Page 51 of Devil May Hunt
“Talk to me, pretty lover.” Gunho rested a hand over his under the table. “Let me in.”
Let me in.
He’d been saying it all week. In text messages, voice memos, and over the phone when he called enough times, Brennon had finally caved and answered. For the most part, he’d respected their agreement and hadn’t ordered Brennon anywhere all week, but he hadn’t exactly given him any real space either.
Their chat log on his multi-slate was longer than any of his others, including his friends’ group chat. It was filled with morning and goodnight messages, random questions aroundmealtimes asking if he’d eaten and what. Sometimes the alpha had even requested he send pictures of the food. At first, Brennon had been annoyed, thinking he’d wanted proof he was eating, but he’d realized by day three that Gunho was actually just curious about him.
That was…kind of sweet.
So was this. The worry in his eyes and the way he angled his body close to Bren, as though to shield him from whatever was upsetting him.
Too bad there was no avoiding the inevitable.
“I should have warned you they would do this,” Brennon sighed, though he didn’t make any moves to shake the alpha off. There was something almost comforting about the guy’s warmth and the smell of him. That spicy scent lingered between them, teasing his nostrils.
Cruelly reminding him that they were coming dangerously close to the end of the week, and soon he’d have to decide how he wanted to handle the alpha and his new physical shortcomings.
Having to rely on another personwasa shortcoming. He refused to believe otherwise. So far, he hadn’t felt a repeat of the heat symptoms, but he knew it was coming. If he’d been smarter, he would have taken the alpha up on his numerous offers throughout the week to sleep together, but he’d put it off, and now he was almost out of time.
“It’s fine. The business portion has been completed. This was a mere formality. If they don’t show up, we can still enjoy the evening without them,” Gunho replied, smiling softly when Brennon’s brow winged up. “There’s no need for you to feel embarrassed on their behalf.”
A part of him wished the alpha wouldn’t be so understanding.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he asked, voice naturally low in the dim lighting. The restaurant was a renowned location for intimate dinners and a venue for entertaining upper-class clients. The table they were at wasn’t tiny, but made to fit four close together.
There was just enough room for him to move his arms with the large alpha sitting next to him, but suddenly it felt too tight.
“Doing what?” Gunho asked innocently.
“Being nice. Making it hard for me to dislike you.” Was it an act though? So far, the alpha had more patience and tenderness than Brennon was able to muster. Weren’t war heroes meant to be hardened and strict? “All week you’ve been nothing short of gentle and understanding.”
“Why do you sound pissed off?”
“Because I am.” He didn’t want to hate Gunho, that would only make his life more difficult.
But he didn’t want to like him either.
Didn’t want to let his guard down and get sucked into the fantasy of a happily ever after.
“Forget it. They aren’t coming.” When he went to stand, Gunho stopped him.
“Let’s order without them.” He waved over the waiter. “Do you know what you feel like?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell him he wanted to go, but Brennon realized how spoiled that would be. The alpha planned his schedule around this dinner. The least he could do was make sure the guy didn’t leave hungry.
He rattled off his usual order, then helped Gunho decide with a couple of suggestions. By the time they were alone at the table once more, some of the tension had eased out of his shoulders. Brennon sipped at his freshly poured wine and gazed out the window at the twinkling city lights reflecting off the lake.
He’d always liked it here. The quiet, moody setting had made it seem special.
“When I was younger, this was the only place I knew I could count on them leaving work on time for,” Brennon told the alpha still seated at his side, even though he could have moved to the other side of the table since it was clear his parents weren’t going to show. “As soon as I enrolled at the Academy, that changed. We haven’t been here in a while.”
“You were happy when you found out they’d suggested it,” Gunho surmised, and instead of trying to deny it like he might have a couple of weeks ago, Brennon hummed in confirmation.
“Since you’ve already taken over the company, and I’ve already been publicly announced as your Royal Consort, I should have figured they would find an excuse and bail.” He checked his multi-slate for the millionth time and, sure enough, there was a missed message. “Predictable.”
“What’s it say?”
“Their vacation got moved up unexpectedly so they had to fly out tonight. They said they called the restaurant and told them to put it on their tab and for us to enjoy our evening.” Brennon motioned for the waiter.
