Chapter 10
RALEIGH
Something was up with Angel.
I knew Billie wasn’t necessarily his favorite person, but he had barely spoken to me in days. After spending a memorable night with a brunette from the bar, I went searching for Angel, but his bedroom was empty. He finally walked in as I was making lunch, offering a coffee from the tray he held in his hands. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was avoiding looking at me as well. The only thing I got out of him was that he’d spent the night at Eli’s.
I considered calling Eli to see if he could give me any insight into Angel’s behavior, but I had to be careful: Angel didn’t mind me looking out for him—liked it, even—but there was a line, and he shut down if he thought I was treating him like a child. “You’re not my keeper,” he would tell me.
Oh, how wrong he was.
Days passed, and Angel’s odd behavior made work difficult. Granted, he often hid out in the office, but over the last few days he’d be gone by the time I finished cleaning up. I’d find him fast asleep—or pretending to be—or he’d take off to Eli’s for the night.
So I waited. Angel and I took one day each week where our days off overlapped—Ryder handled the admin responsibilities so we didn’t spend our entire lives at the bar. Not that it mattered much to us. The Hopyard was our baby.
One rough night in particular, I trudged up the apartment stairs ready for a break. After a difficult shift, I was looking forward to twenty-four hours on the couch with my best friend. No bar, no pants, no responsibilities.
But opening the door, I walked into a pitch-black apartment. Angel wasn’t on the couch, in bed, or in the shower. I checked my phone, and sure enough, there was a text that said he was staying at Eli’s again. The three of us had lived in Vegas for over five years, and I couldn’t remember a time where he hated being home this much.
With a sigh, I brought up a contact that I knew wouldn’t let me down—even if they had been thrown out of my bar days ago. I needed some form of a release, and if it wasn’t going to happen with an overnight video game session, I had the perfect solution.
Billie answered on the first ring. “I was wondering when you’d call.”
I already had my keys in hand, a smile quirking my lips as I headed for the door. “I had to wait for the swelling in Ryder’s jaw to go down.”
“I won’t apologize for that. He got handsy.”
“A side effect of getting thrown out for fighting.”
“I stand by my decision. Are you coming over, or did you call to chastise me for punching your bartender?”
“I’m already on my way.” Billie only lived a few blocks away, so I decided to walk. It was a nice night, after all. “Better not be wearing too many layers.”
“Bold of you to assume I’m wearing anything at all.”
Shit . My cock was already awake, but now it was eager. Ending the call, I picked up the pace.
A few years ago, Billie and I had a fling, but nothing ever came of it. If you asked them, they’d say I ghosted them or something. The truth was that they’d always been more invested in us than I was. I told them I was content to keep things casual, that I had no intention of settling down. Eventually they stopped calling, and I thought nothing of it.
Angel was always nervous around new people. Friendly but cautious. With Billie, however, he was more guarded than usual. Ryder and Jack were quite outspoken with their opinions, and while they remained cordial for the sake of business, they made no secret that they didn’t like Billie. Their feelings were another reason I didn’t consider something more serious with Billie. If I ever settled down, my minimum requirement was that my friends liked them—especially Angel.
There was nothing wrong with a quick fuck and an enthusiastic partner from time to time though. By the time I arrived at Billie’s place, my cock was at full attention and ready for the night to come.
As promised, Billie answered the door in absolutely nothing. I’d never met anyone so shameless.
Except me.
And maybe Ryder.
I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. They matched each step I took with backward ones of their own, heading toward their bedroom. Their copper-toned hair was disheveled, as if they’d spent the day in bed. Flawless, pale skin stretched over every inch of their body. Their hips swung with each step, pulling my eyes south. My mouth watered. I was hungry, and my next meal awaited between their thighs. I pounced, throwing an arm around their waist and lifting them off the ground. They yelped, and I swallowed the sound with my lips on theirs. The noise turned into a moan, their hands threading through my hair. I wasted no time, spearing my tongue through their lips.
I fumbled my way through the house, finding their open bedroom door without looking and throwing them onto the bed. My shirt hit the floor. My hands went to my belt. I undressed in record time, kicking the offending clothing away.
Billie’s eyes turned predatory, their gaze raking over my body until it landed on my cock. They paused, mouth falling open in a silent gasp. “Those are new.”
“Mm-hmm…” I wrapped my hand around my shaft and gave one slow pull. “You could’ve enjoyed them the other night if you’d been able to hold out.”
A precious flush crept up their chest and into their cheeks. “Not my fault you’re too skilled with that tongue.”
Crawling onto the bed, I let my mouth find theirs, shutting them up with my lips. “You know damn well that my mouth isn’t my only skill.”
Billie hummed, their nose grazing my jaw. “I think I might need a remind—ah!”
I hooked my hands behind their knees, spreading their legs wide and yanking them closer. They ground against my thigh, seeking friction and groaning when I slipped away. I ducked down, licking their neck. Their sweet noises spurred me on, and I sucked and nipped my way down their chest, leaving tiny red marks in my wake. I swirled my tongue around their left nipple, then the right. Long fingers in my hair pushed my head downward, but I was stronger. I fought against the grip and they growled, growing impatient.
With a naughty grin, I slid down the bed and gave some attention to their thighs. Nipping at one, then the other, I inched closer to where they wanted me to be. My cock dripped onto the sheets beneath me. Once I felt the heat of their arousal on my cheek, it was hard to hold myself back.
I hooked my hands under their hips and pulled them close. I’d fought hard to get through the day, and I was inches away from my prize.
And then my phone rang.
The middle of the night was an odd time for my phone to ring, and it pulled me out of the moment. The brief distraction was enough to annoy Billie, and they painfully jerked on my hair.
“Hold on,” I cooed, pressing a kiss high to their inner thigh to soften the blow. “It’s three in the morning. It could be important.”
“It’ll still be important in five minutes, Raleigh.” A sharp, painful tug to my hair. “Just call them back.”
Wincing, I pried their fingers out of my hair and brushed a kiss to their knuckles. “It could be Angel.”
I ignored their groan and pushed off the bed, searching through my pile of clothes for my phone. Billie panted, frustrated. I located the device and sure enough, I’d missed a few texts, which was why Angel was calling me. I scanned the most important points: He and Eli had gotten into an argument, and he was asking for me.
“He can’t even talk; why does he bother calling you?”
“Watch it,” I warned. I began digging through the pile of clothes. “I have to go.”
“ What ?” Billie screeched. “Right this second?”
“Yes, because my best friend is asking for me and I’ve never let him down. I’m not going to start now.”
“Look how hard you are, Raleigh.” I didn’t have to look —zipping up my jeans was uncomfortable enough. “You’re really going to walk away right now?”
“I say again: yes. He needs me.”
Billie collapsed onto the bed, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, “He needs to grow the fuck up.”
“What was that?” I tugged on my shirt and went to work on my socks.
“He’s almost thirty years old. I think he can handle spending a night by himself.”
“He’s my best friend.” I tugged on my boots, already moving for the door.
Their voice made me freeze with my hand on the doorknob. “It’s him or me, Raleigh.”
I turned, furrowing my brow. “You really don’t want me to make that decision.”
Billie had covered themself with the gray bed sheet, the fabric draping over smooth, pale skin. In response to my question, they simply shrugged.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Let’s get a couple things straight, Billie. This—” I gestured between us, “—is a fling. We are not in a relationship. I thought you understood that. Angel has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. He will always come first. Anyone who asks me to make that choice is not someone I want in my life.” I spun for the door again.
“Are you sure that’s the decision you want to make? Fair warning, I don’t take rejection lightly.”
“What are you going to do? Please, enlighten me.”
Their eyes darkened, and a shiver shot down my spine. Ignoring it, I awaited their answer. “If you walk out that door, you’re going to find out.”
I scoffed, grabbing the knob and letting the bedroom door slam behind me after I left.
I rushed home, my long legs easily eating up the distance between me and my best friend. By the time I let myself into the back entrance of the building, Billie was the last thing on my mind. I took a brief detour to snag a bottle of tequila from the bar. I’d replace it tomorrow.
When I unlocked our apartment door, I was unsurprised to find Angel sitting on the kitchen floor waiting for me.
“What happened?” I asked, kicking the door shut and placing the bottle in his outstretched hand.
His phone chimed. He glanced down at the screen, then flipped it face down onto the tile without responding to the text. Only one person would’ve been texting him at this time of night. I looked to the phone then back to where his lips sealed around the bottle. Some emotion tugged at my chest, but I ignored it in favor of sitting next to him and taking the booze when it was offered. As the tequila burned down my throat and erased Billie’s memories, Angel tapped me on the shoulder. “Did I take you away from something?”
His blue eyes shone even in the dim light. Bright, electric blue—the color of the summer sky above us as we ran the desolate, dirt roads of our hometown. Even then, well before the accident, we both itched to get out. Countless days were spent lying in a field somewhere, staring into that sky and contemplating where we’d end up. I had always loved the color of his eyes: the way they sparkled when he laughed, and how they narrowed when he called me on my bullshit without saying a word.
But I also recounted the exact moment those eyes changed. They were still the same vibrant blue they’d always been, but now, sitting there in the kitchen, there was a darkness to them that not everyone saw. Shadows that hadn’t always been there, ones that killed me to see. That, right there, was the reason I knew he needed me. If I could be the one to chase away at least one of those shadows, then damn it, I was going to do it.
Angel snapped in front of my face, pulling me out of my thoughts. I thought over his question, using my tongue to toy with one of my lip piercings. “Nothing important,” I finally responded, handing the bottle back to him.
He searched my face for any hint of a lie, but he didn’t find one. I meant it: Nothing would ever be more important to me than supporting him. Angel kept his gaze on mine as he tipped the bottle up again.
“Where’d you disappear to the last few nights? I’ve hardly seen you in days.”
“Eli’s. Thought I’d give you and Billie some space.”
“Billie?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
“After bringing them around a couple of nights in a row?—”
“A couple of nights?” I interrupted, frowning. “I only brought them over once.”
He paused. “What about the other night? After they got kicked out?”
The grin that curled the corner of my mouth was entirely involuntary. “No, no,” I laughed, shaking my head, “that was the cute brunette who caused Billie’s outburst.”
Angel just stared at me. “Are you in heat or something? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing!” I plucked the bottle with comical ease as he tried to hold it out of reach. “There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable in my sexuality.”
“There’s being comfortable, and there’s banging our best bartender in the bathroom. Don’t act like I’d never find out about that, and stop laughing at me!”
It was all I could do to shake my head. I knew Ryder wouldn’t keep his mouth shut for long—regardless of whether he mentioned me by name—and Angel was no fool.
I wiped away a drop of tequila from my lips after he grabbed the Cuervo from my hand. “Ryder’s not going to make it a thing, you know that.”
“That’s not the point.”
Feeling emboldened by the booze searing through my veins, I turned my head to face my best friend. “Angel Dawson, are you jealous?”
Angel flushed a deep shade of red and by the time his eyes narrowed to slits, I was doubled over in laughter. If I couldn’t tease him every now and then, what kind of friendship was that?
As punishment, Angel made me drink a glass of water to sober up while he held the tequila hostage. He took occasional sips, and part of me wondered how the hell he wasn’t plastered. I certainly was. Then again, he’d always had a high tolerance, even higher than me, so I took the opportunity to simply enjoy some time with him.
I’d always been an easy guy to please. I didn’t need much in life. Apparently, the only thing I needed to remain happy was my best friend.
I was okay with that.