“Were y’all working on the deck of cards?”
The question, referring to the deck of playing cards that represented the fifty-two most wanted people on Saddam Hussein’s team, takes me out of my haze. Technically another trigger, but I manage it pretty well, and Elijah doesn’t seem the wiser. I plaster on a smile and respond, “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
He pushes my arm, smiling broadly at me, his beautiful eyes shining. “So, you’re kind of a big damn hero, aren’t you?”
Yeah, no. “Not me, man. Roly… Roly is the biggest damned hero there is,” I say, familiar emotions clutching at my insides. “Because he was small, combatants always underestimated him when it came time to fight.”
Elijah’s eyes go dim for a second. “Probably a bad idea to underestimate Roly.”
“A very bad idea,” I say, smiling even though I’ve just figured out exactly how much trouble I’m in. There’s far too many doubts and monsters in those blue eyes of his, and a wariness that hurts a place inside of my chest. I want to wrap him in high-thread-count blankets and protect him from whatever’s put that sadness into his eyes.Fucking lock your shit down, jackass. He’s your employee, not your fuck buddy, and not your project. Fuck’s sake, try for some fucking decorum.
Snapping out of my fantasy montage, I remember my surroundings. “Hey, I’ve kept you long enough. Let me get all of this shit cleaned up.”
We both hop up, and the smallness of the space means that in order for me to reach the sink, he has to turn to the side to let me pass. The smell of the gym’s shower gel on his skin gives me the almost overwhelming desire to trap him against the counter and kiss him until his mouth is swollen. I subconsciously take a half step in his direction, brushing against his shoulder. Thankfully I course correct and veer toward the sink before I put my hands on that tight body of his.
What the fuck am I doing?He’s my employee.
“Sorry, tiny kitchen.” We lock eyes for a second, and I sway, microscopically, in his direction before pulling myself back.
“N-nah. It’s just cozy,” Elijah responds breathlessly.I nod and take a full step back, gesturing for him to go past me, which he does a little too slowly for my sanity. I swear, I don’t know if his hip grazed my junk or if I accidentally air-humped him. I wait for the sound of the closing door before I lean forward on the kitchen counter, my forehead on the cool marble.
Fuck decorum.I may have resisted the urge to push him down against the nearest flat surface today, but I have a bad feeling that at some point I’m going to end up burying myself in his luscious ass.
* * *
Elijah
My asshole straight up clenched as I passed him tonight, and I’ve gotta say… I’m proud of myself for not spider monkeying his tall frame, but it was a near thing. Hell, my heart nearly crawled up my throat when I walked in and saw him in his soft, clingy shorts and tight T-shirt. Aside from that mouthwatering dick outline, the man has an ass for days, and that one good leg is sexy as fuck. His amputation should make mobility a helluva a lot harder, but… I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with his mobility.
And I was looking.
He looks like a bionic fuck machine who’d specifically traveled from the future to pound me in the ass.
Welp, I know what tonight’s sex dream is going to be about.
Chapter Thirteen
Elijah
I was seriously beginning to doubt my own judgment as the moms and their strollers paraded past me on our inaugural Moms’ Night Out. We’d made sure to use inclusive language for LGBTQ+ folks, and I was glad to see some actual diversity in the people who showed up. Jules had agreed to babysit, since she knows CPR, and we’d set aside a specific area for the kiddos. She’d gone a little overboard, buying toys and games, but her sheer delight when they went to her made me happy.
Turning back to my charges, I can’t help but notice that these folks look a little… apprehensive. Many are wearing cute, matching athleisure sets. The few who are in actual athletic gear look uncomfortable. They file in to the area that we set up, and Nick is standing like an immortal, as usual.
The ones who enjoy men start elbowing each other, grinning at the hot gym instructor. I have to admit that he’s extra easy on the eyes tonight, though I would have preferred a little less drooling from the participants. Not that I could blame them.
Nick looks over at me with one eyebrow cocked way up in the air. He catches the giggles and the stares of sexual intent from several of the moms. He crosses his arms over his chest, which only emphasizes his guns and sets off another round of titters. Pretty much everyone in the room (yes, including me) takes a moment to admire the view. His eyes cut to mine again, and his brow goes up just a little farther. Busted.
I smile and shrug. It’s not my fault he’s so damn hot.
Nick goes through the motions of a typical cardio/weight-training class, and as he’s doing so, Thane is over in the Corner of Heavy Things, working with a few guys on flipping truck tires. One of the ladies looks up from her stretching pose and says, “Hell, I wanna do that. Can I go flip a tire, too?”
Nick is uncertain and immediately starts shaking his head. “I don’t know if that’s the safest thing for everyone here.”
“But it looks like fun! We’ll be careful.Promise.” Pretty sure the instigator’s name is Cherie, and I have a feeling she’s not going to back down so easily.
I go over to Nick and whisper in his ear, “Technically, we’re protected under the waiver that everyone signed; we can see what Thane thinks about it.”
Nick isn’t exactly what you’d call comfortable with going off script, but after a moment, he nods. I jog over to Thane and give him the lowdown. The ladies have been having a good time with Nick, no doubt, but I think they also want to feel powerful. Thane checks out the group and agrees.
