Chapter 4
Ben
For reasons unbeknownst to me, I decided to work from home for the day, even though I’d made the effort to get dressed as if I were going to the office.
I told myself that it was because I had too much work to get through and wanted the peace that my home office could bring, and not because of a certain irritating bug that was invading my thoughts far too often.
Deep down, I knew I was lying to myself.
When I’d arrived home from work the day before, I found Tristan in my bedroom again. He didn’t have his speaker blasting, but instead wore headphones, meaning he didn’t hear me come in.
He danced around again, singing along to music I couldn’t hear as he painted the wall while thrusting his ass and gyrating his hips, and like the day before, the sight had my cock twitching.
Before he could catch me ogling him, I disappeared, hiding in my office until I heard his van pull out of the driveway long after 7 pm.
I thought I would be able to breathe freely after he’d left, but when I went to bed, his scent lingered in the room, making it impossible for my cock to deflate.
I couldn’t distinguish the smell, other than knowing it belonged to Tristan.
Cue me sleeping in a different room that wasn’t tainted by his addictive scent.
So why I thought it would be a good idea to work from home for the entire day, torturing myself with his presence, was beyond me. Yet there I was, stuck in my office, trying to avoid him while he banged about in the kitchen fixing the broken back door.
The winter sun lit up my office as I read through a surveyor’s report for the umpteenth time on a building I owned. The insurance policy was due for renewal, but the company had insisted that they wanted proof the building was in good condition before they renewed the policy.
It wasn’t, and scanning through the report, a heavy weight settled on my shoulders at realizing how much it was going to cost to fix all the issues the surveyor had identified. I dropped the report onto my desk when a loud bang echoed from the direction of the kitchen, followed by a muffled curse.
Concern shot through me, and I bolted to the kitchen, telling myself that my concern was simply out of worry that Tristan had caused more damage to my property, and not for the man himself.
Another lie.
I strolled into the kitchen, pausing at finding Tristan lifting a door, the muscles in his arms bulging as he repositioned it to fit in the doorframe. Sweat glistened across his forehead, and a flush coated his cheeks.
The strangest thought popped into my head. What would he taste like if I were to run my tongue over his body? I shoved the thought into the deepest recess of my brain, never to be discovered by anyone.
“Having trouble?” I asked, noting he wasn’t wearing his headphones.
His head whipped to me as he put the door down, but clung onto it so it didn’t fall. “Shit, sorry, man. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I underestimated how difficult trying to hang this door on my own would be.”
His custom grin spread over his lips, and I’d come to realize that it wasn’t an arrogant smirk; it was just how he smiled, like everything in his life was amusing.
“How do you normally hang doors when you work alone?”
“Well, for a start, I don’t usually hang these types of doors.
I got this one specifically for your kitchen door as it has an excellent locking system on it.
Wouldn’t want people breaking in now, would we?
” He winked, and I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into a snarl.
But before I could reprimand him, he continued.
“And secondly, if I need help, I’ve got a list of buddies in the industry I can call who swing by when they are between jobs or on their lunch break to give me a hand.
I’ll give one of them a shout and see if they’re free. ”
“No need,” I replied before I could stop myself. “I can help.”
Tristan’s gaze tracked me as I crossed to him, his brow quirking as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard me right.
Reaching him, I gripped the edge of the door, careful to avoid touching his hand.
I still hadn’t quite recovered from the way my heart had raced at the briefest touch yesterday when I took my coffee from him.
“You sure? It’s a heavy door. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Tristan said, a hint of what I thought was concern lacing his tone.
“I’m sure, Bug.”
He snorted. “That nickname’s sticking, huh? I kinda like it. It’s cute.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “It’s not meant to be cute. It’s meant to remind you that you’re nothing but an annoying insect to me.”
His grin widened. “Sure, sure. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”
Before I could stop myself, my free hand whipped out and wrapped around his throat.
To my frustration, the smirk didn’t disappear from his lips.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m not fucking flirting with you, I’m not into men.
” Flashes of memories from my past burst into my head like a firework display.
I quickly extinguished them with the black hole I perpetually lived in.
Releasing his throat, I took a step back, craving air that wasn’t polluted with his scent. “Do you want my help or not?”
Fucking finally, the smirk fell from his lips, yet amusement still sparkled in his eyes. “You’re not really a people person, are you?”
I released my grip on the door, prepared to leave him to figure out how to hang it on his own. “I swear to fucking God, Bug-”
His hand whipped out and grabbed my arm; his touch sending a path of fire along my skin, and I instantly regretted rolling my sleeves up earlier. “Okay, chill, dude. I was just messing, I’m sorry. I could really do with your help.”
My jaw clenched as I scowled back at him, seconds away from reprimanding him for calling me dude yet again. Instead, I nodded, indicating for him to tell me what he needed me to do.
Surprisingly, when Tristan stopped pissing around, he was very good at his job.
Patient too.
He learned quickly that I didn’t have a bone in my body that knew how to do DIY, and he didn’t mock me when I kept holding the door at the wrong angle or when I said the incorrect name for one of his tools.
His patience was needed, particularly when he moved on to screwing the lower hinges in place. He’d crouched down so that his head was level with my cock, and my brain decided that was the ideal opportunity to create an image of Tristan on his knees as I fucked his throat.
It had taken all my effort not to drop the door and storm out so I could drink bleach to remove the image from my head. Instead, I shuffled awkwardly, trying to convince my boner to deflate and hoping like hell that he didn’t notice it.
If he did, he was good enough not to mention it.
“All done,” he said, standing and grabbing the handle to open and close the door a few times, checking his work. “We make a good team.”
His grin was back on his face, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to wipe it off or tell him to never stop smiling; he really was breathtaking.
With monumental effort, I tore my gaze away from his mouth. “Right. Well, I’d best get back to work.”
“Thanks for your help,” he replied. I started to turn, but paused when he spoke again.
“Before you go, Mr. McScroodge, there was something I wanted to ask you.” Curious, I faced him again, my brow raised.
“I have something planned for tomorrow evening, and I was wondering if you’d mind me finishing an hour early.
I’m ahead of schedule anyway, but I can stay another hour tonight to make up for it, or-”
“No.”
His eyes widened as if the simple word had stung him. “Dude, come on. I’ve worked my ass off these last few days, I haven’t taken any breaks-”
I narrowed my gaze. “You seem to be under the impression that you’re doing me a favor. Have you forgotten that the only reason you’re here is because you broke into my house and smashed the place up?”
He looked away, a flush covering his cheeks, and for the first time since meeting him, there was genuine remorse in his tone. “No, I haven’t forgotten.”
“Good. I’m glad you remember your place.”
His head whipped back to me, the flush on his cheeks deepening. “You know, if you weren’t such an asshole, you might actually have friends.”
“What makes you think I want friends?”
He scoffed. “Sorry, for a moment there, I forgot who I was talking to. Of course, you’re happy to go through life being insufferable and lording your money over people. Heaven forbid you admit that you’re just a lonely, sad man.”
My teeth ground together at his accusation, even if it was one I couldn’t deny. “You need to keep your nose out of my business; you’re being an irritating bug again.”
“And you’re being a stubborn prick!”
We glowered at each other, both chests heaving as our fists clenched by our sides, waiting to see if the other would swing first. But after an eternity passed, his shoulders slumped, and he uncurled his hands, taking a step back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Another beat passed, and I relaxed my hands, allowing the tension to drain from my body. “What are your plans for tomorrow? What’s so important that you have to leave early?”
I didn’t know why I asked. I didn’t care. It didn’t matter what it was; I wasn’t going to let him go any earlier.
He shuffled from foot to foot, looking anywhere but at me. “I…uh…I have a date.”
A wave of jealousy rolled through me, so powerful that I was certain my heart skipped several beats, and I felt my eye twitch. “A date?” I said stupidly, as if I needed to hear him saying it again.
He shrugged, his cocky grin transforming into a shy one. “Yeah. It’s been planned for a while; we’re meeting at Charlie’s.”
I knew the place; it was a trendy wine bar in town. The kind of place you went to when you wanted to impress someone. I’d never been there myself, but I’d driven past it often enough on my way home from the office.
But what did I care if Tristan was going on a date? It had nothing to do with me, and maybe knowing he was out with a girl was exactly the right push I needed to get him the hell out of my head. Still, there was no way I was going to let him leave early so he could get laid.
Yet, when I opened my mouth to respond, those weren’t the words that came out. “You can finish early tomorrow, but I expect you to make the hour up.”
With that, I marched away, barely hearing his muttered thank you because of the jealousy pounding through me.