Page 56 of Felix

“Who cares?” I say, moving us in a slow circle as EDM pumps through the speakers.

Emil’s fingers tighten on my waist before he starts to relax. He says something I can’t quite make out, so I lean forward.

“What was that?” I ask, my lips brushing his ear.

His hands smooth around to my lower back. “I said you’re really tall tonight. I mean, you’re always tall, but right now, with the heels…”

His words trail off, and I smile to myself before leaning back enough to catch his eye. “Do you like the stilettos, Specs?”

He blows out a breath. “Like is not the right word.”

“No?” I ask. “What is?”

After a long beat, he answers, “Enraptured.”

My heart thumps. “What?”

“You’re beautiful without adornment, Christian,” he says, each word cutting through the din around us. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. But in your skirts? In those heels? You shine from the inside. And seeing that? I’m enraptured.”

Holy shit.

I focus on my breathing. On the simple in and out as Emil guides me in a circle, him leading our dance now. I don’t know what to say, and part of me wants to run. I want to run far and fast, but I can’t.

I can’t.

Emil doesn’t seem to need me to say anything. He lays his head on my shoulder, his hands warm on my back. It’s not often that I feel delicate, but I feel it now in Emil’s arms. I hate it. And I don’t.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I was led to believe you’d be a horny troublemaker tonight, Specs. And instead, you’re turning out to be very cuddly.”

His lips brush my neck, almost a kiss. And then his hips press against me, and… Oh.

“I’m trying very hard,” he says.

I huff a laugh, grabbing ahold of him to grind us together. “I can feel that.”

“Christian,” he groans, breath hot on my neck.

With Herculean effort, I let him go. “Should we grab another drink? Cool down a bit?”

He nods, his forehead against my shoulder, before he takes a step back.

I grab Emil’s hand, and the two of us make our way off the dance floor, reconvening with our coworkers up in the VIP lounge. It’s my first time seeing Teddy and Kipp together, and I can’t help but chuckle at Kipp as I sip my second drink of the night. He’s telling a story, hands waving wildly as he all but sprawls over his husband’s lap. Teddy, for his part, has an arm around Kipp’s waist and a serene, calm smile on his face.

When there’s a sudden cheer that goes up around the room, I follow the gazes of my coworkers to the entrance of the lounge. A chiseled specimen of a man waves from beside a guy with blonde hair who tugs his beanie down as if trying to hide.

“Do we know them?” I ask Emil.

He huffs a laugh, his breath so close it’s as if his lips are back on my skin. “The dark-haired one is Cas. He used to work at the studio as Himbo. Next to him is Jason, his boyfriend. He’s a nurse.”

“Ah,” I say, nodding as Alex launches himself at a rather startled-looking Jason. Just behind them, another man appears, a massive grin on his face. Miles the server latches onto him immediately, hand on his arm.

“And the one being stroked by Miles?” I ask.

Emil snorts. “That’s Jason’s Brad.”

My eyebrow pops up, and I look at Emil in amusement. “Is that like a growth one acquires?”

Emil starts to laugh, covering his mouth, but it doesn’t hide the sparkle in his eye. “You could say that.”

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