“You know, it’s not exactly a high school cafeteria,” Drew began. “But it’s prettyclose.”
It was a sign of just how distracted Bas was that it took him a few seconds to catch on. But when he did, he smiled - small, but intimate andreal -and turned to face Drew, bracing a hand on hiswaist.
“Drew McMann,” he said, batting his eyelashes. “Will you go steady withme?”
Drew snorted - the least-elegant noise he’d ever made in his life - and he could only be glad that he’d convinced his mother to miss tonight’s gala for safety reasons, or else he’d never live it down. He shook his head. “Sebastian Seaver, you are murder on myreputation.”
Bas pulled him a fraction of an inch closer - not nearly as close as either of them would have liked - and bit his lip. “Nonsense,” he said. “I’m trying to make an honest man ofyou.”
Drew ran his tongue over his teeth. “Ask me again when this is over and Imightletyou.”
Whatever reply Bas was about to make was cut off as one of Cort’s friends, Agent Carl Derrick, approached them in his waiter garb wearing a faintscowl.
“Sirs, if you need a drink, you can find oneon the perimeter of the room,” he told them, his eyes all but flashing the wordsStick to theplan.
Oops.
Bas cleared his throat. “Right, yes.Excellent.”
From behind them, they heard Cam snicker. “Bas is the first one to forget the plan. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. Anyone? Anyone? No? Meneither.”
Bas shot a narrow-eyed glare over his shoulder. “Is it past your bedtime,Camden?”
“Let’s move it along,” Damon groused, moving forward with his arm around Cain’s waist. “Sooner we get to the table, the sooner we can fuckingleave.”
Drew and Cort exchanged a glance. Notquitehow it would work, and Damon knew it, but neither of them wanted to remind him of that fact. They’d be in this ballroom until Alexei made his move, or the party came to a peaceful end… and he wasn’t sure which outcome he was hopingfor.
They strolled around the outside of the room, looking at the items that had been donated for auction. Golf lessons with a PGA champion, a brand-new Jaguar, a one-week rental of a house with ocean views in Ogunquit, Maine. Drew stopped to look at that one, transfixed by the pictures of the pounding surf on the jetties, and before he knew it, Bas was making an offer that was double the retailprice.
“What was that?” Drew demanded. “Thirty thousand dollarsfor…”
“That was me, planning for our future,” Bas said firmly. Drew shut his mouth without another word and clasped Sebastian’s hand moretightly.
They had nearly completed the circuit of the room when Lydia Tyndall approachedthem.
“Well! If it isn’t the handsomest group of men in the whole room. Sebastian, Drew, Camden… and Camden’s young man! Oh, and Cain, you look so distinguished.” She stepped forward to exchange kisses with everyone except Damon, who she regarded with unconcealed curiosity. “And who might yoube?”
Damon looked at Cain, who grinned proudly. “He’s my partner, Damon Fitzpatrick,” Cainsaid.
“Oh, the young man mentioned in theHeraldarticle.” Lydia gave him an appraising look, then nodded. “I approve,” shesaid.
If Damon was surprised to be called a young man, or to have earned the approval of a woman he’d never met, he didn’t show it. He simply returned her nod and smiled with unusualrestraint.
Drew coughed into his fist to cover his laugh. Love made people do the strangestthings.
A waiter, likely another FBI agent in disguise, approached with an offer to help them find their tables, reminding them pointedly that dinner was about to be served. They said goodbye to Lydia and shuffled off to their table at the back. Drew had to admit that he felt somewhat relieved as they took their seats. They might be no safer when seated, but he felt less like an opentarget.
Drew’s phone vibrated in his pocket just as the first course was served. He panicked for half a second, before realizing that if he was the only one receiving a call, it was unlikely to be related to Alexei. As he took it out to glance at the screen, Bas leaned over to read withhim.
“Gary,” Drew told him. “Nomessage.”
Bas rolled his eyes. “Was it unclear earlier today that you and I are together and he has noshot?”
“Hmm. Yeah, the lap-sitting was kind of ambiguous. Maybe next time you need to pee in a circle around me orsomething.”
Bas rolled his eyes, but his lips quirked. “Whatever. Call himback.”
“Now? At the table? That would be rude. And I can’t leave. I’ll texthim.”
