Chapter Ten
chapter TEN
“H oney, I’m home,” Ethan called out when he stepped into the empty shop the following morning at about nine o’clock.
Thanks to a nasty headache—he refused to call it a hangover—he’d taken his time that morning. Didn’t matter what time it was; there was no one there to greet him, but he wasn’t expecting anyone to be, either.
Grabbing the remote to the stereo system, Ethan clicked the Power button, filling the cavernous space with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “White Walls.” At least there’d be some noise to fill the empty space. Something that wasn’t going to make him feel pathetic and lonely.
Like talking to himself didn’t already do a good enough job.
After dropping the wrecker’s keys that he’d ended up taking home onto his toolbox, Ethan headed over to his office to plug in his phone. Two days in a row he’d been too distracted to even charge the damn thing.
Before he went back to the truck he had been working on the day before, Ethan set up and then clicked on the coffeemaker, waiting impatiently for that first dose that would help him clear his head. Minutes later, he poured a cup, not even waiting for it to cool before he sipped anxiously.
A few minutes later, after downing one full cup and now armed with his oversized mug, he surveyed the truck that had taken up a considerable amount of his time last week. As it turned out, the twins were hard on their vehicles, and that meant one or both of their trucks were usually sitting in the shop these days. This week it was Brendon’s.
Before he could muster up the strength to get to work, the song on the radio changed to “End of My Rope” by Trapt, and Ethan suddenly felt every single hour of sleep he had missed over the course of the last month. Including last night.
Considering he’d been nice and buzzed, he had expected to pass out easily. No such luck. With his brain on overload from the incident with Beau in the truck, Ethan had been hard-pressed to sleep for more than just a few minutes at a time. Dragging his ass out of bed that morning was nearly impossible, as was getting his body moving.
For the first time in a long time, he didn’t want to immerse himself in an engine, he wanted to take a break. A lengthy one. Embracing the exhaustion for the first time in months, Ethan moved over to the old dilapidated desk that was used to hold spare tools, and after making enough room, he took a seat on its scarred surface, his legs hanging over the edge, his feet still touching the floor.
Out of habit, he had propped open the main door when he came in, and it wasn’t long before he heard tires crunching on gravel. Please don’t let it be Blake. Ethan wasn’t sure he could handle another confrontation with the guy. Not yet. Hell, he hoped not ever.
Sipping his coffee, he waited patiently for whoever his visitor was to make their appearance. He didn’t have to wait long, and the moment Beau stepped through the door, Ethan’s breath lodged in his chest. If he didn’t get over this attraction, Ethan feared he was going to need some respiratory equipment just to stay alive. He had been robbed of breath more times than he could count in recent days just from the mere sight of Beau.
This time was no different from any of the others.
“Mornin’.” Beau stared at him and then back out the door before turning back. Ethan just continued to look at him. The memories of last night, the drugging kisses he had shared with the sexy man standing just a few yards away... it was more than his overprocessed brain could handle at the moment.
“You got the keys to the wrecker?” Beau asked, stopping only a couple of steps into the shop.
Ethan regarded him for a moment and then blurted out the first thing that came to his mind: “Want a cup of coffee?”
Coffee? What the fuck was wrong with him? The better answer would’ve been a simple yes and nothing more.
A sexy smile tipped the corners of Beau’s mouth, and a shudder coursed down Ethan’s spine.
“Sure,” he said, nodding his head toward the office. “Is it made?”
“I probably oughta make another pot,” Ethan said, not bothering to get up. He was too tired to move. Never mind the fact that he didn’t want to get closer to Beau. Not any closer than he would have to. Because at this point, he couldn’t be held responsible for his own actions.
It wasn’t enough that his brain was on overload, but now his body was as well. On top of that, just coming up with enough energy to maintain a safe emotional distance from the man was more than he was up for right now. It felt like he’d been doing it for months.
Now that he thought about it, Ethan realized he had been trying to stay away from Beau for months. No wonder he was tired. The guy wasn’t all that easy to resist.
Ethan watched Beau slip into the office, disappearing from view for a couple of minutes. To pass the time, he stared down at his hands, flipping them over repeatedly, hardly seeing the work-roughened skin or his short, clipped fingernails.
“I know it seems like I’m always asking you this, but are you all right?” Beau asked when he joined him once again, a cup of coffee in one hand, the other tucked into the pocket of his jeans.
Ethan looked at Beau. Actually looked at him, unable to say anything in response to his question. It seemed odd that Beau was always asking him that; however, it was even stranger that he seemed to be the only one. It was almost as though Ethan had successfully isolated himself from the rest of society to the point people didn’t even bother to see how he was doing anymore.
He had to wonder why Beau hadn’t taken the hint the way everyone else had.
“I’ve been better,” he said honestly, never breaking eye contact. He could only blame the need to give in for a minute or two on the exhaustion that had suddenly overwhelmed him. It was hard to keep up his defenses all the time, to never let his guard down, but right at that moment, his guard didn’t even exist.
At least not with Beau.
“Need some help around here?” Beau asked, glancing across the open space, his gaze returning to meet Ethan’s moments later.
Ethan wanted to tell him no, but the truth was, he actually did need help. As much of a burden as Blake had been, at least the guy could pump out work when he did decide to show up. And now that Blake was no longer part of his day-to-day, the only thing Ethan had to look forward to were hours of time spent by himself and tons of work backing up in the meantime.
Ethan chuckled and glanced down at his hands again. What was he going to say? Yes? That definitely wasn’t going to help this situation any.
“You don’t want to say yes, do you?” Beau asked, moving closer.
Ethan looked back up at him, wondering if this man understood him as well as it seemed he did.
Beau looked around again, then grinned back at Ethan. “I know this guy,” he began with a sexy smirk. “He’s kinda in need of work at the moment. He’s pretty handy beneath the hood.”
Ethan laughed, letting all the tension drain out of him for the first time in what felt like years. “Yeah? Does he know it requires long hours?”
“I heard he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. And I’m pretty sure he hasn’t taken a vacation in... well, in years, actually.”
“Yeah?” Ethan studied Beau for a moment. “He’s not looking to take one anytime soon, is he?”
“Nope.”
Ethan figured bringing Beau on board was better than letting Jared get involved. Who knew what kind of asshole he’d be stuck with if his cousin got a say in who was hired. “Well, when you see this guy, let him know I need him to be here at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”
Beau nodded, that sexy smirk morphing into a devastating grin. “What if I told you he’s free today?”
Ethan knew it was time to get serious with Beau for a minute. As much as he was enjoying this conversation, and as much as he truly was looking forward to having someone who would come in and knock out the work that was piling up, Ethan wanted Beau to understand what he was really getting into.
Because it damn sure didn’t look like this attraction between the two of them was lessening any. And Ethan was doing his damnedest to keep up his defenses, but there was only so much one man could do.
Sliding off the table, Ethan left his coffee mug behind as he got to his feet and cleared the distance between him and Beau in an instant. To his surprise, Beau actually backed up a couple of steps.
“You scared of me?” Ethan asked, not quite sure where the question came from.
Beau smiled again, this time a wicked grin that had Ethan tempted to back up a few feet.
“Quite the opposite actually.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Ethan took another step closer and watched as Beau looked around. Wondering what he was searching for, Ethan was surprised when Beau set his coffee mug down on the closest toolbox.
“And what makes you think this will work out? You working here?” Ethan asked, remembering what he’d walked over to say.
“When it comes to work, I’m here to work.”
Despite all the things he didn’t know about Beau, he did know the guy was a hard worker. Always had been.
Ethan moved even closer, satisfied when Beau took one more step back and found himself up against the corrugated metal wall.
“It’s that easy for you?”
“For me to what?” Beau asked, his head tilting as though he was trying to figure Ethan out.
“You think it’ll be easy to work here with so much...” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He was beginning to rethink the urge to bring this topic up. Ethan wasn’t sure he wanted to go this route. He damn sure wasn’t acting like himself.
He knew Beau well enough to know he could easily offer the guy a job, and he’d be completely professional. However, Ethan was suddenly sick of professional.
“So much what, E?” Beau questioned, his voice seductively low. “ Temptation? ”
The next thing Ethan knew, he was the one up against the wall and Beau had both hands flat on the wall beside his head. The heady scent of coffee and man assaulted his senses. The room seemed to spin as he was overwhelmed with everything he’d suppressed for this man.
“Temptation,” Ethan confirmed in a choked whisper, letting his eyes wander to Beau’s lips.
“Do you want to ignore it? If you do, I will.” Beau paused, seemingly waiting for Ethan to meet his gaze. When he did, Beau said, “For you.”
God, why did Beau sound so damn sincere? Every single word he spoke seemed to be selected with care, always ensuring he said the right thing. It was clear that the attraction between them was potent, strong enough to ignite this wildfire that threatened to disintegrate them both in an instant.
Yet, this man claimed he was willing to ignore it.
For him.
Unable to speak, Ethan shook his head no.
Maybe he had lost his mind, or maybe he was even more tired than he thought. Either way, Ethan had just lost the will to fight this anymore.
THE MOMENT ETHAN had backed him up against the wall ranked right up there amongst the most pleasurable experiences of Beau’s entire life. Maybe in the top three. Including the very first time Beau kissed Ethan. And every time since.
At least that’s what he thought until Ethan succumbed to his dominance only seconds later. That one took the top spot on the list.
With Ethan trapped between his body and the wall, Beau found himself searching for oxygen. He was in control, yet he felt like he lacked any control at all. That’s what being near Ethan did to him.
Beau studied Ethan’s expressive blue-gray eyes as he searched for something to say; something that would relay exactly what Beau was feeling. “I need...”
The words wouldn’t come.
“Don’t say it,” Ethan told him, his voice low and hoarse.
There was a brief pause as they stared into one another’s eyes, and then Ethan said the three words that Beau never actually thought he would hear.
“Just do it.”
Beau swallowed hard. The urge to close his eyes and get lost in Ethan’s voice was so strong, he wasn’t sure how he fought it. Maybe because he wanted to stare into Ethan’s eyes, to try to see what he was feeling.
With as much restraint as he could manage, Beau leaned forward, forcing his hands to remain on the wall beside Ethan’s head as he pressed his lips to Ethan’s.
Soft. Gentle. Oh, God .
Perfect.
A desperate growl tore from his chest, but somehow he managed to keep his feet planted on the floor, his hands on the wall and a few scant inches between their bodies as Ethan’s head tilted ever so slowly, the kiss pulling Beau under.
Lord, help him. It was too much. Just the softness of Ethan’s lips against his own was so wonderful, Beau had to remember to breathe.
When Ethan licked the seam of his lips, inviting Beau into a much deeper kiss, he felt his heart pound against his ribs. Oh, God . A second later, they were lost to one another, their mouths the only part of their bodies touching, their tongues on a tentative exploration. Beau’s entire body was hard.
The urgent moan that vibrated from Ethan’s throat had Beau pulling back. Before he could get too far away, he found himself flush against Ethan, solid arms wrapped around his body, pulling him closer.
Panic streaked through him. He’d never felt anything like the intense awareness pulsing through his veins. Never.
The gentle press of Ethan’s smooth, warm lips had turned into a maelstrom of desperation, an eagerness to get closer all but consuming him. When Ethan’s determined fingers dug into the muscles of his back, Beau knew he was about to be pushed too far. This was more than he could handle, more than he could deny himself.
Beau remembered his need to keep his hands off Ethan the night before. The only thing he could come up with to ensure he didn’t push Ethan too fast. He’d waited for this moment for so long. Too long.
Gently pulling back, Beau cupped Ethan’s face in his hands, the coarse bristle of his stubble scraping against his fingertips while he visually grazed every beautiful inch of Ethan’s face. From his lips, which were red from their kiss, to the storm clouds brewing in his intense gaze. The man stole his breath and all his common sense.
Ethan seemed to be waiting for him to do something, but Beau was at a loss. He didn’t know what to do or say. He just wanted more of this man. His taste. His warmth. His passion.
Crushing his mouth to Ethan’s, Beau let go. He aligned his body wholly with Ethan’s, chest to chest, thigh to thigh, pushing him into the wall as he sought his touch along every part of him.
Ethan’s incredible hands returned to his back, gripping him, trying to pull him even closer as the kiss ignited into something so powerful, Beau wasn’t sure either one of them would survive it. Sliding his fingers into Ethan’s hair, Beau controlled the kiss, tilting Ethan’s head slightly so he could thrust his tongue deeper, the point where their tongues touched like an open electrical connection that was linked to every nerve ending in his entire body.
Just when he thought he couldn’t handle any more, Ethan’s hands drifted down his back and then gripped his ass purposefully, pulling him forward, their cocks grinding against one another through the confining denim that separated them. Even that was more than Beau had ever imagined it could be.
He was panting, hardly able to keep his mouth against Ethan’s as the pleasure intensified, his body morphing from a series of nerve endings to one giant cluster of sensation.
“Oh, God,” he moaned against Ethan’s mouth, unable to stop himself. “So good.”
Ethan seemed to be spurred on by Beau’s words as he gyrated his hips, causing the friction along Beau’s cock to increase. If Ethan kept it up, Beau was going to lose it. Right here.
Breaking the hold Ethan had on him, Beau backed up, separating their bodies entirely as he sucked air into his lungs. He stared back at Ethan for long seconds, the panic rising up inside of him. This feeling... It was so foreign to him, he wasn’t sure his body could handle that type of pleasure.
To think he’d spent his entire life forcing himself to be someone he wasn’t... And now—after so many years wasted on a pursuit of happiness that was going in the wrong direction—he was finding out that this was what he had denied himself. His physical reaction to Ethan was so unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It made every other encounter seem mediocre, and here he was, completely dressed, staring into the most mesmerizing eyes he had ever seen.
As though Ethan was shocked back into reality, his body tensed, and he took a step to the side, but before he could put that emotional gap between them once more, Beau moved closer. Suddenly scared that Ethan would withdraw and Beau would never find this again, he forced him against the wall. Another tortured groan rose up from his chest.
“This...” Beau began. Paused. Swallowed. “Sorry.” He tried to collect his thoughts.
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” Ethan said quietly.
Beau cupped his face once more, far gentler than he thought himself capable of being. “No. Wait. I’m not sorry about that.” Beau studied him momentarily. “You better not be, either.” His breaths were still labored, his body still rock hard. “It’s just... I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Ethan’s eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly, and Beau was instantly on him, pressing his mouth securely to his luscious lips, his tongue seeking the incendiary spark that had lit him up from the inside out.
It wasn’t until the song on the radio changed again that Beau pulled his lips from Ethan’s. He didn’t move away, just stared down at him. “Are you seriously listening to this?”
Ethan seemed confused for a moment, but then the sexiest grin Beau had ever seen curled the very edges of his kissable lips.
“What? Don’t like my music?” Ethan asked breathlessly.
“I just wasn’t sure it was possible for two Walkers to have such... interesting taste in music. I’m not sure whose is more out there, yours or Zane’s.” Beau’s heart beat with the rhythm of the music.
When Ethan glared at him in mock anger, Beau lowered his voice and said, “And just to make something perfectly clear... I like every single thing about you, E.” With that, he let Ethan go, feeling as though he’d given away too much of himself in that one statement.
As “Don’t Drop That Thun Thun” by the Finatticz thumped through the shop, Beau turned away.
He didn’t make it very far before Ethan was up against his back, his iron-hard cock pressing against his ass and nearly making his knees fall out from under him. Thick arms wrapped around him from behind, Ethan’s palms flattening against his chest as his lips came down to the sensitive skin just beneath his left ear.
Beau sucked in a breath. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that was the moment he fell in love with Ethan Walker.