Page 3 of Something Unavoidable

“Happy New Year!”

Izzy raised his glass with the others. They cheersed a little too hard, and he laughed as the golden liquid sloshed, fizzed, and spilled over the rim of the plastic flute, running down his arm.

Before he could react, an unfamiliar hand grabbed his raised wrist, and a hot tongue slid across his skin, licking the droplets away. The sensation broke through the haze of inebriated celebration. He shivered and blinked a few times, trying to clear his fuzzy vision. Then he grinned. That was kinda hot, actually. He leaned in, his body swaying closer than he intended, and braced his free hand against a muscular shoulder. He gave it an experimental squeeze. Nice. Then he refocused. “Who gave you permission to touch?” he asked, lips moving against the man’s ear as he strove to be heard over the cheering crowd.

The hand gripping his wrist tugged, and Izzy stumbled closer, his chest landing against a wonderfully firm one. “Pretty sure you did…when you sucked my cock in the bathroom half an hour ago.”

Did he? Huh. Cool. Izzy grinned and smacked a kiss to the man’s bearded cheek. “Fair enough.” He laughed and tipped back the remainder of his drink. The bubbles tickled the inside of his nose, and he dropped his head down to rub the sensation away on the man’s shoulder. Fuck, he hated champagne, but it was New Year’s Eve and the hangover-inducing stuff was tradition.

Noisemakers and popping champagne bottles almost drowned out the notes of “Auld Lang Syne,” despite the Lookout’s impressive sound system. Colorful lights flashed over the dance floor, illuminating the smoky haze hanging near the ceiling. Hunter had rented the smoke machine for the event, and it made everything feel more…fancy or something. The air was hot and thick with delicious, musky man-scent from hundreds of tightly pressed bodies. Izzy was in heaven.

Arms wrapped around him from behind, tugging him away from the firm chest that was supporting most of his weight. He stumbled, surprised, but remained upright. Even wasted, he had great balance, thanks to more than twenty years on horseback. But Izzy didn’t like to remember that.

“Happy New Year!” a familiar voice shouted in his ear.

He turned, and the champagne bubbles in his nose were forgotten as mystery-lips caught his in an enthusiastic kiss. He kissed back and was rewarded with a large hand gripping his ass cheek and squeezing hard enough to make him groan. Damn, that gave him ideas. He broke the kiss and blinked open his eyes, trying to focus. Who? Oh. Braxton. He dove in for another friendly smear of mouths and laughed into it as Brax dragged him even closer. He pushed back, palms splayed on Brax’s chest. “Fuck off,” he said with a giddy grin. “I told you, not tonight.”

Braxton rolled his eyes but didn’t look too put out. “Yeah, yeah. You find me when you change your mind.”

Izzy jumped at the sudden sting of Brax’s big palm connecting with his ass cheek. He bit back another groan, his cock much more interested in Brax’s brand of fun than it had been a few moments ago. But no. He was in the mood for something new. He planted a hand in Brax’s face and gave a playful shove, then turned to scan the crowd.

He’d lost track of the other guy, not even sure what he’d looked like. Oh well. There were plenty of eager eyes on him. There always were. It wouldn’t be hard to find a replacement.

But first, another drink. He made his way to the bar, ignoring the hands that trailed over his skin as he slipped between dancers. He flashed a smirk at a shirtless guy with cut abs. Another, forward enough to reach out and grope his ass, got a wink and a too-firm pat on the cheek. He’d see if either of them cared enough to make a real move. In the meantime…

He bellied up to the bar and waved at Hunter.

Hunter eyed him, his forehead creasing.

Izzy did his best to look alert. The last thing he wanted was for Hunter to put his Daddy-pants on. He batted his lashes and bit his lip at the older man. Hunter shook his head, but he was smiling. When he turned to pour Izzy a new drink, Izzy grinned in triumph.

A little elf slipped into the space next to him. “Izzy, where were you?” Eli whined, drawing out the last word. He snuggled in, his arms tightening around Izzy’s waist, his cheek resting against Izzy’s sternum. Izzy patted the top of his bright blond head.

“Getting laid,” he replied. Then he squinted. “I think.”

Eli frowned up at him. His friend was a worrywart. A tiny, elfin worrywart. Izzy ducked down and blew a raspberry against his cheek. Eli’s startled shout dissolved into laughter as he struggled to get away. “Ew! Stop it, you asshole!” He smacked at the parts of Izzy he could reach. “Oh my god, I hate you.”

Tiny,lying, elfin worrywart. Izzy did it again, because he could.

Eli hadn’t been around long, but he’d become one of Izzy’s closest friends. He was also the only one partying with him tonight. Everyone else had stayed at the ranch. An easy decision for Micah when he had two smoking-hot guys to fuck him into the new year. Finn, too—his new man was mouthwatering. And the size of him? Oof. It was shocking the boy could walk straight after all six-foot-five of Xavier was done with him. Izzy could admit to being a little jealous. It was hard enough to find a guy bigger than him without the shorties cutting into the inventory. Not that Izzy was looking for anything permanent, while Xavier clearly was.

Of the singles left in their group, Archer was boring and had chosen to drive his sister home, and Keegan… Hell no. Izzy would rather get a venereal disease than ask that arrogant asshat to celebrate with him.

Luckily, Eli could always be counted on, if only because his partner-slash-Daddy owned the bar. If he wasn’t perched on a barstool watching Hunter work, he was typically right upstairs in their apartment and only a text away.

“Love you too, honeybunch,” he replied, kissing a still-squirming Eli on the forehead before releasing him.

Hunter slid Izzy his drink. Sex on the Beach. His favorite. Except, not really, because whoever thought sand in your asshole was sexy had clearly never tried it. Technically, Izzy hadn’t either, but he was perfectly happy to learn from Micah’s honeymoon-related experience.

He’d only taken a sip before a vaguely familiar guy appeared in front of them, holding out shot glasses filled to the brim with amber-colored liquid. Izzy accepted one without questioning the offer. Eli checked with Hunter like a good boy before doing the same. Approval given by bartender-Daddy, Izzy toasted the newarrival and downed the shot, noting the smooth burn of the whiskey. New-guy had paid for the good stuff.

Or maybe Izzy was just that drunk.

Izzy handed the glass back, fingers lingering on the guy’s skin. He was nice enough to look at. Older than Izzy, with gray at his temples. No beard. That was a shame. Izzy loved the rasp of coarse hair between his cheeks. New-guy had the kinds of muscles that came from hours in the gym—which, in Izzy’s experience, were adequate when it came to fucking someone into a mattress. The cocky gleam in his eyes was what sold Izzy in the end. He leaned closer.

“Bed or bathroom?”

The guy blinked, processing. Then his lips curled up, and his gaze dragged over Izzy in a slow leer. “I think I’ll want to take my time with you, pretty boy.”

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