My mouth watered at the sight and smell coming from the table. “Now, this is a dinner party,” I muttered.
Dom rubbed his hands together. “Damn straight.”
“Dig in, please,” Parker said as he gestured toward the table.
Who was I to deny the host his request?
The food was excellent and the company even better. Drinks flowed easily through the meal. I don’t think my wine glass fell below a quarter full before being refilled, which meant I had no idea how much I drank.
Dangerous but fun. This was the perfect way to get to know my coworkers. The club was so busy that we rarely had time to wave as we passed each other, running back and forth with giant bottles of expensive alcohol. This dinner allowed us to bond and become friends.
I was having so much fun I’d forgotten Alex was sitting at the opposite end of the table.
Almost.
Toward the end of dinner, I made the mistake of glancing toward Trevor, who was laughing so loudly I couldn’t hear Luke next to me. The second I turned my head, my eyes locked with Alex’s. He sat beside Trevor, and to anyone else, it appeared he was listening to his friend’s story, but I could feel the intensity of his attention to the tips of my toes.
I swallowed a bite of dry crust that abraded my throat on the way down. I barely felt the discomfort. The force of Alex’s gaze had me frozen. Like when he first arrived, he wasn’t smiling or frowning. His eyes radiated a heat I’d never seen from him. It stole my ability to think or breathe.
The rest of the room faded to a fuzzy background. My dick thickened, and if I’d been in my right mind, I’d have checked to ensure the tablecloth hid my sin. But all I could do was bask inthe fire of Alex’s gaze. Time slowed until I could mark its passing by the thump of my pulse in my throat.
What the hell was happening?
Did he feel it, or was I lost in my own delusion?
“Anyone up for billiards?” Parker’s sophisticated tone sliced through my trance without mercy. I jolted and blinked, only to find Alex talking to Trevor as relaxed as could be while I sat there with my insides churning.
Did I imagine it? The connection from seconds ago? Had I had some kind of wakeful fantasy where I dreamed the heat and electricity crackled across the long table?
My rock-hard dick thought it really happened, but Alex didn’t appear a fraction of a percent as affected as I felt.
“If you mean pool, then hell yeah,” Dom said, rubbing his hands together. “Last time I cleaned up, and I’ve got my eye on some heated grips for my bike so I can ride longer.”
Trevor snorted. “I’ll never understand you motorcycle guys. Who wants to ride around with a thousand pounds of vibrating metal between your legs?” He pursed his lips. “Hmm… you might actually be onto something, Dom.”
Dominic winked at him. “Now you’re catching on.”
Everyone at the table laughed as they stood and began to file back into the rec room while trash-talking Dom’s pool game.
I didn’t get up, partly because my dick still tented my pants, but mostly I feared my legs wouldn’t support me. I’d yet to recover from the intensity of what transpired between Alex and me, whether real or imagined.
“Ryder.” I glanced over to see Parker studying me with a tilted head. “You coming?”
I almost groaned—poor choice of words. I couldn’t be further from coming, yet now I wanted it, and I wanted Alex to make it happen.
“Uh, yeah,” I croaked.Way to sound normal, Ryder.
“You okay?”
“All good.” My voice still radiated discomfort. “I’m gonna hit the bathroom first, then I’ll be in.”
He nodded. “Use the one at the top of the stairs. No one will bother you up there.”
“Uh, thanks.” How humiliating. He probably thought my stomach was revolting after the heavy meal. I’m not sure if that was better or worse than him realizing I had a boner for another of his employees.
After Parker left, I forced myself to my feet. Thank God no one else lingered in the dining room, eyeing my tented pants with judgment.
I exited the dining room and turned left toward the staircase I saw when I’d first arrived. Thankfully, I didn’t run into James or anyone else milling about and doing their jobs for Parker. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I’d managed to convince my dick to chill the fuck out. Unfortunately, my brain didn’t get that same memo. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Alex had been staring at me.
