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Percy swallowed heavily, then glanced to his left, realizing they were standing in the luggage bay of his hotel. He passed a hand down his face. “I’m so sorry. Got a bit lost in my thoughts.”
Wren nodded and took a single step back, giving Percy more space than he really wanted. “Look, I know I can be kind of pushy. I feel like maybe I didn’t give you enough space to say no to this.”
Percy blinked, then laughed. He didn’t mean to. The sound just bubbled up in his gut and spilled out. Wren looked horrified, so Percy held up a hand and shook his head. “No. Christ, no. I’m so sorry. I haven’t done this with anyone in…shitting hell, three years, maybe? Since my ex and I split up.”
Wren’s eyes widened. “Oh. Damn. Okay.”
Percy laughed again. “I wasn’t expecting any of this when I met you today. I was just happy you didn’t want to have me permanently banned from the café.”
Wren shrugged and signed something Percy couldn’t hope to understand. His fingers were long and thin and just as pretty as the rest of him. He had tattoos on his middle knuckles and the insides of his wrist, and in spite of Percy’s nerves, he wanted to explore them with his teeth and tongue.
He hadn’t felt this worked up over anyone since his last night with Evan, and it was a little overwhelming. He cleared his throat again. “I totally understand if you want to call it off. I’m a bit of a mess, and I hate to be that guy, but I’m also not in a place for a relationship. So, if you were hoping for more than a night together…”
Wren blinked, then threw his head back and interrupted Percy’s rambling with a booming laugh. It was rich and full, coming from deep in his lungs, and fuck, Percy loved the sound. “Jesus, dude. You’re like a wet dream.”
Percy felt his cheeks flame. “How’s that?”
“I don’t do relationships. My only second thought here tonight was that I didn’t want to hurt you. You seem really, really nice, and I kind of have a habit of breaking hearts when I don’t mean to.”
Percy couldn’t tell if that was a green flag or a red one. Maybe this man was telling on himself—that he was just as much of a shit as Evan, just more open about it. Or maybe he was being honest, which would make him absolutely perfect.
“I don’t really know what to say to that.”
Wren’s smile went a little softer, a little sweeter. “Yeah. I get that a lot. Most people take it as a challenge and want…” He trailed off with his voice and finished with his hands, and Percy didn’t ask him to repeat himself aloud. He could infer what Wren was saying.
“Well, there’s little in this world that could convince me that a relationship is a good idea, so if you’re still interested…” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his little white key card.
Wren’s eyes got a little darker, and Percy felt his heart kick up a notch. “Lead the way.”
“Show me that in sign,” Percy asked.
Wren’s teeth dug into his bottom lip as his hands lifted, and he did.
Percy was close to losing his mind with lust by the time they made it into his hotel room. He knew he wasn’t entirely together, and he knew Wren was aware of it, but by some miracle, the man had stayed. He was treating Percy with a bit more caution than Percy wanted, but he was hoping that might all change once they got their clothes off.
The door shut behind them with a heavy clang like almost all hotel rooms did, and Percy could feel the weight of tension between them as he watched Wren glance around the suite. Wren looked back at him after a second and shook one hand in front of his chest.
When Percy frowned, Wren grinned. “This place is pretty damn nice, rich boy.”
Percy flushed. “I’m not rich. I’m…”
“Don’t say comfortable,” Wren warned. “I hate when rich people say comfortable.”
Percy snapped his jaw shut with a firm click, then licked his lips. “I worked probably a bit too much over the last few years. It was mostly to avoid all the trauma my ex caused. It kept me distracted after splitting up. I’ve got money, but it came at a price.”
Wren took a few steps closer to him, his eyes soft and filled with empathy. “That really sucks. I can’t relate. I’ve never actually dated before. But my brother just went through a really fucking terrible breakup with the worst goddamn narcissist, and I think if he hadn’t met his boyfriend, he’d have gone the same way.”
Percy flinched. He couldn’t help it. His sister had thrown around the word “narcissist” about Evan repeatedly. And Percy had brushed her off until one very late night of insomnia when he’d fallen down the internet rabbit hole. He’d read article after article and watched video after video, and it took less than ten minutes to feel like he was watching someone read out a textbook of his relationship. And it gutted him to think there were other people out there just like him.
He shook himself out of his head and returned his attention to Wren, who was still talking. “…wanted to beat his ass black and blue, but Caleb wouldn’t let me. And the shit-show that came on the heels of that whole public spectacle? We’re still dealing with it at the café. So yeah, I get making money at a price, trust me.”
Percy felt entirely lost, but he didn’t want to ask Wren to elaborate. They didn’t have much time together if either of them were going to stick to their self-imposed boundaries of one night only, and he didn’t want to waste it on talking about people he didn’t know.
He took a step closer, swallowed heavily, then lifted a hand and rested it at Wren’s waist. Wren’s mouth shut, and his eyes widened. “Are you…is this…alright?”
Wren laughed. “Timid little thing, aren’t you?”
It had been a long, long time since anyone had called Percy little in any capacity. And he thought maybe he should be offended, but instead, he was wildly turned on. “Not trying to be,” he murmured.
