Tris nods enthusiastically, his curls flopping over his eyebrows. “Exactly. Jeremy has a unique style that’s cozy chic, and he tailors it to his clients beautifully.”
“We’ll see, I guess.” I frown. “Are we a high-profile client?”
“You’re a Conner, Marcus. It’s a well-known name in the business sphere.”
I fight the urge to flinch. While Tris isn’t wrong, I wish I had any other last name. Just thinking about my father and the legacy I’m doomed to inherit makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Thankfully, Kara interrupts us and the chat changes gears. She and Maddock live together and are not fans of their third roommate, which is probably a more interesting conversation than I’m having with Tim, who has started talking my ear off about his mountain biking club.
I just finish another sweet concoction and feel decidedly inebriated. My gaze wanders around the room, the sights blurring and twisting. And that’s when the sea of swaying bodies parts and the world grinds to a halt. A pair of bright eyescatches mine, and I zero in on tousled silver hair, tinged pink and purple from the erratic club lights.
Peter Parker.
He smiles, the corners of his lips turning up slightly, and I find myself mirroring him.
Normally, I’d shrug it off as someone who looks like him. But not this time. For the first time in forever, it’s actuallyhim. And he’s looking right at me. He tilts his head as he studies me, his full lips wrapped around his drink straw in a very sensual way.
The breath leaves my lungs, and my heart pounds like something wonderful is about to happen.
Or terrible.
Could be either.
He nods subtly for me to follow him.
I stand abruptly, no idea what I’m doing or what I expect. I just know I need to go. Now. “Water,” I grunt. “I’m getting water.”
No one questions me as I push out of the booth, my feet heavy as I stumble after him.
Does he recognize me? There’s no way.
He glides between groups of patrons while I trail behind him with the grace of a bull until he stops at the top of the stairs, waiting for me to. . .
To what? Have a chat?
No, his sultry smirk suggests he has something else in mind. Something much moreadult.
Why the fuck am I doing this?
My thoughts hit a wall when I reach him. He glances back at me and grabs my hand, a jolt of awareness zipping up my arm at the contact. Peter leads me down the stairs, and I stare at where our fingers are twisted together, his long and dainty compared to mine. His nails are tipped a sparkly silver color. Something flutters in my stomach. My dick twitches for the second timetonight.
How can I even entertain the idea of him?—
I know what this is. I’m drunk. Lonely. Recently single. This place is sexy. And he’s really pretty by anyone’s standards. All of this confusion is just misplaced energy.
So why am I still holding his hand?
Peter turns down one of the dark hallways and yanks me around a corner. We’re next to an exit door, the light from the sign barely illuminating the small space. The air is heavy with heat, and the music is muted, like I’m listening to it underwater. Peter stops and spins around, pushing my body against the wall.
I’m not sure why I let him. He’s a whole head shorter than me and has a much smaller build, though his cropped T-shirt, reveals alabaster skin stretched over smooth, toned muscle. He steps even closer, his body melting against mine, and when I look down at him, our lips are inches apart, breaths mingling. His ocean eyes are edged with dark, smudged liner, and rainbow glitter mingles with the freckles dusting his nose. He looks like some sort of sexy fairy. Or Edward Cullen sunbathing. Definitely not a real person.
Is this real? Am I dreaming?
Not that I’ve been dreaming about Peter Parker. And even if Ihavethought about his flawless skin and high cheekbones and his slender fingers brushing my skin, it’s not like I have any control over my unconscious thoughts.
“You look like you need to relax, big guy.” His husky voice makes my balls tingle.
Tris calls me that nickname, but it never lands like this. Like I’ve lost control of my body. My heart is racing painfully fast.
