Chapter Seven #4
As Kerry pulled leftovers from the refrigerator, he told Keegan about the conversation he had with Sven at his truck the previous night. “I didn’t mean to imply he should actually follow you.”
“He didn’t misunderstand what you said,” Keegan said.
“I’m trying to be gracious,” Kerry replied before explaining Sven’s frantic text from the bar.
“I didn’t know he’d dressed down, and I almost didn’t recognize him in that getup.
” While the chicken and stuffing casserole reheated in the microwave, Kerry returned to the island to snag a few kisses.
When the appliance beeped, Kerry captured one last kiss before returning to his task.
The chicken came out, and the potatoes went in. “Do you want vegetables too?”
Keegan shook his head. “I’m sure Sven didn’t expect you to be dressed up either,” he said. “You look so handsome, but you always do, no matter what you’re wearing.” Keegan thought about Kerry wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts, and it wasn’t hard to picture him in boxers…or nothing at all.
“I wanted to look presentable when meeting with Vinny about the lawsuit. Then I threw myself into work and didn’t make time to change.”
“But did you eat?” Keegan asked.
“The crew brought me lunch, but I worked through dinner. I’ve procrastinated on paperwork for too long and needed to dig myself out of the hole. I made a big dent today, and I feel productive.” Kerry stepped between Keegan’s thighs and cupped his face. “Not as good as this makes me feel, though.”
“Thank you for riding to the rescue,” Keegan said.
Kerry brushed back the hair from Keegan’s forehead and traced the shell of his ear. “I’ll always be there for you. No matter what.”
The microwave dinged, and Keegan was ready to forget all about food until he remembered the way Kerry’s stomach had growled.
Kerry retrieved the mashed potatoes, gave it a vigorous stir, and looked down into the bowl. “Maybe I should reheat these a little longer.”
“I’d eat them frozen if it means your shirt comes off faster.”
Kerry’s head snapped up, and a wicked smile spread across his handsome face. “Yeah?” He set the bowl on the counter and went to work on his shirt buttons. “You can gawk while I heat them up some more.” Kerry peeled the shirt off and tossed it on the island but remained out of touching range.
Keegan watched the play of muscles under that gorgeous, inked skin as Kerry put the dish back in the microwave and shut the door.
Either it took more muscles than he realized to push buttons on an appliance, or Kerry was flexing for show.
Keegan just knew he wanted to touch that warm skin. “Come over here.”
Kerry looked over his shoulder, a hint of a wicked smile curving his lips. “Huh-uh. I’ll burn the potatoes.”
“Then they likely didn’t need to go back in the microwave,” Keegan said. “Come over here.” When Kerry didn’t make a move to comply, Keegan pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the island.
Ding. “Dinner’s ready.”
Kerry made no move to open the microwave.
He stalked the short distance between them and gathered Keegan in his arms. Kerry’s body heat enveloped him as his kiss devoured Keegan’s mouth.
Their hands moved again, sliding over bare skin and taut muscles.
Keegan learned the sharp curve of Kerry’s shoulder blades and the smooth flesh between them.
He traced the lines of ink he couldn’t see and learned the surprising places that made Kerry gasp, like the sensitive skin under his armpits or the area just under his rib cage.
Keegan wanted to move his hands around to learn the curve of Kerry’s chest, but he didn’t want to draw away from him to have room for exploration.
Damn, he could really get used to having Kerry’s body against his, over his, and hopefully inside his soon.
As if the universe had plans to fuck him over, a phone rang shrilly from the vicinity of Kerry’s pants.
A savage growl erupted from Kerry’s lips when he broke their kiss.
“No, no, no.” He took a few breaths while the phone rang a second and third time.
Kerry lifted the phone from his pocket and accepted the call.
“Hart.” His gruff voice betrayed his displeasure, and Keegan felt sorry for the person on the other end of the connection.
“Holy shit, Curtis.” Kerry stepped away from Keegan and headed out of the room.
“I need to change clothes, but I’ll be there as soon as possible.
” Kerry disappeared out of sight, but Keegan could easily hear his end of the conversation as Kerry gathered more information on his way upstairs.
“I’m only twenty minutes away.” Kerry continued discussing the equipment and tools he wanted on site.
Keegan grabbed his shirt and pulled it on over his head, and then he returned the leftovers to the refrigerator. Kerry returned to the kitchen by the time he finished, and he looked at Keegan with genuine regret. “Maybe the universe is telling us something,” Keegan said.
“The universe is telling us that semitruck drivers shouldn’t drink their weight in beer and then get behind the wheel of a deadly weapon,” Kerry said. A wry expression formed on his handsome face. “Bet good ole Frank wishes he hadn’t sent me that email this afternoon.”
“Sounds like an interesting story.”
“And I’ll tell you all about it later.” Kerry snagged Keegan around the waist and pulled him in close for a quick kiss. “You and I are just getting started. I’ll call you later if I finish the job at a decent time.”
“Bye, Betty,” Keegan called out. “It was nice meeting you.” She cracked open one eye but otherwise didn’t acknowledge him. “She hates me.”
Kerry chuckled. “Betty’s crazy about you. She just might not know it yet.” He walked Keegan to his truck and kissed him one last time. “Be careful going home.”
“You be careful too.” Keegan got in his truck but poked his head back out and hollered, “And make sure you eat something.”
He waited for Kerry to back out first before following. When Kerry reached the road, he turned on the emergency light bar on top of his truck. Keegan followed at a slower pace, and it wasn’t long before Kerry’s truck disappeared. He hoped the interruption wasn’t an omen of things to come.