Page 74 of Maybe You

I roll my eyes. “Sure. Just… Next time you’re out and about pay attention, and you’ll see. There are random acts of kindness everywhere here. Efficient random acts of kindness. And those are much better than the ones where people make a big deal out of it and shout it from the rooftops. ‘Ooh! Look at me, look at me! I helped.’”

His lips twitch at the rant, but then he sobers.

“I guess I’ll keep my eyes open, then,” he says. “For those efficient random acts of kindness.”

“You should. All the hope in human kindness is right here if you just take the time to look.”

He shakes his head and chuckles softly.

“You’re…” he says and shakes his head again.

“I’m what?” I ask.

“You’re Wren,” he finally says like that’s some sort of well-known description that makes total sense and sums up everything that I am.

“That is my name,” I say. “Well done.”

“You really are a smartass,” he says.

“I keep telling you, you bring it out in me.”

He looks one hundred percent delighted at that.

“Am I corrupting you?”

“No,” I scoff.

“I’m absolutely corrupting you,” he says with a smug grin, and the flirty, cocky Sutton is back.

“At most, I’m letting you corrupt me.”

“You did ask for it,” he muses, and now his gaze is running up and down my body before our eyes meet. Something jumps inside my stomach.

Anticipation.

When his eyes move to my lips, I know exactly what he’s planning to do.

Me.

And I’m very much on board with that plan.

Wanting somebody is a bit of a novel experience, to be honest. I didn’t think it’d feel so… consuming. Especially since Sutton himself is not really my type at all. At least I don’t think so. If I’m being honest, I don’t really know what my type is for sure, but in the past, most of the people I’ve been attracted to have had some general things in common. Kindness. An air of humbleness.

Not cocky and smug and too flirtatious.

And then there’s the excessive wealth, which is kind of a turn-off. And the fact that by his own admission, he has no job or goals or seemingly no desire at all to do something with his life other than just have fun.

I frown. I can’t put my finger on it, but something feels off. It’s like there’s a chasm between what he says about himself and how he behaves. I don’t really know how to explain it, and I’m really not even sure if the gut feeling is telling me the truth or if I’m just trying to make him look better.

I’m not even sure why I’m wasting my time thinking about this. It’s not like I need to figure him out. We’re having sex. Maybe we’re sort of friends. But that’s it. He’s been very clear about what he wants, and what he wants most is not to have a relationship. Not with me. Not with anybody. I mean, calling me his friend might even be a stretch for him.

And anyway, it’s not like I’m trying to make him fall head over heels in love with me. He’s doing me a favor. I don’t want to be in a relationship with him either. Yeah, we get along well, and he’s easy to talk to, and I somehow, against all evidence not to, trust him. But that’s the extent of it. That’s all it will ever be.

“That’s a thinking face if I ever saw one.”

I snap my head up at Sutton’s voice.

He taps his index finger against my forehead. “What’s going on in here?”

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