Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
SULLY WAS A FRAUD. His best suit shabby compared to everyone else’s, his shoes near worn out.
Didn’t matter, he wouldn’t let them see anyway.
Using his skill like this in public wasn’t something he liked doing; there was always the slim chance someone skilled might see through it if he tired himself out too much.
He’d only been caught twice, when he’d been so exhausted he could barely see straight and he was fine now, but it was still a risk.
Then again, so was fucking a man he met in a fancy lounge, but he intended to do that tonight too. Might be his last chance.
A haze of smoke wafted through the dim lighting.
The scents of stale tobacco and spilled liquor curled warmly in his lungs after the chill of the cool night.
Spring was supposed to have sprung, but you couldn’t tell it from the weather.
Only ten days ago they’d had a sudden inch of snow.
And hadn’t it been fun to chase down a blackmailer as they both slipped around in slush?
Sully shivered remembering the icy water that had flooded his boots.
For a Sunday evening, The Green Lounge was crowded.
Men stood in clusters or sat at dark wood tables while a cheerful band played.
A brunette in a dress sang, her voice full of rich smokey enjoyment.
Most of the crowd was paying attention to her dimpled smiles while Sully was paying attention to the crowd.
This wasn’t the sort of place he ever went for a good time. Left to himself, he’d have spent tonight miserable and guilty and secretly afraid. But he promised Edie he’d go out and have some fun. Considering it was his last night of freedom, he deserved a bit of luxury too, didn’t he?
Judging by the desperation on several faces in the crowd and the background hum of fear and excitement buzzing at the edges of Sully’s senses, he wasn’t the only one shipping out in the morning, headed for training.
Not the only one after for a good time either.
He shoved down his own instinctive response to the swirl of those emotions, the ones he’d been repressing all week.
Captivating eyes met Sully’s once more from across the room. He couldn’t tell what color they were from this distance and wanted to see. The second he’d walked into the lounge he’d spotted the blond man with the pretty face. And wanted.
Placing an order for his second drink, Sully studied him from the corner of his eye.
The man was sedately surveying the room at large, not a participant in the tableau but a dispassionate observer.
He sat alone at the farthest table from the door, drinking something amber, a sly smirk slowly twisting his mouth.
Everything about him was pale, from his hair and tailored gray suit to the matching fedora on the table in front of him. He seemed like he should be quietly haunting some English manor house, sitting around all elegant and bewitching.
His gaze swept to rest on Sully briefly for the third time. Bold. A spark of attraction simmered along Sully’s awareness and he basked in it, letting it warm him from the inside out as he looked right back.
Reading emotions came in handy at times like this; made finding someone for the night less dangerous.
Anything complex was difficult to interpret, but this was straightforward, nothing confusing about it.
Blood-hot lust flared like a beacon every time their gazes met.
An eager thrill settled in Sully’s gut as he made his way to the table and took a seat in the vacant chair.
He’d been after a distraction tonight, and there one was all right, so perfectly promising.
Those eyes he’d wondered about were the lightest shade of blue, like something from Anne’s childhood watercolor paintings—endless summer skies and lakeshores. Beautiful and compelling.
“Have we met?” The man asked, delicate eyebrows lifting curiously.
“Not a chance, I’d remember a face like yours.” Sully repressed a smile smug as that accent. The stranger was well-off, well-educated, and his words dripped refinement. “Eyes like those.”
A frisson of excitement and playfulness the man attempted to conceal from his face fluttered in Sully’s stomach. Told him he was on the right track. “Hmm.”
The skillfully played trumpet and percussion echoing off walls, along with noise of chatter around them, lent the illusion of privacy and Sully pulled magic from the ether to enhance it.
“Got a name?” he asked.
The man’s eyes sparkled, amusement in the sensual curve of his mouth. “Do you?”
“You can call me Warren.” Not that anyone else did anymore, but it was better than giving up the one people knew him by. “Your turn, ain’t it?”
“Elliot,” he said after a moment’s hesitation, first-rate manners probably kicking up a fuss about skipping to given names straight away. Politeness wasn’t what either of them were after though.
Elliot, huh ?
Sully turned that over in his mind. How would it taste on his lips later when they were twisted together, panting?
His thoughts must’ve shown because faint pink dusted Elliot’s fine cheeks, and he ducked his head to sip from his glass.
“I was being kind, by the way, when I asked if we’d met.
I’d remember you as well. After all, it’s not every day I’m pursued so rapidly upon making acquaintance. ”
Bull. The way he looked, all tall and lean and prettier than any man Sully had ever spoken to, people must’ve been eating out of his palm the second they met him. “Handsome guy like you? That I find hard to believe.”
A devious grin tugged at Elliot’s mouth, quickly constrained into something more cultivated. “Not so often by the sort of person whose interest I’d like to return.”
“Oh. And what sort’s that?”
Elliot leaned forward. His voice dropped to keep his words from reaching unintended ears or to get a rise out of Sully. It worked on both counts. “I think you'll simply have to share a drink with me to find out.”
“Suppose I gotta.” There was a wicked, tantalizing edge to the checked desire Elliot unconsciously aimed his way. Sully couldn’t help playing along, wanting to draw this out. One night. He had one night. If he could, he’d make it last forever.
“Are you always this confident of your reception?” Elliot chased a drop of condensation down the side of his glass with the tip of his index finger, and Sully tracked the movement, wetting his lips.
“Got a sense. You always this coy?”
“Never, but I'm finding I rather enjoy it.” He scrunched up his nose, blue eyes bright with mischief. “I suspect you do too.”
Sully crafted a subtle illusion concealing them completely from view. No sense drawing unwanted attention. He dipped his chin and lifted his lashes slowly, openly flirting now. “Bet I’d enjoy anything you do.”
That earned him a genuine laugh, one that turned Elliot’s graceful features boyish and delighted. “Cocksure, aren’t you?”
“When it's worth the risk.” Sully raked his gaze heatedly over Elliot, scraping his teeth across his bottom lip in appreciation. “And I bet you’re very worth it.”
Sharp eyes evaluated Sully, then glanced at patrons minding their own business, not paying them the slightest mind. Shit. What was Elliot thinking? Maybe Sully had taken it too far; they were in public after all, even if Sully knew no one could see them. He ought to know better than—
“You're skilled.” The adorable pinch between Elliot’s perfect brows smoothed as he faced Sully again.
Sully’s stomach clenched hard. He kept his voice calm, pitching it low and hoping Elliot would take the bait. “At seduction?”
“Supernaturally,” Elliot clarified. Then at whatever panic seeped into Sully's expression he went on, “It takes one to know one.” The companionable grin Elliot offered eased some of the tension in Sully's shoulders.
This was an interesting turn of events. He could count on one hand the number of skilled people he knew well.
Three of them were in his line of work. He met more on the job.
No one he’d be interested in forming friendships with.
Outside work he didn’t get to know anyone enough to figure out if they were skilled.
So curiosity pricked at Sully, provoking him. “What’s your skill?”
“A touch personal, wouldn’t you say?” He paused thoughtfully, and Sully’s cheeks heated. Then Elliot’s mouth curved, and Sully had to admit he liked self-satisfaction on his face. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Right. Yeah. He could do that. Pursing his lips, Sully debated how much he was willing to reveal.
An illusion? Nothing strong, just a glimpse at what he was capable of.
He didn’t like people to know how he could sense emotions.
It made them nervous around him. Their attempts—poor as they might be—to conceal how they felt brought his ability uncomfortably to the forefront of his awareness.
And almost always resulted in a splitting headache.
“All right,” he said, sitting up a little straighter. “Now you see me…” Sully fixed his gaze on Elliot’s face and concentrated. Power flowed into him like warm water as he distorted Elliot’s perception.
Surprise made Elliot’s lips part and his eyebrows shoot up. “Now I don’t. Where did you go?”
“Still here.”
“That is impressive, Warren. Are you actually invisible?” He was looking at a spot slightly left of Sully, which made laughter bubble up in his chest. He squashed it, before it escaped, but it infused his voice anyway.
“It’s only an illusion. If you reach out and touch me, your mind will overpower it.” He didn’t add that he was perfectly capable of convincing a person they weren’t touching him at all if he put enough effort into it, and they were susceptible.