AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Amazing? For me too.” Robby sat up. “There’s a lot we need to talk about. If things are going to be serious between us.”
“Things are already serious between us, Rob. At least for me.” His secondary alarm sounded on his phone, warning him his shift was less than an hour away. “I’m working a double. I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow?”
“I can’t wait.”
***
A busy day at Closing Time kept him from thinking too deeply on the night he’d spent at Robby’s, but the resulting unfamiliar physical sensations kept it on the periphery of his awareness. As a result, by the time he got home at the end of the night and tumbled into bed, his face hurt from smiling so damn much.
His grin finally retreated when he faced the Q-Center Monday morning. It wasn’t the place. Actually, he was excited to help make Robby’s vision a reality there.
He didn’t worry about facing Robby either. In fact, he couldn’t wait to wrap his arms around the man and kiss him senseless. Only, he couldn’t really give into the temptation—not at work. Could he?
Did Robby tell the other guys they were, what, dating?Werethey dating? They’d never talked about labels for it. It sure felt like they were dating.
Part of him wanted to grab a megaphone and tell the whole damn world that Robby Jordan was spoken for and completely off the market. The other part? Scared shitless.
For multiple reasons.
Obviously, his high school memories had something to do with it. The other guys had hit him hard before Patty stepped in, calling him queer and names far worse. Some had threatened him straight out, saying they were going to kick his ass or something equally lacking in creativity.
He didn’t worry about Brick or Kane thinking less of him for being gay—which, hey, guess those high school pricks were right after all, at least in a way—but he wasn’t quite so sure about the other guys on the crew. Brick and Kane never seemed to judge Robby, but he had no idea how Will, Cyrus, or Evan would react.
Kane and Brick presented a different problem entirely. Those men treated Robby like family. What if they thought he wasn’t good enough for their friend? What if they warned Robby away?
Maybe Robby would have his own reasons for keeping things low-key right now.You know what they say about assuming.He didn’t want to make an ass of himself or anyone else…and Robby wasn’t always an open book.
Okay. So, a hello kiss was off the table. Should he just nod? Pat Robby on the shoulder? Text ahead?
“Yo, Matt. You waiting for the seasons to change, brother?” Kane elbowed him lightly on the arm. “Get your ass in gear. We’ve got a lot of shit to do and not a lot of time before we need to get back to the Sandpiper Development. Berringer is cool with our community service, but we can’t get behind on his houses.”
Kane linked their arms at the elbow and dragged him through the door of the newly leased portion of the property. The rest of the team was already inside. Cy and Evan pulled up the carpet while Brick and Will marked the walls in the places where they planned to add sheetrock.
Robby and Xander had their heads together, looking at some papers on a clipboard. Before he had a chance to plan his move, his lover looked up and flashed a sultry, secret smile, scorching him to the bottoms of his feet. And no one noticed.
Bashful as a blushing-freaking-bride, he smiled back, and nearly tripped over his own feet when Kane stepped in front of him.
“Where do you want us, Xan?”
The foreman glanced up at Kane’s question, then gestured back to the front door. “You and Matt can start hauling in the posts from the back of my truck.”
Well, then, no need to sweat their reunion at all.
The day moved by quickly as they worked efficiently, putting up the wood bones of the bedrooms. Basic pipes already ran to a toilet and sink in the back, but they had to call in plumbers to set up the line for the shower and add a tankless hot water heater. The setup wasn’t fancy; the narrow stall would only allow for one person to turn around in and get clean, but Robby swore it would be a godsend to someone. Or several someones.
By quitting time, his back and shoulders ached, and he damn-near swayed on his feet. The energy generated from his sub sandwich at lunch had abandoned him hours ago.
Brick and Kane waved goodbye as they hit the exit together. Cy and Evan followed two steps behind. Other than Robby and himself, only Xander and Will remained, and they chatted over plans in the far corner of the room.
“Wanna grab dinner with me?” At least the hard work had effectively snuffed out any residual nervousness. Matt leaned against the wall, fighting gravity.
“You sure you’re up for it?” Robby raised one eyebrow in a move Matt was sure came from Brick.
“I can’t bear the thought of a TV dinner tonight, and I’m too tired to cook. Señor Patrón is right down the street. We can grab some tacos or something. Their bar service is pretty quick.” His mouth started watering as he thought about the seafood enchiladas.
“Sure. Go grab us a couple of stools, and I’ll meet you there after I wrap up with Xander.” Almost every day, Robby managed to be the first person in and the last person off the job. The guy was as sure as the sun, basically the antithesis of Patty this past year.
A short walk later, the familiar arched ceiling greeted him. He didn’t get to eat out too often, but he couldn’t always fight his soft spot for Mexican food. When he allowed himself a treat with his money, it either went to a used PlayStation game—or here.
