“Good.” I card my fingers through his soft curls. “The only voice I want echoing in your head is me telling you that you’ve got this, no matter whatitis.”
“Back at you.” Percy’s next kiss lands on my lips, just as brief as the last couple of pecks. “And for the record, if you wanted to, I know you could pass that certificate program.”
“You really think so?”
“I really do. I could even give you some study tips if you wanted. You don’t have to do it to impress me though. You’re already the smartest, sweetest, most amazing man I know.”
I grin and slide my hands down to cup his ass cheeks, pulling him even closer to me.
“You have some kind of crush on me, Rocky?” I tease.
“Little bit.” He holds up his thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart.
“That’s good, because I’m pretty wild about you too.”
“I think I’ll like you even better when we’re out of this cold,” he says with a laugh, and I notice that the pink in his nose and cheeks isn’t a blush anymore.
“Good call. My place?”
Percy nods. “Come on, the next bus is in three minutes and we’re a block away from the bus stop.”
I give his ass a playful smack and then let go of him. “Then I guess we’d better run.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
PERCY
“That’s way too much food.”I laugh, jogging up the stairs to Butch’s apartment.
The whole scene at the bar has already been shoved forcefully to the back of my mind and locked up tight. Fuck John and the rest of them. Well, except Lanie, I guess she was mostly okay, and I should probably buy her lunch as a thank you. I’m not going to let their arrogant bullshit ruin the rest of our night, and I’m glad Butch seems to be feeling the same way.
“It’s Chinese food,” he says, like that’s excuse enough for ordering five pounds of rice and a dozen egg rolls.
“Aren’t you supposed to be all about your macros and treating your body like a temple?” I tease.
We reach the second-floor landing and Butch grabs me from behind, lifting me off my feet.
“I’d rather treat your body like a temple and worship at it all night,” he purrs, catching my earlobe between his teeth with a gentle nip.
Heat rushes between my legs and my nipples harden.
“In that case, we should make good use of the half hour we have before our food gets here.”
He sets me back down but keeps one arm around my waist, holding me tucked against his large body and nuzzling the back of my neck while he uses the other to unlock the door. The lights are off, and the apartment is quiet, but only for a second before he flips the switch and licks the side of my throat, making me let out a sound that’s somewhere between a laugh and a moan that breaks the silence inside.
“Fender must have gone out,” Butch says, finally letting go of me so we can both take our shoes off.
“The apartment all to ourselves and enough food to feed an army on the way. Sounds like a perfect night to me.” I turn to face him as soon as my shoes are off, and he’s already coming towards me, wrapping his arm around me again and grinning as he walks me backward into the living room.
He brings his other hand up to my face, and now that we’re in the light, I can see black ink scrawled and smudged across his palm. I catch his wrist and move his hand so I can see it.
“What’s all this?” I think I already know.
His carefree smile shifts into a crooked grimace and he tugs his hand out of my grasp, wiping it on his khaki pants.
“I just wanted to impress your friends. I asked Ezra for some tips on how to dress and things to talk about that would make me seem smart. I was afraid I’d forget them, so I made myself a cheat sheet. I felt like I was back in high school, cramming for an exam.” He huffs a laugh.
I reach for his hand and pull it gently back towards me, bringing it all the way up to my face so I can kiss the smeared ink on his palm.
