Page 25 of The Official Problem
Kieran needed to get his head on straight. Forget whatever that exchange had been.
He’d head back to the bar and order another drink. Find a man, preferably dark-haired and darker-eyed. Flash that smile that always got him exactly what he wanted. Then he’d go home, sleep deeply, and absolutely not think another second about Matthieu fucking Bouchard.
Kieran retraced his steps to find Ivan and Jasper had disappeared sometime during his run-in with Matthieu. He waited in a short line at the bar, trying to look patient despite the thrumming energy building inside him. When the bartender finally reached him, Kieran ordered vodka with lime and downed it in one go, then ordered another before the man could move on.
Clutching his new drink, Kieran slipped onto a recently opened bar stool and turned to face the dance floor. He didn’t have to wait long before someone approached.
“Can I join you?” the man asked, his accent one Kieran couldn’t place. His tongue rolled around the words, making them almost melodic.
Kieran smirked, gesturing to the filled seats on either side. “There’s nowhere to sit.” He widened his knees enough for the man to slip between them, which he did without hesitation.
“Pity,” he drawled, sliding a hand unabashedly up the inside of Kieran’s thigh, pulling a shudder from him as fingertips grazed dangerously close to his cock.
The man was blonder than Kieran liked. His long hair was gelled back from his face, his suit far too formal for the pulsing club around them. He was the right height, though, and when he leaned in to whisper, the strong scent of expensive cologne washed over Kieran.
“If there’s nowhere to sit out here,” the man murmured against the skin beneath Kieran’s ear, “perhaps we can find space in the back?”
Bingo.
This was what Kieran needed. No preamble. No beating around the bush. No pretending it was anything it wasn’t. No dark, piercing stare to flay him alive.
Kieran downed the rest of his drink, set the empty glass on the bar, and rose to his feet, tugging the man toward him by the arm. A small gasp left his lips as he fell against Kieran’s chest. Kieran wasn’t sure if it came from eagerness or the sudden press of his hardening cock against the man’s thigh.
“Names?” the stranger asked.
“Do you know mine?”
Kieran wasn’t arrogant enough to assume everyone in this town would recognize him. Sure, hockey fans would in aheartbeat, but outside that world, he was just another handsome face.
The man clearly wasn’t a fan, as he shook his head. “Should I?”
“No. It means we can keep things even. No names.”
“Fine with me.”
With that, Kieran was tugged around the edge of the dance floor and down a hallway that presumably led to the bathrooms and private rooms. Having sex in clubs wasn’t Kieran’s favorite. The rooms were dirty, and “private” didn’t always mean alone. Hooking up with someone while others were fucking feet away wasn’t exactly Kieran’s kink. Tonight, it would have to do.
Still, Kieran’s heart pounded harder the farther down the hallway they went. The stranger seemed to catch his hesitation and stopped, turning back.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, gotta take a leak first. I’ll meet you back there.”
The man let him go without much protest. Kieran tried to be quick—tricky, considering he was half hard. He leaned over the sink, staring at his reflection as he gave himself a silent talking to.
Get your head out of your ass.
Go through with this.
Don’t go home hard up thinking about a certain someone.
His pep talk was cut short by a giggling body bumping into him, jostling him away from the sink. “Jeez, move it along,” a pink-haired twink barked. He reminded Kieran of a chihuahua—short, cute, yappy as shit.
Kieran had stalled as long as he could. He moved farther down the hallway. There were three rooms. The first two overflowed with grinding, humping bodies, pants, and moans, the scent of sex sharp against Kieran’s nose. A quick glance confirmed his stranger wasn’t in either.
He reached the door at the end. It was noticeably quieter as he pushed it open. Empty, even. Kieran scanned the dark, hunting for the slightest movement.
“Are you in here?” he asked the darkness. No reply.
