Page 38 of The Holiday Fail

My shoulders slumped, having a bad feeling that this was just a preview for the rest of the night.

“See, what did I tell you? He just wants a piece of ass and wouldn’t give a flying fuck about you,” Andy said gravely. There was a roughness in his tone that had me rolling my eyes.

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not looking for someone who’s gonna sweep me off my feet and fall madly in love with me. What part of ‘hook up’ do you not understand?” I emphasized the two words with jabs at his chest.

He grabbed the finger I’d used to attack him, either to stop my assaults or what, but he grabbed hold of it and didn’t let go.

“But you deserve so much more than that. You deserve what your doves promised you. The one who’ll cherish and adore you and seeyouand only you.”

And there was that pesky ache again. He voiced everything that I’d always dreamed of ever since I really understood what love was. First, it was through examples from my dads, and yes, they were always mushy even when I was a kid. They showed me what unconditional love and support really were.

Then Gomez and Morticia taught me that passion could beadded into the mix too—not that my dads weren’t passionate with each other, but I doubted they wanted to show that side of their love to their child.

I longed for a romance like theirs, and I’d always heard from my friends and families that I was a good man and deserved it too, but I was tired of people telling me what I deserved when it felt like a curse to a love that would always elude me. If I really deserved something, then it shouldn’t be this hard to obtain it.

Exhaustion crept into my bones. This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go, and I glared once again at Andy for touching my sore spot. He still looked at me, eyes wide, and focused completely on me.

If only the reflection of myself I saw in his eyes was a reflection of reality and that Andy did seeme, but I knew I was just seeing what I wanted.

I snatched my finger out of his hand and turned away. “I’m gonna dance,” I called over my shoulder to my friends and Andy, then fled to the dance floor without looking back.

The crowd of bodies swallowed me up, and before long, I felt someone press up behind me. I glanced back to find a giant of a man with a long beard and biker vibes smiling at me with definite interest in his eyes. He settled his large hands on my hips and pressed my back flush against his front.

He was cute, and I was desperate for a distraction, so I ground back into him and tried to just enjoy the feeling of another human against me. We danced like that for a few minutes, his hands holding me tight, music thrumming through our bodies, and the hardness in his pants that grew the longer we danced, showing me he wasdefinitelyinterested. I needed that stroke of ego right now.

I spun around, wrapped my arms around his neck, and leaned up to his ear to suggest to him we take this somewhere alittle more private. Biker dude enthusiastically nodded and led us off the dance floor.

I caught sight of Andy out of the corner of my eye and hoped he was watching. See? Someonedidwant me.

Sexy biker guided me to the back where it was quiet enough to hear the pounding of my heart. This wasn’t my first hookup by a long shot, but I’d never slept with someone to prove something to someone else, and I couldn’t help but feel like that was what this was, which wasn’t fair to either of us.

Maybe biker dude wouldn’t mind being used as long as he got some tonight, but it sure didn’t feel good, and I was now second-guessing my decision. Before I could apologize to the guy and call this off, someone grabbed me and stopped our advance to the bathroom.

I turned back and glared to see it was once again Andy. “Levi, wait,” he said with a frantic look in his eyes. “Can we talk?”

“I think you need to look up the definition of wingman, Andy,” I hissed, taking a step closer to him. “Because it sure as hell doesn’t mean cockblocking the person you’re trying to help.”

“Can we talk?Please?”

He was giving me that intense look again, staring right at me. But it was the desperation in his voice that had me pausing.

“Is he bothering you?” a booming voice sounded from behind me. My supposed-to-be hookup had his beefy arms crossed as he glared at Andy. He was already much taller than both of us, but when he stood up even straighter, he looked like an impenetrable wall.

Andy looked wary, but I was impressed by how he didn’t back down. They had a stare-off. Andy’s brows knitted even tighter together, and the biker was now scowling and fully on guard.

I feared they might really start fighting, so I quickly stepped in between them, or at least moved as much as I could with Andy still gripping onto my arm.

“It’s fine. I know him. Sorry, we need to have a talk,” I said.

I wasn’t up to date on hookup culture, but I knew it was a buzzkill to think you were getting some, then have the other person change their mind and say never mind. Even if he got angry, I hoped this stranger wasn’t the violent type.

To my surprise, and contrary to his rugged appearance, he didn’t get mad. He smiled, teasing and casual as he said, “Sure, sweetie. Come find me after if you’re still looking for a good time.” He threw a hard glance at Andy before returning to the dance floor.

“Who sayssweetiethese days?” Andy grumbled, his grip on my arm tightened. I sighed and headed toward an empty corner in the back, and since Andy was still holding onto me, he naturally followed as well.

“So? Spit it out. What did you want to talk about?” I leaned into his space, boxing him against the wall.

It was only when I noticed Andy’s brown eyes dilate until they were full-blown black that I realized I was much too close. Close enough to catch the spicy scent of his cologne, now mixed with a muskiness that I knew was all him.

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