Viper (Fallen Angel #2)(16)
Killian snatched up the chips and walked by me toward the glass doors, and with the alcohol in hand, I followed, calling out to the smug bastard, “Whaddya mean I’m stupid?”
Eleven
Halo
“THE RULES ARE simple,” Killian said, standing in front of the movie screen in the mansion’s decked-out home theater. Each of us had a drink of our choice with a refill jug beside us, and that alone told me this was no ordinary movie night. “This is an Ace Locke classic, so you have to take a drink every time one of the following happens: whenever Ace takes his shirt off, whenever he saves a woman, makes out with her, or has sex with her, and whenever he says, ‘The name’s Sinclair. Beckett Sinclair.’”
From memory, Ace was shirtless through most of the movie, so that meant we’d all be stumbling out of here in a couple of hours.
“We are gonna be so fucked,” Slade said. He and Jagger had taken up recliners a couple of rows in front of me, and as Killian joined them, I looked toward the door, waiting for Viper. After the pool day and barbecue, we’d all ventured off to our separate corners of the house—me for a nap after a day in the sun, and the others to spend some one-on-one time with their guests. By the time nightfall came, it was just the five of us, and when someone suggested a movie night, I resigned myself to having to wait another couple of hours before heading to Viper’s guesthouse.
“If you don’t take a drink when you’re supposed to and you get called out for it, you have to chug,” Killian continued. “Everyone understand?”
As we all nodded, Viper came back with an armful of snacks. “Catch,” he said, before tossing the packages out to each of us. I ripped open the bag of pretzels and inhaled a few, since it seemed like I’d be drinking my weight in Long Islands tonight.
Killian ran through the rules again for Viper’s benefit, and then Viper grabbed his drink of choice and looked over the rows of chairs. When he looked at me and I raised my brows in an “aren’t you sitting here with me?” way, his lips curved.
“Where to sit…” Viper said, and when I sent another pointed look at the recliner beside me, Jagger called out, “You know where you wanna sit, man.”
“Yeah, Halo even saved you a seat,” Slade said through a mouthful of popcorn.
Killian smirked at Viper. “Told you.”
There was a snort from one of the guys, and then Jagger turned in his chair. “You thought we didn’t know?” He threw back his head and laughed. “Please. You’re not that stealth.”
“Yeah, I busted Halo sneaking out of his room a couple of nights ago,” Slade said. “Don’t think he was going to the bathroom.”
My skin warmed, and I resisted the urge to duck down in my seat. They all knew? I’d had a feeling Killian did because of the looks he’d given me before, but I thought my late-night trips and early-morning comings had been under the radar. Shit, what else did they know?
“Hey, I ain’t complaining,” Jagger said. “Ladies like that pretty boy look you got, know what I’m sayin’? This just means more for me.”
Viper rolled his eyes and took the recliner beside mine, setting his drink in the cupholder. He didn’t seem upset at the turn of events, only annoyed at the ribbing. “Start the damn movie,” he said.
“Hey, Halo, you got somethin’ in common with the actor in this one,” Slade said, as Killian hit play on the remote.
“And what’s that? More game than you could ever have?” Viper snapped, and the guys laughed.
Jagger recovered first and winked at me. “Ace was the ultimate ladies’ man. A smooth fucking operator who bagged all the hottest actresses, lucky bastard. But then out of nowhere he’s with the new Calvin Klein male model, and everyone loses their shit.”
“It’s always the hot ones who turn,” Killian said, nodding.
Viper leaned back in his chair, throwing up the foot rest, and then he grinned. “And isn’t that a fuckin’ bonus.” His eyes glinted at me in the dark, and I could only shake my head. I didn’t know whether I should feel relieved that the guys knew or whether this opened up a whole new can of worms. After all, I was the new guy, but now I was the new guy messing around with Viper.
“Oh shit, he’s already half-naked in the damn opening credits?” Jagger said, groaning. That was our cue to take the first drink, and as the liquor made its way down my throat, I kicked myself for not grabbing a bucket of lemons to chase the taste away. Killian had made this one strong.
I felt like I should say something to the guys, address the situation somehow, but I didn’t know what to say. They didn’t seem to care one way or another that Viper and I were hooking up, and that was when it hit me—this was the first time I’d “come out,” in a sense, even though I wasn’t sure that was the right term for it. Did my attraction to Viper mean I was gay? Or bisexual? I’d still never looked at another man the way I did Viper, so what the hell did that mean? Maybe I didn’t have to put a label on it. After all, we weren’t dating, we weren’t together, and outside the people in this room, no one else would know. Granted, I told my sister everything, but there was no point in shocking the shit out of her over a casual thing.