Holden laughed, the deep baritone sound echoing in the garage. He gently slid me down his body until my feet were on the ground. He stepped back, untucking his black T-shirt to cover the bulge in his baggy jeans.
My thick wool coat was long enough to cover my own bulge, so I buttoned it and ran a hand through my hair, both of us staring at each other. Finally, Holden broke the silence. “You ready to go?”
I glanced at the large dump truck tire and then at him. “Do you need to put that back?”
He laughed again, quickly rolling it back into place before he walked over to the work bench, grabbed his parka off the chair and pulled it on. He wrapped an arm around my waist and ushered the two of us out the door. “My partner, Steve, would love you. We recently reorganized the place and he yells at us all the time to keep it clean.”
After locking up the place, he reached for my hand and pulled it into his pocket. We’d parked the truck on the small lot behind the garage, so I let him lead me to it. When we got there, he opened my door and once I was settled in, he smiled at me before shaking his head.
I wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but I couldn’t keep from wondering how well we’d fit together without so much fabric between us. Brooke would call me a slut, but I didn’t give a damn. That guy was the stuff nocturnal emissions were made of.
“You’re not saying much. You still okay with coming over?” Holden started his truck and turned up the heat.
“Yeah.” My voice squeaked like a mouse. I cleared my throat. “Yes. I’m looking forward to the two of us cooking together.” That sounded good, right?
Holden shifted into reverse and backed out of the spot, turning toward Lyon Street. Once he was driving toward his neighborhood of Cedars, he reached over the console and placed his hand on my thigh.
Without thinking, I slid my hand beneath his and knitted our fingers together. I was officially holding Holden’s hand. It was warm and mine fit snuggly inside it. He had the callouses of a working man, and I hoped I got to feel them on my body very soon.
Chapter Sixteen
Holden
Driving back to my place, I held Avery’s hand, and a satisfied smile overtook my face. I was a fan of public displays of affection. Based on how quickly Avery slid his hand in mine, I was happy to learn he must be one as well.
We got out of the truck in my driveway and went in through the mud room to leave our dirty boots in the tray.
Unfortunately for me, as we’d walked up the back steps, Avery’s wool coat covered that sexy ass I wanted to stare at more than anything. Back at the garage, when I’d brushed my hands over those perky globes, I thought I’d lose my mind. Avery’s beautiful face and body made my mouth water. Kissing him had my dick hard in no time flat.
Once we were in the kitchen, I pulled out my manners and reached for his coat. “Let me hang that up for you.”
He slid it off his arms, and I hung it on the hook next to mine. “Can I get you another cup of coffee?” I glanced at the clock over the fridge to see it was just before noon. “Or maybe you’d rather have iced tea or water? Are you hungry? It’s almost lunch time.”
Avery grinned. “Not really hungry right now, and I definitely don’t need anymore coffee. I already had four cups this morning. I got up way too early, but once I’m awake, I get up. It’s a weird thing from when I went to college. I was always afraid I’d oversleep and miss a class.”
I nodded. “I get it. I’m the same way. When I wake up, I’m up.” I didn’t add that if I have morning sex, I’m all about staying in for a little nap. It had been a long time sincethathappened.
“My partners are on a job now fixing a—” Hell, I couldn’t remember what they were doing when Avery turned that million-watt smile toward me.
“Fixing what? Those big tires?” He took a seat at my kitchen table and I stood by the cabinet like a moron. I shook my head to jump-start my brain again.
“No. They’re fixing a broken track on an asphalt paver in West Virginia. I’m glad it stopped snowing and it’s not too windy. Working outside in snow and rain makes for a long day.” Okay, I still sounded like a moron, but at least I said words.
“No doubt. Doing anything outside on a wet, cold day wouldn’t be my cup of tea. Do you like being outside?” He seemed nervous, just like I felt.
I went to the cabinet and fridge to get each of us a glass of water. “How about we watch a movie? It’s a little early to start thinking about dinner, and I can make a fire if you want. I just need to chop some dry wood. The logs I have on the rack beside the front porch are wet from the snow, but I have some stumps in the garage. It’ll just take a minute.”
“Ch-chop... Did you say chop wood?” His gaze became a little glazed over, and I almost laughed.
“Yes. I did. You wanna come out and keep me company? I’ll let Ossie out to get a little exercise so maybe he’ll nap while we watch the movie. Ossie!” I looked outside to see most of the snow melted in the backyard, so I only put on his doggie coat.
Letting Ossie into the backyard, I grabbed a hooded sweatshirt from the clean laundry stack in the mudroom for Avery to put on. We wouldn’t be out there long enough for him to need his heavy coat. After he had it on, I took his hand and led him out of the house.
I went about setting up a smaller stump on the chopping block and grabbed my axe. I pulled on an old Orioles baseball cap that I kept in the garage so I didn’t get chips in my hair. I checked the axe blade, remembering I needed to sharpen it a little since I’d used it a few days earlier.
Was I showing off? Maybe a little. He was damn adorable and I wanted him for as long as I could have him. We were different, but there had to be a common ground, didn’t there?
I sensed Avery had walked inside. “What’s that?” he asked before I put my foot on the pedal of the angle sharpening wheel.
