Chapter Four
What in the glittery flip-flops was he doing? Percy had no freaking clue what possessed him to kiss Santiago. One moment, he was relieved to see him standing in his driveway, and the next, Percy was stomping angrily outside.
Honestly, those three hours Santiago spent locked away felt like an eternity to Percy.
To make matter worse, he’d spent that time terrified Gilmore might’ve been torturing Santiago. It didn’t matter that Santiago was a towering figure with a physique that could rival a Greek god. The fact that he’d been handcuffed put him at a disadvantage.
And now, here Percy was, kissing him as if he’d lost his ever-loving mind. Who kissed a guy right after being insulted by them? Percy knew his damn Spanish!
However, he couldn’t deny how much he’d longed to feel those lips on his, and Santiago wasted no time drawing him closer. His hand rested on the small of Percy’s back, yet offered the freedom to pull away if he wished.
But retreat was the furthest thing from his mind.
After the evening he’d had, Percy needed this, yearned for the firm hand that anchored him.
As Santiago tilted his head, the kiss deepened, leaving Percy breathless and lightheaded. He could hear the sounds of their breathing and the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. Curling his fingers into Santiago’s shirt, Percy drew him closer, loving the rough scratch of beard against his sensitive skin.
Their kiss was no longer hurried or frantic. Santiago had turned it into a slow indulgence, as he savored Percy, enjoying this moment beneath the stars.
When they finally eased apart, his hand lingered on Percy’s back, keeping them firmly connected.
“Remind me to wear cuffs more often,”
Santiago murmured with a teasing edge, resting his forehead against Percy’s, and gazing at him like Percy had just given him the best kiss of his life.
Because Santiago had just done the same for him.
“Only if I’m the one putting them on you.”
His eyes widened, surprised by his own words. What in the hell was going on inside his head?
Santiago’s chuckle was a deep rumble, his thumb brushing softly over Percy’s lower lip. “Remember that you’re the one who said it, not me.”
Good grief. Santiago was a danger to his senses. Had been since the moment he’d showed up at Percy’s door to toss Jacob out on his ass.
Even when Percy tried to keep his distance, he found himself craving Santiago’s touch. He should be afraid of him. Santiago was affiliated with the same biker club Tito had been a part of.
That alone should have caused Percy to walk away. Yet, while he’d been kneeling on his kitchen floor, lost inside his own head, he realized his desire for Santiago outweighed his fears.
The big teddy bear had defended him, willingly handcuffed to avoid causing a scene in front of neighborhood children.
Someone who put innocent people before themselves couldn’t be entirely bad. Percy often leaned toward a more na?ve view of the world, so maybe he was fooling himself. It wouldn’t be the first time. Even so, he held onto his belief about Santiago being a good guy.
“You could at least compliment my kissing skills,”
Percy joked, masking his growing anxieties with humor. He was trying so hard to fight through them, to find his old self again—the self he had been before Tito had ripped apart his world.
Before Percy had faced a darkness that left a lasting mark on his soul.
Santiago’s hand hovered near Percy’s face, as if silently asking permission to touch him. The frantic energy intensified as Percy leaned into his warm palm, like a needy cat seeking affection.
A low, rumbling growl vibrated in Santiago’s chest. Percy had noticed over the course of a few days hanging at Sin & Steel that a lot of the men growled.
“ Eres una gatito tan hermoso, amor .”
You’re such a beautiful kitten, sweetheart.
Percy had been so lost in the touch he hadn’t caught what Santiago just said. Most of the time he struggled to translate because the guy talked so damn fast.
“ Eres una cabra muy morada ,”
he replied.
Santiago softly chuckled. “I’m glad you like how purple this goat is.”
With a deep scowl, Percy pulled away from Santiago’s palm. “Excuse me?”
“You just told me that I’m a very purple goat.”
His hazel eyes shined with humor.
“You need your ears checked, buddy. I just said you are a very handsome man!”
“ Eres un hombre muy guapo . That’s how you say it, carino.”
Percy repeated the words very slowly, enunciating each one.
Santiago’s eyes lit up as he smiled. “ Muy bien, carino .”
He kissed the tip of Percy’s nose like he was a cute little kid struggling to grasp the language.
“Are you sure that’s the right way to say it?”
Percy twisted his lips to the side. “I was an A student in high school Spanish and have been speaking the language since I graduated six years ago.”
He’d even used it on his ex-boyfriends when pissed at them, knowing it drove them nuts when they couldn’t understand his insults.
Santiago’s brows shot up. “I’ve been speaking the language since birth, carino .”
“Technically, you couldn’t speak at birth.”
Could Percy have sounded any more like a catty bitch? He needed a Cosmopolitan and a good lay. He’d never gone so long without sex and feared his brain cells would start shriveling from lack of orgasms.
His hand didn’t count.
“How do you know I wasn’t a baby genius?”
Santiago arched a brow. He was so sexy when he did that. “I could’ve spoken my first words right out of the womb.”
The image popped into Percy’s head, causing him to fall into a fit of laughter as he imagined Santiago asking for a bourbon and cigar. Percy had seen him smoke them from time to time. They always made him smell woodsy and untamed. Like rebellion lived between the wisps of smoke curling into the air.
“Feel like going out or would you rather call it a night?”
Percy resisted leaning back into Santiago’s palm, telling himself to behave. Although he’d initiated the kiss, he wasn’t ready to take things further.
One, he was still working through his issues related to his ordeal. Two, he always jumped right into bed with a guy, only for the relationship to quickly sour. He didn’t want that to happen with Santiago. The guy had come to mean so much to him. And how awkward would it be to live next door to an ex?
The thought made him shudder.
“Have somewhere in mind?”
Santiago leaned back on his elbows, his legs swaying back and forth like he was fanning the tree ten feet in front of him with his taut thighs.
Percy wanted to crawl onto his lap and— Stop trying to figure out the size of his dick, thirsty.
“Flare,”
Percy muttered. Santiago’s lazily swaying legs were hypnotizing, making it impossible to look away. Percy might’ve even licked his lips, but he couldn’t be certain.
Thankfully, Santiago sat forward and rested his forearms on his knees, blocking the view of his crotch. “Never been there.”
Percy feigned shock, pressing his fingertips to his chest. “How have you lived in Blackthorn for months and not been to Flare?”
He needed a distraction to keep his hands off Santiago, and a wingman would be perfect. Hopefully, Elijah could convince Matias—the intimidating, functioning mute—to join them. Percy wasn’t really feeling himself, and desperately needed a night out.
“I’m always up for trying new things.”
Santiago’s heated gaze traveled slowly over Percy, causing his cock to twitch with enthusiasm.
Wrong reaction. He needed Elijah if he was going to survive this night. He could already see himself, sloppy drunk, begging Santiago to fuck him.
That wasn’t an exaggeration, but a guarantee.
“Give me twenty minutes to get ready.”
Percy abruptly stood. If he didn’t get away from Santiago, he would notice the growing problem between Percy’s legs. “Tootles.”
He hurried across the driveway, through his front yard, and stumbled up the steps. Crap! Hopefully, Santiago hadn’t witnessed that near-faceplant. Glancing back to check, he saw Santiago grinning.
Percy stuck out his tongue.
Santiago chuckled.
Annoyed, he yanked open the screen door, nearly hitting himself with it. Good grief. If this was a sign of how his night would unfold… He was still going out. The more he drank, the less he would care about the frantic feeling building inside of him.
* * * *
Suero parked his motorcycle behind Macey’s car at Percy’s house. How had he gotten roped into babysitting the woman while Percy and the others hit some club?
“Right, because partying isn’t my thing,”
he grumbled as he walked across the lawn. “You all go have a blast. Meanwhile, I’ll entertain myself with endless hours of bullshit TV, while contemplating my life choices.”
Suero wasn’t clueless. He knew Diablo joked about how he’d acted around Macey. That’s because Diablo had grown up with two loving parents.
Not everyone was that fortunate. A woman’s presence in Suero’s youth had been rare. The absence of a mother to temper his wildness and balance aggression with softness had left a deep mark on him.
It wasn’t as though Suero enjoyed making a fool of himself. He simply lacked the know-how to behave around maternal figures. Younger females didn’t affect him in the same way.
But the presence of a matriarchal woman turned him into a goddamn eager-to-please pup.
And he hated that about himself. Suero could conduct interrogations, throw down in a fight, and survive everyday pack life. But a maternal figure was his Kryptonite.
With a mutter, he knocked on the front door. Percy answered, letting him in. “I’m so sorry about you doing this. Santiago insisted.”
Suero noticed the way Percy kept a healthy distance from him. He didn’t blame the human after what Tito had done.
Crazy thing was, no one ever suspected Tito had a deviant side. That made Suero wonder if Percy had been his first victim, but his gut said Percy wasn’t. Too bad Santiago had killed Tito. Suero would’ve loved to have that honor.
And since then, Matias questioned himself as a leader, though the guy would never admit it.
Weakness and doubt got you killed.
Only strength was respected among shifters.
“Had nothin’ better to do.”
He glanced around, noticing Macey wasn’t in the living room. Hopefully she had gone to bed for the night and Suero could save what dignity he had left around her.
“Um, there’s food in the kitchen if you get hungry.”
Percy gestured toward the back of the house like this was Suero’s first time there. “My mom knows you’re hanging out here tonight.”
He lowered his voice, but didn’t step any closer. “She doesn’t know the earlier chaos was because of Jacob. I’d rather keep it that way.”
Suero frowned. “She didn’t ask why you trashed the kitchen?”
Percy winced at the reminder of what he’d done. In Suero’s opinion, it hadn’t been that bad. He’d seen far worse.
“I simply said it was a personal matter.”
His lips twitched slightly, though he didn’t smile. “She assumes I had a fight with Santiago because he wasn’t here earlier.”
Because the brother had been in jail. That still pissed Suero off when he thought about how that shit went down. The dirty cops in Blackthorn should consider themselves damn lucky Matias had declared them off-limits. But once the restriction was lifted...
“That still doesn’t explain why I’m hanging out at your place,”
Suero said.
It was a bad sign when Percy’s pale complexion turned a fiery red, the color spreading all the way to his ears.
“I might have mentioned that you broke up with your boyfriend,”
he admitted, raising his hands defensively, his eyes wide. “Sorry if that offends you in any way. The excuse just popped into my head.”
Which was pretty insane since that’s exactly what happened. After interrogating the cheetah shifter from the warehouse, Suero had asked him out on a date.
For two weeks they’d texted and shared late-night calls. They’d even gone out on a second date. They hadn’t even shared their first kiss before Kia ghosted him for some reason.
“Suero?”
Percy stood there, frowning.
“It’s cool.”
He cleared his throat, noticing the human had taken a few steps back. “Just point me to an outlet and hand me a remote and I’m good.”
Ten minutes later, he was sprawled on the couch, TV remote abandon on the coffee table, as he scrolled through old texts from Kia.
Just another pathetic Friday night.