Teddy caught a visible breath, clearly searching for a diplomatic answer. Wren pushed forward with renewed vigor.
“Why did you hit a guy for me?”
Teddy couldn’t handle the intensity for long, darting his eyes away like a spooked frog. “I didn’t reallyhithim…”
Wren grasped Teddy’s hand, the smooth skin of his fingers soft under Wren’s rough grip. He caught Teddy’s quiet gasp and stifled his own mewl in his chest. Instead, he set his jaw stubbornly and held up the red, already bruising knuckles between them, unwilling to let him slither away a second time.
Wren was good at catching scared animals.
Teddy visibly swallowed, looking down at their joined hands. His fingers twitched between Wren’s, and he felt his own heart move with them like it was a puppet answering its master. He had never been able to cut those strings; they were made from something far stronger than he knew how to break.
“There was never any choice,” Teddy admitted.
“Between what?” Wren whispered.
“Between you and Saint.” Teddy shook his head, thick brows furrowed, beseeching Wren to understand. “You told me to go be with him like that was a forgone conclusion.”
“I thought it was what you would want to do,” Wren said. “I thought he was…yours now.”
Teddy’s eyes widened in understanding. “You thought…you thought Saint and I were together?”
“The way you acted…” Wren said. “You’re so close. You touch so much. He wears your clothes. He comes into your room without knocking. You have private conversations. You act like you…like you love him.”
“Of course I love him, Little Bird. But I’ll never be in love with him.” He cupped Wren’s cheek again, this time knowingly. “How could there be room for anyone else when my heart is full of you?”
Wren’s mouth dried at the confirmation, everything taking on a hazy edge as the world around them vanished.
The tips of Teddy’s fingers hovered next to Wren’s half-revealed cursemark, gently brushing a strand of damp hair aside so he could see it properly. They were still holding hands between them, a dangerous lever that could be pulled either way, just like their dance. But this time, there was no cover story. No reason to hide behind. It was just them and Teddy’s words still ringing in the air.
Wren pulled in, never afraid to jump into danger, only ever afraid that Teddy wouldn’t follow.
Need, hot and sharp, coursed through him when Teddy slowly did. Victory had him teetering on his feet, ready to fall headfirst into another bad decision.
“I thought we were friends,” Wren whispered.
“I regretted that the moment I said it,” Teddy said. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but it’s hurting you, and that can never be right.”
“Is it hurting you too?” Pain made Wren’s voice crack.
“It kills me.” Teddy rested his forehead against Wren’s.
“I don’t want to be your friend,” Wren said. “I don’t know how to do anything else but love you.” Warm breaths washed over Wren’s face, making his eyelashes flutter.
“We still need to talk.”
“Yes.” Wren nodded, the tips of their noses brushing. He locked eyes with Teddy and grasped the back of his neck. “Let’s talk.”
He took Teddy’s mouth with his, feeding him all the words he knew how to say. He was happy to learn he still rememberedhow to kiss Teddy. He still had the shape of his lips memorized and the taste of them ingrained in his mind.
He still knew how he moved. Slowly, gently, tangling his tongue with Wren’s, nipping at his lips. He pushed his fingers into Teddy’s hair, standing on his tiptoes as Teddy’s arms locked around his waist.
He felt mad with repressed want, everything they had been forced to push down and pretend didn’t exist flooding out into the open air.
It didn’t matter if the world saw.Let them, Wren thought.Let them see how much they loved each other and choke on it.
Teddy was his.
Animal possession drove him as he climbed the length of Teddy’s body, wrapping his legs around him like shackles. He pushed against his hips to reach higher and deepen their kiss, running his fingers through that dark hair and gripping firmly to angle Teddy’s head where he needed it.
