AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s my birthday,” I said.
“An Independence Day baby!” she cried.
I laughed. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“So you can’t come?”
“Nah, it’s okay. I can probably make it.” I was sure my folks didn’t have plans, and I wasnotgoing to end up spending it with Leslie. No matter how Adam tried to manipulate the situation.
“Oh, Barry, our baby is growing up.” She kissed my forehead, and I wiped her lipstick away while she laughed.
“Will there be fireworks?” Minty asked. “Can’t be the Fourth without fireworks.”
“Absolutely. Fireworks for the country, cocktails for me, and cake for Peter!”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Daniel said, smiling at me. “Did they set a date?” he asked Renée, his hand coming to rest on my lower back. It burned there with an intensity that made the heat in my cheeks seem mild.
“July twenty-seventh!”
“You know what this means!” Minty said, raising his glass high again. “Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!”
“It’s just two and a half hours to Nashville,” Antonio said. “Some road trip.”
“Don’t be a downer,” Minty drawled. “Any trip requiring a motel stay is a road trip.”
“So be it,” Daniel said and knocked his drink against my glass. “Who’s in?”
Hell yes, I was so incredibly in.
After downing the last of his Jolly Zima, Minty slithered down from his stool, flung his arm around my shoulders, and wrenched me to my feet. I stood half a head taller than him. He had to go up on his tiptoes to keep his arm around my neck.
“Let’s dance, Peter.”
I glanced toward Daniel, still not over what we’d shared earlier.
“C’mon,” Minty said, petting my hair like he was trying to get my curls to lay flat. “Daniel can give you up for a little while, can’t you, Dan?”
Daniel shrugged and smiled. “Sure. Whatever you say, Minty.”
“Hon, you’ve got to get some product, okay?” Minty said, shaking his head at me. “You look like you got shocked in a light socket.”
“He looks hot,” Renée said, and then added coyly, “Right, Daniel?”
Daniel shot me a heated glance. “Leave him alone, Minty. He’s not a doll for you to play with.”
Minty huffed and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the stairs. “Let’s dance, bitch. You’ve got some hot swing in them hips, don’t you? You better.”
I froze when we reached the dance floor, spotting Jeremy a few feet over grinding with a muscled, shirtless redheaded guy. My feet wouldn’t move, my head swam. I remembered with sickening clarity that he’d had my dick in his mouth. He’d made me come.
Minty grabbed my cheeks. “Don’t even look at him, okay? He’s dead to us now. Well, any of us that matter. You’re our friend, and he’snot.” He glared up at me until I nodded. “Got it together now?” He slapped my cheeks gently. “Good.”
Like he’d uttered a spell, my feet freed up and moved in step with his. I played the butch to Minty’s femme, twirling him and snapping him back into my arms. I let the rest of the club slip away, focusing on Minty’s happy eyes and keeping up with his shimmying.
In the middle of our third song, I glanced toward the stairs. Daniel stood at the midpoint, sipping his drink, watching us. As I gripped Minty’s hips, loosely foxtrotting around the dance floor, the heat of Daniel’s gaze could have peeled off my clothes.
I wasn’t sure what he saw in me or why he wanted me too. Maybe it was pheromones, or maybe it was something else, but the only thing between a naked Daniel and me was my loyalty to Adam—and my fear of letting go, of moving on too soon.
My fear of making another huge mistake and hurting more people.
