Chapter 8 #2
Gabe shot him a knowing look. “Oh, it’s cute that you think I worry about noise anymore.
I told you, those headphones block it all out.
Best investment I ever made, considering I have you for a roommate.
Though,” he added thoughtfully, “if you’ve not figured out how to get him into bed yet, maybe it doesn’t matter that you’ll be alone. ”
“We’ll see,” Ren said.
He’d never failed to close the deal when he wanted to—and he really wanted to—and even worse, he knew just how much Seth wanted it, too.
He pulled out his phone. Hey, good news. No bail money required. But I have another request.
Please come over. Please touch me. I’ve been waiting for six months, and I’m the least patient person I know.
But he didn’t say any of that because that was way too close to begging, and Ren had never begged for it in his whole damn life.
Seth was impressed; Lennox had waited a full morning and part of the afternoon before asking what he’d clearly wanted to ask from the first moment.
“So,” he said, leaning back in his chair at the desk across the room, “I saw you and Ren leave the party together on Saturday night. And I didn’t hear from you on Sunday.”
Seth raised an eyebrow. “Is there a question in there?”
“Of course there is,” Lennox said, shooting him a look. “What happened?”
“I didn’t know we did this,” Seth teased, because it was not only satisfying to see Lennox engaging in life this way—after he’d been injured and retired early, he’d been a shell of a man—but he’d have to be dead to not enjoy teasing his best friend. “The whole gossiping thing.”
“Blame Ash,” Lennox faux-grumbled, even though Seth had yet to see him blame Ash for anything.
“So you’ve got no interest in hearing the dirty details,” Seth said. He picked up his phone. “I’ll just tell Ash, then.”
Lennox made a face. “You’re terrible,” he said. “I thought you’d be in here crowing first thing about finally winning Ren over, but you didn’t even mention it.”
“Nothing happened,” Seth said, and it wasn’t even a lie.
“So you took him home with you and you didn’t sleep together?” Lennox sounded like he didn’t quite believe it.
“Lorenzo isn’t going to sleep with just anyone,” Seth said. “He’s very discerning.”
“He’d have to be, to pick you,” Lennox teased.
“He hasn’t . . .” Seth paused. He kinda had though, hadn’t he? He’d had every reason to be pissed as hell, after finding out that Seth had pretended to be someone else, but after calming down, he’d come back.
Not only had he come back to Seth’s house, but he’d agreed to the compromise.
“I guess he did pick me,” Seth said, hearing the shock in his own voice.
“Guess he did,” Lennox pointed out smugly. “So, you gonna take him out? Win him over?”
“Can’t,” Seth said, and he did regret that.
He wanted to treat Lorenzo right. Of course, who determined what that meant?
As long as Ren understood how he felt about him, what did it matter if they went out to the kind of fancy restaurant that required Seth to put on a tie, or if they just hung out at his house and watched TV?
As long as Ren was happy, it didn’t matter at all.
“Then, what’s going on?”
“Ball’s in his court right now. I told him we could take it more casually, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“You’re going to make him work for you,” Lennox said, sounding mystified. “How did you manage that?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Seth said. He hadn’t. Not really. Nothing that should’ve worked, anyway.
“Well, congrats,” Lennox said, standing and patting him on the back. “Welcome, the water’s just fine over here.”
“We aren’t in any kind of water, yet,” Seth said, suddenly worried that the gossip, which would undoubtedly run through the food truck lot like wildfire, would scare Ren away. Just when he’d convinced him that he could give in a little. “And don’t tell Ash any differently, okay?”
Lennox shot him a freezing look. “Are you saying my boyfriend gossips?”
“Of course not, I would never say that,” Seth said, rolling his eyes. “But it’s just casual now. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“If you think that, you’re blind,” Lennox said with a chuckle. “Everyone’s been talking about you two for ages.”
“They’re just bored,” Seth said. “It’ll pass.”
“Naw. You two are kinda epic. It’s like watching one of those movies on TV that Ash likes so much.”
Seth’s phone dinged, and it wasn’t that there weren’t lots of people who could text him, they just rarely did. The only person who’d been texting him today had been Ren.
Lennox grinned, and Seth realized that his face must have given him away. “See, I told you. Epic.”
Hey, good news. No bail money required. But I have another request, Ren’s text read.
Seth smiled, because he couldn’t quite help himself.
I’m glad to hear it, but not surprised, Seth typed back. What’s the request?
Ren’s answer came in almost immediately. Gabe is abandoning me for Sean, leaving me ALL ALONE tonight. You should come over and protect me.
Seth: Protect you from what?
Ren: Monsters under the bed, of course. And there might even be a few in the closet.
Seth chuckled under his breath. He knew what Ren was asking, and why he wasn’t just coming out and asking for it.
After all, he was the one who’d put the restrictions on whatever they were doing.
You want to hang out tonight? Or you want me to defend you against all the big scary monsters?
Seth felt excitement begin to creep up his spine. He knew exactly what Ren wanted. What he was hoping for.
And it wasn’t like he didn’t want to have sex. He did. Especially with Ren. But after six months of believing that he’d only get one chance—one night—with Ren, it was hard to adjust his thinking.
Ren himself had said that they were definitely going to be doing it more than once, and despite his previous lifestyle, Seth had never assumed he was fickle. Ren would make a decision and stick to it.
Maybe he should just let Ren seduce him. It would be fun. It would be undeniably very good. They’d both enjoy themselves a lot.
But what if the tension between them was what kept Ren interested, and once that was gone, his interest faded along with it?
It wasn’t logical, but then not much with the heart—or a guy’s dick—was.
Ren’s answer was straightforward enough. Just like the man himself.
I don’t know if you can protect me against the monsters underneath the bed if you’re not IN my bed.
Touche, Seth replied, but why don’t we start with the monsters under the couch and we’ll go from there?
Ren: I suppose I could be persuaded to start there.
Seth: I can be pretty persuasive.
Ren: Isn’t it supposed to be me persuading you?
Seth: Maybe we can persuade each other.
Ren: I like the sound of that.
Seth: Your place, then?
Ren: You know where it’s at?
Seth: Had your phone number, didn’t I?
Ren: You’re a regular creeper, aren’t you? Do you know my address, too?
Seth chuckled under his breath. No. Just a completist. I’ll ask Lennox for your address. You live with Gabe right? He picked up Gabe once.
Ren: Pragmatism should not be this sexy. You could patent this and sell it as an aphrodisiac.
Seth: Somehow I doubt we’re going to need any aphrodisiacs.
In fact, Seth was already pretty sure that it was going to be hard as hell to resist Ren tonight. He could always change his mind. Or maybe his dick would take one look at Lorenzo, and decide for him.
But Seth was already pretty sure that he could resist most of what Ren might throw at him. Especially if it meant that he could have Ren for more than just one night.
Maybe for forever.
Ren: You’re right. But yes, I do live with Gabe. Except, BIG REMINDER, he will not be around tonight.
Seth rubbed a hand over his face.
He won’t have to use his special noise-canceling headphones to block out our TV noise, then, Seth responded.
Ren replied back. You’re no fun. Maybe I’m gonna have to persuade you to indulge in a little fun.
Seth wished he could sit here and text all day. But he had to finish proofing this second proposal, and get it off to the Star Shadow guys. They’d liked his first one, but they’d offered a few suggestions of their own, so he’d made changes.
I could do with a little fun, Seth texted back, but I draw the line at a lot. Got to get back to work, so I can see you tonight.
Ren’s answer came in immediately. 8 PM sharp, he texted, and don’t keep me waiting.