Melting - Sean Ashcroft Page 0,21

this guy’s name, despite having slept with him less than a week ago?

“Uh, hi,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, mind racing while I tried to think of an escape route. “How, umm. How’re you?”

“Good, good,” Goldie nodded. “Seth, Andre,” he said, smiling his bright, warm smile at the two of them.

Okay. They knew him. Maybe one of them would say his name.

“And this is…?”

“Hayden,” Hayden said before I could remember my manners and introduce him.

“Isaac,” Goldie—well, Isaac, obviously—said.

A hand landed on the small of my back.

Hayden’s hand.

Wait. Hayden’s hand?

I had to force myself not to jump, or turn to look at him in surprise.

Possessiveness rolled off him in waves.

My dick jumped.

Isaac looked between me and Hayden, glancing subtly at where his fingers were splayed over the back of my t-shirt.

I worried for a moment that there was about to be some kind of bizarre alpha male standoff between them, but the tension passed, and the pressure of Hayden’s fingers against me decreased ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, I was so turned on my ears were ringing.

The image of Hayden spinning me around, pushing me up against the wall and growling softly as he kissed me breathless played through my mind. I could almost feel the heat of his body, feel his hands on my ass, fingers digging in as he ground against me.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Isaac said. “You must be new in town too, huh?”

Great. He thought I was the goddamn welcome wagon.

Welcome to Otter Bay, this is Wes, he’ll give you the tour and then fall into bed with you.

I hadn’t gone without for a whole week yet and I was nearly drooling at the thought of Hayden pouncing on me again.

“I grew up here, actually,” Hayden said. “But, uh, moved to New York years ago. Just home for the summer.”

He hadn’t taken his hand away yet.

I could feel Seth gaping at me. I didn’t have to see it, I knew what the look on his face had to be right now.

“Oh, well, you’ve got some great guides. Andre especially has been so nice to me.”

Andre had been nice to him? I’d sucked his cock, what did Andre do?

“Us new guys have to stick together.” Andre shrugged, offering him a lopsided smile that—

Oh. Oh shit. I hadn’t seen him look at someone like that since Blake.

Crap. Did I sleep with a guy Andre had a thing for?

“Well, I know you guys are all over twenty-one, so I’ll move you ahead,” Isaac said. “I might see you inside for a drink? My shift’s over in half an hour.”

Hayden’s fingers pressed against my back again.

“Sure,” I said. “I’d like that.”

If Hayden wanted to stake a claim, he’d have to speak up.

A thrill ran down my spine at the thought.

“Awesome,” Isaac enthused, escorting us as we skipped the line. “Save some fun for me, okay?”

“We will,” Andre promised.

“Wait,” I said as Hayden stepped forward, already missing his hand against my back. “Gotta take a picture if I wanna win that bet.”

Hayden paused, giving me a chance to get my phone out and snap a quick shot of him in the doorway, about to step inside.

When I met his eyes again, they were focused on me. Focused on me the way a wolf looked at a rabbit.

Well, if that was what he wanted, he was welcome to eat me up.

There was a guy hitting on Hayden.

He wasn’t even being subtle about it. Touching his arm, smiling up at him like he was the most exciting thing in the world, laughing and stepping closer and licking his lips, talking right into his ear.

I couldn’t tell whether or not Hayden was into it. Did he look uncomfortable?

Could I justify going over there?

I sipped my soda water and stared a hole into the back of the guy’s head.

He was making Hayden uncomfortable. That was why he was blushing and smiling that shy little smile that took ten years off his face, right? Discomfort.

I should have staged a rescue. He’d rescued me earlier, after all.

Yeah. It was the right thing to do.

I definitely wasn’t doing it because of the uncomfortable knot of jealousy in the pit of my stomach, or because I wanted to touch his arm and make him smile like that.

My feet started taking me across the club before I’d made a conscious decision to go over there, music and pulse pounding in my ears at equal volumes as I pushed through the crush of grinding bodies between me and my goal.

A hand