Page 79 of Salacious Park Avenue Prince

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I looked up at the guard with what I hoped wasn’t the expression of someone who’d just gotten someone off a few seconds ago.

The guard looked between the two of us, suspicion clear on his face. He kicked his chin toward a spot behind us. “You dropped something.”

Travis snatched my beanie off the ground and gave the guard a charming smile no one could resist. “Appreciate it, officer.”

He watched us for another beat then grunted and moved on.

Apparently I’d been holding my breath the whole time, because it came out in a whoosh, and I turned toward Travis, whose shoulders were shaking as he struggled to hold back a laugh.

He placed the beanie back on my head, tugging it down just where I liked it. “So. Who’s the bad influence now?”

TWENTY-FOUR

travis

WHAT ARE YOU wearing?

RISKY BUSINESS:

You’ll see

But don’t make it obvious

Right, because as Caleb had reminded me for the hundredth time, we needed to keep up pretenses in front of the guys, especially tonight. Maybe he thought I got a little loose-lipped when I drank and didn’t want me standing on top of another bar calling him out.

Hey, I could keep my mouth shut. Sometimes. Although apparently Ididneed to remember to throw a few insults and glares his way every now and then. That could be fun. A different kind of foreplay.

The line of people waiting to get inside Gilt wrapped around the entire block, but Scotty drove us past them all, coming to a stop in front of the entrance.

“So Caleb doesn’t mind being seen walking in with us, but he still won’t catch a ride?” West rolled his eyes. “Does he have some kind of restraining order against you we don’t know about?”

I tried to be casual as I scanned the sidewalk, looking for a glimpse of him. “How do you know I’m not the one with the court order?”

“Because you like to torture him by getting all up in his space, and he’s the one constantly running away from you.”

Ouch. The truth hurt—but he wasn’t running anymore. I had to bite back my smile at the thought, because being near Caleb again was just like old times. Better, actually, because this time I didn’t have to keep my hands to myself. It felt too good to be true, that he’d even want me to touch him. A part of me kept waiting for him to decide he wasn’t into this and shut me back down again. But there was another, smaller part of me that was…hopeful. Hopeful he was realizing after all this time that he couldn’t live without me.

God, I was nothing if not dramatic.

Caleb turned around as Scotty opened the Sprinter door, and I lingered by the window to look at him as the other guys filed out. Damn. He’d styled his hair back from his face and left the top buttons of his scarlet dress shirt undone, and he’d switched out his favored jeans for a pair of black pants. As much as I’d recently learned I preferred him completely naked, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from how good he looked standing there all dressed up. It didn’t seem to matter what he was wearing, though. Jeans. Sweats. A tux. He was always the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen.

My stomach flipped as he ran his gaze over the Sprinter windows and stopped briefly on me. He looked away, a hint of a smile on that sexy mouth, and then pulled out his phone.

RISKY BUSINESS:

You’re staring

Impossible not to

RISKY BUSINESS:

Might help to look a little more pissed off

Caleb looked up as Gavin headed in his direction and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“Trav, he’s not gonna bite,” Donovan said from where he stood on the steps waiting for me. Everyone else had already piled out, and there I was, being as obvious as Caleb said not to be.

I stood up, smoothing down my shirt and easily channeled my inner asshole. “You don’t know that. Those canines look sharp.”

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