Page 4 of Something Unforgettable

“Sign up for what, brat?”

Micah laughed, his eyes glassy from alcohol. Xavier smirked in return. Micah was fun. He wasn’t into the kink lifestyle, but he enjoyed teasing at the edges of it. Which was perfect, really. Nick was the same way.

“The bull!”

That dragged Xavier’s attention back where it was supposed to be. “You couldn’t pay me to get on one of those,” he said, shaking his head.

The mechanical bull was set up in a corner of the room. Nick had mentioned a competition planned for later in the night.

“Oh, come on,” Micah begged, all big brown eyes and a pouting lower lip.

Xavier shook his head again and took another sip of his beer. He’d have to see about getting a few cases shipped back to his place in New York. He always liked supporting local artisans when he traveled.

Micah leaned up in his face—well as close as he could get, considering Xavier’s height—and glared. “You’re no fun.” He poked Xavier in the chest and Xavier wondered just how tipsy he was.

Xavier caught his finger and held it captive. “Your powers of persuasion don’t work on me. Go find your husband. Or your boyfriend. I’m sure you can convince one of them to join your shenanigans.” Nick was especially susceptible to Micah’s puppy eyes.

Micah rolled said puppy eyes. “Fine. But don’t think you’re off the hook, mister. It’s a competition.” He pulled his finger back and ducked away. A minute later, he was over at the other end of the bar trying to convince Ryan’s friend, the veterinarian, to sign up.

“You realize that saying no only makes him more determined.” Xavier turned to Archer, who was now parked up against the bar next to him, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers.

Xavier eyed Archer. He was about Nick’s height, so nearly half a foot shorter than Xavier’s six-foot-five, and his fitted tee showed that he was solid muscle though still lean. A swimmer’s body. His eyes were a fantastic shade of storm-cloud gray and his hair a dirty blond with natural highlights from the sun. Xavier could easily get him a contract if Archer had any interest in being in front of the camera. Xavier had mentioned it at one point, but Archer had laughed him off. He was happy where he was.

“How did you get out of it?” Xavier asked, gesturing toward the bull.

“I didn’t. Micah just knows I’ll win unless he waits until I’ve had a few more of these.” He lifted his beer then drained the last of it. He’d barely set the empty down before Hunter replaced it.

“Thanks, buddy,” Archer said with a tip of an imaginary hat. “Is Eli around?”

Hunter shook his head, his grin crooked. “He’s locked himself in his studio. He says he wants to get ‘one more piece done’ before the show.”

Archer laughed. “Hey, I get it. I’d probably be doing the same if I didn’t have to let things dry. Make sure he gets some sleep, though. It’s going to be a big weekend.”

“Oh, I will,” Hunter agreed with a wicked gleam in his eyes, then moved off to help another customer.

Xavier’s attention caught on a figure hovering at the entrance, poised like he wasn’t sure if he was coming or going.

“Oh, good,” Archer said. “He made it.”

Finn, the sweet boy Xavier had only managed to meet a handful of times over the last year, looked ready to bolt. He shuffled to the side when a chattering group entered behind him, then glanced back toward the door.

“I better grab him before he makes a run for it,” Archer said, amusement in his tone as he mirrored Xavier’s thoughts. Then he was weaving his way through the crowd. When he reached Finn, he said something that made the boy duck his head and twist his fingers together. Xavier didn’t see his lips move, but Archer laughed and gripped his shoulder in a friendly hold, steering him toward the bar and Xavier.

The first time they’d met was at one of the weekend family dinners at the ranch. It was soon after Micah, Ryan, and Nick became official. Maggie, Nick’s aunt and the owner of the ranch, had run into some financial trouble that Xavier was able to help with. He’d found his investment was a fantastic excuse to visit his best friend and get a small reprieve from the day-to-day pressure of his job.

Finn had been invited to join them, and Xavier had been drawn to the shy young man who hovered on the edge of the party and seemed torn between taking it all in and making a quick escape.

Their first conversation had been nothing short of a disaster. Finn had blushed and stammered and eventually run away. When Xavier had found himself seated next to Finn at dinner, he’d done his best to rein in his impulses. The thrill when Finn had finally looked at him with those gorgeous, mismatched eyes and given him a tentative smile was better than the rush he got from signing a new client.

Unfortunately, it turned out that sweet little Finn had a boyfriend, so Xavier had backed off. Despite that, Xavier felt like Finn went out of his way to avoid being in the same room with him. Xavier had accepted it. He wasn’t so much of an asshole that he was going to force his attention on someone who was already taken.

Archer finally reached the bar, Finn in tow, and flagged Hunter down. “Hey, Hunter, can we get some shots? Finn needs to catch up.”

Finn flashed Hunter a smile, then his eyes caught on Xavier and widened. Xavier knew he should be nice and give him space—he clearly made the boy uncomfortable—but he couldn’t help his answering smile.

“Evening, Finn. Good to see you.”

Finn’s cheeks flooded with color and he dropped his gaze to the ground.

---