Page 16 of Jackrabbit

Liam held up both hands and stepped back, and Colt glared at the grease spot he’d left on the white surface. He pulled a cleaning wipe out of the jar under him and held it out. “Clean that, you animal, before Mr. Moore tries to kill me for real.”

Liam wiped the counter, laughing. “It’s so weird hearing you say Mr. Moore. Everyone else calls him Merc or boss.”

Something in Colt’s chest twisted, and he cleared his throat. Seven nights spent with Beau’s hands burning brands into his body as he adjusted Colt’s stance or urged him to tighten his core. A whole entire week of hours spent alone, and he still wasn’t even allowed to call him boss. Mr. Moore or sir. Bleh.

“So.” Liam tossed the wipe and tried again, “What are you two up to when you drive off together at night.”

“Mind your own business, Liam.” Camila elbowed her way through the shop door and stopped to smirk at Colt. “You look like shit.”

“Aw, I love you too, baby.” Colt blew her a kiss and she flipped him off.

“You all got work to do, or are you planning to stand around gossiping on my dime all day?” Beau called. His voice was gravel rough like it got when he’d been in his office a long time. “Move.”

Colt curled his toes.

“Ah, right.” Liam snatched the clipboard he’d come in for and scurried out to the garage. “Bye!”

“Can you sign these for me, Merc?” Camila walked across the lobby and up to Beau, who had come to stand in his doorway.

Wearing those glasses that Colt was way past trying to deny were hot as fuck, Beau was watching Colt with the sort of focus he usually reserved for training. What was he thinking?

“I’m taking Rourke somewhere,” Beau rumbled as he signed the form Camila handed him. Colt’s back snapped straight. “You got this bunch of miscreants the rest of the day?”

“Of course.” Camila tucked the clipboard under her arm. “I’ll keep the boys in line.”

“Yep,” Colt said, already unzipping his suit. “Sure thing, Mr. Moore.”

Beau went back into his office as Colt hopped around trying to take his coveralls off while also moving toward the garage. He tripped and slammed his shoulder against the door, and Xavier and James howled with laughter. Nosy fucking bastards were always watching him like a fish in a tank. He flipped them the bird.

By the time Beau was walking out into the employee parking lot, Colt was vibrating. They’d never gone anywhere during the day before. Where were they going? Not the gym. Beau didn’t like to use it during the day because it was busier.

“Get in.” Beau eyed the way Colt was shuffling from foot to foot. “Calm down, boy. You’re twitching like a jackrabbit.”

“Excuse me?” Colt slid into the passenger seat that was going to have a spot in the shape of his ass on it with how often he was in it now. “Ajackrabbit?”

“Mhmm.” Beau shut his door and turned the ignition, the truck rumbling underneath them. “Restless. Jumpy. You’ll have a heart attack before we even get there.”

“Should I be offended right now? A rabbit! Tiny, fluffy, cute—ooh.“ Colt grinned at Beau and leaned across the bench seat. “You calling me cute, Mr. Moore?”

Beau rolled his eyes and put his hand over Colt’s face, shoving him to the other side of the car. “Tiny and ready to shit pebbles on the floor at the slightest sound, more like.”

Grinning like an idiot, Colt looked out his window so Beau wouldn’t see how pink his cheeks were. He was in deep shit with this man. Just the worst possible person for Colt to want. Beau had literally shoved his face, and Colt was giddy. Woof. But Beau had been softer toward him lately. A lot softer than he’d been the day Colt had shown up at his shop with nothing but coffee and a prayer Colt didn’t believe in. It was doing things to Colt.

“Hey, where are we going?” Colt popped up out of his slouch as they passed Sir Veza’s, a restaurant about a mile from Colt’s apartment. His skin itched under his ankle monitor, and his cheeks burned. “I can’t—I have a radius.”

“Mhmm.” Beau drummed his fingers on the wheel. “Five miles outside your apartment complex in any direction. I know.”

How the fuck?

Colt side-eyed Beau, his ears burning now, too. “Stalker.”

“Camila told me.” Beau shrugged. “I was gonna have you go pick up a car to bring to the shop. Asked if you were allowed to drive.”

Beau flipped the turn signal and took them into a long stretch of set-back ranch style houses surrounded by old mesquites and palo verdes.

Were they going to Beau’shouse?Colt’s heart skipped.

They pulled into a long gravel drive, the trees all trimmed to arch over it for some shade, and Colt tried desperately to pretend that he wasn’t one second from smashing his face against the window to get a look at Beau fucking Moore’shouse. It was all red brick, sprawling across one floor like all the best desert houses were. There were two cars sitting in front of the three-car garage.