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This was going to be a nightmare.
I didn’t even understand why I’d been such a wreck over Cory lately. I’d wanted him for ages, but I’d mostly made peace with us just being friends. Sure, there were nights when I thought about him in ways that would mortify him, and there were times when I wished I could put an arm around him, or more. But I knew where the lines were. I’d accepted them.
Until this past week.
I didn’t even think it was just gratitude because he hadn’t hesitated to help me with my current situation. There was just something about looking at my wants and needs and loneliness through a microscope with him that had all those desires surging to the surface. More than I ever had since I’d known him, I had to fight the impulse to look at him and say,“Forget them—I want you.”
It was the loneliness talking. The loneliness, and also the desperation that came with being tangled up with the fae. Someday, years from now, we’d both be settled down with our partners. We’d have movie nights and dinners and hang out as four instead of two, and everyone would be content. Once in a while, I might look at him and think back on how I’d once pined for him, and then I’d smile and hold my partner closer and be grateful things had worked out the way they had.
Why did that seem about as likely as me stumbling into Mr. Right tonight?
For all I’d been mentally unraveling about going to the club tonight, I had overlooked one small detail:
That Cory would bedressingfor a night out as well.
Now here he was, standing out on the curb beside me as we waited for our Uber. I could almost hear Andras wolf-whistling and commenting on how sexy Cory was, just as I could imagine Raziel delightedly detailing what a good-looking catch he was. Thank God the two of them had vanished into the ether, as per our agreement with their boss, so I had nothing to actually hear except for my own pounding heart.
Beside me, Cory had also gone for something simple. Tight black pants with a simple belt. A painted-on gray shirt. An unbuttoned black shirt over the top of that. Another pair of Chuck Taylors—bright blue this time.
I’d been reluctant to agree with pairing Chuck Taylors with what I was wearing, but Cory had insisted it would work. Now that I was looking at him… Okay. Yeah. I believed him. Glancing down at the black pair I was wearing, I just hoped I pulled off this aesthetic half as well as he did.
How am I supposed to even notice other men exist when you look that hot?
Our Uber arrived, and we slid into the backseat. As she pulled away from the curb, I turned to Cory. “Are you sure about this?”
He grinned. “Of course! It’ll be fun!” He patted my thigh. “Trust me. Once you get there and have a drink to loosen up your nerves, you’ll have a good time.” With a wink, he added, “Just check out the scenery when we get there.”
I remained skeptical. Didn’t have much to say to argue, though, mostly because of that cool place on my leg where his hand had been. Words? What were words?
We didn’t talk much on the way to the club. Fortunately, it was only about a fifteen-minute drive, and before I knew it, we were inside, and—
Oh. Fuck.
Flickering lights. Blasting music. Moving bodies. One step into this place, and my senses were overwhelmed. I didn’t even know what to do. Where to start. Where to look. Where to go.
Cory was in his element, though, and he took my elbow and guided me to the bar. A couple of cocktails later—no idea what they were, though they tasted pretty good—we were at a table near the edge of the dancefloor, hunched over our drinks and peering at our surroundings. He’d assured me the alcohol would settle my nerves, and maybe it did a little. Or maybe I was just getting over the initial assault on my senses. Either way, I felt less like I was going to jump out of my skin. It was an improvement. I’d take it.
Cory leaned in and asked me something, but his words were lost in the warmth of his body and his soft breath grazing my skin. Good thing it was loud as hell, so pretending I just didn’t hear him wouldn’t rouse any suspicion.
Inching even closer, raising his voice a bit more, he managed to break through the fog: “See anything you like?”
Oh, I did. There were dozens of gorgeous men here, drinking and dancing and socializing and clearly out on the prowl. My gaze had landed on quite a few nice asses, pretty faces, and at least one guy who had his sleeves rolled to the elbows, revealing tatted up forearms.
And every last one of them blurred into the background like faceless extras in a movie. There may as well have been a spotlight right over Cory, picking out the coppery highlights in his hair and the adorable, familiar sparkle in his dark eyes.
I cleared my throat and reached for my drink. “Y-yeah. There’s…” I looked around, pretending to be checking out our surroundings and not just trying to take my gaze off him for a second. “A lot of options.” I steeled myself and faced him again, plastering on a smile. “What about you?”
“Oh. Uh.” He shifted a little and took a deep swallow from his drink as he, too, scanned the room. “Yeah. A lot of good-looking guys out tonight.”
I studied him. I knew why I wasn’t thrilled to be here. Where hadhisenthusiasm gone?
Cory shook himself, smiled, and turned back toward me. “So. You gonna ask anyone to dance?”
“Ask—” I almost choked on the word. “I… God, no. I’ve never been good at approaching guys in a place like…” I gestured around us.
I half-expected him to admonish me and tell me to just put my dumb ass out there.
Instead, he shrugged. “Eh, I don’t blame you. I’m terrible at it, too.” Then he gave me a little down-up, winked, and added, “Pretty sure you won’t have any trouble attracting someone whowillask.”
