Chapter 2
DAMON
The world around me is hazy as I skirt around the massive projection screen and walk across the open dance floor.
Usually the first thing I do when my set is over is get the fuck out of wherever I am before anyone can talk to me, but I don’t want to do that tonight.
I noticed him when he started walking around the perimeter of the room like he was checking it for threats and assumed he was someone’s bodyguard or one of the event guards in plain clothes. But the longer I watched him, the less that seemed like the case.
If he had been working, he wouldn’t have spent the past few hours chilling at the wall, and he wouldn’t have gone into the bar to get drinks.
I don’t even know why he caught my attention, but I found my gaze wandering over to him every time I looked out at the crowd during my set, and that’s never happened before.
I’ve gotten good at pretending like I’m engaging with the crowd when I’m actually blocking them out and looking through them, but tonight was different.
I could almost feel his eyes on me, and even though I couldn’t see any details about him other than his height and general body shape, I felt drawn to him in a way I’ve never experienced.
Being attracted to men isn’t new for me, but having the overwhelming urge to do something about my occasional attractions to them definitely is.
The giddy, “everything is awesome” euphoria I’m feeling is also weird, especially since I haven’t had anything except water to drink since I got here, but I can’t seem to bring myself to worry about that as I walk right up to the mystery man I couldn’t take my eyes off.
Thankfully everyone is either too distracted or fucked up to notice me, and no one even glances my way as I do the last thing I should be doing.
There’s a reason I keep my identity secret, and sticking around after a job is over and going out into the crowd, with or without my mask on, is something I swore I’d never do.
But it’s like the euphoria I’m feeling is stripping away all of my inhibitions, and it’s making it way too easy to give in to the recklessness and impulsivity that have been getting me into trouble since I was a toddler.
I’m only about six feet from my mystery man when I can finally see his face, and a strange double-punch sensation hits me right in the chest and stomach.
Holy shit.
I know him.
The guy I’ve been staring at all night is Xavier Hawthorne, a classmate of mine at Silvercrest University. He also happens to be a member of the Rebels, one of the four frats on our campus, and a direct rival of the Keepers, the frat I belong to.
A small part of my brain is screaming “Abort!” and telling me to get the fuck out of there right fucking now, but the bigger part of me is saying “fuck it,” and between my hazy, muddled thoughts and my total lack of inhibitions, I keep walking toward him.
I still have my hood up, and it’s dark enough that I know he can’t see my face, but instead of a rush of fear, the fact that he could recognize me is exciting as hell.
Xavier, or Xave as everyone calls him, is the last person I should be talking to while on a job, and that’s not just because he could ruin the secrecy I’ve managed to maintain for the past four years.
The Hawthorne cousins are infamous on campus, and Xave is no exception.
They’re known to be brutal enforcers who will do anything to protect their family and their frat.
And they always seem to be involved in some type of trouble or another.
Everyone knows that fucking with one of the cousins is the same as fucking with all of them.
He could destroy everything I’ve worked for, but right now, I don’t give a flying fuck about any of that.
I’m feeling reckless and euphoric and weirdly invincible, and I want to finally act on all the desires I’ve been fighting since I was thirteen and realized that girls aren’t the only ones who do it for me.
I don’t really keep up with school drama, especially when it involves people outside of my orbit, and I’ve never paid much attention to what goes on with members of the other frats on campus, but Xave’s reputation as a fuck boy is legendary.
So is the fact that, as far as anyone knows, he’s as straight as they come.
Before I can internally panic about the possibility of getting my ass handed to me for flirting with a straight guy, a smirk-smile slides over Xave’s full lips as I stop in front of him.
A strange heat gathers low in my stomach as I check him out, taking my time since my hood is still up and covering my face.
We may have gone to the same school for the past three and a half years and be members of rival frats, but this is the first time I’ve ever been this close to him.
We’ve crossed paths on campus for years because we tend to end up at a lot of the same parties and events, but we don’t interact at them.
I’ve always thought Xave was hot, but up close, he’s one of the most gorgeous people I’ve ever seen.
With his sandy blond hair, classically handsome features, and his big, sculpted body, he looks every bit like the rich frat boy he is.
But it’s his full lips, incredible green eyes, and strong jaw that’s perpetually covered by a blanket of stubble that elevate him from gorgeous to god tier, and another pulse of heat mixes with the good feels still rolling around inside me.
I have no clue how long we stay like that, but I’m knocked out of my daze when the lights around us dim until the room is almost completely dark, then come back on in a flash of color that’s perfectly timed to the drop in the song.
“Enjoying your night?” I ask like a moron, raising my voice enough so he can hear me over the music.
I need to say something so I don’t just stand there like a creepy statue and stare at him, but between the strange giddiness I can’t seem to shake and my muddy thoughts, that’s the only thing that comes out.
His smirk shifts into a cocky grin. “Parts of it.”
“Which parts?”
“The scavenger hunt to get here was kinda fun, but I’d say you’ve been the highlight of my evening.”
I huff out a throaty laugh as a flurry of tingles explodes deep in my chest and stomach. “Really?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Because most people don’t spend their night holding the wall up when they’re enjoying my work.”
“I guess I’m not most people,” he says lightly. “And my date stood me up, so…” He rolls one shoulder in a small shrug.
“They did?”
He nods. “Yup. Convinced me to fly all the way over here, paid for my ticket and got me on the list, then ghosted me.”
“Sounds like your date is a dumbass.”
He laughs and leans his head back against the wall in a move that’s both casually cool and somehow still flirty as fuck. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”
My heart does this weird, skittering beat as he looks me up and down, then drags his teeth over his bottom lip. “Are you on a break?”
“Done for the night,” I say quickly, probably too quickly.
Another of those too-sexy smirks tilts the corner of his lips. “Yeah?”
Is he actually flirting back? Is there a chance that, like me, Xave isn’t as straight as everyone thinks he is?
“Yup.”
“I was about to bounce,” he says, giving me another obvious once-over. “But now I’m not so sure I wanna leave just yet.”
“You don’t?”
He shakes his head, his grin full of promise and heat.
Instead of saying anything more, I hold out my hand.
Surprise flickers over his features, but before I can second-guess what I’m doing, he gives me a smirky grin and slips his bigger hand into mine.
A jolt of electricity runs up my arm at the touch, and instead of taking a moment to question what the fuck I’m doing, I lead him over to the smash room.
The change in lighting is disorienting as the door closes behind us, and I blink a few times as I wait for my eyes to adjust to the nearly pitch-dark room.
Surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else here, and when I can see enough that I won’t risk falling on my face, I carefully lead Xave over to a spot against the far wall.
I had a chance to check out the side rooms while the event staff was setting them up, so I know the basic layout of the room.
Unless they moved things around just before the doors opened, the right side of the room is lined with couches, while the back wall has several chairs and small loveseats pushed up against it.
The left side is clear of any sort of furniture, and that’s exactly where I bring him.
My confidence wanes a bit when we get to our destination, but I shove aside my doubts and ignore the niggle of fear that’s prickling at my consciousness as I guide him so he’s leaning against the wall and I’m in front of him.
It’s so dark I can’t see more than the faint outline of his body and face, and since we’re both wearing dark clothes, the only parts of us that are even remotely visible are the UV stamps on our hands.
Xave lets out a deep rumble that sets my already heated blood on fire, and zings of electricity dance over my skin as he grips my waist and pulls me against him.
He’s warm and solid, and the unmistakable hardness of his cock digging into my hip sends another rush of desire through me as crackles of pleasure explode deep in my body.
Feeling bold, I slide my hand between us so I can cup him through the soft material of his pants. His moan is quiet and laced with pleasure, and I have to bite my lip so I don’t moan with him as I stroke my hand over his length.
Part of me knows something is wrong. My thoughts are too hazy, and every sensation is too amplified for this to just be arousal and adrenaline, but it feels so damn good I just can’t bring myself to care about anything other than feeling more of him.
Xave rolls his hips, forcing his cock to slide against my hand, and it’s like my rational brain goes completely offline, leaving my lizard brain in charge as I’m hit with the overwhelming urge to taste him.