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grin more than it should have. He knew it was only encouraging bad behavior, but there was something about Gabriel’s refusal to indulge fools that he recognized in himself.
    “Until you’re more developed,” Briar stubbornly went on. “You have natural talent, that much is obvious. You killed this photo shoot.”
    His heart warmed with pride, but Briar quickly clamped down on that emotion. Don’t get invested in him.
    Instead, Briar turned for the door. “You’ll do great.”
    “Thanks.” It was a casual word thrown out there behind Briar’s back, but it was the first time Gabe had said it. When he looked back over his shoulder, from the way Gabriel watched him, Briar sensed it wasn’t just for the compliment.
    Briar jerked his head in a quick nod, then headed back out of the studio.
    Austin had been one hell of an act to follow, and one Briar had sworn never to follow again.
    But Jesus Christ, that was before he’d met this kid.
    He reminded himself that Gabriel wasn’t a kid at all—only five years younger than him, and that was everything in front of the camera but nothing in the rest of life. But his attitude…
    Just like Austin’s, only Gabriel was different.
    Gabriel hadn’t walked in knowing exactly what he was going to achieve, and how to fuck over as many people as he could to get it.
    Unless he had. He could have been acting the whole time, waiting until Briar picked him instead of forcing his way through the door. But down that road lay paranoia and suspicion. Briar had to take him at his word.
    Even if Gabriel fucked him over like Austin had… well, Briar was willing to walk that path again if it meant seeing Gabriel shine as bright as he was obviously meant to.
    If that made Briar a romantic sucker with his heart on his sleeve… so be it.

9
Gabriel
    T he kettle whistled upstairs , and Gabriel stretched and uncurled from the couch. “Want me to bring you a cup?”
    “Yes—black, two sugars.” Sandra, his landlady, was sewing a hem with quick, precise stitches that never failed to impress Gabriel.
    “I know how you take your tea,” Gabriel laughed, heading for the bottom of the stairs. “Anything else?”
    “Something for yourself. You can’t starve all that weight off.”
    “I can try,” Gabriel retorted. By the time he got to the top of the stairs, he was a little dizzy, but he’d had worse. He only needed to lose five pounds for the show—Julius had told him he was damn near perfect already.
    Good thing he barely ate.
    Sandra was right, though. He had to feed his body, too, or he wouldn’t be able to work out and maintain any kind of muscle mass.
    As he waited for the tea to steep, Gabriel watered the plants along the windowsill. The little herb garden was soothing to look at, and they were allowed to use fresh parsley or basil from the potted plants.
    The other guys who lived here, each paying six hundred bucks a month for their room and these shared facilities, rarely cooked. One worked in the finance industry, another was on an unpaid media internship, there was a tech guy, and one was in the fashion business like him.
    He was in the fashion business now.
    Gabriel grinned, leaning on the counter and checking the teapot. Good enough.
    He poured them each a cup and headed back down to Sandra.
    “So, you were telling me about the test shoot,” Sandra reminded him once he handed over her cup. “The second one really went that well? I could tell you’re a natural.”
    “You think? They said that, too,” Gabriel grinned. “They told me they’re giving me a big break in London. I’m being thrown in the deep end.”
    “And you love every moment of it. Look at you glowing,” Sandra laughed.
    Gabriel’s cheeks burned as he rubbed his face and tried to cool his jets. “Right. Yeah.”
    “It’s not a bad thing. It’s just unusual for anyone in that industry to be so… well, non-ironically passionate.”
    “Yeah,” Gabriel snorted. “Everyone acts like they’re too