“Naughty boy.”
Music pounded through the house in front of them, and dread circled inside Kit’s stomach. He wished James hadn’t said anything in the car. But Kit couldn’t blame James for it either.
That was the problem. James had a valid point. Kit was dating a revenge-driven serial killer and a professional assassin. While kinda maybe flirting with a vigilante murder detective.
“Fuck, I’m going to look like a creepy old pervert here,” James muttered.
“Yeah, you are.” Kit leaned against him. “But it’s fine, because you’remycreepy old pervert.”
Bringing an ordinary college student into Kit’s life was irresponsible at best. Deadly at worst. Kit craved the normal life he could pretend to live when he was with Holden—but Kit couldn’t ignore his own selfishness anymore.
Despite everything, when the house door opened on Holden’s lanky form, all Kit’s dread scattered into butterflies. Rainbow party lights danced behind him, sliding over his baggy white tank top and muscular bare arms. His hair was up in his usual bun, and the dark smudge around his eyes might be eyeliner.
Not nearly as much eyeliner as Kit wore tonight. And Kit’s black mesh tank top was a lot tighter than Holden’s.
Holden seemed to appreciate it as much as James had when Kit came downstairs earlier.
“Hello, cutie.” Holden looked Kit up and down, then grinned at James. “I suppose there’s no chance of you leaving us to it? I promise to have him home by midnight.”
James’s answering grin was wicked. “Not a chance. Kit has no intention of being home by midnight.”
Kit sighed dramatically. “Guilty as charged.”
“Naughty boy,” Holden scolded, then touched Kit’s chin. One moment of burning eye contact, before Holden brushed the lightest tease of a kiss across Kit’s lips.
Kit caught himself from leaning forward as Holden pulled away. “We’re blocking the door,” Kit pointed out.
“That we are.” Holden gestured them inside. “Let me grab you both a drink.”
The music thudded louder as they entered the house. James dropped a hand to Kit’s ass and squeezed. “Don’t mind me. I won’t get in your way.” He squeezed harder, enough to drag Kit’s jeans over his cock. “Kit will tell me everything later anyway.”
Holden grinned over his shoulder. “Should I be on my best behavior, or my worst?”
Kit rolled his eyes and flipped them both off.
A co-op was apparently a very large house with a lot of people in it. Kind of like Uncle Ed’s place, except with more college students and less heroin. Plus, Ed might have shot anyone who put such bouncy pop music on at his house.
Holden led them to a room with a wooden counter serving as the bar. Two women presided over it, one of them mixing drinks for the crowd in front of her, the other pouring more…somethinginto the massive punch bowl. Holden went right past the bar to the coolers and handed Kit an icy-wet can of beer.
“What if I wanted the jungle juice?” Kit asked.
Holden shrugged and grabbed a beer for himself. “You wanted a beer.”
Kit wrinkled his nose. “Okay, sure. You still could have asked.”
“There could be anything in that bowl.” Holden cracked his own beer open. “It’s better to grab a new can so you know it hasn’t been tampered with.”
“I’m starting to like you,” James remarked, and Holden raised his can in toast.
“No fair teaming up on me. Can you guys go back to arguing?” Kit complained, though his heart wasn’t quite in the banter. The more James and Holden settled into a normal, joking conversation, with all the push and pull of jealousy, the more Kit dreaded how much he wanted this.
Touching Kit’s elbow, Holden jerked his head towards a door. “Come on, cutie.”
James stayed in the living room, fiddling with his phone, as Holden led Kit deeper into the house. The very picture of a casual boyfriend—except Kit would bet his favorite holey skinny jeans that James was currently opening his tracking app.
And Kit was the total freak getting all warm and fuzzy over it.
Holden paused in the hallway. “Hey, question.” They were still barely in sight of James, depending on the flow of stumbling, laughing college students between them. Holden’s gaze traced Kit like a wandering hand. “Can I kiss you?”
