Page 25 of Heat Transfer

Showtime.

Chapter nine

Cormac

The moment Carly stepped into view, Felix went from holding on to his chill to losing it entirely.

The average person might not notice, but I’d been studying the man intensely for six months, so I was aware.

Just like I was aware of the fact that his teasing had a different edge to it tonight. A sensuality and deliberateness that hadn’t been there before. My hopeless heart couldn’t handle wandering in that direction though, so I focused on enjoying the gala. On an intentional excuse to get into his space, to touch him even more than usual.

“Hey, Carly,” Felix said, taking a few steps to meet Carly and the other woman beside her. The black-haired woman strode forward, and they shook hands. “It’s so great to meet you in person. This is Cor, my boyfriend.”

She extended her hand, her gaze warm. “Felix spoke highly of you. I’m glad you could make it.”

I’d never sussed out how I’d ended up his fake boyfriend for this, and the idea of him talking about me? Fuck, I couldn’t imagine.

I was the third Brannon kid. The third in command at Brannon Construction. Boyfriends liked that I was sturdy, but beyond that, they weren’t that interested in getting to know me. Invisible, invisible, invisible.

Yet Felix had offhandedly mentioned me to his client like I mattered.

My heart squeezed hard. “I’ve heard plenty of great things about you as well.”

“And this is my girlfriend, Leigh.” Carly gestured to the woman by her side. I offered her a hand, and we shook. It made a bit more sense why Carly was so welcoming about Felix bringing me along. Queer folks tended to gravitate toward each other, whether intentionally or not.

“So glad to meet you.” Felix shook her hand as well. “Hope we’re not sticking out too much in this soiree.” He took the words out of my mouth. I dressed up for funerals and weddings, and that was about it. Family functions weren’t formal but chaotic free-for-alls.

“Not in the slightest. We’ve got a mix of people here. While the majority are the donors who help fund this exhibition, we also invited specialists in the field. I figured you’d both be excited to pick their brains.” Carly pointed to Jake Lippincott and the others around him, who were all entrenched in deep conversation. “If you walk up the stairs and head to the left, our exhibition is on full display.”

“Well, why didn’t you say that first?” Felix joked. The amber lighting brought out the rich sepia tones of his skin, and the navy suit looked so good on him I wanted to peel it off with my teeth.His wavy hair was tamed tonight, and the cocky curve of his lips mesmerized me. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, which had made the drive over here fly by.

“Thank you so much for all the hard work you did to help us with the exhibit,” Carly said to him. “Please enjoy the food and drink, and don’t hesitate to check out the sword collection. We have a rare set of Viking ones we were lucky to obtain.”

Felix nudged me in the side, and I withheld my eye roll. All I could think of now with Viking swords was his comment about his cock. I’d met plenty of guys who said they were large but ended up being in the five-incher club, but the match to my curiosity had lit and burned brightly. When I did bottom, I was a size queen, and the idea that someone as slender as Felix might be packing was hot as fuck.

“Carly, so glad to see you.” An older gentleman approached, and she and her girlfriend gave us a polite head nod and engaged the next guest. Felix and I moved in unison and returned to the spot along the wall we’d claimed as ours.

“So.” Felix took a sip from his scotch. The liquid wet his lips, and he traced it with his tongue. My cock woke up at once, and I shifted my stance. A semi in dress pants was annoying as fuck. When my gaze lifted from his lips, his eyes were locked on mine. A wickedness danced in his expression that had my heart thudding faster.

There was no way Felix Ruiz was hitting on me…

Except my brain kept sending down-to-fuck signals left and right.

“Cor?” he asked.

I blinked. Shit, had he been saying more? “Uh, what?”

“I asked if you wanted to grab some food or check out the swords?” Felix asked, those dark eyes still glimmering. “Did something distract you?”

I swallowed hard, my throat parched. Another sip of my scotch didn’t help either, even as the warmth slid down my throat and heated my chest. “Uh, yeah. Swords. Let’s go.” As exciting as it was to be here, checking out the exhibit at a private event, all those jitters paled in comparison to the reaction Felix elicited from me.

Felix took the first steps forward before reaching out with his extended hand.

My heart flipped over. Slowly I threaded my fingers through his, enjoying the electricity racing across my skin. For a few brief moments, I could pretend Felix and I were together for real. That we were a couple enjoying a night out.

If fucking only.

Felix led the way toward the exhibition area, and we traveled up the steps with ease.

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