Page 18 of A Suitable Brat
A challenge.
Westin’s palms itched with the urge to haul the cocky brat into his lap, which was when he remembered he was holding knitting needles and put them aside.
“Of course you’re capable.You’ve been an outguard since you were eighteen.”Still too young for it, in Westin’s opinion.Especially to be out there alone, even in times of peace as they were fortunate enough to live in now, bless the current queen.“I would never doubt you.”
Hely reached out again as if to stop Sun before Sun could release some of the steam clearly about to burst from him.His tone was measured and professional.“Then why is he not allowed to care for you, Westin?Is it hard to believe that he’d want to?”
Sun immediately stopped, explosion forgotten, a puzzled line between his eyes.“Why would that be hard to believe when I’ve followed after him for years now?”
He met Westin’s stare and whatever it held, then snapped his mouth shut.
Hely rose to his feet, not asking for room but smiling faintly when a distracted Sun moved to make way.Hely gave Westin one last look of warning, then leaned in to whisper something into Sun’s ear, lips almost brushing the fae-cursed cuffs.
“Words first,” Westin thought he heard among whatever else Hely told Sun, and then Hely slipped out from the curtain and tugged it back into place so that not even a sliver of light showed from anywhere except along the top.
“Why did you rush through your bath?”Westin wondered immediately, not demanding because he didn’t make demands.Heasked, though in this case, with an edge .“Are you cold like that?Were none of your shirts clean enough?”
The last question had an edge to it and Sun clearly heard it, because he dropped back into his slouching, sulky posture and gave Westin a defiant look.
“Maybe I’m trying to get a new ear cuff.”
Westin inhaled deeply, finding traces of citrus and something herbal.It wasn’t soothing.He didn’t really want it to be.
“Then I’d wonder why you’d waste time in here with me.The best I offered was a bath.”
Sun lifted his chin, about to snap back, but then glanced away to study the candles as if the candles were all that interesting.He shrugged.“It was a pretty good bath.”
Westin didn’t laugh but he did make a rough, half-stifled sound that brought Sun’s attention back to him.
It was strange how little Westin felt like apologizing.“Unless you’ve been fucking averywealthy beat-of-four, that’s the nicest bath you’ve like to have had in years, maybe ever.”
Sun smiled, mean and pleased.“Are you asking?”When Westin stared at him, momentarily lost, Sun rolled his wrist in an exaggerated manner.“Are you asking if I’m fucking a very wealthy beat-of-four?”
“You aren’t.”Westin wondered what Hely would make of his tone.“None of those cuffs are gold.”
Sun’s eyebrows went up.“You think I could get gold?”
“I think you could get gold.”Westin was confident of that if nothing else.“And more than a cuff.Maybeyoushould work here.”
Sun blinked several times before humming thoughtfully.“Would that mean I’d still see you?”
“Ah.”The fight, such as it was, left Westin.He met Sun’s challenging stare and wondered absently just when he’d begun to realize that with Sunchallengingmeantvulnerable.Later than he should have.But then he recognized that he must have known years ago, because he had begun responding to Sun’s demands and impertinence with patient indulgence.He had just never pushed the matter.He should have.“I wasn’t going to leave you.”The truth said at last, and he would make Sun recognize it even if Sun never wanted to see him again.“I’m leaving the Outguard.”The words still pulled at his heart, but Sun was what mattered now.“I didn’t want to leave you.But… I didn’t think you’d be this upset.”
Sun’s chin went up higher.His smile grew brighter.“Who’s upset?”
Westin’s palms itched again.
“These booths are for when people need moments to be themselves.To be true, whether that’s their own doing, or paying someone to strip all their pretenses from them.They’re to allow people to lower their shoulders without judgment.And for fucking,” Westin added before Sun could be smart.“Sometimes they are for that too, or a combination of all of those things.Though most ofthatwould be best done in a room.”
Sun was smart with him anyway.“Yes.I did figure that out, West.I’m so terriblyyoungaccording to you, but I’m not actually a child.”
Westin shoved the knitting to the side and stood.Sun’s eyes went wide and his head came up.He wet his lips.
Westin wasn’t a giant, patient or otherwise, but whatever he was, Sun liked it.
“Stop that,” Westin ordered, then caught his breath, surprised yet again by what Sun could get him to do and by how little he minded.
“Stop what?”Sun returned without innocence.“Not that I take orders from you.”
