Page 22 of The Risk Taker

And that—Christ—it does something to me.

Nathan Hayes, poster boy for self-control, blushing because I teased him.

Didn’t think that was possible. Didn’t think I’d like it this much either.

“I’m just here to keep an eye on you,” he mutters again without looking up at me. He says it like he’s been sentenced to a shift he didn’t sign up for.

I roll my eyes, raking my fingers through my hair. “I don’t need a babysitter. Pretty sure I can manage drinking one beer without supervision.”

His eyes lift to mine, his brows knitting together. “You want me to go?”

I open my mouth, then close it again, holding his gaze. “That’s not what I said.”

We just look at each other.

And yeah, it’s loud—music, laughter, girls cheering around us—but somehow it all fades, and it’s just him. Those steady,dark brown eyes, flushed cheeks, that small crease forming between his brows, unspoken words passing between us.

But then Austin appears right on cue, and just like that, the moment’s gone.

“Jesus, it’s like a morgue over here,” he says, lifting his brows as he glances between us. “You two planning to actually have fun tonight, or brood each other to death?”

Nathan exhales, straightening a little. “Just talking.”

Austin grins, leaning in close enough to yell over the music. “Yeah, looked real intense from across the room. Thought I was gonna have to hose you down.”

I snort, mostly to cover the heat crawling up the back of my neck. “You done?”

“Not even close.” Austin’s gaze flicks between us again, clearly entertained. “Anyway, shots are happening. Come on.”

Nathan shakes his head before Austin’s even finished. “I’m good.”

“Obviously.” Austin rolls his eyes, then elbows me. “Logan?”

I glance at Nathan. He’s already looking away, jaw tight, expression doing that unreadable thing again. Yeah, that checks out.

“Sure,” I say, pushing off the wall. “Why the hell not.”

Austin whoops and throws an arm around my shoulders as we move back through the crowd.

A shot is pushed into my hand, and it burns going down, making my throat sting and my eyes water a little. I wipe my mouth, grin when someone cheers, and let myself lean into the noise.

It should feel good. Usually does.

But when I glance back across the room a few minutes later, the spot where Nathan was standing is empty.

I glance around the house, but I don’t see him anywhere. The place is crowded, sure, but he’s tall as fuck and stands out, and yet… he’s not here.

Someone cracks a joke beside me, and I laugh automatically, pretending I’m still in it. But the second I look away, the buzz fades. The noise goes flat.

Don’t get me wrong… I try. I down another beer, play another round of flip-cup, but my head’s somewhere else the entire time.

I keep seeing him smiling when he landed the shot, actually having fun for once before he went into bodyguard mode and stood by the wall watching me.

Now he’s just… gone.

I breathe out a laugh. No surprise, there. He lasted longer than I thought he would. But for the life of me, I don’t know why it bothers me as much as it does that he left.

So I bail. I pass my drink to Miles, clap him on the shoulder, and head for the door.