“Can’t say that you have,” I replied, brushing away the sawdust and turning to face him. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”
“Understatement of the year.” He chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Let’s just say I vastly underestimated how difficult it would be, and by the end of it, my parents’ kitchen looked like a flour bomb had exploded, the house was filled with smoke, and I swore off baking forever. Kinda hard to believe I went from there to here.”
“Sounds like quite the adventure.” I grinned, picturing the scene in my head.
“Adventure? More like a disaster.” Shiloh laughed, shaking his head. “But hey, it taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, it’s better to leave certain things to the experts.”
His gaze drifted to the counter I was almost happy with now. He’d teased me mercilessly over the weekend, swearing I’d eventually sand a hole in the wood if I wasn’t careful. I couldn’t help it; I wanted everything perfect by the time Shiloh we pulled down the temporary doors, opening the space to welcome his customers in.
“True,” I agreed, feeling a sense of camaraderie between us as we continued to work side by side. It was amazing how much we’d grown closer during this renovation project, bonding over shared stories and laughter that made each day feel more enjoyable than the last. “Does that mean you’re admitting I’m the pro here, and you’re not going to keep teasing me about how long it’s taking to get this finished?”
“Possibly.” He didn’t turn away quickly enough to keep me from noticing the flush creeping up his neck.
That was it. I was human and he’d found my limit. I tossed my sanding block onto the bar and stalked over to him. He froze, not even blinking as I approached. His chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths. Yeah, he knew what was about to happen if he didn’t push me away.
“You know, it’s not nice to pick on people,” I warned him. I slipped a hand around the back of his waist, bending down to whisper in his ear. “And yet, you’ve been doing nothing but tease me since the day we met.”
“I’m sorry, Teddy.” His breathless apology was hollow but I loved that he was playing along. He shuffled close enough to straddle my thigh. I pulled away as soon as I felt his arousal. He needed to learn what he was getting himself into.
“I’m not so sure you are.” I nipped his ear. “Instead of showing remorse, you’re teasing me even more now. You told me we couldn’t do anything as long as we were still working on the remodel, but now you’re tempting me. It’s like you’re daring me to shove you to the floor right here were anyone could walk past and see you.”
This time, I was the one holding my breath, desperately anticipating his reaction. I expected him to balk and tell me we couldn’t do anything, so the needy little whimper caught me off-guard.
“Yeah, I think you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I teased. I cupped his ass, pulling his body against mine. Before doing anything else, I glanced to the front of the building to make sure no one could actually see us. The illusion of being caught was one thing, but I’d never do anything that could risk his reputation. “Everyone thinks you’re this upstanding man running his own business, but really, you’re just a needy boy desperate for someone to take control away from you.”
“Please, Teddy,” Shiloh pleaded. His body sagged against mine as I continued massaging his ass. “I know I said we couldn’t but I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you admit that.” I bit back a moan of pleasure as I watched Shiloh writhe against my leg.
I was just about to flick open the button on Shiloh’s jeans when I heard the door creak open. Shiloh jumped back as Waylon and Jasper came around the corner from the entryway. They looked around, their eyes taking in the progress we’d made since their last visit, before landing on Shiloh and me.
Waylon seemed oblivious to what they’d just walked in on, but Jasper was far too astute sometimes. I glared at him as he smirked, flashing me a knowing look. He would not tease Shiloh about this.
“Man, this place is looking great!” Waylon said, his voice full of surprise. I knew how much he wanted to see both Shiloh and me succeed in our respective ventures. Sometimes, he acted like a proud papa because of the hand he’d had in bringing the two of us together. Professionally, that is. He’d be unbearable if he realized his meddling had worked in other areas, too.
“Thanks,” Shiloh replied, his smile never wavering as he picked up a paintbrush. Other than the flush of his cheeks, no one would have any indication of what we’d been doing only moments ago. “I couldn’t have done it without Teddy’s help.”
“Clearly,” Jasper chimed in, his eyes flicking between us with an expression that confirmed he was well aware of the closeness that had formed between Shiloh and me. “You two make quite the team.”
“Uh, yeah,” I muttered, feeling a sudden heat rise to my cheeks at the thought of what they saw when they looked at Shiloh and me. I tried to push aside my embarrassment and focus on the task at hand. “We’ve just been working together. You know, getting things done.”
Damn, that sounded stupid as hell. I couldn’t seem to help myself; I was trying to keep the meddlers from prying into what was—or more what wasn’t—going on between Shiloh and me.
“Of course,” Waylon said, stifling his amusement. “Keep up the good work, both of you.”
“Thanks,” Shiloh answered, casting a glance in my direction that seemed to convey his appreciation not only for our friends’ support but also for the bond we’d forged during these weeks of renovation.
* * *
“Hey, Teddy,”Waylon called out as he entered with Jasper, interrupting the moment. Their presence was getting to be a regular thing. This was the third Monday in a row they’d shown up to check on our progress. “Looks like you two have really hit your stride. Like Jasper said, the two of you are a perfect pair.”
“Shut up, Waylon,” I muttered, trying to play it off as if his comment meant nothing, but I couldn’t stop the blush that spread across my cheeks. I was beyond grumpy this morning. The fear of being cockblocked had completely shut Shiloh down and I missed my playful boy. Okay, so not my boy, but my friend or my boss sounded wrong.
“Aw, come on, Teddy,” Waylon teased, grinning widely. “I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. Must be something special about working with Shiloh on a project that’s more than hanging shelves or fixing leaky faucets, huh?”
“Waylon,” I growled, my flush deepening despite my best efforts to maintain my composure. It wasn’t anyone’s business how much I enjoyed spending time with Shiloh or the fact that I couldn’t wait to finish the project so I could jump out of the friend zone. Shiloh was back to wanting to wait until we finished the bakery and we were too close to that goal for my well-meaning friend to screw it up now.
“All right, all right.” Waylon chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying, you make a great pair.”
