WIP - Beauty's Beast - New

Kincaid Lazenby thought it ironic that someone who looked like him would work for a modeling company. But then, all he did was haul the photographer’s props and the model’s clothing from venue to venue. He kept his head down, using his long hair to cover the scars to his face and neck, wore long sleeves even in the summer and hadn’t worn a pair of shorts since he was..well, he wouldn’t go there.

The most frustrating part of the job was the models themselves. Most of them ignored him, as if he were nothing more than a prop himself, but there were a couple that like to torment him, calling him names like monster and beast. It wasn’t Kincaid’s fault he looked the way he did, but it still hurt to be taunted over his scars.

There was only one model that seemed nice enough, but Kincaid was always tongue-tied and surly around the beautiful man. He was more stunning than any of the others, and he made Kincaid wish he didn’t look the way he did. Not that Abel Prince would ever be interested in Kincaid, even if he wasn’t hideous. Abel deserved a man that was as beautiful and stunning as he was, and that would never be Kincaid.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Abel watched Kincaid day after day, hoping to get past the walls the man had secured around himself. That Abel felt a kinship to Kincaid was not something anyone would have thought. It was just that Kincaid wore his scars on the outside, where Abel’s were on the inside. He knew he was nothing more than a pretty package to be used and when his looks were gone, to be discarded. He had no illusions that day would come. And when it did, he wanted a man there that loved him, no matter what he looked like, and that he could love back.

Abel could bet Kincaid never thought he could be loved, but despite the scars that marked Kincaid’s body, Abel was falling for him. He was so gentle, so kind and quiet, when he wasn’t being sullen and testy anyway. Abel could relate. He wasn’t accused of being a diva for nothing. He could be just as churlish as any of the other models. But he never turned his frustrations on Kincaid. Ever.

The catalyst that finally gave Abel a chance to get close to Kincaid was a tragic accident, killing their photographer and landing Kincaid in ICU. Abel never left his side, his feelings for Kincaid growing with each day Kincaid continued to breathe. He only hoped that when Kincaid was well enough to care for himself, he wouldn’t turn Abel away.