“E,” I whisper.
“Yes?”
“If you’re looking for more than a night…” I trail off.
He smiles. “I only want what you can give me.”
My stomach flips, and images of me and this beautiful man rolling in the sheets of a hotel bed fill my mind.
“You’d really be okay with being my rebound guy?”
He chuckles, his hand on my chest falling to my forearm. He pushes the sleeve of my sweater up, so his warm fingers can trace the veins of my arm. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
“Aren’t you a matchmaker?”
He cocks his head in question.
“I mean, don’t you want more? Love? A relationship?”
“I want you.”
His words shoot through my heart like an arrow. He means what he said, I feel it in my soul.
“And you won’t expect more?” I ask him, though it feels like I’m really asking myself.
This man isn’t just hot. He’s listening, paying attention in a way Ricky never did. Hell, I never even told Ricky about my silly dream of owning a vineyard. Probably because I knew he’d laugh. But E didn’t laugh.
He strokes the skin of my forearm, pulling my attention back to him. “Like I said, I’ll be whatever you want me to be, Theo.”
Maybe I’ll end up wanting more. Maybe I won’t. I’ve had sex without feelings before. It’s not impossible.
“Even a one-night stand on Valentine’s Day?” I ask, though again, it feels like I’m asking myself.
For a split second, I think I see something flicker in E’s eyes, sadness maybe, but it’s gone so fast I convince myself I imagined it.
“Even that,” he says softly. “And if it helps, I’m passing through Grove City, remember?”
“Right,” I exhale.
E’s hands remain on my body as we stare into each other’s eyes, the sounds of the bar and the businessmen have long faded into the background. Every time I take in a breath I get a hit of his unique scent. The attraction between us is palpable. The longer he touches me, the more I fall under his spell, and my desire to have him builds.
If I was a smart man, I’d get up and leave. I’d go get that hotel room, turn on some bad TV, and order room service along with more wine. But I can’t.
“Do you want me to leave, Theo? I will if—”
I reach a hand up and press a finger to his lips to stop him from speaking.
“No,” I say sharply.
E kisses my finger, and I can’t stop myself from smiling. How is this man real?
I drop my hand and find his on my thigh. The one that’s dangerously close to my half-hard cock.
“Do you have a room?” I ask.
He nods. “Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, I would.”
