Page 70 of Needed You

Lev is smiling from ear to ear, his face completely lit up with happiness. “You’re fucking adorable, lycan.” He takes my face in his hands, leaning forward to give me the most gentle yet passionate kiss. When we pull away, I’m breathless. And terrified. I just don’t know which emotion is going to win.

Chapter 35

Levon

So, we’re exclusive. I really like him. Getting to know Dare is so fun. He’s clearly been through a lot and has changed over the years, and he’s just a really freaking cool guy. I melted with his whole “sometimes I just need to cuddle” thing and not needing to finish after his partner does, but if that’s what he needs, I will cuddle the hell out of him. Anytime and anywhere.

After we had our conversation and breakfast, we hung out a little more before Dare left to go home and get some work done. He said he’s hanging out with Ryan and Katie later. I’m weirdly jealous of that, and I know I’m just being selfish because I want him all to myself. But I’m glad he has Ryan in his life, and I want him to do things that make him happy. Once we pull ourselves away from each other and he leaves, I take a shower, change my bed sheets, and do some laundry, and then I mess around at my apartment for a while.

A text comes through midafternoon from Nolan, telling me that everyone is going to be at The Copper Exchange tonight. Chris isn’t playing—apparently another band or person is playing—but that means Chris and his wife can hang out with us, so Nolan tells me to meet them there later.

About the time the sun sets, I start to get ready to meet my friends. I get dressed in something simple—dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and a blue-and-green plaid flannel. Then I make a final check of my hair and grab my wallet, keys, and phone.

The Exchange isn’t as busy tonight as it usually is, but it’s still sort of early, and I know Murkey Soup usually draws a crowd. Since Chris isn’t playing tonight, it might not get any more busy than this.

Chris is already here with his wife, along with Caleb, Nolan, and Nolan’s fiancée. They’re all standing at a high-top chatting, drinks in hand, and I give them a wave before going to the bar to order my tonic and lime. A few minutes later, I’m at the table with my friends, and we share all the normal small talk as I get settled.

Dare won’t be here tonight. We talked about it, and since he’s doing something with a group of his friends, he encouraged me to have a night out with these guys. Even though they all know him rather well, there’s an awkwardness between them, and I think the majority of them would rather just avoid him than address it.

Garrett joins us for a few minutes, telling us how happy he is that we’re all here and together again, just like old times. He turns to me. “Where’s the troublemaker tonight?”

“Who are you talking about, Garrett?” I ask, taking another sip from my glass.

He laughs. “You know damn well who. I hear you two have been spending more time together lately, and I’m surprised that he’s not here if you are.”

The other guys make little noises as they suck in their breaths.

I set my glass on the table and stand up. “Whatever you’re hearing about Dare and me is none of your business. I told you I would keep an eye on him, and it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it. I got it.” I frown and glance at the others. All eyes are on me, but Caleb’s are huge, and his mouth is agape. I sigh and address the whole table. “There’s been a lot of drama here recently with Darian from what Garrett has told me, and you guys have probably seen.”

They nod, and Caleb clears his throat. “Is there something going on with you two?” he asks, his voice thick.

Nolan jumps in. “Come on, Caleb, you know that Dare’s had a thing for Lev since we were . . . since forever.” They laugh, and I turn to Nolan.

“Shut up, asshole. He was like thirteen years old. That’s disgusting.” I scan the room to be sure I don’t see Dare. He’s not here, though, and I’m glad for that. Still, I feel an overwhelming sense of protectiveness flow through me. “Garrett asked me to keep an eye on him, and that’s what I’ve been doing,” I say, gesturing toward Garrett. Even though Dare and I agreed to be exclusive, it’s all still too new. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to call him—boyfriend, partner, mine? I like the sound of the last one. But I’m definitely not ready to tell these guys anything yet, especially not without talking to Dare about it first.

Nolan purses his lips, and Chris laughs, shoving my shoulder.

“Come on, man,” Chris says, “we all know the guy was sparkly-eyed when he looked at you—he always tried to come along with us and hang out, hearts in his eyes. There were so many times that Nate wanted to kill him because he was always there.”

I laugh right along with them, because maybe he’s right, looking back on it now. But it’s all overshadowed for me by the very recent memories of the fun and physical things Dare and I are doing to and with each other now.

God, now I want to see him. I need to change this topic.

“Anyway,” I say, “tell me about the wedding.” I turn to Nolan and his fiancée, and he laughs. I win them over, and we spend the next chunk of time talking about the wedding planning, the proposal, and all of that sweet, gooey stuff.

When we hit the next lull in the conversation, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, and as I’m coming back into the hallway a few minutes later, I spot the guy Dare was dating, waiting in line for the next available bathroom. My stomach drops as I walk toward him. I don’t want to start anything with him, but I don’t know how he feels about everything. Dare told me that they ended things, and I wonder how he took it. Maybe he won’t recognize me.

As I walk past him, he looks up from his phone, and I know that I’m not that lucky. Recognition instantly crosses his face. I nod at him and try to keep going, but his hand shoots out, and he grabs my forearm. My muscles tighten as I stop, looking down at his hand on me and back up to his face.

“Can I help you?” I throw his words back at him from the night I met him when he was kissing Dare against the wall.

He smiles a deceitful smile. “Thought that was you,” he says, releasing my arm. “You’re with Dare now?” It’s more of a statement than a question.

I give a curt nod. He doesn’t need to know our situation. He licks his lips and looks me up and down. Pulling his bottom lip under his teeth, he scans my face, focusing on my lips. My skin crawls, and my pulse is pounding. He raises his eyebrows.

“I see why he’s so into you. Some little crush from years ago,” he says. My blood starts to boil. “You’re hot. But so is he. Darian and I know each other very well.” He closes his eyes and hums as he trails his finger down his chest and to the button on his pants before moving it back up his lips. Then he sucks on his finger and pops it out of his mouth. His eyes meet mine again. “Since you’re getting what I have already had, I can give you some pointers—”

My hand is on his neck, and he’s up against the wall before he can finish his sentence. I line my face up with his as he smiles at me. Fucking smiles.