Percy laughed, a rich, deep sound that washed over me, relaxing me. He seemed to relax a little as well. And after a few more minutes of small talk, things started to get progressively comfortable.
“How did you get into P.I. work?” he asked me once our wine had been delivered and we’d placed our orders. That was something I could definitely talk about. Likely for days.
“When I was a kid, I used to watch those old detective shows. You know the ones—the black and white reruns that would play all night? One summer, I think I stayed up until three in the morning every night watching those things. I wanted to be that cool guy who solved the mystery.”
Percy watched me as he sipped from his wine glass, his eyes sparkling with interest, and when he smiled at me, I felt my heart beat a little faster.
“Looks like you’re doing a pretty good job of it,” he said.
“Being cool or solving the mystery?”
He laughed. “Both.”
“How about you? Did you always know you wanted to be a lawyer?”
Percy shifted in his seat and took another sip of wine. “Actually, no.”
“Really?” I leaned forward, curious. “You struck me as the type who took what you do very seriously. Like you were made for the whole lawyerly life.”
“You aren’t wrong—on either count,” he said, then he paused like he was debating what to say next. “I come from a long line of attorneys. My father is an attorney, as was his father. It was expected of me to do the same. Honestly, I can’t remember a time when it was even an option to do something else.”
I frowned. “An option? What do you mean?”
Percy sighed. “I’m sure you don’t want to spend the evening listening to my family drama.”
“Actually, I’d love to.”
He quirked a brow, amused. “You sure about that?”
“I want to get to know you, family drama and all.” It wasn’t just a platitude, I realized. I really did want to know him and to see if this attraction between us, this pull from our wolves, was, as he’d said, something worth exploring.
Percy considered me for a moment, then nodded. “If I’d had it my way, I would have chosen to be a teacher. There’s something about education that’s so rewarding. Even through law school, I kept thinking I’d much rather be the one teaching law than practicing it.”
“But you didn’t want to let your father down.” It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.
He shook his head. “It’s…complicated. My family didn’t approve. At all.”
I wanted to push him for more, to find out why they didn’t approve, or why he felt compelled to follow his father’s plan for his life instead of doing what he truly wanted to do. But I didn’t feel like we were at that point yet. We still barely knew each other. Instinctively, I knew that if I pressed him on it, he’d retreat, and we were getting along so well now we’d moved past the stilted conversation from earlier.
Instead, I smirked. “I can’t really picture you as a teacher, to be honest. I think the kids would probably be terrified of you.”
Percy tossed his head back and laughed, and I felt another wave of warmth wash over me, melting away some of the preconceived notions I’d had.
After that, the conversation seemed to come naturally. We talked about anything and everything—except the case we were both working on.
I told him about my family. How we’d always all been so close, a truly tight-knit unit that had each other’s backs. He told me a little more about what his life had been like, though he was hesitant to talk much about his family.
By the end of dinner, I realized I’d made a lot of snap judgments about him without any facts to back it up. Yeah, he was still pretty much my opposite, but it didn’t seem to be such a bad thing anymore. We’d both been shaped by our lives and our families growing up, and I was starting to see that Percy wasn’t necessarily so cold and distant by choice.
He’d been dealt a pretty rough hand in life with his parents and their expectations. He’d done what he could with it, and he’d made a successful life for himself.
As if he were thinking along the same lines, he leaned forward and took my hand in his. “I’m sorry we got off to such a rough start. I can see now that you’re nothing like I thought you were.”
Surprised by both the intimate gesture and his words, it took me a moment to compose myself. The heat of his hand on mine, the soft stroke of his thumb along my skin, was more than a little distracting.
“And what exactly did you think I was like?” I asked because I couldn’t resist teasing him.
“That you were an arrogant asshole,” he said, a smile curving his lips.
“Same!”
We both laughed, but then Percy grew serious again. “I’m still concerned that our careers are going to get in the way of…whatever this is between us. Things could get ugly with this case.”
I nodded. “I get that. But ultimately, we have to acknowledge that one way or another, the case will be solved, and we have to be okay with the outcome. Regardless of what it is, or who wins.”
I tried not to think about how Percy was representing such a vile man. I was aware there was more to it than he was letting on. And if I wanted to see where things might go with us, I’d have to let that go.
“We just have to keep things separate. There’s work, and then there are our personal lives. They don’t have to overlap.”
He looked like he didn’t quite believe it was possible, but he nodded anyway. “I can do that.”
“Good,” I said because I didn’t want that to be the end of it. I wanted to see him again.
Conversation shifted to Tuck and Jamie and the kids, and before I knew it, we were some of the last ones left in the restaurant. The night had flown by, and I’d thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I told him as much when we got back to my house, and he’d walked me up to my door.
“I enjoyed it too,” he said quietly, scanning my face. “There’s still one thing I’d like to do, though.”
My breath hitched, and my heart hammered. “What’s that?”
He stepped closer, intently, purposefully. “I’d very much like to kiss you right now. If that’s okay with you.”
I suddenly became acutely aware of how close we were. Mere inches separated us. All I’d have to do was lean in, angle my head…
“I’d like that very much.”
Percy took his time as he reached up and ran his thumb over my jaw. I found it hard to breathe as he leaned in slowly, his gaze falling to my mouth. When his lips brushed mine, soft and full, and oh-so-tempting, my breath rushed out. Percy groaned softly, moving his hand to the back of my neck as he pulled me closer.
He swept his tongue over the seam of my lips, and I reached up to clutch his shirt, my legs feeling weak. I opened for him, and he dove in, stroking his tongue against mine. I gripped his shirt harder, pressing my body fully against his. Then he threaded both his hands in my hair, angling my head to give him better access, and I was surrendering completely to the sensation of his kiss.
It was like a fire had ignited in my veins. I was hot all over, filled with a burning need for more. I clung to him, kissing him back as he explored my mouth, never wanting it to end, feeling like I could get lost in this man and not care if I ever found my way back. I’d never been kissed so passionately, so thoroughly.