39. Caleb

THIRTY-NINE

I EYED THE tray of shots with lime wedges going around the VIP and backed away.

"Abso-fucking-lutely not," I said, holding tight to my beer. They weren't getting me again. I'd be abstaining from tequila for the rest of my life.

"Oh, live a little, birthday boy," West said, grabbing one off the tray and forcing it into my hands. "It's just a kamikaze."

I narrowed my eyes on the contents of the small glass. "It looks like there's tequila in this."

"It's vodka," Travis clarified from where he stood across the circle from me with a put-on smirk on his face. "You know, the other clear liquid."

I had to admit, it was kinda hot battling it out with Travis, only the two of us knowing what was really going down between us. The way he looked at me now just felt different, a more teasing, heated glint to his eyes that set my body on edge.

But in front of the others, the barbs were still there, though I could see the suspicion as they looked between the two of us.

I brought the shot up and lifted my brows at everyone. "What, you're not gonna sing to me?"

"What, you think you're special or something?" East said before his lip curled. "Fine, you want a song, how about a cheers instead." He cleared his throat and held up his glass. "To Caleb, who thought he was too good for us but came slinking back and now wants us to make a big deal about his birthday. Happy fuckin' birthday."

He gave me a shit-eating grin and threw his shot back, but the rest of the group all just stared at him.

"That was kinda shitty," Preston said.

Gavin nodded. "Yeah, I'm not drinking to that."

"It was just a joke." East rolled his eyes.

"Jokes are usually funny," Gavin said.

"When did you all get so sensitive? Jesus."

West clapped his hand on East's shoulder. "I'll take this one." He lifted his glass. "Caleb, happy birthday. Even though you almost sabotaged my relationship with JT by talkin' shit, I'll forgive and forget as soon as you and Travis do."

JT's jaw practically hit the ground as he turned to face his boyfriend. "West, what the hell?"

West winked at me and downed his shot, and okay, there was still some pent-up hostility some of us needed to work through, but that didn't matter to me. As long as Travis and I were good, who gave a shit about anyone else?

"Well, I have something to say," JT announced, facing my way and giving me a genuine smile as East groaned behind him. "Caleb, you were the first person who befriended me when I started at Astor, and I couldn't ask for a better best friend. Especially one who tried to get me to see the red flags I couldn't, because that's what someone who cares about you does. I'm glad you're in my life, and I'm glad you're hanging around this group again so I don't have to deal with petty assholes by myself."

"I'll cheers to that," I said, grinning broadly and clinking my glass against his. The shot was actually really damn tasty, a far cry from tequila, and I asked the hostess to bring another round as I threw my arm around JT's neck. "Appreciate it, man."

"They really are glad you're back, you know," he said. "That's why they give you so much shit. If they didn't like you, you wouldn't be standing here."

I winked at him. "I know."

"Good. Because you can't leave me."

Grinning, I looked up, caught Travis watching us, and felt my heart give a little squeeze. "Don't worry. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"Not even the dance floor?" Donovan moved in beside us, Kelly right behind him, and all I could suddenly think about as I looked at him were…elephants.

Fuckin' Travis.

"Caleb?"

"Huh?"

My eyes shifted back to Donovan, who had a frown on his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just zoned out for a second there." Imagining how big an elephant's trunk actually is because—wow.

"So you want to hit the dance floor with me? Kelly's ankle got hurt the other night when… Well, he's just resting an injury, and I could use a partner."

I tried to remember if Donovan had been one of the guys Travis deemed off-limits, but in the end followed him out to the floor knowing if I lingered any longer he'd think I was a total basket case.

The music throbbed through the club, pulsing in time with the lights that were flashing over the sea of bodies, and I had to admit, I'd missed hitting the club with these guys. They might not always be the nicest to each other—and especially to me—but they sure as hell knew how to have a good time.

VIP lounges. Top-shelf liquor. And the only people around you were the ones invited.

It was…nice. I didn't have to worry about being approached or hit on, though several girls eyed me from across the crowd as they moved together, laughing and throwing back shots of God knows what.

If it had been a couple of weeks ago I'd be making my way over there, flashing a smile, and seeing if one of them wanted to dance.

Okay, let's be real, I'd be asking the blonde to dance.

But now my attention was directed elsewhere. As my eyes slid past the giggling group of girls to the lounge where Donovan and I had left the rest of the guys, I searched out a very specific dark head of hair, and what do you know, Travis was looking right at me.

He was standing by the ropes of the VIP area, drink in hand, watching me with unmistakable interest. The heat in his blue gaze scorched a fiery path right to me, and as the music switched to something a little sultrier, I decided to give him a show.

The play of lights afforded me the discretion I needed to tease him with the slide of my hands and roll of my hips, and unless someone was looking for it, they'd just assume I was moving to the beat.

Travis knew better, though. The subtle finger sliding up and down his glass and his tongue swiping his lower lip told me that, and when I slipped my hand under my shirt, he downed the rest of his drink then made his way out of the lounge.

Fuck. Oh fuck.

The predatory look in his eyes made my dick react in a way that would be difficult to explain if Donovan—or anyone else from our group—noticed. But there was no way to stop my body's reaction as Travis prowled through the crowd of people like an animal on the hunt.

My breathing kicked up, and I couldn't decide if I was excited or worried that he was headed my way until he stopped a few feet from where Donovan and I were and started to dance.

My pulse raced as the music switched to a slightly faster, more throb-heavy beat, and Travis began to move his hips in a way that brought to mind tangled sheets, naked skin, and his hips grinding up hard against mine.

Jesus. He was so much better at this than I was. He just had to walk from one side of the club to the other and he had me hard as a fucking rock. Watching him dance and eye-fuck me through the crowd? It was all I could do not to reach down and get myself off to the show.

And I wasn't the only one.

That was clear by the many eyes on him, not to mention several guys who approached and tried to get his attention. But true to his word, Travis merely gave a flirty smile and sent them on their way. His body was reserved for me tonight, and that was the hottest fucking thing ever.

As he rolled his hips, he trailed his hand down over his chest, and I lost the beat, so fixated on what he was doing.

I wasn't supposed to be watching him. Even out of the corner of my eye I could feel stares in our direction, and I had to force myself to angle my body more toward Donovan to at least make it look like I wasn't drooling over Travis.

But I was. It felt physically wrong for me to be so far away from him, to not have my hands replacing his own as they smoothed their way down his hips.

A gentle touch on my back had me glancing over my shoulder to see the blonde girl who'd been watching me. She swayed to the music, a smile on her red lips as she said, "You're too hot to be dancing all alone."

From seemingly out of nowhere, Donovan stepped in between us and put his hand on my waist. "He's not alone."

Before I could respond, he was pulling me away, blocking her view of me as we moved in Travis's direction.

Oh shit. Travis's stare was glacial, but for once it wasn't directed at me. He'd stopped moving, and it was only once he saw us walking away from her that he began to slowly dance again, though his body was still tense.

I caught his eyes, falling into those blue depths again, and he visibly relaxed, allowing himself to get back into the music.

I sighed with relief as I faced Donovan again, still half turned toward Travis.

"Thanks for the save," I said as the music changed to something slower. "I'm not really up for all that tonight."

"I had a feeling." There was a knowing look on Donovan's face that made me wonder just how much he saw.

Then again, he'd just cockblocked me from a woman, ensuring Travis wouldn't lose his ever-loving mind.

Donovan definitely knew something. He looked over at Kelly in the VIP and winked at him, and the fact that he didn't come running down here on his bad ankle to kick my ass was surprising.

If Travis had made a public claim on me, I had no doubt that even one of his friends getting close to me would've been a fuck no in his book.

Which meant Kelly was comfortable letting Donovan dance with me because…

He knew too.

One by one, I found each of the princes casually—and not so casually in some cases, like a glaring East—looking between me and Travis.

What the hell was I doing?

Travis and I weren't hiding anything from anyone. Shit, even our parents seemed to have a clue there was more between us, and all of a sudden everything became so clear. I didn't want to be over here dancing with Donovan or anyone else—I wanted to dance with Travis.

The reason for our animosity no longer existed, so why the fuck was I still holding back?I didn't want to lose Travis now that I finally had him. But it was clear that if I didn't do something, and fast, someone would be right there ready to take my place.

Yeah, that was so not going to happen.

With my mind made up, I zeroed in on the man who consumed every waking second of my life, and decided it was now or never.

I crossed the dance floor, weaving my way through gyrating bodies, my sights set on one body in particular. Travis glanced my way, catching sight of me, and everything I was feeling must've been written all over my face because a seductive smile curved his lips and he crooked a finger at me.

I didn't care who was watching us now or what they'd think. Nothing, save a natural disaster, was going to stop me from going to him.

The second I stepped into his orbit, it was like time stood still. Travis reached out and hooked a finger into my waistband, pulled me in, and said by my ear, "Couldn't stay away, huh?"

"It was torture." I looped my arms around his neck, and when his lips brushed up against the side of mine, I shivered.

"You know everyone can see us, right?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see every single one of our friends hooting and hollering in our direction, and East looking bored as hell, then turned back to look at the sexiest prince of all.

"Ask me if I care."

"I don't think I need to, but…" Travis slid his hands around to my ass and gave a tight squeeze. "Does that mean I get to kiss?—"

I cut his words off with my lips, because damn right it meant he could kiss me, and that I could kiss him right back, and judging by the piercing wolf whistles I heard above the music, our moron friends were okay with that too.

Which was good to hear, because I didn't plan to stop kissing Travis McKinney anytime soon. Or ever.