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As we stepped out of the entryway, Chip breathed out, ”Oh, wow.”
He wasn't kidding. Toby had completely outdone himself. There were LED lights up around the top edge of each wall of the living room, and all the other lighting was turned down low. On tables spaced around the room were finger foods and drinks. In the center of the room were yoga mats, and at the front, positioned in front of the fireplace, were seven crystal singing bowls. I only even knew what those were because Toby had brought in pictures and a video of him playing after Samuel purchased them for him. Why the hell did he have all of that out?
“You’re here,” Toby yelled, bopping across the room toward us.
He pulled Chip and me into a big hug at the same time. “I'm so happy you two decided to come. Tonight’s going to be so relaxing. It’ll help us all get ready for this busy season and all of the busyness ahead.”
Chip and I exchanged wary glances. Unlike most of these guys, who either had real family or were a solid part of this chosen family, we didn't have that. All the holiday season meant for me was that work would get busy at The Tap, which meant more tips. Plus, I had a ton of assignments and tests for school in the next couple of weeks.
Toby beamed. “It’s time to chill.” Getting between us, he linked arms with both of us and steered us toward the others.
We hadn’t taken two steps when Ollie stopped Chip to check that he was okay and give him a last kiss on the cheek when I felt a warm body move in behind me and hot breath on the back of my neck. In my ear, Harrison whispered, “And not all the boys here tonight are unattached, Luca. You are very single.” Thankfully, his heat disappeared before a shiver went down my spine.Shit. He had a point. Why had I made that crack?
“You okay?” Toby asked.
I pasted a smile on my face. “Yeah. Fine. Let’s go.”
CHAPTERTHREE
Harrison
Whispering in Luca’s ear had been totally unnecessary, but I chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder at me one last time as Toby dragged him and Chip away.
Orson whistled. “Damn, Harrison. What did you do to that boy?”
Thankfully, Ollie and Samuel were already having a conversation of their own, so they missed Luca’s fiery glance in my direction. Shrugging like it didn’t matter, even though it did, I said, “Who the hell knows?” I’d stayed away from Luca since his big confession that he was a boy, and up until tonight, he hadn’t attended a Daddy-boy event with all of us. As embarrassing as it was to admit to myself, I’d felt my pulse quicken when I’d spotted him in the backseat of Ollie’s SUV.
Orsen’s unimpressed stare made me uneasy. He was so even-keeled that if he was annoyed at me, then there might be a reason for it. We had a decent-sized friend group, but of all of them, Orson was the guy who knew me best. Even before the others all partnered up into their blissful happy-ever-after's, I spent the most time with the quiet man.
“He's always kinda hated you, though, hasn't he?” he asked, looking thoughtful.
“Right? For no good reason, either.” Good grief, I hope it didn’t sound like it mattered to me as much as it did. But seriously, I wasn’t used to being disliked by the boys I encountered. By the Daddies? Yeah, sometimes, but that was to be expected. I was good-looking, rich, and boys tended to try getting my attention before they checked out the other Daddies around. It wasn’t like that was my fault.
Orson snorted. “Harrison, I'm sure you did something and just don't remember. Was he one of the boys you picked up one night? Maybe you broke his heart?”
For fuck’s sake. Where was all this broken heart stuff coming from? “You know better than that. I don't spend enough time with anyone to break their heart. I make sure of that. Plus, I never forget a face.” I tapped my temple with my forefinger.
“Maybe it was at one of those masquerade parties at the club?” he suggested, still not willing to entertain that I hadn’t done something wrong.
My gaze immediately went back to Luca’s slight form, zeroing in on his scrumptious bubble butt. “No, I wouldn't forget that body.”
“Who’s body?” Ollie asked.
Giving Orson a look that saidkeep your mouth shut so the big man doesn’t kill me, I smiled my most charming smile at the large bouncer. “No one. Just shooting the shit.” Not wanting to potentially get my ass handed to me by the overprotective man, I turned to Samuel. “You guys really have it done up tonight.”
Samuel stroked his thick beard. “Toby's been so excited for this. He really wanted to give all his friends a chance to relax and chill before all the holiday activities have us all running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”
“What's with the yoga mats in the middle of the floor?” I asked curiously. And would Luca be on a mat doing downward dog or some equally enticing pose? If so, I wanted to be perfectly positioned to watch.Shit.Maybe Luca had a good reason to hate my guts. How creepy was that to want to ogle a man who obviously despised me?
The man's smile spread across his face, slow and easy. “It's his new thing. Since I told him he had to find something to relax him, he's dove all the way into yoga and sound healing and stuff like that.”
Orson nodded his head. “Yeah, I can see that being a good fit for him.”
Ollie shook his head, looking completely baffled. “How does he have time to do anything else with how successful his catering business has become?”
Samuel's smile disappeared in a blink. “That's why I told him he needed a hobby. He used to get so much joy out of cooking, but now that he's so busy, it's become a high-pressure job. I wanted him to have something that would let him chill.”
I tracked Toby skipping across the room. “Is that actually possible? Can he sit still long enough to do yoga?”
