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“Don’t worry. We’ll get back to that,” the man promised in a low voice before turning his hot gaze on Calder. He stuck out his hand, and for a moment Calder couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Could he suck on one of his fingers? Belatedly he took it, not caring that he could hear laughter in the man’s tone when he said, “I’m Gio. Good to meet you, Calder.”
“Nice to meet you,” Calder replied out of habit because his brain was still trying to catch up.
And Gio clearly wasn’t interested in giving it a chance to start working again. Instead of releasing his hand after shaking it, his fingers tightened and he tugged Calder closer. His shoulders slid across Lucien’s chest while his hip bumped Gio’s thigh. He couldn’t see what Lucien’s reaction was, but he felt his hand land on his waist as if to steady him. Those strong fingers burned through his shirt, and there was no catching the sound that squeaked from his throat.
“Shots!” Gio suddenly proclaimed. “I think we could use a round of shots. What do you say?” He looked up at Lucien and smiled. “Join me in a round of shots. Break the ice.”
“Nothing feels icy to me,” Lucien murmured, while the fingers on Calder’s waist tightened.
He suddenly felt bad. He was intruding like an annoying little brother. Yes, his intention had been to stop Lucien from hitting on this guy, but now that he was standing there, he felt how wrong it was. What Lucien did and who he slept with was none of his business. He was supposed to be working on getting rid of the bad blood between him and Lucien, not making matters worse.
“None for me,” Calder said softly. “I’ll grab the drinks and get out of your way.”
Gio surprised him by cupping the side of his face with a warm calloused hand. “Oh no, sweetness. We don’t want you going anywhere. You’ve got to stay.” Gio looked over Calder’s shoulder at Lucien. “We want him to stay, right?”
Calder tensed, waiting for the rejection, but Lucien shocked him even more by pulling him in tighter so that he could feel Lucien’s groin against the small of his back. Those long fingers slipped down from his waist to caress his hip bone, sending the most delicious tingles all over his body. “Stay. Have a shot with us,” Lucian pressed. His voice was warm and so very tempting. Calder couldn’t remember ever hearing Lucien talk to him like that. He wanted to live in that voice. Just curl up in it like a warm, handmade quilt.
Releasing him, Gio turned to the bartender as she delivered Lucien’s and Calder’s mix of drinks and ordered a round of shots. Calder didn’t hear what he’d ordered exactly because Gio had also slotted himself better against Calder, causing his brain to short out. He was now in the one place he’d never thought he’d be—a Gio-Lucien sammich. Even with all their clothes on, it was now his favorite kind of sandwich. He would happily eat it every day for the rest of his life.
“You’re looking to have some fun tonight, right?” Gio asked.
Calder was too tongue-tied to manage words. He nodded. At least he thought he nodded. He must have done something, because Gio’s smile grew wider. A second hand landed on his hip right where Lucien’s was. Were they both touching him? Had he died on his way to the bar and this was his form of heaven?
The shots arrived, and Gio slid one over to Lucien before physically placing one in Calder’s hand as if he knew that his brain wasn’t in control of his body any longer. He watched as Gio clicked his shot glass on Lucien’s and then Calder’s. Tipping his head back, he sent the amber liquid down his long, sexy throat. Calder did the same without a thought. The burn was enough to wake him out of his stupor.
Sucking in a harsh breath, he coughed several times while slamming his shot glass on the bar. Gio grabbed his hand again and shoved a drink into it. Without thinking, Calder sipped it, relieved that it was his gin and tonic. The addition of more alcohol to his system probably wasn’t the smartest, but at least it had gotten rid of his coughing.
When he could breathe, he took a deep drink and set the glass on the bar to find Gio smiling at him while Lucien’s hand continued to dig possessively into his hip.
“You okay?” Lucien inquired. For once, the question didn’t sound spiteful or mean. There was genuine concern in his tone.
Calder managed a small nod and Gio laughed.
“Of course he’s okay. What are you drinking, sweetness?” Before Calder could answer, Gio leaned in and licked his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth for a second, then releasing it with a wet pop. “Mmm…gin and tonic. Not bad.”
