“No, it was mine,” Sloane corrected. “You gave it to me to buy myself something nice, remember? I did. I bought myself alcohol.” He downed the first shot, cringing as the foggy liquid burned down his throat.
“What the hell’s in that?” Dex asked, eyeing the mysterious brew warily. “And
how come he made it up just for you?”
Was that jealousy Sloane heard slip into Dex’s tone? He had to admit, it gave him a tingly feeling, or maybe that was whatever Bradley slipped into his shot. He moved one of the small glasses in front of Dex. “I have no idea what’s in it. He won’t tell me. Give it a try.”
Ash took the shot glass and moved it away from Dex. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, bro. He’s already had a beer. Add a shot like that to the mix, and he’ll probably end up with alcohol poisoning.”
“Fuck you, Simba.” Dex snatched up the shot and threw it back. Sloane let out a groan. His partner had played right into Ash’s hands. Dex wheezed and coughed. “Jeeesus! What the….” He pounded on his chest, his voice hoarse. “What is that shit? Acid? It’s burning a hole in my fucking throat! Oh my God, it burns!”
Ash laughed and waved at Bradley, putting up three fingers. “Next round’s on me, Dex.”
While Dex wheezed and Rosa patted his back, Sloane leaned over to grab his friend’s arm. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Just buying my teammate a drink.” The evil in Ash’s eyes annoyed Sloane. No one knew Ash better than he did.
“Bullshit. You’re trying to get him shitfaced.”
“I hate to break it to you, but your boy’s already well on his way to being shitfaced. With whatever the hell was in there, I give him twenty minutes before he’s doing something extraordinarily stupid, and I’m going to be around when he does it.”
Bradley arrived with the shots, and with a “thank you,” Ash took one for himself before pushing the other two in front of Dex. “Time to man up, Daley.”
“Ash,” Sloane warned.
Rosa turned to Letty. “Let’s go dance before they start whipping them out to see whose is bigger.”
“I’m coming with you,” Cael said, jumping to his feet. “I don’t want to be here for whatever chaos is about to ensue.” He joined Rosa and Letty, following them to the dance floor where the DJ was getting ready. The lights dimmed, the dance floor lit up, and the music started thumping.
Dex settled back in his seat, his arms folded over his chest. “I don’t have to prove myself to you.”
With a wicked grin, Ash shifted his gaze to Sloane. “What’s it like having a blond partner? Do you have to remind him which end of the gun the bullets come out of?”
Calvin looked on unimpressed. “A blond joke? Really? That’s pretty sad, even for you, Ash.”
“You two still here?” Ash waved a hand in dismissal at Calvin. “Why don’t you and your toy tiger go play pirates or something? Leave the drinking to the big boys. And Dex.”
Hobbs vacated his seat so quickly, his chair toppled over. He took a step toward Ash, only to have Calvin put a hand to his chest. “Forget it, Ethan. You know he’s just being his usual dickhead self. Come on.” Calvin straightened Hobbs’s chair and ushered his partner toward the bar.
“I don’t know whether to be comforted or disturbed that you’re as much of a dick to the rest of your team as you are to me.” Dex gave a snort of disgust. “Look at you. Your biceps have biceps. What’s your problem, Ash? You’ve been an asshole since I joined. Or is that part of your charming personality?”
Ash shrugged, looking unfazed. “I don’t have to have a reason to dislike you. I just do.”
“At least I have a reason,” Dex muttered. Sloane felt Dex’s leg slip in behind his, rubbing against it. He took another sip of his beer. What he wouldn’t give to be somewhere dark and quiet where he could strip Dex, push him onto his knees, and make him beg for it.
“And what’s that?” Ash asked, throwing back one of the shots in front of them.
“You’re an asshole,” Dex replied. The “duh” was implied in his tone.
Ash opened his mouth to answer, when a soft gasp got their attention. Sloane tilted his head up, puzzled by the slender, good-looking guy with dark hair, a rich tan, and big hazel eyes standing beside their table, staring at Dex.
“Oh my God. Dex?”
Dex stared right back. “Lou?”
The name hit Sloane like a punch to the gut. It took everything he had to school his expression and appear mildly interested, instead of his initial thought of what the fuck? This was just perfect. What the hell was Dex’s ex-boyfriend doing here? Sloane watched Lou round the table, his too-tight designer shirt and equally tight designer slacks accentuating his sinewy frame and tight ass. His heart-shaped face lit up when he looked Dex over, his wide smile exposing perfectly straight, bright white teeth. Sloane disliked him even more than he previously had. Ash arched an eyebrow at Sloane, who gave him a pointed look. There was no telling what would come out of Ash’s mouth, and things were awkward enough already.
“Wow, look at you,” Lou gushed. “You look amazing. Must be all the training they’ve got you doing.”