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He doesn’t argue, but I think it has less to do with him giving in and more to do with him being too exhausted to fight. His chest is heaving. He’s got dirt and sweat and blood in the most random places. When I switch my hold so both of his hands are in one of mine, I tilt his head to the side and examine what looks like a small gash.
“The hell did this come from?”
“Fell through a shitty board trying to take the steps down. It’s fine.”
It doesn’t look fine, but something tells me that’s an argument for another time.
“I brought you some new wood.”
His head snaps up in my grasp, but the surprise melts into something else when I squeeze my fingers under his chin and behind his ear.
“I figured you could use some help,” I say, which is an understatement given the state that he’s in.
His hair is in disarray, pulled back but still flying all over the place. The ratty tank that he’s wearing looks like it used to be white but is now every color under the sun and ripped in so many places that it might as well be tossed down the bottom of a well. It sure as hell isn’t doing him any good. There’s dirt all over his arms and face, and I’d even go as far to say those pants aren’t going to last too much longer.
“I’m not going to be able to put them up today.”
I shrug, but still can’t convince myself to let him go. “Then, I’ll leave it here and come back to help when you can.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Nah, but I want to.”
He’s watching me. His eyes haven’t left mine this entire time. Like the moment our eyes locked, he froze.
“You came,” he says softly, the tension in his body dropping like it was a thousand pound weight reduced to rubble. “Thank you.”
I shrug and drop my hand from his chin to his knee, and that seems to snap him out of his trance a little.
“I like to think I’m a good pretend boyfriend.”
He smiles, full and sweet and genuine, and I instantly want to grab his face and kiss him. Kiss him senseless. Kiss him stupid. Kiss him until he lets me pick him up and put him in the truck and drive away.
I don’t. Instead, he scoots out of the way and motions to what’s left of the little deck.
“Wanna help me take the rest of this down?”
“Do I get to save you when you inevitably fall because you weigh more than the boards do?”
He doesn’t answer, just tucks some hair behind his ear and bites down on his smile.
“You might get to kiss me if you can finish first.” He points to the other end with another railing, and the spark of challenge in his eyes has my whole body warming.
I know it wasn’t meant as an innuendo, but tell that to my libido, which has decided anything and everything that comes out of Blair’s mouth turns me on.
“Challenge accepted.”
Chapter 14
Atlas
It’s another week before Blair has the time to get back to his dad’s and I’m able to borrow my brother’s truck again. This time it’s because someone complained that all of the broken wood pieces needed to be hauled off or someone was gonna call the city—which I think is ridiculous because who the hell gives a fuck about how orderly the damn trailer park looks?
Who the hell knows. But I spent the last week occupying as much of Blair’s spare time as I can. If only because he’s running himself into the ground trying to do everything for everyone, and he needs a damn break. Even if he doesn’t think so.
This time we drive the truck over together, and we spend the twenty minute drive chatting idly in a way that’s almost as natural and comfortable as it is with Shiloh. Only there’s definitely an air of tension between us, nothing negative, but almost anticipatory.
Ryder’s truck is a manual, so my hand is pretty much always on the gear shifter. A couple of times, Blair’s hand brushes mine, or he touches my arm and lets his touch linger, trailing his fingers down and gripping my elbow while we both laugh about something.
