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Chapter Eighteen
Mike
“Big Mike. I think a few of the guys are over there plotting your death, and Manny, I’m pretty sure James poured sugar down your gas tank.”
Mike and Manny didn’t bother to glance up from the landscape blueprints they were reworking to give their crew leader, Jason, the time of day.
“I get we don’t have old man Reynolds’ property anymore on Fridays, but did you really have to replace it with this place?” Jason complained, pointing toward the fitness center, making Mike grit his teeth. His crew knew how much he hated whining.
“Jase, get your ass back over there and do what you’re paid to do,” Manny rumbled.
Mike heard Jason curse, then slap his sun hat against his thigh. “Damnit. We’ve been on overtime for three weeks already. Now we got all these gym properties to do on top of—”
“Jason, it’s funny we didn’t hear all of this bitching when you guys got those bonuses last week,” Manny retorted.
“But—”
“But shut the fuck up!” Mike slammed his fist down on the hood of his truck. He abandoned his work to face off with Jason, his legs eating up the ground. He continued his advance, his fists clenched as Jason began to retract his steps.
“I’ll get back to work now.”
“You do that,” Mike growled. “And the next time you think of interrupting my work to complain about yours, you’ll be bitching from the unemployment line.”
Jason didn’t say anything else as he slinked back toward the rest of the guys.
“And the next time you assholes send a union rep to fuss on your behalf, pick one with some balls,” Manny yelled across the lawn to the other eleven men who were trying not to make eye contact.
“Come on, Mike. Let’s finish this.” Manny waved them off. “You know it always takes a few weeks for them to get used to the summer schedule.”
“I’m not in the mood for their shit or for them to be dragging their asses on this job.” Mike turned to go back to what he and Manny had been doing when he saw Rayne walking up the sidewalk. He blinked a few times to be sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him.
Rayne’s gaze met his a second later, and a look of wonder, then surprise registered on his face that froze Mike in his tracks.
“Mike.” Rayne mouthed his name.
He tasted his pulse in his throat, and without much thought, he was moving toward Rayne, answering the summon.
Rayne’s smile was radiant the closer he got. Mike noticed a couple of women trying to get Rayne’s attention as they added an extra twist in their hips when they walked by, but Rayne never took his eyes off him.
“Good morning,” Mike said, hoping his raspy tone wasn’t betraying his composure.
“Good morning.” Rayne’s gray eyes appeared almost silver in the morning light. His ivory skin was flawless and smooth, with a hint of color along his sharp jaw.
Mike stood close enough that he could smell the scent of Rayne’s soap and whatever minty mouthwash he’d used.
“What are you doing here?” Rayne appeared so happy to see him he was practically bouncing on his heels.
Mike nodded toward his two trucks. “I work here.”
Rayne shook his head. “Right. I saw that. I meant, um…”
Mike was enjoying how flustered Rayne was, and he couldn’t resist inching closer so that there was no mistaking his body language or his intent. Rayne tilted his head back and licked those soft peach lips, and Mike almost outed the fuck out of himself right there in front of his best friend and crew. But what had him getting hard in his jeans was the way he and Rayne were gazing at each other, the silence and eye contact speaking louder than anything they could say.
Rayne’s eyes dropped to somewhere on Mike’s chest as he whispered low in his throat. “You smell good.”
That was the last thing he expected Rayne to say, but it ended up making his dick even more uncomfortable in his jeans, and Mike knew he had to stop this before things got out of control. “How long is your class?”
Rayne’s Adam’s apple dipped hard before he answered in that silken tone that drove Mike mad. “It’s one hour.”
“You rode the bus here?”
“Yes.”
“Let me take you home when you’re done.”
“Okay. If it’s not an inconvenience.”
“I’ll be right here waiting.” Mike winked instead of doing what he wanted, which was to pull Rayne into his chest and feel his body against his again. But slow and steady was the only way for him to win this race.
