Facing West (Forever Wilde 1)

I opened the book to the page I’d dog-eared. On it was a dragon that looked a lot like the one I’d inked on Griff’s shoulder years before. But instead of a large, adult dragon, it was a little roly-poly baby version, and instead of bright green eyes like Griff’s, it had warm brown ones like Sam’s. Woven into the pattern of the scales on its tail was the name Benji.

Griff gasped from over my shoulder, and I turned to face him. His watery eyes skipped past me and locked onto Sam’s.

“Sunshine,” he whispered to his husband. “Holy cow.”

“C’mere,” Sam murmured to Griff, reaching out to pull him into a tight hug.

As they embraced, Griff turned, catching my eye over Sam’s shoulder and breathed. “Nico. You freaking nailed it.”

I nodded and turned away as if to ready my supplies, but really I needed a chance to catch my breath. Their raw intimacy cut through me, exposing parts of myself I never cared to examine very closely. I’d never been one to get close to others. In fact, my friendship with Griff was really the sum total of the close relationships I’d had in the past fifteen years with the exception of one selfish prick I’d been stupid enough to fall for when I was a teenager.

It felt nice to be appreciated for something I was good at. And it was especially good to hear the compliment from my best friend’s mouth. It had been a while since we’d had a moment like that. It wasn’t that I begrudged my best friend his happiness with the man he loved, it was just that when Griff found Sam, he no longer needed me the same way as before.

I’d spent many years thinking Griff was the man for me. We’d lived together on the streets as teenagers and been tight as teeth ever since. But when Sam came along, things changed. Griff was no longer mine, and the loss of that imagined future together had left me feeling particularly lonely and set adrift.

I quickly shook off the feeling of self-pity and forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I didn’t need what they had. I’d been more than fine for years doing my thing—embracing independence and letting random hookups meet my needs. No one was worth keeping around for longer than a good lay. I’d learned that the hard way years ago. Physical satisfaction from one-nighters, emotional satisfaction from friends and clients. It had worked for me for years. I didn’t want the ridiculous, sugar-sweet nonsense with another person, so there was no need to be affected by this.

And screw melancholy in general. No one wanted to spend time with the mopey downer in the group.

“Who’s first?” I asked as cheerfully as I could. Griff tilted his head and cocked a brow at me. I gave him a smile of reassurance and gestured for them to follow me back to a private room, leaving my cell phone under the front counter to avoid any interruptions.

By the time the tattoos were done, I felt a strange combination of tired and antsy. The guys asked me to join them for a drink afterward, and we headed to one of our favorite clubs.

“I didn’t think you old men would have the energy for dancing anymore,” I teased once we found a table with our drinks in hand.

“We don’t. We’re just trying to pretend so you don’t think we’re losers,” Sam said honestly. Griff barked out a laugh.

“He’s right. We only wish we were still cool club types,” he agreed. “But now that we’re here, I’m definitely going to get Sam’s sweet ass out on the dance floor. C’mon. You too, Nico.”

Griff took a long pull of his beer while I threw back the two shots I’d gotten. I knew by the itchiness I’d felt earlier at the shop that I needed to find someone to blow a little steam off with once Griff and Sam were gone.

“Okay, let’s do this,” I said, standing up and turning back to hold my hand out to Sam. “Dance with me. It’ll make Griff jealous,” I said with a grin.

Sam’s face morphed into a mischievous smirk as he took my hand. “Sounds good.”

Without looking up from his beer, Griff spoke loudly enough for us both to hear. “You think it’ll make me jealous, but all it will make me is horny as hell.”

Me too, I thought.

When we found a spot on the crowded dance floor, Sam pressed up against my back and put his arms around my waist and his chin on my shoulder. His deep voice slid into my ears, making me shiver. “As if he’s not horny all the time as it is.”

I turned slightly so he could hear my response. “Oh please, you guys have been together long enough. Surely things are getting old and boring by now.”