Shadow licked his lips, thinking back to the explosion of bliss he’d felt when Gray sucked on his cock and made him come. But if Gray wasn’t interested, then what was Shadow to do?
“I keep a score with Knight,” Elliot said with a grin, adjusting the fine silk outfit that made him look like a Victorian occultist. “I put on the timer when I suck him off, and we bet over how long he can last. I don’t really have a gag reflex, so you know…”
Rev groaned. “No, I don’t want to know.”
Gray laughed, but was already getting up from the sofa. “Too much information.”
Shadow kept silent, afraid he might reveal too much if he spoke. Instead of joining the conversation, he took in the room until he spotted a pair of eyes staring straight at him from one of three tiny circular stages linked to the ceiling with steel poles. Women rubbed their bodies against the other two rods, but when Shadow was captured by the pale gaze of the young man, they ceased to exist, hidden away in the red glow of the lamps.
No one had ever looked into Shadow’s eyes so intently, so he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
The stranger was approximately Gray’s size, though less muscular, with longish pale hair and many tattoos on his bare chest. As he moved, necklaces rubbed his pecs, teasing the dark nipples. Was this man a threat? He didn’t seem to be, and no one else was vigilant about his presence, so Shadow saw no reason to believe the man was dangerous. Still, he looked around and pointed to himself with raised eyebrows.
The man laughed and nodded, but when he slowly licked his top lip, Shadow wasn’t really sure anymore what message he wanted to convey.
In a snake-like move, the guy rolled his body against the pole, briefly touching it with his tongue before glancing at Shadow again.
“Someone likes you,” Elliot whispered into Shadow’s ear so suddenly his elbow slipped from its place on the side of the sofa.
Shadow pushed back his hair, instantly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Did everyone follow his every move, passing judgment on the choices he made? “Oh. Is that what he’s saying?” Shadow’s gaze searched the crowd of people who’d come to the party, but his eyes were instantly drawn to Gray’s compact, proportional body. It wasn’t just because of his looks, of the silvery hair that always felt so soft against Shadow’s skin. It was about the way he moved—with intent and grace that differentiated him sharply from everyone else around. He raised his arm, greeting a new arrival.
Elliot snorted, taking Shadow’s attention back to the pole-dancing man. “It’s pretty obvious what he’s saying. Here’s some liquid courage.” He stuck a glass with a brown-colored drink into Shadow’s hand.
“But he’s not saying anything,” Shadow whispered and let the liquid touch his lips. He was struck by the sharp, wood-like taste of it. It was just on the border between disgusting and delicious, but when the dancing man blew him a kiss, flexing his stomach as if there were no bones inside his body, Shadow downed the glass in one go, oddly relieved by the burn in his throat.
His gaze sought out Gray once more. Standing with the new arrival, a tall man with a thick beard, Gray seemed more lively than he usually was around people. The alcohol burned its way into Shadow’s bloodstream, making his head light when he watched the stranger lean down to whisper into Gray’s ear. It might have been the liquor boosting Shadow’s senses somehow, but he could swear Gray’s scent became stronger.
“Thanks,” he said to Elliot and walked toward Gray, called by the intoxicating quality of the aroma he exuded from the other side of the room. His knees felt soft, his movements languid and smooth as he made his way to Gray, itching for attention.
The liquid was now scorching deep inside his stomach, creating a fireball that made Shadow want to peel off his top. Gray was ever closer but also farther away from Shadow when he moved one of his feet between those of the stranger and laughed at something the man said.
What was so funny? Shadow needed to know.
He stood behind Gray, and the stranger stopped talking, his thick eyebrows rising.
“Are you lost or something?”
Gray looked over his shoulder and met Shadow’s gaze, his shoulders stiffening as if he were surprised to see Shadow in a room where they’d spent the past two hours together. “Oh. Um, that’s Shadow. He’s a new hangaround,” he said to the other man.
“Pete.” The guy held out his hand, and it took a nudge from Gray to remind Shadow that he was expected to shake it. “Do you always creep on private conversations?”
Shadow licked his lips. “I didn’t know it was private.” Private. He hated that word.