to everything.

Looking to his right, he spotted a convenience mart on the corner. Too small. It’d be risky to swipe something from there, but he was going to have to try it. He needed to get something in his stomach before he passed out.

He shuffled down the sidewalk toward the corner. Not many people were out, but the hour was late. He still had his watch, a cheap digital but durable, and he saw it was a little past two o’clock in the morning.

Stopping at the corner across from the convenience mart, he waited for the crosswalk light to change. Then it hit him, why the fuck was he obeying traffic laws when he was going across the street to steal? He almost laughed at himself. Too long without food. He’d use that as his excuse.

Christian took a step toward the curb, catching himself before walking into the street as a car pulled up and halted at the red light. He shifted back slightly, gazing up at the light. Would the damn thing change already so he could get some food?

The passenger side window of the car rolled down and a male voice called out. “Hey, kid. Come here. I want to ask you something.”

Christian’s heartbeat picked up. His instincts screamed for him to move away.

“Oh, sorry,” the voice said. “I thought you were out here trying to make some money.”

Christian straightened a little more. He pushed aside the warning voice in his head and took a step closer to the car. “Money?”

Soft laughter floated out the window. “Yeah. Money. Since you don’t know what I’m talking about, I guess that’s not why you’re out here. Forget I said anything to you.”

The light turned green. The car rolled forward.

Christian jumped toward it with a quick step. “Wait!”

The car stopped again.

Christian walked to the car, bending down and looking inside. The man behind the steering wheel looked to be in his late-thirties. His blond hair was slicked back. It was too dark for him to be able to tell the color of the man’s eyes, but they had a friendly shine to them and the guy’s smile looked real, not fake.

He knew exactly what the guy was asking about. He could imagine a thousand different dangers and reasons to walk away, but also one positive outcome—money. Enough money to buy himself food for a few days. He might even get to spend the night in a hotel room, have a shower, sleep for a little while in a bed. He wanted all those things, so badly, so desperately. “I know what you’re talking about.”

“You do, huh? Then how much?”

Christian’s mind raced to come up with a response. “A hundred.”

“A hundred? That’s pretty high. For the night or an hour?”

“The night.” Christian paused. “And a meal. A hundred and a meal. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A burger is fine.”

The man sat quiet, contemplating him for a long moment. “How old are you?”

“Uh…eighteen.”

A soft snort came from the man. “If you say so.” He reached to his left and tapped a button. The passenger door unlocked. “Hop on in.”

Christian gripped the door handle. He paused, nerves and fear racing through him. What the fuck was he about to do? Sell himself for some food and cash? He couldn’t do this. It was wrong. He hadn’t even lost his damned virginity yet!

But this man was offering money and food. Right now, both would do him a damn lot better than his virginity and morals.

Christian opened the door and slid into the car. He would have time for regrets and remorse in the morning with a full stomach and money in his pocket.

Chapter One

Finn drummed his fingers on the tabletop, but not insync with the heavy bass beat filling the club. Rather, Finn’s rhythm was one of boredom and annoyance. All these men, acting like fools. Or maybe they were acting normal and he was the fool since it seemed he was the only one not having a good time. He’d never been into the club scene, even when he was younger, and he sure as shit wasn’t into it now.

He caught movement out the corner of his eye and glanced at Eduardo, his reason for being there. Eddy bopped and danced in his chair, lifting one arm in the air, encouraging the dancers onstage. Eddy’s smile shone over his face, lighting up his dark brown eyes.

Finn chuckled to himself. Damn Eddy. Even in the worst of times, Eddy could make him smile. Considering some of the situations he and Eddy had gone through together, coming out to a gay club to see some porn stars shake their moneymakers was far more enjoyable.

And he did have to admit, the guys were hot.

When Eddy first told him about the event, after running through Sparta Security’s building and into his office, his first question to Eddy was, “Why are you looking up shit about porn stars on company computers, on company time?”

Eddy’s response was, “Company time? Shit, any time is porn time.”

As Eddy’s boss, he was obligated to scowl at him. Eddy ignored it and pressed on about the event at the Rockin’ Cock, five of the hottest, most wanted gay porn stars in the industry were appearing as guest performers.

So far, three of them had put on some pretty sexy performances and the fourth was onstage at that moment. They’d tossed free sex toys, condoms, underwear, jock straps and T-shirts to the crowd. Each time they did, Finn expected a fight to break out over a plastic dick. He was more than used to being around a pushy crowd, but it was a damn feeding frenzy on the floor. The men were crazed for anything the porn stars tossed out.

With a shake of his head, Finn glanced around the club. All in all, it wasn’t a bad looking establishment. The place’s logo, a rooster holding a guitar, was in neon above the long bar. He figured they probably used the bird to make a weak attempt at covering up the name’s true reference. There were a few raised platforms for the club’s usual go-go boys, but it seemed the go-go boys had been given the night off with the porn stars coming in.

The place was big, with a spacious dance floor that took up most of the room. Security was low, though. He only saw three bouncers. Surprising considering the guests the club had tonight.

Finn put his attention on the stage. The current performer had finished his routine. He couldn’t remember the guy’s name, but he did remember seeing a couple of his movies. He knew he could ask Eddy and learn the guy’s name, since Eddy was a living encyclopedia of today’s top gay porn stars, but he didn’t care enough to ask. He wondered if he could convince Eddy it was time to go and glanced at him. With how Eddy’s face was aglow with anticipation and delight, there was no way he’d get Eddy out of here before the last porn star hit the stage. 

A large shower was wheeled onto the stage, tanks on the back and no doors or curtains on the front. The stage lights dropped low and a blue tint colored them. Smoke rolled across the stage. The music shifted from the high-energy dance songs to a deep, slow, rhythmic beat. From the blackness at the back of the stage, a young man walked forward dressed in a thick, white robe. His medium-length dark brown hair framed his young face of soft, pretty features.

Finn did know his performer. Cody Starr. Everyone knew him. Well, everyone who watched gay porn. Cody was in his early twenties and had been making adult movies for the past five years. His first movie, Good Boy Going Down, had turned Cody into an adult film sensation.

Cody seemed as if he was an eternal twink with all-American, boy-next-door look to him. His fair skin was smooth and flawless, his body slender with lean muscle. His big brown eyes could look so soft and sweet or desperate with lust and desire.

Finn would admit he’d watched some of Cody’s movies and enjoyed them—immensely—but there was something different about Cody than most adult actors. Cody seemed very natural on screen, whether flirting or fucking. There was an inexplicable charisma to him that when he appeared on camera, Cody took over the scene. And his dialogue and acting came across real, not stiff.

Finn almost snorted at his mental, unintentional pun. But really, the thing with Cody was no matter what he was doing on camera, he was believable and real.

Plus, the guy really knew how to work that cute little bubble butt of his, as the many awards for “Best Bottom”, “Bottom of the Year”, “Best in a Group Scene” and others that Cody had been granted proved.

Finn focused on Cody as he grabbed a steel pole to the side of the shower. Holding the pole in one hand, Cody let his body fall back, loose and relaxed, as he swung in a full circle.

Finn shifted in his chair, his cock starting to swell. Damn, Cody hadn’t even taken off his robe yet and the guy was making him hard. The evening was suddenly getting more entertaining.

Swinging in another circle around the pole, Cody reached with his free hand and pulled the belt loose on his robe. It fell open, sliding back on his shoulders. With more of Cody’s body revealed, the men in the crowd shouted their approval and called for more.

Cody hooked one leg around the pole and flung himself back, his arms straight behind him. The robe slipped off, showing he wore only tiny white briefs. Arching over his hips and ending at the tops of both ass cheeks were his trademark tattoos, six stars on each side—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Even though Finn couldn’t see all of the stars because the briefs hid some of them, he knew from Cody’s movies the stars started smaller near Cody’s groin and got larger as the flowed over his hips.

Cody snapped forward, catching the pole and gracefully unhooking his leg and spinning toward the shower. With a flip of the lever to the left, a flip of the one to the right, water rained down from two showerheads. The beat of the music picked up in pace. Cody rolled his hips with the rhythm, his ass swinging in the most tantalizing way with the music.

Cody hooked his thumbs over the top of the briefs, edging them down, showing half of his round ass cheeks. The lower the briefs went, the louder the crowd became. Just when it seemed Cody was going to take them off, with a quick tug, he pulled the briefs back up and into place. Collective cries of disappointment filled the club.

Finn couldn’t take his gaze off him, captivated, hypnotized, by Cody’s movements. The muscles in Cody’s back shifted with his dancing. Cody spread his legs wide, dropping lower to the stage, bouncing his ass with the beat. He hopped up, turning to face the crowd. Gripping the edges of the shower, Cody leaned back. Water rolled down his chest, coursing over the grooves of his abdomen, wetting the white briefs.

Cody pulled himself upright, shaking his wet hair from his eyes and sliding his tongue over his lips. He took a large step backward, standing under the streams. His dark brown hair appeared black with water drenching it. The briefs became saturated, the thin material turning translucent and showing the outline of Cody’s cock, long and half-hard.

Finn wet his lips. Fuck, but the guy was getting him hot. Him and every man in the club. That’s something he needed to remind himself of. Cody Starr was an adult performer. It was his job to turn people on.

As the thought passed through Finn’s mind, Cody’s routine came to an end. Waving and blowing kisses to the audience, Cody picked up the robe and walked off the stage. Finn reclined in his chair, his arousal cooling, whether from his realization or Cody leaving his sight, he wasn’t sure. Probably a mix of both with a little of it’d-been-too-damn-long-since-he’d-gotten-laid mixed in.

Eddy threw himself back in his chair, rocking it on its two back legs. “Fuck! That was hot!” He backhanded Finn on the arm. “Didn’t I tell you this would be a hell of a show? You need to be thanking me for dragging your ass here.”

“It was okay.” Finn picked up his beer, taking a long sip. He scrunched up his face at the taste. It’d gotten warm and was little better than bottled piss. He scanned for their waiter, spotting him walking away from another table, and held up his bottle. The waiter nodded in understanding.

“Okay?!” Eddy said, his voice pitching high with disbelief. “How can you say it was just okay? Shit, Zach Wilde alone almost made be cum in my pants.”

Finn rolled his eyes at him. “It probably wouldn’t be the first time.”

“No, but it would’ve been the first time with him actually in the same physical space as me.”

Finn reached for his beer as the waiter dropped it off, giving him a nod of thanks. “Now if only you could get Zach to actually touch you.”

Eddy exhaled an exaggerated forlorn sigh. “Tell me about it. But it’s probably best if he didn’t. I know I’d embarrass myself by blowing my load from doing nothing but shaking his hand.”

Finn laughed. He had nothing to come back at Eddy with since the chances were high of what Eddy said being true.

Eddy snapped his arm toward Finn, clutching Finn’s bicep. “Holy shit! Look! There they are! In the crowd! Mingling!”

Finn followed Eddy’s gaze. All the performers were in the crowd, but it was Cody and Zach, standing close together, who caught his attention. The two of them had done a few movies together and they had a fun, playful charisma on camera. He’d wondered if they were a couple in real life. From the demeanor he saw in them now, they were acting more as if they were good friends than lovers.

They did complement each other nicely, though, with Cody’s dark hair and dark eyes, Zach’s sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. They had similar body types, so their movies together were a twink lover’s wet dream come true. Each wore a little more clothing than they had performed in, but not much more. Cody had on a white button-down shirt, fully open, and tight black shorts conforming to his ass and package.

Finn studied them and their interactions with the men around them. Zach was smiled and signed autographs, posed for quick pictures and was an all-around good sport and promoter for himself. Cody, however, wasn’t following Zach’s example.

A beer bottle to his lips, Cody tipped his head back as he sucked on it. A man stepped up to his side and stuffed some cash into Cody’s shorts. Cody pulled out the money, counted it and rolled his eyes, as if less than impressed with the amount. It didn’t stop him from pocketing it, though. Another man approached Cody, only to get Cody flinging his hand up and waving the guy off. 

The last of the arousal Cody had sparked in Finn faded away. Attitude. The guy had a punk of an attitude. He’d read on a blog once that Cody was a bit of a dick in person. Since he worked with celebrities and knew what the media said most of the time was less than the full truth, he blew off the post. But maybe there was some truth to it.

Cody also looked to be quite the party boy. The guy was already signaling for another beer, having downed his first in under three minutes. Play hard and burn out young. That was probably going to end up being Cody’s tagline. It was for a lot of men and women in the kind of work Cody did.

Finn shook his head. Such a shame. There was so much talent in Cody too.

Eddy shoved Finn on the shoulder. “I’m going over there. Maybe I can get a pic with Zach.”

Finn shot him an exasperated look. “Out of everyone in this place, you and me know how much our clients get tired of that shit.”

“Yeah, when they’re out with their kids or grocery shopping or just trying to be regular people. When they’re promoting, they know what the drill is and so do these guys. They may not be Hollywood A-listers, but they’re Adult A-listers.”

“You got a point.”

Eddy brought his hands together in a single loud clap. “Damn straight, I do! Now I’m…oh. Oh damn. He’s looking over here.”

“Who? Zach?” Finn looked to where Eddy was staring and met Cody’s deep-brown gaze.

A soft smile rose to Cody’s lips.

Finn’s heart started to beat quicker. His cooled arousal ignited, sending a heated rush through his groin.

Cody broke eye contact, lowering his gaze. Slowly, he looked up again.

That look...so tempting and inviting, sensual and arousing…was almost enough to get Finn out of his chair. Almost. He forced his mind to function despite it running short on blood with so much going to his cock. He’d gotten a glimpse of what Cody was really like. Even for one night, he wouldn’t want to mess around with someone who could act so rude to others.

He had to hand it to the guy. Cody knew what he was doing and how to lure a man in…and that was the problem. What he was seeing from Cody right now was probably nothing more than an act.

Finn put his attention on his beer. The last thing he needed was for—

“They’re coming over,” Eddy said in a loud whisper.

That. That was exactly the last thing he needed.

His voice far calmer than Finn knew he felt, Eddy said, “Hey, guys. Loved your performances.”

“Thank you. I’m happy you liked it all.”

From the politeness, Finn knew it had to be Zach who replied. Glancing up, he saw Zach looking at Eddy, but Cody’s gaze was fixed on him.

“You guys don’t have to introduce yourselves, but I’m Eduardo Ramirez, you can call me Eddy, everyone does, and this is Finn Madigan.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.”

Again, it was Zach who replied. Finn nodded to him. “Likewise.” He brought his gaze to Cody.

Placing a hand on his hip, Cody flashed Finn a bright smile. “So, you gonna buy me a beer?”

Finn startled inside at the question. “Excuse me?”

He hadn’t meant for his tone to come out as sharp as it did, and if he was surprised by Cody’s bold assumptions, Cody seemed as surprised at his response.

Cody’s smile dimmed. A hint of confusion drew his eyebrows closer. “A beer? Aren’t you going to buy me a beer?”

Finn stared at him. Seriously? He wasn’t exactly used to being told by a guy to buy him a beer. No. That kind of shit didn’t fly. “I wasn’t planning on it and I don’t recall asking you if I could buy you one.”

Cody let out a dry laugh. “You didn’t have to ask me if you could. Every man here wants to buy me a beer and more.”

“Well, I’m not like the rest of the guys here.”

Eddy held out both hands, motioning to the empty chairs at the table. “Why don’t you guys have a seat? I’ll buy beers for everyone.”

Cody set his other hand on his hip also, leaning toward Finn. “What’s your deal, man? Acting all rude and shit.”

Finn snapped his head up, fixing Cody with a look of disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right? You’re the one who came up here, telling me to buy you a drink. I don’t care who you are, if you give me rudeness, you get rudeness back.”

Cody let out a shocked cough, his mouth dropping open.

Beside him, Zach snickered softly. “Finally, a dude who’ll tell you what’s up with your cocky ass.”

Cody shot him a dirty look. “I’m not cocky.” He looked at Finn again. “And I’m not rude. I just thought since you’re damn hot, I’d give you first chance to hang with me tonight, but you’ve pretty well blown that now.”

A grin on his lips, Finn lifted his beer to take a drink. “I’ll try not to cry in my beer too long.”

Zach snorted out a loud laugh.

Cody turned on him. “There’s nothing funny here!”

Zach flipped his hand toward Finn. “Are you kidding me? He’s fucking hilarious!”

Finn drained the last of his beer. Out the corner of his eye, he caught Eddy shooting him a murderous glare. If Eddy didn’t get to hang with Zach, he was going to hear about it for the rest of their lives. He pointed with his bottle at Zach, then at Eddy. “Why don’t you two dance and have some fun? I’m going to get another beer from the bar, then take off.”

“Sounds like a great idea!” Eddy turned his best smile on Zach. “What do you say? Do you want to dance?”

Zach offered his hand to him. “Sure.” As Eddy took his hand, he gave Cody a smirk. “Later.”

Cody nodded to him.

Finn stood, ready to head to the bar.

Cody tipped his head back, looking up at him. “I didn’t realize you were so tall.”

Finn gazed down at him. Cody couldn’t be more than five foot eight to his six foot three. “I didn’t realize you were so short.”

A laugh slipped from Cody. “Yeah, I kinda get that a lot. I think I look bigger on camera.” He paused. “But not all of me! The camera doesn’t exaggerate the size of all things on my body.”

Finn let out a soft chuckle. “I’m sure it doesn’t. It probably understates it, if anything.”

A more genuine smile came to Cody’s lips. He stepped closer to Finn, dropping his voice low as if not wanting anyone to overhear. “About when I first came up. You’re right. I was kind of a pushy dick.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Cody’s smile took on a flirtatious edge. “How about a make-up dance, then?”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m not much of a dancer on a good day and this isn’t one of those for me. This cool, rainy weather has my bum leg aching. That might be why my patience is a little short and I’m growlier than usual.”

Cody’s gaze flicked downward. “What happened? Did you get into an accident or something?”

“Took dirty bomb shrapnel in Afghanistan.”

Cody’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that way. I didn’t think…”

Finn gave him a warm smile. “It’s okay. But see what I mean, when I said I’m not like the rest of the guys here?”

Cody only nodded, seeming apprehensive about opening his mouth again.

Finn patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks for the offer to dance. I do appreciate it.” He shifted his voice to have a teasing edge. “And now after talking to you one-on-one, you might not be as much of a brat as I first thought.”

Cody relaxed under Finn’s hand, his smile returning.

“I still don’t think we’d get along well, though.”

Cody’s smile dropped away.

“But you are a cutie and I do wish you the best. I’m going to get my beer now. I hope you have a good rest of the night.” Not giving Cody a chance to reply, Finn stepped around him, trying to force to left leg to work with a minimal limp. The damn rain always brought aches with it.

He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to since he could feel Cody’s gaze on him. But he wondered why it felt that walking away from Cody was the wrong decision. Why he wanted to go back to him and say he’d changed his mind.

Finn held onto his resolve, refusing to listen to his gut, even if his gut always guided him true in the past. Whenever he didn’t listen to it, he found himself in trouble. But this time, it seemed as if his gut was directing him toward trouble.

Finn plopped down on a barstool, signaled the bartender and ordered another beer. He sat in his thoughts, nursing his beer. Should he track down Cody and tell him he’d reconsidered? That he’d buy him a beer? Ask him to sit down and talk some more?

Once Zach walked off and it was him and Cody on their own, Cody started to show a side he liked a lot more. He should’ve known better than to throw judgments at Cody before talking to him. He worked with celebrities and knew what they showed to the public often wasn’t who they really were. Cody might have a jerk-ish side, but who didn’t? And Cody had to guard himself against men who only wanted him for one thing. Which, wasn’t that what he was wanting him for too?

Or, he was overthinking the whole thing and he just needed to go talk to Cody some more.

Finn chugged the last of his beer and set the bottle on the counter. He spun around on the stool, scanning the club for Cody. There were a few clusters in the crowd, men still gathered around some of the performers. The crowd shifted and he caught sight of Cody dancing between two muscular men.

Cody swung his head, rolling it back on his shoulders. He wore a smile that didn’t look quite right to Finn. It was a little too…loopy. Cody’s movements were loose, but not following the music. Rather, it was as if he was dancing in his own little world. 

Stoned. In the fifteen minutes since their conversation, Cody had gotten stoned off his ass.

The man dancing in front of Cody held his thumb and forefinger up to Cody’s mouth as if to feed him something.

Finn couldn’t see what was between them, but his guess was a pill of some kind.

Cody shook his head, seeming to indicate he didn’t want whatever the man had. The guy nodded, gripping Cody under the jaw. Cody obeyed, opening his mouth and letting the man put the drug into his mouth.

Finn spun back around on the stool, not able to look at the scene any longer. He shouldn’t be surprised. A lot of porn stars got mixed up in drugs. But thinking it was a shame didn’t cover how he felt. It was fucking tragic in Cody’s case.

He shouldn’t have walked off on him. Yeah, he was honest in saying they probably wouldn’t get along, but he was thinking intimately. On a friend level, that might be something they could make work.

But it also wasn’t his problem. It was pretty clear Cody wasn’t upset at getting turned down by him since the guy went off and continued to have a good time.

With two men.

Who looked as though they were taking advantage of him.

Finn turned around again. Cody and the men weren’t in the same spot or anywhere on the dance floor. Finn stood, craning his neck to see over the heads in the crowd.

He caught sight of them going toward the restroom. One man held both of Cody’s hands, walking backward, checking over his shoulder to not bump into anyone. The other had his hands on Cody’s hips, guiding him. Almost to the restroom, Cody balked, shaking his head. The guy in back shoved him. Cody stumbled forward, falling into the other man.

And that was enough.

Finn stormed toward them, the pain in his leg forgotten and pushed aside by adrenaline. Seeming to sense and see his anger, other men moved out of his way. He neared the two men as the one gave Cody a tug to walk and overheard the guy talking.

“Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Finn closed the last of the distance fast. “Hey!”

Both men whipped around toward him.

Cody turned more slowly, unsteady on his feet. Recognition came through the drug haze in his eyes as he looked at Finn. Cody tried to move toward him, but the first guy held him back. He pulled against the man’s hold, the other refusing to release him.

Finn stepped up the man holding Cody’s hands, bringing their faces close and staring into the man’s eyes. “Looks like he wants you to let him go.”

“Man, this isn’t any of your business. We’re all just having a good time.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s having a good time.”

The one behind Cody added his voice. “Who the fuck are you? His bodyguard?”

Finn glanced at Cody. Cody looked afraid to speak, but he saw the plea in Cody’s eyes. He focused on the man in front of him. “Yeah, I am.”

“Funny we didn’t see you with him earlier.”

“He just hired me. Now you’ve got until I finish this sentence to let him go or else I’m going to make you let him go.”

The man in front of Finn leaned even close to him. “Fuck you!”

Finn grabbed the man’s wrist, closing his fingers around it in a crushing grip and driving his thumb into the pressure point on the underside.

The man cried out, releasing Cody from both his hands. His accomplice lunged at Finn.

Finn twisted to meet him, slamming his fist into the man’s stomach. As the second guy curled forward and slumped to the ground, the first made his attack. He shoved off Cody to get momentum, knocking him to the ground.

Finn saw the hit coming. He ducked to the side and pushed the man on the back, adding his strength to the speed his attacker had gained and pushing him to the ground. The guy fell hard, cracking his nose on the floor, blood instantly leaking from it.

Sensing he’d taken the fight out of both of them, Finn checked his surroundings to see if anyone else was getting ideas of jumping in. All the nearby men seemed content to point and stare. One hollered, “To the victor, goes the spoils!”

Finn snorted. Typical macho bravado. He hadn’t taken the two men down to claim Cody as some kind of a prize. He was only trying to help him out of a bad situation. At least, he hoped he’d helped him and hadn’t just completely fucked up Cody’s night.

Finn looked down at Cody.

Cody stared at the two men. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to him.

Finn bent toward him, offering both his hands. “Are you okay?”

Cody nodded, taking Finn’s hands and using Finn’s strength to get up. He stumbled forward, tossing his arms around Finn’s neck. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I—whoa! Easy!”

Cody slumped to one side.

Finn grabbed him, standing him up again. He caught Cody under the chin, trying to look into his eyes, but Cody kept closing them in long blinks. “You’re not okay. What’ve you drank tonight? And what’ve you taken?”

His words slurred, Cody said. “I don’t know. A couple beers. Some X…I think. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

“I think you need to go to the hospital.”

As if having a brief moment of clarity, Cody clenched the front of Finn’s shirt in both hands. “No! Please, don’t! If it gets out, it’d be so, so bad.”

Finn gazed at him. Damn it. This guy was nothing but trouble. “Fine. Then I’ll take you home, but if I see you looking any worse than you already do, I won’t give a shit whether you like it or not, I’m dragging you to a hospital.”

Cody nodded and pressed against him, laying his head on Finn’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Finn’s waist.

Finn swallowed hard. Now was not the time to get hard, but Cody’s body molded against him so perfectly.

Finn grabbed the final thought and hurled it out of his mind. Thoughts like that didn’t belong there. Still, he wrapped his arms around Cody. “Where do you live?”

His voice drowsy, Cody gave him two words. “My pocket.”

Understanding what he meant, Finn moved his hand to Cody’s shorts and the back pocket. Trying to stave off an erection was pointless. All it took was a brush of his fingers against Cody’s firm ass cheek and he was getting hard again. Doing his best to ignore it, he pulled Cody’s cell phone from the pocket. The phone was wrapped in a rubber case with a pocket on the back to hold cards and cash.

Finn pulled out Cody’s driver’s license. His eyebrows raised. Christian Larson. So that was his real name. He looked at Cody’s birthday. Cody really was twenty-three too, with an August birthday. He checked out the address. A good neighborhood in Venice Beach.

Finn pocketed Cody’s…Christian’s phone, feeling it was safer to touch his own ass than Christian’s again. His mind still stumbled over the name. He knew Cody Starr had to be a stage name, but it was always a little wild finding out a celebrity’s true name, as if a secret part of them was revealed.

Shifting Christian to his side, Finn moved forward and guided him through the club. He watched for Eddy, but didn’t see him. Could be Eddy already left. He exhaled a sigh. What had he gotten himself into?

Finn stepped outside, hailing a cab. Trouble was one more thing he couldn’t think about now. His main concern was getting Christian home safely and making sure he would be all right. He’d find a way out of this mess in the morning.