Chapter 27: Fake Dating, Real Knotting -4

The storm hit hard. Wind ripped the main tent apart in under a minute. Production called a full stop for the night and shoved them into the tiny emergency shelter with one thermal blanket and a single battery lantern. Rain hammered the thin walls. Cold air leaked in through every seam.

Julian sat soaked and shivering on the floor mat. Marcus dropped down beside him and pulled the blanket over both of them without asking. Their wet clothes stuck to skin. Body heat was the only real warmth available.

Marcus’s voice stayed low. "You’re freezing."

Julian’s teeth clicked. "I’m fine."

"You’re not." Marcus reached under the blanket and tugged at Julian’s soaked shirt. "Off. Both of us. Skin to skin or we’ll be useless tomorrow."

Julian hesitated only a second before peeling the wet fabric away. Marcus did the same. Bare chests pressed together under the blanket. Marcus’s arm slid around Julian’s back and pulled him in tight. The Alpha’s heat sank into him fast.

Julian’s breath hitched. "This is just for warmth."

Marcus’s hand stroked slowly down his spine. "Keep telling yourself that."

Their mouths met in the dark, slower than usual. No cameras. No crew. Just rain and the small space and the way Julian’s body leaned into the kiss instead of fighting it. Marcus rolled him onto his back and settled between his thighs. The blanket tented over them.

Marcus’s voice was rough against his lips. "I can smell how much you need this."

Julian’s hips lifted. "Then stop talking and give it to me."

Marcus shoved both their remaining clothes down just far enough. He spit into his palm, slicked himself, and pushed in slow. Julian’s head tipped back on a quiet moan. The stretch felt deeper in the cold, every inch of heat welcome. Marcus sank all the way in and stayed there, forehead pressed to Julian’s.

"Still hate me?" Marcus whispered.

Julian’s legs wrapped around his waist. "Right now I just need you to move."

Marcus started thrusting, deep and steady. The shelter was too small for anything loud. Every sound stayed close and wet between them. Julian’s hands slid up Marcus’s back, nails digging in. Marcus kissed him through every roll of his hips, swallowing the soft sounds Julian couldn’t fully hold back.

"You feel so good like this," Marcus murmured. "No cameras. No acting. Just you taking me."

Julian’s cock rubbed against Marcus’s stomach with every thrust, leaking steadily. Marcus reached between them and stroked him in time, thumb sliding over the head on every upstroke.

"Come with me," Marcus said against his mouth. "I want to feel it."

Julian’s body tightened fast. He came with a broken gasp, spilling hot between their stomachs. The way he clenched pulled Marcus over right after. Marcus buried himself deep and came hard, hips grinding in slow circles as he filled him.

They stayed locked together under the blanket, breathing hard, rain still pounding outside. Marcus didn’t pull out right away. He kept kissing Julian’s throat, soft and unhurried.

Julian’s voice came out quiet. "This is getting dangerous."

Marcus nuzzled under his jaw. "Good."

He finally slipped free and tugged the blanket higher around them both. Julian stayed close, head on Marcus’s chest, listening to the steady beat under his ear while the storm raged on outside the thin walls.

---

Julian went down mid-sentence on the live feed. One second he was smiling for the camera, the next his knees buckled and he hit the ground hard. Marcus was already moving before the director shouted. He scooped Julian up, barked at production to cut the feed, and carried him straight to their private trailer. The door locked behind them. No assistants. No medics. Just the two of them.

Julian’s skin burned under Marcus’s hands. Sweat soaked his shirt. His scent was thick and sweet and wrong with fever.

Marcus laid him on the bed and stripped the wet clothes off without asking. "How long have you been pushing through this?"

Julian’s eyes cracked open, glassy. "Since yesterday. Didn’t want to stop the schedule."

"Idiot." Marcus’s voice had none of its usual edge. He wet a cloth in the sink and laid it across Julian’s forehead. "You’re burning up."

Julian tried to sit up. Marcus pressed him back down with one gentle hand on his chest.

"Stay still. I’ve got you."

Marcus worked methodically. Cool cloth on the back of Julian’s neck. Another on his chest. He kept his own scent steady and calm, pouring it into the small space until Julian’s breathing evened out a little. When Julian shivered, Marcus stripped down to his underwear and climbed onto the bed, pulling Julian against his bare chest.

Skin to skin. Alpha heat regulated and careful.

Julian’s voice came out rough. "You don’t have to—"

"I know." Marcus’s hand stroked slowly down his spine. "I’m doing it anyway."

Julian’s fever-slick body pressed closer on instinct. His cock hardened against Marcus’s thigh. Marcus felt it and didn’t comment. He just kept the slow strokes going, from the nape of Julian’s neck to the small of his back and back again.

Julian’s hips shifted. "Marcus..."

"I know." Marcus kissed his temple. "Tell me what you need."

"You. Just... not rough. Not today."

Marcus nodded against his hair. He reached between them and wrapped a careful hand around Julian’s cock, stroking slow and easy. Julian’s breath hitched. Marcus kept the rhythm steady, thumb sliding over the head on every upstroke, never rushing.

When Julian’s hips started chasing the touch, Marcus shifted them carefully. He slicked himself with lotion from the side table, lifted Julian’s thigh over his hip, and pressed in slow. Julian’s mouth opened on a soft sound. Marcus kissed it quiet, sinking deeper one careful inch at a time until he was fully seated.

He stayed still for a long moment, just breathing with him.

"Okay?" Marcus asked against his lips.

Julian nodded, eyes half-lidded. "Move. Please."

Marcus rolled his hips in a deep, gentle rhythm. No snap. No force. Just slow, thorough thrusts that kept them pressed close from chest to thigh. Julian’s arms wound around his neck. Their mouths stayed soft and open against each other. Every time Julian’s body tightened, Marcus slowed even more, drawing it out.

"You’re safe," Marcus murmured. "I’ve got you. Just feel it."

Julian came first, quiet and shaking, spilling between their stomachs while Marcus kept the same steady pace. The way he clenched pulled Marcus over right after. Marcus buried his face in Julian’s neck and came with a low, controlled sound, filling him in long, warm pulses.

He didn’t pull out. He stayed deep and held Julian through the aftershocks, one hand stroking sweat-damp hair back from his forehead.

Julian’s voice was barely above a whisper. "Why are you being like this?"

Marcus kissed the corner of his mouth. "Because you needed it. And because I’m done pretending I only want you when we’re fighting."

He reached for a clean cloth and cleaned them both up without leaving the bed, then pulled the sheet over their bodies and tucked Julian against his chest again.

Outside the trailer the crew waited. Inside, Marcus kept his arms around the fever-warm Omega and let his scent do the rest of the work.