Page 45 of Rules to Love By

“You think that’s how it would go?” he asked, ignoring, for the moment, the assumption that it would go anywhere near a bedroom in the first place.

Marcus narrowed his eyes at him. “What do you mean?”

What did he mean? Which part should he address first?

“There’s no shame in sex,” Marcus said when he’d taken too long to answer. There was steel behind the words.

“None at all.” No argument there, but lightning pricks of worry skittered over his skin at the defensiveness. Maybe that was a warning, but he rolled his shoulders to banish the sparks and leaned forwards. “Just wondering what makes you think you’d be doing the fucking?”

Marcus stilled. The smile slowly left his face, replaced for a split second by an intense interest Eli recognized. Then his expression cleared back to the hard-to-read façade he was so good at. He held up both hands. “I suppose that was an unfair assumption,” Marcus said, and for all the world, he sounded like he meant it.

“I suppose it was.” Eli sat back again. “I know how people see me, don’t think I don’t.” A few of those previous lightning pricks cut hot, jagged paths through his chest at the admission.

“I’m sorry.” Marcus settled into his chair. “That wasn’t fair. Maybe I’m too used to thinking I know what people want.”

“It’s fine.” And it was, he realized, because Marcus had made an assumption, but he’d also allowed that he might be wrong. Eli appreciated that. “I’m not interested in people who only see a soft, shy, unsophisticated guy they can manipulate. They only see what makes them comfortable.” He shrugged. “Their loss.”

“My gain?” Marcus might have sounded hopeful. Eli didn’t know him well enough to interpret the tone, and once again, his expression gave nothing away.

It was easy to see how anyone not interested in trying might see a vacant, beautiful face with no substance.

“Only if you want,” he said after a few moments.

Marcus frowned.

“I’ll still want to see you again,” Eli said. “Either way.” Again, it was true. He hadn’t expected this date to end in a bedroom. He still didn’t, but he certainly wasn’t going to reject the idea without giving it some attention.

Marcus looked away, back down at the empty plate and the two forks. He licked his lips but said nothing.

Eli waited.

When he finally lifted his face and met Eli’s gaze, the heat of it punched Eli in the solar plexus. “Can’t remember the last person who asked me, then actually waited for me to say yes.”

“What?”

“Not that I ever said no, you understand.” Marcus’s smile lacked the tell-tale dimple. “I’m not an idiot. It’s just been a long time since I met someone who didn’t assume the answer was yes before I got the chance to say it.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, I’m not going to march you through this dining room and the kitchen, past my best friend and the landlords letting me stay here for free so you can fuck in the back room of their business.”

“No. Of course not.”

“And I assume you’re not keen to tie me to your childhood bed where your father might hear us.”

“Jesus.” The heat sizzling in Marcus’s eyes burned through any protest Eli might have mustered. “Hold that thought.”

Marcus smouldered, expression pure, greedy interest, and sat back. “Sure.”

“Sure?”

“Positive.”

Eli nodded, hesitated, then jumped up when Marcus tilted his head to one side. “Be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

And either he would be, and this was by far the most interesting first date Eli had ever had, or he wouldn’t, and Eli would go back to the city and life as he’d known it up until a few weeks ago. Simple. Except for the knot in his stomach.

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