But having him in front of me, feeling his body heat burn into me, feeling his lips against my ear as he repeated everything I said I wanted to do to him, hearing the raw desire and need in his tone, was too much.
Too arousing.
Too enticing.
Too fucking tempting.
Even the strongest of man would’ve given in.
“Yo, Cap!” The sound of Remi’s voice cuts through my mental fog, and I realize I’ve zoned out so much that he and Hollis have gotten up from the picnic table. Sitting upstraighter and clearing my throat, I tip my chin at Remi. “Get your ass over here and play a round of beer pong with us.”
Before I can stop myself, my gaze shifts to Hollis, who’s standing beside him with a cocky smirk tugging on his lips.The same lips that were wrapped around my cock. Fuck, knock it off! Stop thinking about it.“Yeah, Cap, get your fine ass over here,” he drawls tauntingly. “You’re my partner tonight.”
“I’m not playin’.” I stand and finish off what’s left of my beer before walking over to the cooler to get a new one.
“Oh yes, you are,” Remi pushes. “Quit being a fuddy duddy and have a little fun for once.”
Clenching my jaw, I begrudgingly walk over to the table. Chandler is on one side with Remi, while Hollis is on the other. The cups are set up, and after Hollis wins the eye-to-eye shot, we go first. I’m used to this, playing ridiculous college drinking games. My team somehow manages to talk me into it every single year. But standing here now, beside Hollis, after what happened between us, feels suffocating. It feels like everybody knows. And hell, maybe they do. Hollis isn’t exactly one to be quiet about hisconquests, but the idea of my team knowing something so personal—and confusing—is enough to make me want to crawl out of my own skin. Given that nobody has said a word to me about it, or been acting weird today, I’m hoping that means he’s kept his mouth shut.
For the most part, Hollis and I remain in the lead; he’s oddly good at this game, but Remi and Chandler sink a couple balls back-to-back. Nudging my arm, Hollis says, “Drink up, Cap.”
“What?” My brows pinch. “Why me? I drank last time.”
“Because them’s the rules,” he drawls, his chocolate brown eyes flicking to mine. My body heats.
“Sincewhen?” I scoff before downing a mouthful of lukewarm beer.
“Since I made them up.” Hollis winks before taking a swig from his own can. “Anybody ever told you that you could benefit from lightening up a bit?”
“I don’t know,” I deadpan. “Anybody ever tell you that you’re a pain in the ass?”
He chuckles, and before he even says a word, I already regret my choice of words. “A time or two,” he offers. Biting down on his lip, Hollis drags his gaze over the length of my body before adding, “No complaints yet.”
“Alright, knock it off,” Remi cuts in. Eyes narrowed, his finger points toward his best friend as his lip twitches with a smile he’s trying to hold back. “Back to the game.”
Hollis and I end up winning this round, but then we switch and play another round, this time with Chandler as my partner. We kick their asses, and I won’t lie… It’s a little more exciting than it should be, beating Hollis at such an immature, mindless game. Once we get the table cleared off and the fire out, we all head to our separate tents. As I lie down on my air mattress, I breathe out a sigh of relief that Hollis didn’t try to pull anything. A good night’s sleep is probably exactly what I need. The last month, or however long it’s been since he and I matched on the app, has been one long fever dream. One where I lost all sense of rational.
But I’m thinking clearly now.
It was a slip.
A moment of weakness.
I’m in the middle of a divorce from a marriage I was in for far too long. A marriage where I didn’t feel appreciated, or seen, or even wanted… It’s not surprising that I would seek something out from somebody like Hollis. There’s no denying how seen or wanted I was last night, but that doesn’t mean it can happen again. He must know that…
Clearly, I spoke too soon, though. My attention jerks to the front of my tent as I hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching. Then the sound of the zipper opening.
Fuck.
“No,” I grit out quietly as his tall frame steps into the small space.
Breathing out a small chuckle, Hollis closes the tent before crawling onto the air mattress beside me. His scent fills the area, and it makes my head swim.Goddamnit, pull yourself together, Ford.
“No what?” he asks, his voice raspy and no more than a whisper.
“This is not happenin’ again, Hollis.”
“What’s not happenin’?” It may be dark in here, but I don’t miss the flirty grin on his face as he lies down on his side and rests his head in his hand. “Maybe I just wanted to talk.”
