She makes a disgusted sound. “Well, that’s fucking ridiculous. Gay marriage is legal now. It’s been legal in Canada forages. Why are there still so many bigoted jerks in this world? And why aren’t we shipping them all to Antarctica?”
A chuckle pops out. “Because we’re nicer than they are.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t be. Maybe we should judge and persecute them right back so they know what it feels like.”
I appreciate her support and sweet show of solidarity, but truth is, she has no idea what it feels like. Jamie is the only one I can share the frustration with, because he’s the only one who’s truly in this with me. And even then, we don’t talk about it often, because it just depresses the shit out of us both.
“What are you two whispering about here in the corner?” Blake appears with a tumbler in hand and his trademark grin. His green eyes do a slow sweep of Kai’s barely clad body before shifting over to me. “And why haven’t you introduced me to this goddess, Wesley? I thought we were buds.”
As Kai blushes prettily, I quickly introduce the two of them, and the three of us spend the next few minutes chatting until she excuses herself to use the ladies room. The moment Blake and I are alone, he gives me an exaggerated wink. “So.”
“So,” I echo.
“Nice job, Wesley. Though I’m kinda bummed you beat me to her. She’s smokin’. That sweet mouth... Cheezus. I can think of a few places to put it.”
“I’m sure you can.”
“Canyou, though? You two look pretty cozy. I’m jelly.”
A prickle of paranoia creeps up my spine, and I choose mywords carefully, because Blake worded that oddly. Or did he? He probably just wants to know if Kai is available. If I’ve staked a claim. I hastily sip my scotch. “Naah, it’s not like that. She used to date my teammate’s brother. She’s like a sister to me.”
His face lights up. “So you’re saying there’s no dibs?”
“No dibs, man.” I glance at the still-crowded dance floor and wonder how much longer I need to be here. The speeches ended ten minutes ago, but nobody seems to be leaving, and I don’t want to be the first to bail.
“You think she’s DTF or L-FAR?”
“L-FAR?” I echo blankly.
“Looking for a ring.”
My lips twitch. Goddamn. Blake Riley is far too amusing for his own good. “I think you’re safe,” I tell him. “She’s focused on her modeling career right now. I don’t think she’s aiming for anything serious.”
“Sweetest words I’ve ever heard, brosky.” He proceeds to chatter on about how much he loves being single, and it isn’t until several moments have passed without a response from me that he stops talking and slants his head.
I feel like a bug under a microscope at Blake’s suddenly intense scrutiny.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?” he says.
I wrinkle my forehead. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t want to come to this party tonight.” His examination continues, eyes going serious. “I shouldn’t have assumed you wanted in. Ass, you, me, right?” He waves a sheepish hand. “I ruined your night, huh.”
He puts this as a statement, not a question. And that paranoid tickle at my neck is back. “Black tie isn’t really my thing. It reminds me of my parents’ crowd.”
Blake cocks his big head to the side. “You said you don’t get along with your folks. What’s that about?”
“Eh,” I hedge. “They like their society soirees more than they like me.”
He’s still watching me. “My bad, Wesley. I’m sorry.”
I shrug, searching for a way to put this conversation to rest. “I’m here now, penguin suit or not. And the women are sure easy on the eyes.”
There’s a long pause, and then Blake speaks again. “What’s Jamie doing tonight?”
The tingle becomes a chill, which actually hardens my spine. Why is he bringing up Jamie? And he called himJamie, not J-Bomb or some other light-hearted nickname that relegates Jamie to casual roomie territory.
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “He probably went out.”
