Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
We were all listening to King Lucas, Owen’s brother, as he spoke on the big screen behind the bar, announcing the victory for Equal Marriage in their country.
Everyone cheered, and Jace had begun giving out shots when I heard, “Hey, no, no, not without the prince himself!” from Carter, and my spine automatically went straight. Damn it. Why did I let him get to me? He hadn’t even said anything to me yet, and I was already anticipating it and annoyed by it, but also curious about what he would say.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Owen replied.
They all teased the younger Baby Saturgays about not being able to drink, but I wasn’t paying much attention because I knew something had to be coming from Carter soon.
Once I downed my shot, Carter asked, “Another shot, Saw?”
Be chill. Don’t show him he gets to you. Relax. You don’t have to make everything a thing. I was a bit high-strung, and I knew it. “I worry you might be trying to get me tipsy to take advantage of me.” See? That wasn’t so bad. I didn’t come off as a totally boring asshole. It was easier for me to let loose when it came to the people I felt comfortable with like Cam, Beau, Linc, and Rush, but harder when it came to someone like Carter.
“I wouldn’t be getting you drunk for that. You’d need all your strength to give this ass what it needs.”
Annnd, did I mention he seemed to think I was a top? Yeah, he had a nice ass and all, but when I hooked up, I was usually the one getting fucked. I didn’t know what made him think otherwise. Regardless, it wasn’t as if I’d be offering him that bit of information.
“Needy ass sounds about right. And no, thank you.” Maybe I was getting better at this…playing along and pretending my insides didn’t always twist up in nerves as I tried to figure out how to reply to him.
“At least you know what you’d be getting.” Carter winked before turning to show me his ass.
I rolled my eyes. “If you’re having one, I can do another.” I felt strangely competitive when it came to Carter, something I’d never experienced with anyone else, and it made this foreign excitement build inside me.
Cam draped his arm over my shoulder. “Let me know when I need to call the Uber, bro.”
Jude and my brother joked a bit, but I tuned them out. Carter flirted with me some more, and I tried to ignore it.
A few minutes later, Carter said, “Well, I think it’s time for me to go stalk my latest prey,” and disappeared through the crowd.
My stomach tightened, and I clenched my jaw. That right there was the exact reason why, even if Carter was serious about flirting with me, and even if I had any interest in him, we would never work. I didn’t think of people I slept with as prey, and I liked to stick to one person at a time.
Beau chatted about our upcoming trip in February to Silver Fox Ski Lodge. I was a little uncomfortable because it wasn’t just going to be our usual small group. When I thought things like that, I always felt like a dick, but I got stressed out sometimes around a lot of people, though I tried not to show it. I felt under a microscope and like I didn’t measure up—like I was that kid who always had to be rescued by his big brother.
I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings, my mind all over the place. Carter couldn’t be near me without holding my thoughts. I couldn’t make sense of it. Every so often, I felt Cam’s eyes on me, and I shook my head, making sure he knew I was fine. He was the only one who knew how lost I got in my head sometimes, how little things that shouldn’t stress me out, did.
Pretty soon, everyone started to do their own thing. Owen and Keegan disappeared to dance, and Cam, Ash, Linc, Beau, and I got another drink. Rush was training, and Linc was complaining about his lack of dick while his man was gone.
“Hey, at least Sawyer’s not taking him out for ice cream anymore,” Cam said, and everyone laughed. Linc flipped him off. Before they’d officially gotten together, Rush and I had gone out for a treat to celebrate one of his wins, and Linc had been jealous.
“I gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back,” I said a few minutes later before making my way to the bathroom. I took care of business and washed my hands.
Once I walked out of the room and into the hallway, I found myself going right instead of left toward the main part of the bar. There were a few doors down the hallway, most leading to storage rooms, which were usually closed and locked. Fever was like a second home to us, the owners really cool with our whole crew, so when I saw one of the doors cracked open, I figured I should close it so no one got into their stuff.