“It’s a long story,” she answered, “but I’m sure you’ll hear it some night when you’re working together.” She grabbed a glass from behind the bar, pouring herself a little water. “Anyway, what’s new with you, Maddox? Now that you have your eye on some young guy, you’re finally coming back through the city? We’ve missed you at the bar.”
“Did you meet here?” I asked.
Maddox shook his head. “I met Lilith at a welding studio, actually. I was taking a class to learn the basics, and she was hanging out after, working on some of her own projects. When she saw me fumbling the damn torch over and over again, she finally lost patience and showed me what I was missing.”
“Wow, you’re a welder?” I asked Lilith.
“I dabble,” she said, shrugging. “It was my father’s trade, and he taught me some of the skills growing up. It’s relaxing.”
“Cool,” I said. If she thought melting metal and wielding flamethrowers was relaxing, I would definitely get along with her. “When do I get to start?”
“Friday night,” she answered, reaching out to shake my hand. “You’ll be my barback. Wear something you don’t mind spilling beer all over.”
I took her hand, squeezing back against her firm grip. “Lucky for us,” I said, “that describes all the clothes I have.”
* * *
Driving back to my apartment and knowing Malcolm was waiting there did something to me. It’s not like I was speeding across town like a maniac, but the second I got over the sadness of saying goodbye to Maddox, all I could think about was returning home.
When I opened the front door, it was silent inside. I peeked around for a minute, then found him in my bed, snoozing softly. He was spread out on the mattress and barely covered by a sheet. Still wearing just my sweatpants, I could see the rise and fall of his chest and the full curves of his ass.
Stirring, Malcolm turned to me. “You’re back,” he said groggily.
“Keep sleeping,” I whispered. “You had a long night.”
He pulled himself up on his elbows. “So did you.”
When he gestured softly to me, I crossed over, joining him on the mattress. I pulled his face up close, kissing him quickly, and then handed him his glasses from the windowsill.
“You comfortable in my bed?”
He nodded, then inhaled deeply. “It even smells like you.”
I laughed, trying not to think about how many evenings I’d crawled between the sheets, still filthy from work. “Glad you like it.”
“Did the interview go well?”
“It did. I get to start training next weekend. It’s even at that bar where we had our first date.”
He grinned, waking up more as we talked. “I still don’t know if you daring me to have a beer counts as a date.”
I shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”
“Will you quit your demolition job?”
“Naw,” I said, shaking my head. “This is just on the weekends, and it won’t pay enough to cover my bills anyway. I’ll just be busy as hell for a while.”
“Bummer,” he replied.
“I like being busy,” I answered. “I get down when there’s nothing to do.”
“Me, too, actually. A lot of people think libraries are dull, but I love it when there are lots of readers around and plenty of things to do.” He rubbed his face, blinking a few more times. My guy was worn out, that was for sure.
“Do you want to take a shower?” I asked. “You can use my toothbrush, too.”
Malcolm breathed into his hand, sniffing his breath. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
I laughed. “You taste good. I’ve got to imagine you’re the kind of guy who brushes your teeth twice a day, though.”
