16. Preston
SIXTEEN
preston
I HADN’T BEEN able to lose the smile on my face all day. How could I when I’d woken up in Archer Carrington’s bed? When we’d spent all night giving each other mind-blowing orgasms and exploring every inch of each other?
I’d fantasized about what that would be like more times than I could count, but even in my most erotic dreams, nothing compared to the reality.
I could still feel him everywhere, could still smell him on my skin, and it had my heart lurching and my stomach tumbling all over again.
I was already counting down to the next time I could be with him.
I knew I’d see him tomorrow at the Elysium, but that would just be hours of looking with no touching.
Something I would’ve been okay with before last night.
Before knowing what his touch felt like.
TRAVIS:
Get your ass up here
Travis’s text snapped me out of my wayward thoughts, and when I checked the time, I realized it’d gotten away from me. I shoved my phone in my pocket and made my way out of my condo and up to the Cue Club, the billiards hall that was exclusive to residents of the Towers.
If I’d had my way, I’d still be at Archer’s in that big, comfy bed of his, but he was busy tonight, and I hadn’t hung out with the guys since the night I’d gotten way too drunk.
If I skipped out on them again, I’d never hear the end of it.
When West and Donovan coupled up with their new guys, they’d assumed they’d get a pass from showing up for all the group nights, but they got so much shit from the rest of us that they ended up bringing their boyfriends along.
So, no, I wouldn’t be missing tonight’s pool showdown.
“Look who decided to finally show up so we can get this shit started.” Daire threw back a shot from the private bar and then picked up his cue stick.
I raised a brow. “Waiting for me?”
“We can’t play teams if your ass is missing,” West said. A quick glance around told me he was missing his better half tonight, and before I could ask where JT was, West rolled his eyes. “He got roped into going to some Christmassy shit with his family.”
“Good,” East said, rubbing chalk over the end of his stick. “He’s still new at sinking balls, anyway.”
West shot him a choice finger. “Don’t worry, he’s been practicing on the regular. But I don’t see why you’re complaining. He only puts more money in your pocket.”
East narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need Golden Boy’s money. I need a worthy opponent.”
“Hello? Your competition, right fuckin’ here,” Travis said, spreading his arms wide.
“You’ve already chosen teams?” I asked.
“Yep.” A wicked grin spread across Donovan’s face. “And you’ve got Mr. Sunshine.”
My eyes shot to Daire—Mr. Sunshine—and even though he wasn’t the most… personable of us, he was aggressive enough that we’d actually have a chance to win this thing. As long as East wasn’t hooked up with?—
“Gavin, you break,” East said, a smug tilt to his lips that had me groaning. The two of them were by far the best at this game, and their teaming up meant none of us had a shot in hell.
“That’s bullshit. You two can’t be on the same team,” I said.
“No? We drew names fair and square.”
“You just said you wanted a worthy opponent. Gavin ’s that guy.”
“You’re forgetting something,” Gavin said as he pulled balls out of the side pocket of the table, his naturally platinum hair gleaming under the overhead light.
“Once we knock out your teams, we face each other. So, really, we’re doing you all a favor.
The sooner we kick your ass, the sooner we go out. ”
He had a point, but I knew something they didn’t.
I’d gotten in a few rounds of private training over the last couple of months with an instructor that had made a world of difference.
I wasn’t sure if it was enough to give Gavin and East a run for their money, but more surprising things had happened.
Like…spending the night with Archer.
The moment he popped back into my mind, my whole body warmed. It was supreme satisfaction that flowed through me, the knowledge that he wanted me just as much as I craved him.
As I reached for a cue stick off the wall, West moved in beside me, his arms crossed.
“All right, what the shit is going on with your face?”
I blinked, the smile I hadn’t realized was back falling. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve had this goofy look on your ugly mug all day, and you’re doing it again.” The words were accusatory, like I’d personally offended him.
“You’re saying I look funny? And ugly?”
“You look like you’re happy and all off in fucking la-la land.”
“And that upsets you?”
West looked over to the others watching our conversation and motioned toward me. “Can I get some backup here?”
“He has been a little off,” Donovan said from where he leaned against the chest of his massive boyfriend, Kelly, and when I shot him a look of surprise, he shrugged. “What? I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
Daire grunted beside me. “They’re trying to fuck with your head for the game. Don’t let ’em.”
Not wanting them to read more into why I’d apparently been sporting a goofy grin, I decided to follow Daire’s suggestion and focus on the game. “Who are we playing first?”
“That would be me,” West said, strolling over toward the empty table, and then he lifted his chin at Kelly. “And this guy, if he can manage to let Van go for an hour.”
“Eh, maybe half an hour.” Kelly dropped his hands from around Donovan and smacked his boyfriend’s ass.
I couldn’t exactly fault him for that, since if Archer was anywhere near me, I wouldn’t want to keep my hands off him either. I let my thoughts wander back to him only for a minute, just long enough for West to rack the balls for our table.
I nodded for Daire to take the first shot. “You can break.” He had enough power in his shots that he never failed to get at least a couple of balls in.
The thought made me snort out a laugh, though, because…well…apparently I’d reverted to immaturity at playing with a couple balls.
West gave me a strange look, like he’d caught me doing something out of character, and shook his head. But before he could start back up with the smack talking, Daire managed to sink three balls on his break, and West cursed.
Daire wasn’t much of a smiler—that would probably freak most of us out—but he looked satisfied as he met my eyes across the grey felt. “Stripes.”
I nodded and scanned the table for where to make my shot. When we played teams, we alternated play within our twosome until we missed a shot, and I didn’t want West to even get a chance at the table. He was being too much of an instigator tonight already.
I easily sank the eleven ball into a corner pocket, allowing Daire to come in behind me for his.
“What the fuck,” West complained when we were down to two stripes on the table.
From the other side, East smirked. “Looks like you won’t be getting a turn tonight. Feel free to come chalk up my stick if you want to make yourself useful.”
“I’m not getting anywhere near your stick,” West mumbled. As I leaned down over the table, he hovered over me in an attempt to distract.
I wished I could say it didn’t work, but I barely skimmed the side of the ball I’d been aiming for, getting it nowhere near a pocket.
“Hah! Success.” West’s pout quickly turned into a massive grin as he shoved me aside to start playing the game. Finally.
“You’re such a damn aggravatus, West,” Daire said. He plucked two shots off the tray the bartender carried, downing them in quick succession before I could grab my first.
I hesitated taking the shot, remembering the last time I’d thought doing shots was a good idea. No. Not tonight.
I waved the bartender by, and as he headed to our opponents, East called out, “What’s wrong, Preston? Have a few too many the other night?”
“What do you think?”
“I think we had a good time.” Mischief gleamed in his eyes. “Scared of round two?”
“I’m not doing that again,” I said, shaking my head. “That was called stupidity.”
“That was called a good time. I’m not surprised you don’t recognize it, but what was the reason for that again? You never did say.”
I could remember all too clearly the irritation I’d been feeling at that moment over Archer’s texts calling me a mistake.
No, the mistake had been getting East’s help to make me forget.
Then again, if he hadn’t, would I have shown up on Archer’s doorstep?
Definitely not. Which meant it never would’ve led to more, to last night and this morning…
I definitely wasn’t a mistake to him anymore.
Shrugging, I said, “I’d just had a bad day.”
“Seemed like more than that to me.” East’s eyes practically bored a hole into the side of my head, but I ignored him.
“Was it a bad day last night too?” West asked. “You didn’t come out after dinner with your parents.”
“Oh.” Right. I’d been so caught up in Archer’s note at the restaurant and meeting him after that I’d completely forgotten we’d all been invited to an exclusive party in Soho.
Oops.
“Sorry, dinner went long, and then Serena and I just wanted a chill night after,” I said. The lie came off my tongue easily—I was so used to having Serena as a buffer that I didn’t notice when all the guys stopped to stare at me.
“Really?” East perched on the end of the table, a curious expression in his eyes. “You and Serena?”
“Yes, me and Serena. Remember her? My girlfriend.”
“Oh, I remember Serena. Always a ball of fun, that one.”
“So you’re pissed we skipped a night out. Get over it.”
“You’re right. Who am I to interfere in a couple’s affairs?” East said, placating me. Behind him, Travis was shooting me a look I couldn’t decipher. Like he was trying to warn me about something—but Jesus, so I didn’t go to some party. Big deal.
West cleared his throat and, like he was picking up what East was laying down, said, “The thing is, though…” There was a curious twist to his lips. “Serena? She was with us last night.”