Page 11 of Doubting Hearts

Chapter Four

RAIN

IF I hadn’t left the bar when I had, I would have swept everything off one of the tables, ripped Toby Prentiss’s snug-fitting and tailored trousers off his legs, and bent him over on the table right there and then, regardless of an audience. My cock was so hard I really needed to relieve the pressure. There was no way I could work with a hard-on like this.

I walked awkwardly to the bathroom, the rather fancy one just off the area Lucas and I were working in. I locked myself in a cubicle and proceeded to jerk myself off. It wasn’t a very busy restroom; I’d hardly noticed anyone using this one in the week I’d been here. I hoped everyone would stay out, as my moans of sheer indulgence resonated in the porcelain wilderness. It didn’t take long. The memories of seeing Toby facing down that homophobic prick in the car park, his dry, sardonic comments, and the sheer quiet ferocity of the man had me spewing my load within a few minutes. He’d been an incredible sight to see, with his shoulders tautened in anger and those strong, coltish legs standing firm even when he’d been hit. Finally, I sat back on the closed toilet, my jeans around my ankles, feeling extremely undignified but relieved. I cleaned myself up as best I could. I’d been thoughtful and used my underwear, my treasured Calvin Klein boxers, as a receptacle for most of my sticky release, but that meant I’d now have to go commando for the rest of the day.

Christ, this was getting beyond a joke. What the hell was this man doing to me? I knew I was horny, but this was something else entirely.

The last week, even though we hadn’t been really speaking to each other, I’d been aware of every move he’d made, and hearing his voice had given me a distinct thrill. I was like a kid with a crush. I’d never felt this way before, with a constant hard-on that just screamed, “Touch me, suck me, please.”

I scowled, pulling up my jeans, making sure my now-relieved cock didn’t get caught in the zipper. I quickly washed my boxers in the sink and used the blow-dryer to take some of the wet off them. Shoving them into my pocket, I looked at the man in the mirror, who stared back at me with a slightly unfocused expression. Black hair fell over his eyes, and his cheeks were flushed with the recent exertion.

The dark-blue eyes I knew so well stared back at me with an expression of uncertainty, eyes that not so long ago had stared into a pair of clear green ones. About the same time, I’d felt an almost electric shock to my chest.

When I’d seen Toby with the guy in the parking lot, my first instinct had been to protect him. He was tall and wiry, but the other guy was built like a rugby forward. Hearing Toby’s confident insults and seeing the way he’d handled himself made me sure he’d done this before. He seemed very street smart, almost cocky. But I’d had the impression Toby wouldn’t have welcomed any interference from me.

But it was in the bar that I’d really felt “it.” The slight look of vulnerability on his face as he held the ice on his lip, the dirty talk between us, and the fact that his boss was crazy about him and it worried him, together with the feeling I’d had when Simon had moved in on him—my attraction to this man wasn’t purely physical. I took one last look in the mirror and grinned at the man I saw looking back.

Keep this about sex and nothing else, Rain. You just need to get laid and everything will be all right.

Two days later, I kind of got my wish. Well, it wasn’t actual sex, but it was a release of sorts. Toby and I had been skirting around each other, giving each other looks, smiling and flirting. Even Tammy was getting fed up with the sexual tension between us. I grinned when I heard her lambasting Toby one afternoon when they thought they were alone in the office. Of course, I had to creep in behind the reception desk to hear what was going on. But as it was currently empty and there was no one really around, I didn’t feel too bad about it.

“Just fuck him already!” Tammy’s voice was frustrated. “It’s driving me crazy. God knows what it must be doing to the two of you.”

Toby’s voice answered her with a sight hint of sulkiness. “I can’t just ‘fuck him,’ Tam.” Just the sound of those words on his lips was a turn-on, even though I scowled at the assumption I was going to be the one to be fucked. “When do we ever get the chance? He’s always in the barroom, working, or I’m working. Or Simon’s around, and I can’t invite the guy up to my room.” His voice went all prim. “You know I wouldn’t do that. And he’s not making any real moves, so honestly? He’s just flirting with me. I’m not even sure he’s serious about having sex.”

If I’d had a drink in my mouth, it would have spluttered all over the place.

Not serious about having sex with him? What the hell did he thinkI’d been trying to do for the past couple of days, with the lip licking, the smoky glances, and the accidental brushes against him when I passed by— deliberately on purpose. Christ, I’d even bought a couple of new cutoff tee shirts because he’d seemed to enjoy the look of them on my body.

I felt aggrieved that all my sexual ploys didn’t seem to be convincing him to let loose.

Tammy sighed heavily. “You, Toby Prentiss, are a bloody idiot.

Anyone can see the man is besotted with you.” I scowled at that.

Besotted? It sounded like something out of a swooning romantic novel. “Why don’t you invite him out one night, go somewhere that the two of you can be alone together? Go out on a normal date, like normal people.”

I wasn’t sure about the whole dating thing. That sounded too serious. “What if he says no?” Toby’s voice was quiet. “What if all he wants is a quick booty call and nothing serious?”

I nodded fervently. That sounded better.

“Then give it to him!” Tammy’s voice was exasperated. “But for God’s sake, find some way to get your rocks off, Toby, because you’re starting to frustrate me.” I heard them moving around in the office and turned to make a run for it. I looked straight into the eyes of Stacey, the relief receptionist, who stood behind me with an amused look on her face.

“Can I help you, Rain?” she murmured with a smile.

I shook my head as my face burned in embarrassment at being caught out. “No, err, I was looking for Toby to ask him something, but I can see he’s busy. I’ll get out of your way.”

“You know what they say about eavesdroppers.” Stacey grinned at me, her long blonde hair falling in waves around her face as she laughed. I kept what was left of my dignity, moving hastily around to the front of the desk. I hotfooted it back to the barroom, hoping that Stacey didn’t say anything about my little eavesdropping episode.

Lucas looked at me strangely when I got back and picked up my tools. He shook his head. “Rain, my friend, you have it bad.” He lifted the drill and aimed it at me. “Pow.”

“Don’t talk crap, Lucas. I just need a little loving, that’s all.” I leaned over my drawings, trying to ignore the smirk on his face.

“Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that. I honestly don’t know what the problem is. Just fuck the guy.”

This conversation was becoming uncomfortably like the one I’d just overheard.