Chapter 3 Heat Between Them #2
Eli never seemed to do that.
When someone shared a story, he paid attention as though every word mattered.
Pete appeared to be describing something from years ago.
Eli scribbled notes quickly.
Then smiled at something the older man said.
Pete laughed.
The interaction looked natural.
Comfortable.
And somehow, seeing it created an unfamiliar warmth in Mason's chest.
He immediately ignored it.
Or tried to.
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You keep staring at him."
Mason turned.
Jake Turner stood beside him holding a wrench.
"Mind your business."
Jake grinned.
"So that's a yes."
Mason shot him a look.
Unfortunately, Jake had known him long enough to be immune.
The younger worker glanced toward Eli.
"Gotta admit, he's doing better than I expected."
Mason remained silent.
Jake wasn't wrong.
Over the past few days, Eli had earned more goodwill than anyone expected.
Not trust.
Not yet.
But progress.
People had started answering his questions.
Workers no longer avoided him quite so aggressively.
Even after the incident with the clay molds, he'd shown up the next day willing to learn.
Most visitors would have disappeared.
Eli stayed.
That mattered.
Jake eventually wandered off, leaving Mason alone with thoughts he didn't particularly want.
The afternoon dragged on.
Heat shimmered above the kilns.
Dust coated everything.
By three o'clock, most workers looked exhausted.
Including Eli.
The difference was that Eli tried to pretend otherwise.
Again.
Mason spotted him walking across the yard carrying a stack of folders and a camera bag.
The kid looked tired.
His shirt clung to his back.
Several curls had escaped whatever attempt he'd made to control them that morning.
A streak of red dust marked one side of his face.
For some reason, Mason noticed that too.
Noticed it far too quickly.
The awareness unsettled him.
Because lately he seemed to notice everything.
The way Eli's eyes lit up whenever someone shared a story.
The way he bit the inside of his cheek while concentrating.
The way his smile appeared unexpectedly and transformed his entire face.
None of those observations should have existed inside Mason's head.
Yet there they were.
Collecting.
Growing.
Becoming harder to ignore.
The problem wasn't simply attraction.
Mason was a grown man.
Attraction happened.
The problem was who he felt attracted to.
Eli Bennett wasn't some stranger passing through town.
He wasn't a casual possibility.
He wasn't available.
He wasn't appropriate.
He was twenty-one years old.
The grandson of the company owner.
A college student with an entire future ahead of him.
Meanwhile Mason was pushing forty.
Covered in scars.
Carrying enough regrets to fill a warehouse.
The comparison alone should have ended whatever this was.
Instead, his stupid brain kept noticing things.
Things it had absolutely no business noticing.
"Mason?"
He looked up.
Eli stood a few feet away.
Close enough that Mason could see the faint dusting of freckles across his nose.
Another detail he shouldn't have noticed.
"What?"
The response came out rougher than intended.
Eli didn't seem offended.
"I had a question."
"About?"
"The drying process."
Mason released a slow breath.
Work.
Good.
Safe territory.
He could handle work.
For the next several minutes, he explained how moisture levels affected production quality. Eli listened carefully, occasionally writing notes.
The conversation remained professional.
Normal.
Exactly the way it should be.
Then Eli attempted to step around a stack of materials.
His boot caught against an uneven section of ground.
The stumble happened quickly.
One second he was walking.
The next he was falling sideways.
Mason reacted automatically.
His hand shot out.
Strong fingers wrapped around Eli's forearm before he could hit the ground.
The motion lasted less than a second.
A simple reflex.
Nothing more.
Yet the moment contact happened, something shifted.
Eli froze.
Mason did too.
The younger man's skin felt warm beneath his grip.
Solid.
Real.
Their eyes met.
For one brief, dangerous moment the rest of the brickworks seemed to disappear.
No machinery.
No workers.
No noise.
Just that unexpected connection.
Too close.
Far too close.
Eli's breathing hitched slightly.
Or maybe Mason imagined it.
Either possibility disturbed him.
"Got you."
The words came out quieter than intended.
A faint blush appeared across Eli's cheeks.
"Thanks."
Neither moved immediately.
Mason became painfully aware of the fact that his hand still rested on Eli's arm.
Aware of the warmth.
Aware of the softness hidden beneath dust and sweat.
Aware of entirely too much.
He released him abruptly.
The sudden absence of contact felt strangely noticeable.
Which was even worse.
Eli cleared his throat.
"I should probably watch where I'm going."
"Probably."
The response sounded normal.
At least he hoped it did.
Inside, however, nothing felt normal.
Eli offered a small smile.
Then turned and walked away.
Leaving Mason exactly where he stood.
The older man watched him disappear across the yard before forcing himself to look elsewhere.
This was becoming a problem.
A serious one.
Because attraction wasn't supposed to grow from simple conversations.
It wasn't supposed to develop from shared jokes, quiet moments, and accidental touches.
Yet somehow it had.
And for the first time since Eli Bennett arrived in Blackthorn, Mason found himself facing a truth he didn't want to acknowledge.
The kid wasn't just getting under his skin.
He was already there.
That realization settled heavily in Mason's chest as the afternoon heat rolled across the brickworks.
The worst part wasn't the attraction itself.
It was how much he was starting to look forward to seeing Eli tomorrow.
And that was the kind of mistake that could ruin everything.
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