"We're working on the cottage," I yelled back. "And Luke's saying nice things about you."
"Fuck," Ash laughed as he walked in the front door. Then he paused, letting his eyes run over my bare chest. "Now that is a good look." But he glanced at Luke, then back to me. "Looks serious."
"Talking about coming out," Luke admitted. "Cy asked how I was doing with it."
"And?" Ash pressed.
"He says you help," I told him, pointing to a bucket of spackle. "Grab that and a putty knife. You can pretend like you work hard, pretty boy."
The surprising thing was that Ash actually went to get the bucket. Luke smiled after him, and then picked up where he'd left off. "I was just saying that, yes, Ash pushed the right amount to make me stop and face this. He made it clear that he understood, I wasn't alone, and yet he wouldn't let me ignore it."
"The kiss behind the barn?" Ash asked. "Yeah, I know what it's like to be blindsided by Cy."
"I did not blindside you," I told him. "I flirted with you for weeks - and you were flirting back."
"And still liked girls," Ash countered. "Cy, that fucks with a guy's head. I kept convincing myself I was just playing around. Maybe I was being cool with your gayness. It didn't matter, but it didn't mean thatIliked dick. I wasn't like that, and everyone knows that guys who take it up the ass are weak, girly, and all the other stereotypes that are so far from the truth."
"Didn't get that option," I admitted. "I liked guys. Hell, I had no idea I had any attraction to women until I met Violet."
"So, is it just her?" Luke asked.
I shook my head. "It's not. I also don't like all guys. I have a pretty damned specific type. I like them to be attractive, a little bit arrogant, and very, very intelligent." Then I looked over, waiting for him to realize what I was saying.
His hands paused. For a moment, Luke didn't move. Then, he slowly turned to face me. "Cy, I'm not..."
"You are," Ash told him. "You may not be 'educated,' but you are intelligent. You're also a quick study, driven, and fucking honest. Even when you dumped all of us, you were upfront and honest about it. You didn't try to bullshit us. You said things that hurt, but you owned it. Luke, it hasn't even been six months, and look at everything you've learned. You're helping run Southwind! You couldn't do that if you were an idiot."
I laughed once. "Nice backhanded compliment there, Ash."
"Yeah, but that's how he tends to listen," Ash pointed out. "I knew he was going to be trouble when he punched me to defend Vi."
"Trouble?" I asked. "Is that what you call it now?"
"Is when they get me hard," Ash teased. "And what happened to your shirt, Cy? Pretty sure you were trying to get that cowboy to look."
"He was hoping he could play doctor," Luke joked.
Ash just roared out a laugh. "He probably was. Sadly, I really have no interest in putting you in panties, so I have pretty much nothing."
Luke just leaned back against the wall and lifted a brow. "I dunno, Ash. Maybe you'd prefer to model for me. Preferably nude."
I grunted as all the blood in my body changed direction, heading right to my dick. "Oh, I have a feeling that you two are hot in bed."
Ash just shook his head, pressing a hand over his face. "This has to be at least a little weird for both of you too, right?"
"Which part?" I asked.
"You thinking about how I fuck him. Him thinking about how you fuck me. Me thinking about how he fucks you," he said.
"Nah," Luke said. "See, being the new guy, I just assume that you two have some amazingly hot sex, and that you're taking it easy on me."
"Promise I'm not," I assured him. "Shit, the fact that you'll just let me shove you against the wall and go down on you? That's not me pampering you, Luke. That's me taking what I want."
Ash looked over. "Has he sucked you off yet?"
"Pretty sure he decided he's not a fan after he tried it with you," I said. "I also haven't really pushed."
"See!" Luke said, thrusting a hand out at me even as he looked at Ash. "Taking it easy on me."
