Page 64 of Playing Dirty (Leighton U #4)

Archer laughs and claps me on the shoulder. “Well, I think I saw him head inside. Maybe the restroom?”

I nod briefly, already stepping in the direction he mentioned while calling out a quick “Thanks, man” over my shoulder. Weaving my way through the party-goers chatting and dancing beneath the string lights, I slip inside the double doors in search of Theo.

I open a couple doors—finding the coat-check room and another hall leading to what I assume are offices—before my luck takes a turn.

Just as I’m closing the door to the coat room, I spot Theo leaving the restroom like Archer hypothesized.

I can’t help the little grin forming on my lips as I duck back into the little alcove, ready to get a bit of payback for him sneaking off.

“There you are.”

He jumps out of his skin when my hand lands on his arm, a little yelp escaping him before I smother it with my other palm. I can’t help the quiet lilt of laughter from slipping past my lips when his gaze meets mine and he instantly relaxes.

Removing my hand from his mouth, I drag him through the door behind me and close us both inside amongst the coats, jackets, and forgotten possessions.

“I swear, your life’s mission is to scare me shitless at every turn,” he gripes as I pull him deeper into the room, away from the door.

“You’re the one who sent me on a wild-goose chase to find you.”

He huffs out a laugh. “I just figured you needed an excuse to escape all your adoring fans.”

It comes out teasing, but it doesn’t ease the guilt already welled inside me as I lean back against the wall. My teeth sink into my cheek while I link my fingers with his and tug him toward me until his feet slip between mine.

“I’m sorry I keep getting pulled away,” I whisper, but he immediately shakes his head.

“It’s not your fault everyone wants to hear all about your wild rise to the majors,” he insists, a little smile lifting his lips. “It’s something you should be proud of. I know I am.”

A small sense of relief washes through me, and I whisper, “Same goes for you, baby,” before pulling him in for a long, slow kiss.

He’s been working his ass off with applications to various media outlets now that we’ve landed in Denver, only to finally nail down an opportunity to write for a sports magazine called The Field a few weeks ago.

And the best part? It’s remote. Meaning I can— hopefully —drag him out on the road with me a little bit next year.

But I think the thing I’m most proud of is how far he’s come in therapy over the past few months.

I know it’s been taxing on him—even harder than all the physical therapy he did for his leg—and I’ve seen firsthand how frustrated and dejected he gets after a particularly tough session.

I know it’s doing the trick, though. If it wasn’t, there’s no way he’d even invite our parents out to hit some of the slopes in Aspen and Vail before I head down to Arizona for Spring Training .

It’s a baby step in the right direction—hopefully the beginning of him reconnecting with his dad, who I’ve noticed has been putting in a lot more effort since the accident too.

Theo breaks away first, but his fingers, which found their way to the back of my neck amidst our kiss, scrape gently over my skin while he gazes at me.

“We should probably get back out there. Someone’s bound to notice the baseball star is missing before long.”

I let out a low groan and slump my head back against the wall. “Probably. But can you blame me for wanting a minute alone with my boyfriend? Besides, this is Hailey and Archer’s day, and I’m sick of talking about baseball.”

“That kind of blasphemy is what cost you the City Rivals game,” he reminds me, and I roll my eyes. Mostly because he refuses to let me forget the big, whopping L we earned against Leighton back in May to go along with our Penny Play loss.

Just like he also refuses to let me live down getting drafted to be a Coyote. Or as he likes to say: a Timberwolf’s lesser cousin.

“Blasphemy or not, it’s true.”

It seems like we’ve both been running at full speed since the school year ended, and this is the first chance I’ve actually had to stop and breathe. To truly be present in these small moments with him, the way we are right now.

They’ve seemed to get swallowed up by so many larger ones lately.

“I love you,” I whisper, and the words have my favorite, devastating grin pulling at his lips.

“And I love you,” he murmurs right back. “And because I love you, I think I know the perfect way to help you relax.”

“Oh, let me guess. The hot tub?” I ask teasingly, yet my body heats, vividly remembering the time he made a similar offer.

His husky laugh floats over me like a summer breeze, and his smile takes on a more devilish appearance—one that’s unmistakably seductive.

“I think that’s a perfect plan for tonight; we’ve definitely got some unfinished business in there. But I’ve got something else in mind for right now.”

One hand slides between us, skimming down my chest until it reaches my belt like it had back in the hotel room. Though this time, I make no attempt at stopping him from loosening the buckle, nor flicking open the button of my dress pants and dragging down my zipper.

“I thought I told you we were waiting until later,” I muse wryly, and he smirks.

“Your fault for not clarifying later couldn’t be during the party.”

With those taunting words, he pulls my half-hard cock free and sinks to his knees.

His palm wraps around my shaft, stroking a few times before pulling my foreskin back just past my tip.

And the second his lips wrap around me, I have no idea why I was fighting against this earlier.

Time stills every time he touches me, grinds to a complete halt whenever the two of us have these stolen moments, and I can never seem to get enough.

“Fuck, baby,” I mutter, my eyes rolling back in pleasure.

My hands slip into the soft strands of his golden-brown hair to cup the back of his head, guiding him as much as I simply want to hold on while he inflicts wicked licks and caresses on me.

I’m completely erect now, thanks to Theo’s languid movements, and it only takes a few minutes for me to want more than just his skillful mouth sliding up and down my shaft.

But in my haste to get down here, I forgot my wallet—including lube—in the hotel room. Which means…

“Get it nice and wet,” I tell him gruffly. “I’m coming for your sweet little ass in a second. ”

He hums around my length, his ministrations becoming uninhibited as he moves over my length.

My cock is slick with saliva each time he pulls back, giving attention to just the head, before diving in for more again.

To the point where I’m nearly dripping, spit falling down his chin when he finally pulls off me.

He’s on his feet and facing away from me a second later, already shoving his pants down just past his ass before pressing his palms against the wall. I’m crowding him from behind, knowing this really does have to be quick and dirty, and align myself to press inside when—

“You’re gonna need more spit than that,” a voice calls from behind us.

My movements come screeching to a halt, and I whip my head toward the source, finding a set of teasing green eyes aimed at me. Ones belonging to none other than Archer’s older brother.

“Jesus, Thayer! Do you fucking mind?!” I whisper-shout while trying to shield Theo from view.

But true to his nature, my cousin appears completely unbothered by the scene before him. In fact, he just shrugs before holding his palms up in front of him.

“Hey, if you’re gonna screw behind an unlocked door, you better be willing to take constructive feedback from anyone who catches you.”

I shoot him a glare before hissing, “Thayer! Get the fuck out.”

His deep chuckle floats through the air, and he raises his hands in surrender before slowly backing out of the door with a few parting words.

“Just be happy I came to get my jacket. I doubt the attendant would be nearly as understanding.”

And then, to be even more of a jackass, he tosses a packet of lube at my feet.

As soon as the door closes behind him, Theo immediately starts cracking up. His entire body shakes against mine, the vibrations rippling through me until I can’t stop myself from laughing too.

“Oh, my God. Did that actually just happen?”

My body is still shaking with amusement when my forehead drops to his shoulder. “Yeah, it sure did.”

Though, I don’t know why he’s surprised. With how much we screw around in risky places, our luck was bound to run out eventually. It just happened to be in a freaking coat room, of all places.

Theo rights himself, tucking his delectable ass away inside his suit pants again. I do the same, shoving my aching cock away before looking up at him. He’s still wearing a disbelieving look when he leans back against the wall and shakes his head, another rueful chuckle slipping out.

“Who the hell was that anyway?”

“That would be Thayer Rhodes,” I mutter, shooting a glare at the door before looking back at Theo. “He’s Archer’s older brother.”

“Well, shit,” he says before pursing his lips in thought. “Is it a requirement for everyone in your family to be pretty?”

I snort and motion toward him. “Well, you’re technically part of it too, you know.”

His eye roll is instant, as is his snarky comeback.

“Calling us family at all is a stretch, so you’re shooting for the moon if you’re saying I’m related to your second cousins on your dad’s side.”

I can’t help it; I burst out laughing.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what—”

I lean forward and silence him with a kiss. One equally gentle and brief, but it’s enough to do the trick.

“You’re my family. Even taking our parents out of the equation,” I tell him with absolute certainty. Because I have no doubt in my mind that, some day, we’re gonna be the ones in Archer and Hailey’s place.

My fingers swipe away a few strands of hair that fell onto his forehead before whispering, “Just give me a little time to make it official, all right?”

Theo’s gaze softens, and he shakes his head. “I hate when you say sweet shit.”

Confusion slices through me, and my brows draw together.

“What? Why?”

“It just makes me wanna fuck you. Which is clearly off the table at the moment.”

Understanding dawns on me, and I try and fail to keep my expression neutral when I murmur, “I’m sorry heartfelt things make you horny.”

“Yeah, you should be,” he says, tone dripping with sarcasm.

Throwing in another eye roll for good measure, he pushes out from my hold and heads for the door, wordlessly slipping back out into the hall.

After making sure I won’t be saluting any of the other party guests at the waist, I’m quick to catch up to him right before he hits the double doors to the terrace.

My hand slips into his, and it causes his stride to pause. There’s a distinctive loving gleam in his gaze when he does a one-eighty, his fingers lock tighter around mine.

“What? You didn’t have to turn around,” I say with a confused laugh. “I just wanted to hold your hand.”

He hits me with one of those decimating smiles.

“I’ll always turn around for you.”

THE END