“You both did an excellent job, but there can only be one winner.”
Another line they probably taught them at Axe Throwing Attendant School.
Dex frowned and shook his head, but approached Plaid Guy, extending his hand. “Best man wins, I guess. Can I still ask for you to not call the cops? We’ll just go.”
The man sighed, but to Hammer’s surprise, shook Dex’s hand. “You tried your best, kid. Keep that Doberman of yours out of trouble.”
His wife patted him on the shoulder. “You showed him how it’s done, honey.”
Steve glanced at them with a forced smile. “Please leave the axes by the counter.”
Dex grabbed his jacket and led a shellshocked Hammer outside the venue.
What the fuck just happened?
Hammer kept his mouth shut as they passed the trampolines and finally breathed the fresh evening air when cool wind blew in his face. This had been a close call. With a past like his, Hammer could not afford to turn the eye of the law on his back again, yet in his signature fashion, Dex managed to wiggle out of trouble on his charm alone.
Not a single bullet needed.
“You did well. He just got lucky,” Hammer mumbled as Dex let go of his hand and they both walked along the empty street.
Dex shrugged, shaking his head. “Nah, it pisses me off that I had to lose, but we couldn’t risk it.”
Hammer squinted at him. Was pretending that he could have won some attempt to save face in front of his… his what?
“Why would you lose? If you won, they wouldn’t have called the cops anyway.”
Dex chuckled. “We don’t know that. People like that… He didn’t want to call the police. He wanted towin. If I set up the bet so that hedoesn’tcall the cops if he wins and then lost, they’d know I’d done it on purpose, and the fight might have escalated. But I knew that if he won in front of his wife and friends, he’d be happy enough to let bygones be bygones and be this benevolent dude. I just wish I could have shown off a bit more in front of you.”
Hammer’s thoughts jammed like a slot machine refusing to spit out marbles. That was actually… really smart. He watched his feet take step after step until the two of them reached the dark parking lot and stepped away from the streetlight, into the comfort of darkness.
“How did you know this would happen?”
Dex raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean? It’s obvious. What could a man out on a double date want more than to look like the hero? That was his Liam Neeson moment, and he’ll be talking about it until the day he dies.”
“Well, it wasyourLiam Neeson moment too,” Hammer said with a small smile. “The second one in a week.”
Dex smirked and bumped Hammer with his shoulder. “Nah, that was my evil mastermind moment. Always one step ahead.”
Hardly. But he did deal with this particular situation like a pro, and while planning and organizing didn’t seem to be Dex’s forte overall, he was much better at reading people than Hammer.
Dex’s face sank in shadow as they moved farther away from the street, passing cars scattered across the lot like boulders. But they were the only people here, and while Hammer wasn’t ready to decide how he felt about putting his mouth on a dick, there were other desires that snuck into his mind out of nowhere and refused to go before he satisfied them.
“Dex?”
“Hm?” the kid asked, but he didn’t get to say anything else before Hammer leaned in and kissed him.
His feet grew roots in the asphalt as a strange weakness took over, making him slide his arm around Dex and hold on as the soft lips opened. Dex dropped his shopping bag and his arms snaked their way under Hammer’s jacket, wrapping around his waist. If hewassurprised, then he wasn’t willing to waste time acknowledging it.
Dex opened his mouth in invitation, and it was just as hot and soft as it had been for Hammer’s dick. His tongue licked over Hammer’s palate as Dex squeezed his hands on the back of Hammer’s T-shirt. When he pushed close, the thudding in his chest became the drum Hammer’s heart itched to get in sync with.
It didn’t feel strange at all to hold a person so much sturdier than the women Hammer had been with. He didn’t mind the stubble, nor the lack of breasts to squeeze. The sweet fresh scent of jasmine only added to this confusing mix because Dex was no blushing flower, yet he smelled like one.
All this created a strange concoction that went straight to Hammer’s brain, making it fizzy, as if he had champagne for blood. But when he pulled Dex close, feeling him chest-to-chest and deafened by the dull thud of their heartbeats, pain exploded at the back of his head, and everything went dark.
Chapter 15 – Dex
“Dex?”