Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,4
dancer and shook my head. “Pass.”
Caleb, who had been quietly drowning himself in liquor, joined in the search. “Oh, what about that guy, Arch? Look closer to the stage. Latin, I think. Dark hair. More muscles than the Hulk.”
I easily found him, and Caleb wasn’t exaggerating. The guy was massive. He’d crush me. I whipped my head back around and frowned at Caleb. “Hard pass.”
“So picky,” he muttered.
“Not everyone is willing to nail anything that moves like you, bro,” CJ scoffed, but Caleb only grinned.
Shaking my head, I decided I was done with the game. I scanned the room in one last guaranteed fruitless attempt to find anyone that sparked any interest. “You guys, this is pointless. You’re not going to find anyone—” My mouth snapped shut as my focus narrowed in on one of the dancers just as he stepped out onto the floor.
I hadn't seen him working the room before, because he hadn’t been. I would have noticed. He stood out as much as I did, but for a better reason.
My tongue felt thick and my pulse pounded as I tore my gaze away and ran straight into CJ’s curious gaze. Under his scrutiny, I dodged the unasked question and turned to Caleb who smirked. “You were saying?”
I swallowed around the lump that had lodged in my throat and croaked, "We can go now."
"So soon?" Caleb pressed his lips together as if stifling a grin. “Here I was discovering you had a thing for tattoos, Arch. No judgement. If I was gay, I’d definitely do him. Nice choice.”
How long had I been staring at the guy? Rarely flustered, my jerky nod matched the rest of my shaking body. "I just need to go to the bathroom first."
The twins bent their heads together, whispering—which meant absolutely nothing good—but I needed a quick escape from their probing stares to gather myself. I stood quickly, nearly tripping before I caught myself on my back of my chair. “Be right back.”
They nodded, and I left them behind as I aimlessly navigated the VIP in search of the bathroom. The curtains seemed to have inconveniently grown thicker or my vision hazy. I stumbled around, attempting to remain unnoticed by anyone and gaining a little of my composure back with each step. I finally found the men’s room down a darkened hall and locked myself in a stall.
What the hell was that? With two weeks remaining of my sophomore year in college, I was still a virgin. But even with zero experience, I knew my reaction to him wasn’t normal. It couldn’t have been or there would be a lot of panic-ridden people running around out there, and Caleb would constantly be on the cusp of full-blown seizures.
Puffing out a long, steadying breath, I mentally chided myself for the ridiculous response. But I was never instantly attracted to anyone, not like that. Sure, I noticed if someone looked nice or would be considered attractive. But no one ever stirred my blood, definitely not from a single glance. It hadn’t even been returned.
Rolling my neck on my shoulders, I decided to let the incident go. What did it matter anyway? I took care of business and then washed my hands before glancing at myself in the mirror. My reflection was clearly me with the same slim, five-nine frame. My dark auburn hair was still an unruly mess of loose curls. My sharp features with full lips hadn’t changed. But my pale cheeks with a dusting of freckles were abnormally flushed, and I didn't recognize the wild spark in my deep-set brown eyes.
I cupped my hands beneath the running faucet and then splashed cold water on my face. I repeated the move until the heat left my cheeks. Letting out a deep sigh, the last of the tension in my muscles unwound. I needed to get back before the twins came looking for me, so I dried off my hands and headed back the way I’d come.
My steps slowed as I neared our table. CJ had his hand fisted in front of his mouth, attempting and failing to hide a smile, as he watched me approach. My gaze slid to Caleb who lounged back in his seat, a mischievous spark in his eyes as he flashed me a megawatt grin.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What did you do?"
They both shrugged in unison, and unease settled in my gut.
“Are you the birthday boy?” a voice as smooth as velvet asked from behind me.