Crazy Love (mxm)

Chapter Three

Carter's POV

It was drunk guy.

"Oh God, not you," I groaned. "This is a hallucination. I drank too much of Brian's punch."

A shit-eating grin spread on James' lips and he leaned up against the door frame, all handsome-like. "Or maybe my kiss is still making you lightheaded."

Ugh.

He remembered that.

Even worse than that, he had a cigarette in his hand. I didn't like smokers. I didn't randomly kiss men who drank too much and smoked and tried to drive home drunk.

"Your kiss sucked," I lied right through my teeth.

James leaned closer and winked. "My return policy includes a free replacement. Interested?"

"You're not smooth," I growled, turning and stalking away. I missed my kid.

When Brian asked me to watch basketball with the rest of our buddies, I was reluctant to leave Ronan for two Saturdays in a row. Although, to be fair, my mom jumped at any chance she had to babysit.

"Where's your little nugget?" James called, like he could read my mind. "What was his name? Ronan? Ronan, where are you?"

I gritted my teeth and walked into the kitchen, deciding that I needed a beer to deal with him. "Ronan isn't here. I was roped into guy's night. Why are you following me? Oh wait, you're scoping out the alcohol."

James smirked and leaned on the table. He winked at me again. "I'm scoping out the babes, which so far just happens to be you. So. You, me, my place? My buddy Brian told me all about his gay friend, but I didn't think it was gonna be my handsome damsel."

I grimaced at the reminder of how we'd met. I was not a damsel. And this guy was certainly not a knight in shining armor. "Look. Yes, I'm probably the gay friend that Brian was talking about. No, I'm not interested."

James pouted and the sorrow in those big brown eyes almost looked convincing. "But, c'mon! I like you. You like me. At least let me take you on one date!"

He was looking so gorgeous today, with that sexily rumpled hair and brown eyes that looked like they could see into my soul. A deep dark part of me, way way down, wanted to kiss that sexy smirk off of his face.

"Fuck that," I growled. "You're a degenerate."

James rolled his eyes. "Man, have you been talking to my brother? I just know how to have a good time." He straightened up a little and winked. For the fourth time. I was starting to think he had a twitch. "Which I could show you, if you let me."

I crossed my arms and set my jaw. "No. Yes, you're handsome, I'll admit it. Yes, that kiss was...fine. However, I'm old. I have a kid. I want someone I can settle down with, not snort cocaine off of a ping pong table with."

"You're have an AirPod in one ear. There's no way you're above the age of thirty," James countered.

Why was his persistence hot to me? Was I masochistic, or just plain stupid?

"I love how you didn't counter the cocaine argument," I grumbled, turning away from James and grabbing two beers.

I handed him one to be polite, not because I liked him.