I settled for leaning a little closer. “Do you live round here?”
“No. You?”
“Up the road.”
“You don’t sound like a London boy.”
“That’s cos I’m Irish.”
“No, really?” Insolence made Rae seem boyish, his sharp edges softened by humour. “If you’re drinking Murphy’s, I’m guessing you’re from Cork way, not Dublin.”
“Something like that, though I don’t mind a pint of Guinness. Just don’t tell my clan.” I jerked my head to the rowdy crowd at the front bar.
Rae followed my gaze and his smirk became a genuine grin. “Wow. That’s some family. I’ve just come from my folks’ place and it was like a damn morgue.”
“Are they old?”
“No, just dull.”
I nodded. More questions danced on my tongue, but I kept them in. As intrigued as I was by Rae, his life story wasn’t the reason I’d made eye contact across the bar. It had been a fair while since I’d last hooked up, and even longer since I’d pulled a bloke, but now it was on my radar it was all I could think about.Fuck, I want him.
As if he’d read my mind—or perhaps he’d had enough small talk, too—Rae closed the remaining distance between us, nudging my shoulder with his. “I don’t know about you, but I’m about done with beer and banter. You wanna show me your place?”
In answer, I downed my drink and turned to the door, thanking my lucky stars that Lucky and Dom were the kind of couple who went to bed at nine o’clock to fuck and stare at each other. “Let’s roll.”
We walked back to my place in near silence. Rae smoked while I tried to rein in the nervous energy buzzing through me.Christ. It’s not like you’re a damn virgin.Far from it, but hooking up with fellas did something to me. Charged me in a way sleeping with women didn’t. Not because I fancied men more, but perhaps because I understood men less, emotionally, at least. Physically, I could make the sex sing, but on a mental level, fuck, I had no idea. The heartbreak that had driven me to London was testament to that.
Bastard.
“Hey.” Rae elbowed me in the ribs. “You don’t have to take me to your place if it’s not cool. We can find somewhere else…or not. You’re not obligated to fuck me.”
“I know that.” Though I was having a hard time picturing myself doing anything else. Rae was so utterly fuckable, my dick was already at half-mast. “Sorry. Long day.”
“Fair enough. Let’s get to the good part, eh?”
I had no argument for that. My house was a heartbeat away. I let us in, glancing to the top of the stairs to Lucky’s bedroom door. It was shut, no crack of light visible beneath it, though that didn’t mean he was asleep. At some point, I’d probably have to explain why I’d been out for less than an hour, but not right now.
After a quick detour to the kitchen to grab some beer, I led Rae upstairs to the attic hatch. “My bedroom’s up there. Haven’t got round to building a staircase yet. Give me a sec and I’ll pull you up.”
It was hardly romantic, but Rae didn’t seem the type for airs and graces. I heaved myself up and rolled over to offer Rae my hand, but he was already through the hatch and sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Damn, you’re fast.”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t that high. I like your room. Do those skylights open?”
“Uh. Yeah.” I scrambled to my feet and opened the roof window closest to me. “It’s great when it’s dry. Not so much when it rains. Fucking noisy.”
“I’ll bet. Still. There’s nothing better than sleeping under the stars.”
“I haven’t done that for a long time.”
“Why not?”
It was my turn to shrug. “Life got away from me, I guess.”
“You’re not one of those city boys chained to your desk, are you?”
“Nope. I told you—I’m a mechanic.”
