Cay turned my way, and I swallowed my tongue.
The way he filled out the Supes outfit, how all that tight spandex showcased his muscular thighs, the torso I’d enjoyed tracing with my tongue, fuck, the man was hot. And even though his hair was a few shades too light for Superman, when he delivered that dazzling grin my way, it punched me right in the solar plexus. The way he beamed, those gorgeous brown eyes. Fuck, it was impossible not to get ensnared by this man. Even my formerly straight ass hadn’t been immune.
“You made it,” he said, approaching me. He paused in front of me and licked his lips, his gaze dropping to mine. However, Tai was standing right next to me, so instead, he leaned in for a hug. If I dipped my nose into the crook between his neck and shoulder just to get a whiff of his spicy cologne, that was between me and my cock. With his arms around me, I was vaulted back to the last time we were both in costumes, that kiss at Comic-Con that had turned me upside down.
“Excuse me. Do I get a hug too?” Tai asked as impatient as ever, even though I noticed the wry amusement in his tone. He definitely suspected something was going on between us, but I sure as hell wouldn’t give him any more ammo.
“Of course,” Cay said, pulling away from me. The moment his warmth left, I immediately wanted to drag him back, to try and soak up that effortless calm he seemed to radiate.
“And who is this?” A dark-haired chick in a sexy nurse costume asked as she approached. Based on the way she placed her hand on his shoulder and the possessive glance she shot him, this was probably Cristobel. Lovely.
“Beck,” I said, thrusting a hand forward.
She accepted it with a limp lettuce shake back. “I’m Nina. Cay and I used to date.”
My nose wrinkled, and I glanced at Tai, who shrugged.
“Help me convince him that he should be my plus-one for my sister’s wedding,” she said, tugging on Cay’s arm. My skin prickled with irritation, and I wanted to yank her hand away. “You have to, Cay. I can’t be the only single sibling there.”
My gut roiled at the lack of response from Cay, but when I glanced his way, he was pinching his nape and looking uncomfortable.
“If you’re not dating, though, I don’t see why he has to.” My tone might’ve come out a little sharper than intended. “You’d still be the only single sibling there.”
She passed me an irritated look, but honestly, I couldn’t give a fuck. Cay might be likable as shit, but I already knew I wasn’t. “Well, maybe we can give things another try. We weren’t a total train wreck.”
The way she was actively using him pissed me the fuck off, and Tai reached out to place a hand on my shoulder as if to rein me back in. Apparently, my shoulders had bunched on instinct. Cay glanced between us as if unsure how to handle this.
“While yes, that’s absolutely his choice,” I said, barreling on through. “You shouldn’t be toying with him just because you want a date for a wedding.”
Cay slid beside me and brushed his arm against mine. “Looks like you’re taking the Batman role seriously tonight,” he teased, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Nina was openly glaring at me now, as if she could melt me into the ground with nasty looks alone. “But yeah, I’m sorry, Nina. You’ll find someone great to go with you to the wedding.”
She forced a thin smile and muttered some excuse about needing to use the restroom. Good riddance.
A growl slipped past my lips, and Tai let out a chuckle next to me. “Was that a literal growl, Bats?”
“Shut up,” I muttered, trying to run my fingers through my hair until I remembered I was wearing a cowl. Stupid costume. “She was being a dick.”
“Well, thanks for delivering some of that vigilante justice in my honor,” Cay said, his eyes gleaming. The way his gaze softened when he looked at me had my heart beating a little too fast.
“Oh, hey, who’s that hottie?” Tai asked, pointing over to the bar. “Tall, tattooed, and clearly looking for a hole to fill. Hopefully, I won’t be right back.”
With that, Tai escaped, leaving just Cay and me together. Truth be told, I wasn’t sad about getting a second with just Cay. I wanted to claim more of them, as many as I could manage, which was a rarity for me. Most of the time, I wanted people out of my space, not in it. We both meandered a few feet to stand closer to the black leather couches, which folks used more as set pieces to talk near rather than actually sit on them.
“Seriously, though, thanks,” Cay said, his voice coming out a little quieter. “Knowing my dumb ass, I probably would’ve gotten stuck as her date somehow and ended up seeing her for another month until she broke up with me for a second time.”
“Or you could just tell her to fuck off,” I said with a shrug. “My history of dating is lined with burned bridges. No point in keeping people around when clearly we don’t work.”
Cay wrinkled his nose, his expression genuinely confused, like Clark Kent in the flesh. “They’re nice girls, though. It’s not their fault we weren’t feeling it.”
A blonde chick in a sexy Little Red Riding Hood costume blew Cay a kiss as she walked by. “Hey, you. Funny seeing you at Crista’s place.”
“Hope you’re doing well, Stace,” he said with a grin. I studied the interaction, not budging from my spot.
“Amazing,” she said, waving her ring finger, which contained a big-ass diamond on it. “Getting married next June. I’m going to go grab a drink, though. You enjoy yourself, okay?” With that, she whisked away, off to who the fuck cared.
“Who was that?” I couldn’t help but ask, my hackles already up with the way all these women were pawing Cay like he belonged to them.
“My ex-girlfriend,” he said with a shrug.
