Page 20 of A Suitable Brat
Westin set aside the fixation on Hely for later examination.There was only so much he could think about with any sort of clarity with a half-naked Sun before him and several significant possibilities making his blood burn.
“You aren’t trouble.Not really.Not to me.”Westin was firm.“But you’re worth trouble.No matter what else is said in this booth, remember it’s a space for truth.”At that, Sun raised one eyebrow.Westin nodded.“All right, you’resometrouble.But nothing I mind.You might not believe me now, but Hely says I spark at the thought of you, something he’s never seen from me before.That’s only for you, Sun, and maybe it worries me but I was sitting in this inn,thisinn, alone, trying to settle my thoughts at the idea of a future that seemed dull and lonely—and still will be, more than likely.Then you came in and nothing was dull anymore.You’re worth more to me than anything this inn could offer.”
Sun was in Westin’s lap, knees on either side of his thighs, his hands in Westin’s braid, before Westin had time to worry over whether he should take the words back.He steadied Sun by taking a firm hold of his waist and Sun shoved closer even before Westin had him secure and safe, his mouth hot beneath Westin’s ear.
“What did you use?”Sun demanded, his nose in Westin’s hair even while his fingers did their best to unravel the braiding.“You smell so fucking good.Months.”His voice cracked.“Months.Will you tup me right here?I won’t cost you anything.”
Westin slid a hand up Sun’s back to his neck to grip short, damp hair.Sun moved for him without Westin having to tug, tilting his head to bare his throat for Westin to kiss.His skin was still overly warm from the bathwater and unbelievably smooth for someone who lived on the road most of the time.
But he was always so careful with himself.Westin gently kissed several freckles for that.His heart was going to burst no matter what Sun told him.Even if Sun said no, Westin would have this moment.
“You will cost me everything,” Westin murmured as he scouted for more freckles to kiss.
Sun stiffened.Westin had sense enough to tighten his hold to keep Sun in his lap, but fortunately, Sun wasn’t inclined to fight him over it yet and stayed where he was.
“The truth comes out.”Sun hit him with a charming smile.“I’m too much trouble.”
“That is not what I mean.”Westin exhaled.“I mean I’m dependable, reliable, and strong.Boring,” he added in case that wasn’t clear.“Responsible.”That was to please Hely.“Some people like that.But I’m not remarkable in any way.”He held tighter to the bird in his lap.“I accept that you would want me as a friend.I accept that you might pass time with me as lovers do.But it doesn’t take much of your attention to spin me around and turn me into a cock-led fool.I’m sure you enjoy that, but that’s not all I want.”
“Are you trying to flatter me?”Sun asked in a tone so light and thin it was brittle.“Are you beinggentlewith me, Westin?”He laughed and Westin got goosebumps.“You want peace.And you won’t find that with mespinning you around.It’s fine.”He squirmed again, not quite fighting to get free although he could have.“It’s fine, West.I’ll leave you toHely.”
“Don’t be charming with me.”It slipped out, tight and pained, but it made Sun stop.“No.”Westin shook his head.“Not thatkind ofcharming.Not the effort to make sure I’ll still keep you around—is that why you didn’t pick a floral scent for your bath?”
This time when Sun wriggled, Westin let go.Sun pushed backward to rise smoothly to his feet.
Westin looked up.“If I wanted Hely, I would be with Hely.”He silently apologized to Hely for the presumption, because Hely’s time was his own.“I wanted you the moment you walked in here and I wanted you before then, and youknowthat, so I don’t understand why you’d try to pretend.Unless it’s to spare my feelings, but I’d rather have the brat telling me off than that.Do you worry that if we aren’t fucking, I won’t want you around anymore?”Westin gazed up in sudden horror, all the heat leaving him.“Is that why you’re here now?”
Sun raised his eyebrows, trying to appear lofty and distant when he should have been snarling.“You think I’m that concerned with keeping you near me that I’d try to charm you into ignoring my faults?”
That wasn’t what Westin had said, as Hely might have pointed out.Not at all.
Westin missed the herbal-citrus scent now, if only for the distraction it had provided.He tried to focus on something else instead, the faint spice scent lingering in his hair, the one Sun claimed to like.
“You rushed in here without shoes.”Westin almost sounded calm.“Or a shirt.You journeyed to Solace House in a storm when you were going to see me in a day or two anyway.”He was as gentle as he could be but Sun’s loftiness increased, his chin rising in challenge.Westin inhaled again.“You are going to take another bath tomorrow, and you’re going to linger and choose whatever soaps please you because they pleaseyou.And I am going to pay for it all, because I care about you and I like indulging you.You don’t have to try to charm me.I never want that.I didn’t make the offer for you to share my room out of any expectation of—”
Sun bent down to press a finger to Westin’s mouth.“Shut up.”
Westin ignored the warning because Sun might not love him, but he needed to hear more truth between them.“Your only mistake was being rude to Hely.You’re lucky Hely found it amusing.Anything else you think you did wrong you only did because that’s how we are with each other.And I like that, Sun.I like you.I lo—”
Sun cut him off by taking over Westin’s lap for the second time, grabbing Westin’s hands and slapping them to his waist before hiding his face at Westin’s shoulder.“Look how much trouble I am.”
“You’re a brat,” Westin answered honestly, pleased to hold and pet and stroke bath-warmed skin.“But I get to call you that.”
He didn’t make it a question, but Sun shivered and pressed harder against him.“I put you through so much.Even now I….I wasn’tthatrude to Hely.I can tell when people like me, and Hely likes me.”
“He said you might have charmed him.”If he hadn’t already seen him with Westin.Westin didn’t add that part.“When I find you charming, it’s not like how you are with others.Do what you please, brat.But I was charmed when you shook water from your hair like a dog in the street to piss off a beat-of-four and I am just as charmed when you sing lullabies in your sleep.”
“I do not do that.”It was remarkably haughty for someone rubbing his cheek against Westin’s jaw.“Instead of another bath, buy some of whatever soap you used, so you might always smell like this.”
“I would only use it if you were coming to visit me.”Westin didn’t say it without thought, but nonetheless, Sun went as tense as a bowstring.
“If you insist upon going.”The cool words would have had more of an impact if Sun hadn’t moved on to nuzzling the grays by Westin’s temple.
“But will you visit?”That was the question that would have had Westin equally tense if he hadn’t had Sun to attend to.“I have trained myself out of expecting things.I don’t look for them.Hely,” he paused to croon at the grumbling ferret in his lap, “suggested in his way that I might have misunderstood some things for this reason.I will probably continue to do that.So I will ask.And if you could answer, that would be appreciated.Words would help me more than growls, wolfling.”
“Words like offering to travel with you?”Sun pulled more of Westin’s hair from its braid, tugging and yanking like a nesting bird.He scoffed when the words sank in and Westin twitched.Sun inched back.“You’re infuriating, you know.”He looked at Westin but then glanced away.“I didn’t and don’t expect you to care.”His chin came up.“But I did expect you to at least notice.And don’tSunlarkme.I don’t want your pity.”
“Pity?”Westin was surprised it wasn’t a squeak.
