Ian watched Sam get even more flustered, apologizing, wiping at Nik’s shirt with a hand.Nik rolled his eyes and pushed Sam’s hand away.Just before the kid fled the room, he gave Ian one last humiliated glance from under his lashes.When their eyes met again, he turned an even deeper shade of red.
The kid all but ran away.It wasn’t an orderly retreat, that was for sure.For a split-second, Ian thought about going after him.But what kind of comfort would he offer?He stayed put and watched Nik follow Sam out.
Okay, so Sam wasn’t his usual fare, but if he did make the effort and he got the kid into bed (or against the wall or whatever), how fast could he make him give it up?Would the kid spontaneously combust just from Ian touching him?
Hell.He had to stop thinking about it.He was getting wood.He hadn’t even decided for sure to pursue the kid.Sure, he was thinking about it, but ...
Then Jurgen, who’d been talking to some other guys, leaned over and said, “That’s Sam.”
“Yeah.”Ian was still staring at the door the kid had disappeared through.“I know.I met him.”
Then he and Jurgen shared a moment of frozen silence while Ian put two and two together.
“Shit,” they said in perfect unison.
“Let me introduce you to Dave,” Jurgen continued.
Ian nodded slowly.“Yeah.Do that.”
“What in the hell was that about?”Nik asked when he found Sam hiding in his bedroom.He shut the door and walked over to his dresser.
“He waswatchingme,” Sam explained.
“Who was watching you?”Nik asked, digging through a drawer.
The Highlander.“That guy.Jurgen’s cousin, Ian.”
Nik looked up, his mouth forming a perfect “o” of surprise.“That’s a good thing, right?”he asked slowly.He pulled a royal blue shirt out of the drawer, not looking at it but at Sam.
“I don’tknoooow.”That was close to a wail.Sam tried to bring it down a notch.“I don’t think I’m his type.”
“Type, schmype.”Nik flapped a hand at him.“He waswatchingyou.”Nik started paying attention to unbuttoning his wine-soaked shirt.
Sam swallowed and took a calming breath.“I might have been ogling him.A little.He might have noticed.”
“Every guy here is ogling him,” Nik said, disgruntled.Understandable: he was used to people ogling his boyfriend.It was a point of pride with him, even if he wouldn’t admit it.No matter how much Sam pushed him to.“You’re just one of the herd.”Nik looked disgustedly at the dirty shirt now in his hand, then threw it toward the bathroom door.Sam watched it sail past a stripper pole he’d just noticed.
Don’t ask.“You guys put in a stripper pole?”D’oh!
Nik smiled, sighing dreamily.“Yeah.”He gazed affectionately at the shiny brass pole, then shook his head and refocused on Sam.“So, what about Ian?”
Another calming breath.“Do you remember when I told you about, um, the guy I asked out?”
“Your future husband?”Nik’s eyes got big.So had his voice.He stopped in the middle of pulling on his new shirt.
“Be quiet!I didn’t mean that husband thing.I was drunk.”
“Yes you did.So, what you aren’t saying is ...”Nik raised a brow, looking delighted.Slowly buttoning his new shirt.
Sam started a sort of horrified nodding.“It was Ian.”Nik nodded in unison with him, but in a far less horrified way.
“So maybe, if you watched him back ...”Nik waggled his brows.It was completely out of character for him.
Sam stared a few seconds before blurting, “He waschecking me out.I think.”
There was that “o” of surprise again.“What did you do?”Nik asked excitedly.
“I bumped into you and spilled wine down your front.”
