“Talking seems to be the politest thing I can do with you in a bar.”
Blue took a long swallow of his drink and then licked along his lower lip, and Henri’s eyes followed that slick path. “And who asked you to be polite?”
At that blatant tease, Henri had to stifle a groan. “Careful now. I’m in the exact right mood to take you up on that offer.”
“I’m always careful. Tonight I want to be a little less so.”
Henri tapped his finger on the rim of his glass and gave Blue another once-over. It was obvious that he wanted this. But Henri didn’t get a one-night hookup vibe off Blue at all. “You sure about that?”
Blue took another sip of his drink—liquid courage, maybe?—and said, “I think so.”
“Mhmm. Well, you let me know when you know so.”
Blue lowered his gaze to his glass, and Henri wondered what he was thinking. Was he changing his mind? He had no idea, but then Blue cocked his head and said, “I passed your message on for you today.”
Henri’s lips curved. “Oh? And how did that go?”
“About as well as I think you expected it to. So I was wrong earlier. It was Priest, not Julien, who you used to date.”
Henri downed the rest of his drink in one long gulp, as Blue continued.
“I have to say, I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people. But I never would’ve guessed Priest.”
“And why’s that?”
Blue studied him for a moment as though trying to decide what to say next, and then he lowered his voice and said, “I don’t know. You just seem very…”
Henri shifted closer. “Very…what? You don’t think I’m going to let you stop there, do you?”
When Blue’s teeth scraped along his lower lip, Henri made a promise to himself that by the end of the night, he was going to be the one doing the biting.
“Come on, tell me what you think,” Henri said, placing a hand on Blue’s thigh, and when Blue automatically widened his legs to give him better access, Henri hummed.
“You just seem very—” Blue paused again, as Henri slipped his palm up the inside of Blue’s thigh.
“Yes?”
Blue swallowed, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down his strong throat, as he looked Henri straight in the eye. “Different than Priest. That’s all.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, he’s…”
“A serious pain in the ass?” Henri said, and then grinned, deciding to leave out the fact that he meant that both literally and figuratively.
“Serious. Yes.” Blue chuckled.
Hmm, good, he’s enjoying this as much as I am.
“That’s definitely the right word for Priest. But you seem less, I don’t know, contained than he is. Like a…lone wolf or something. Someone who likes to run free and do whatever he wants.”
Huh. Blue was spot fucking on with that assessment. He really could read people well. Henri got off his stool to hide his wandering hand, as he finally moved it over the top of the hard-on between Blue’s legs and squeezed.
“Ahh,” Blue said before he could clamp his mouth shut, and Henri put his mouth by his ear and said, “I’d say that’s a pretty good assumption. For example, Joel would never consider fucking someone before he knew their name. Me, on the other hand? I can’t think of anything I’d rather do right now.”
Blue’s lips parted slightly, as Henri flicked the tip of his tongue over Blue’s earlobe.
“Wanna get out of here?”
Blue nodded, and Henri straightened to his full height.
“Your room or mine?” Blue asked as he buttoned his jacket, trying for a little decorum.
Yeah, good luck with that. As it was, Henri’s cock was so damn hard right now that it would be a miracle if he could walk out of the bar. But the fact that the two of them were on the same page made him really fucking happy.
He wanted to forget that today had ever happened, forget about the man who’d chosen everybody else but him, and focus on the one who was here now with him.
He was going to enjoy tonight, revel in it, sink inside the man staring at him as though he was down for anything—and in the morning, well, Henri just might do it all over again.
“Yours. I’ll meet you there in ten.”
Chapter Five
CONFESSION
So this is what it’s like to have déjà vu.
Two Weeks Later…
THE INCESSANT VIBRATING of his phone was just another annoyance to his already sleepless night, as Henri reached for the blasted thing and squinted at the screen. When a familiar number flashed across it, he groaned and rolled to his back.
Motherfucker. That was the last person he felt like dealing with at three in the goddamn morning. But when the vibrating stopped, and two seconds later started up again, he accepted the call and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yeah?” His standard non-greeting was met with stony silence for a beat or two. Henri could hear gravel crunching underfoot and assumed the one who’d called him was moving to a more private location.