I lifted my chin and met his eyes, which were already aimed at me. He observed me in that unknowable way that always muddled my thoughts.
“Everything okay?” His voice—his lovely voice—caressed my senses. Every fear and worry melted away in the face of the ardor he made me feel.
“Keep that shrew you’re pseudo-dating away from her. Who knows what she would have done to Selene if I hadn’t been here?” Megan groused. Neil breathed roughly, and then he made a bizarre move. He looped his arm around my body and rested his palm on my ass. In an instant, I found myself pressed against his body. I stood frozen, embarrassed by the protective gesture.
“Tell Jennifer to knock that shit off, or I’m going to get really pissed off,” Neil said, addressing Luke. I sucked in a breath at his surly tone and noted that Luke wasn’t paying attention because he was too busy staring at Neil’s hand on my backside. I wrinkled my forehead in confusion.
“If you’d quit fucking her, she’d probably get the message faster,” Luke shot back. Neil smiled and pulled me even closer to him, sliding his hand down to my thigh. My short dress allowed him to graze the tops of my thigh highs and I… I was going to die or maybe just faint. I wasn’t sure.
My breathing grew labored, and I felt a familiar warmth spreading between my legs, the kind that only my walking disaster could elicit.
“You seem uncomfortable, Luke,” Neil said, positioning himself behind me. His chin brushed against the top of my head, and his pelvis was pressed tight against my ass. I began to sweat. Neil knew exactly what was going on inside me. He was joining our desires together, wanting me to feel his powerful erection in the exact place I wanted it most. He really was a son of a bitch.
“And you seem…” Luke looked from my face to his friend’s. “Stiff,” he concluded, looking disconcerted.
My cheeks burned, and I clenched my lower lip between my teeth.
Neil leaned over my neck, gently moving my hair behind one shoulder.
“Do I seem stiff to you, Tinkerbell? Tell Luke, he’d really like to know,” he whispered into my ear slyly, and I gulped. He knew what I was feeling. He knew that I could feel everything. If it wasn’t for my modest nature, I would have answered his question yes, without a doubt. He was stiff and hard. Male and ready to dominate. He was a gloriously aroused man. I could vividly remember what he was packing in his boxers.
“Want to play a round of pool?” Megan finished her beer and got up, interrupting my extremely uncomfortable moment. She’d felt the tension between the two boys—the same tension that I had observed. Luke frowned while blond Britney went off with some other girls, promising Megan they’d meet up later. Then there was Neil, who…wouldn’t stop staring at Luke.
“Come on, Miller. It’ll be fun. You and me against Luke and Selene,” Megan suggested, sashaying toward a room I hadn’t noticed before. Neil retreated with a bored huff, and I rubbed my forehead.
I was actually sweating.
Luke followed Megan, brushing past Neil and me without saying anything. I didn’t understand the sudden shift in the vibe—they had been talking about Jennifer, and then the whole situation took a different turn—but I needed some air. I tried to take a deep breath, but Neil’s musky smell overpowered the air all around me. He was still too close. I turned to look at him, gorgeous and cheeky with a tempting grin. My eyes drifted to the fly of his pants and I couldn’t help but notice the pronounced bulge. It was enormous. I imagined all the women who had gotten a look at it and couldn’t hold back a scowl. Neil must have sensed the direction of my thoughtsbecause he pulled down the hem of his sweater with one hand and tried to adjust himself with the other.
“He’s a gentleman. He stands up when you enter the room,” he said sardonically, gesturing to his lower half. I stood stock-still, staring at him.
Had Neil just made a joke?
I shook my head and hurried after the others.
“Cover that up!” I snapped automatically. Neil watched me with a strange look on his face and I went red.
He’d figured me out.
He knew that I was jealous and the concern in his eyes didn’t please me at all. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and continued walking. Neil, thankfully, didn’t say anything and just walked behind me.
“You’re not looking at my butt, are you?” I asked him impulsively as we proceeded down a short hallway that separated the club from a quieter room. The music grew muffled, as did the noise of the crowd.
“Of course, just like you were looking at my co—” he began, but I whirled around, skewering him with a look.
“Stop. You already ridiculed me in front of your friend.” I stabbed a finger at him, and he grinned, not at all worried or regretful.
“Were you embarrassed because Luke was there?” He cocked an eyebrow and looked probingly at me.
“Of course not. I was embarrassed because you were alluding tocertain thingsfor whatever ridiculous reason…” Instead of answering, Neil just snorted and brushed past me, no longer listening. He had already gotten tired of talking to me.
With a heavy sigh, I followed him through a black curtain and into a game room. It looked like a real arcade and was decidedly less crowded than the rest of the club. It had everything: coin-op machines, video games, pinball, and various pool tables. I spotted Megan at one of them and joined her, pasting a wide smile on my face.
“About time, Selene. What’d Miller do?” She laughed, picking up a cue and chalking its tip.
“I can’t stand him sometimes,” I said in a low voice because Neil was right next to us, intent on picking out his own cue.
“Nobody can stand him when he’s not naked in bed.” She gave me a mischievous wink, and we giggled together. Neil turned to look at us then with a frown, so we straightened our faces.
