Page 18 of Forgiven

Jared and Kyrone shook their heads. They both had bottles of water. Callum wondered if they hadn’t gone to dance because they didn’t want to leave him alone. That made him feel bad.

“You’re offering to buy me a drink?” Dylan asked, his mouth hooking into an amused grin.

“I guess.”

“I’ll warn you, I’m not a cheap date.”

Callum debated pointing out that they weren’t on a date, but kept his mouth shut.

“A strawberry daiquiri, please.”

Callum nodded and made his way to the bar. As he waited to be served, he looked back at the table where the three guys were talking and laughing. He felt like an outsider, not least because he barely knew any of them.

He took the drinks back to the table. Dylan’s cocktail was red, thick, and sticky.

Callum had intended to put the cocktail glass on the table, but Dylan beat him to it, taking it from his hand. His fingers brushed over Callum’s, lingering long enough for the touch to be purposeful. Callum’s cheeks burned with heat.

“Thank you,” Dylan said, keeping his stare firmly on Callum.

“Aren’t you going to dance?” Callum asked.

“Trying to get rid of me?”

“No.” Maybe he was, a little. “You said clubs were only good for dancing and hooking up.”

Dylan turned to the dance floor, watching it for a short while. “There’s no one outthereI want to hook up with.”

Callum couldn’t miss Dylan’s emphasis on ‘there.’ He wasn’t sure what else he could do to prove to the guy that he wasn’t interested, and that he would never be interested in him.

“You seem like a nice guy—”

“You noticed.”

Callum sighed. “If you want to get to know each other as friends, that’s cool. But if all you’re looking for is a hook-up, I’m not the right guy.”

“Friends.” Dylan’s mouth twisted slightly. “I can do that.”

Callum arched an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure Dylancoulddo friends. Not with him, at least.

“Cross my heart,” Dylan said, doing exactly that.

As Callum’s stare followed the trail of Dylan’s fingertip across his see-through shirt, it was impossible not to notice that both his nipples were pierced and that they had delicate rings through them.

“My dick’s pierced too,” Dylan said, as though it was the most obvious thing to drop into a casual conversation. “It drives guys wild.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “But I guess you’ll never find out why.”

“Stop being a shit,” Kyrone chastised. “He’s a wind-up merchant,” he told Callum. “Either you’ll get used to it or he’ll get bored.”

“I never get bored.” Dylan pouted.

Kyrone burst out laughing. “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said. Youalwaysget bored. That’s why you’re constantly on the lookout for a fresh guy to fuck.”

Still pouting, Dylan finished his cocktail. “I’m going to dance.”

“Want company?” Kyrone asked.

“Only if your twink dances in the middle of us.” He blew a kiss to Jared.

“That’s not happening,” Jared said.