“You need rest too, you know. Didn’t Adam say there was a place for you to take a nap? You really should. And we can bring you something to eat too.”
“Thanks, but I’m okay.” He forced a smile, widening his eyes, but he didn’t fool Sean. “What time is it anyway?”
“One thirty.”
“Damn.” They’d been cooking for over four hours. In the beginning, he’d been aware of the presence of the other firemen in the house, who came over and lent a hand for a while. Not Adam, though. He hadn’t seen Adam since he sent him away earlier and wondered if he’d finally managed to drive him away. A black curtain descended over his mood at the thought of Adam out there, right now, meeting someone else.
“Go ahead. You don’t need to bring me anything. You too, guys.” Willie and Sal were in the midst of washing off their knives and cutting boards. “Go on home, but be back here the usual time you’d show up at the store.”
“You sure? We can stay.”
“Nah, seriously. I’ll need you fresh tomorrow for all the mains. You guys are amazing. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No problem, Rico. Anything for you and Gideon, you know that. You took a chance on us and gave us jobs when no one else would.”
They fist-bumped him and walked out with Sean and his girlfriend. Willie and Sal had both done time for petty crimes, and in this tight job market found it nearly impossible to get hired. It might be illegal to ask if they’d ever been arrested, but nothing stopped prospective employers from doing a little checking on their own. It was everyone else’s loss, as he saw it. Those two guys busted their asses for him and Gideon from day one. They couldn’t have found better people to work for them.
Suddenly alone, he sat at the wide dining table and allowed himself a moment to relax, thinking longingly of the cot in the back Adam had shown him earlier. If he lay down now, he’d be out until morning. And he couldn’t. Too much to do still. The meats still needed to be set in their marinades, and he had a few other things to do as well.
The air shifted, and his skin prickled with awareness. Without even looking, Rico sensed Adam had joined him. He drew in a deep breath, mentally preparing to deal with the impact of being around Adam again.
“Where is everyone?” Adam sat down next to him, and it was agony for Rico to be that close. He must’ve come straight from the shower; he smelled fresh and soapy-clean, and his skin gleamed with a faint dampness. The reddish scruff had disappeared, and Rico smiled despite himself.
“You shaved.”
“What?” Adam rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Oh yeah. It got too itchy.”
“I remember you didn’t like it. I did.”
Oh shit. He must be really tired for that to have escaped.
Adam’s blue eyes glowed. “Yeah. I remember. You liked it a lot.”
Rico held his breath, wondering if Adam would dare kiss him, but Adam peered over his shoulder to the other side of the kitchen where all the food they’d prepared earlier had been set to cool. His eyes brightened.
“You guys did a great job. You’re finished, right?”
Rico snorted even as his heart swelled with pride at their accomplishments. “I should be so lucky. I have a few more hours ahead of me.”
A concerned frown chased away the smile from Adam’s lips, and he cocked his head to the side, giving Rico an assessing look. “You should go home and rest. You’re exhausted.”
“I am,” he answered honestly, able to admit how tired he was. “I could fall asleep right at this table, in two seconds flat.”
“Why not lie down? I told you there was a place for you to relax. No one else is there. It’s where we go if we feel sick, but no one’s using it now, so it’s empty.”
“I don’t know…”
“But I do. You’ll be of no use to anyone if you’re dead on your feet, and tomorrow’s the party. I’ll let you sleep an hour; how’s that? I’ll set my alarm, but I’ll be up anyway.”
Before he could protest, Adam slipped an arm around him and tugged him up to standing. “Come with me.”
“It’s fine. I’m—”
“Being a stubborn asshole who doesn’t know what’s good for him.”
Adam’s face was only inches from him. He could feel his warmth and sense the desire pouring off him, matching his own. Maybe he was overly emotional from the day or so bone-weary he couldn’t help himself. But Adam’s arm around his waist, holding him up, steadied him. It gave him a place of perfection, like waking up in a cold room but remaining warm under the covers. He couldn’t break away if he wanted to. And he didn’t.
Rico was tired of fighting it, of fighting himself. He was emotionally drained yet drowning.
