by Jaime Reese
He was placing the second fender panel on the stand when Ty joined him in the booth.
"Hey there, you were supposed to take an hour," Ty said.
"So were you," Cole said, steadying the fender on the stand. "The fenders are set up and ready for primer."
"I could have set up the fenders," Ty said quietly. His shoulders were a little slumped and Cole hoped he hadn't done anything wrong. He just couldn't stand thinking about the wince of discomfort he saw earlier when Ty tried to shift the door panel.
"I know, and you could have sanded and primed everything on your own. We're working together here. I figured I'd set these up for you so we can finish all the primer work today and work on the painting tomorrow."
Ty was smiling and it looked as if he was holding back a laugh.
"What did I say?" Cole asked, realizing he'd repeated the phrase entirely too many times lately. These guys were all going to have him developing a major complex.
"Speaking of superheroes," Ty said and pointed to Cole's midsection.
He looked down and saw his green Incredible Hulk underwear peeking out from his work pants. Dammit. He should have kept his work shirt on. He tucked his T-shirt into his pants and stared back at Ty.
Ty did that low rumble-laugh that shot straight to Cole's dick. "I didn't realize they made those in adult sizes."
Cole walked up to Ty and pushed his chest against him. Ty didn't back away. Instead, he held Cole's gaze without flinching.
"It's extra-large," Cole said.
Ty's mouth twitched, holding back a smile.
Fucker. "Extra, extra large."
Ty continued to stare down at Cole, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "If it gets any more 'extra,' we're going to have to haul you around in this rig when we finish it."
Cole squinted. "I don't think the rig will be big enough."
Ty tightened his lips, fighting to hold back a smile. "That Napoleon complex is really kicking in, isn't it?"
"No one's ever complained about my size."
"Who said I was complaining?" Ty said with a raised eyebrow.
Cole was spared the need to comment when the radio chirped.
"Mr. Calloway, are you available?" Stacie's voice echoed in the paint booth.
Ty backed away slowly, his face still holding a playful smile. "Go ahead, Stacie," he said into the radio.
"The delivery is here. Do you want me to schedule the service out for the end of next week instead while you work on getting ahead on the painting?" Stacie asked.
"Yes, please," Ty responded.
Cole grabbed the tape and rolls of paper, setting them along the wall, making sure to flex every visible muscle. He looked over at Ty as he spoke with Stacie. Each time he'd glance over, Ty was still watching him.
Two can play that game.
He turned to face Ty and leaned against the opposite wall of the paint booth, watching as Ty's focus stayed pinned on him. There was no way he was letting Ty win this. He lifted the edge of his T-shirt to dry the nonexistent sweat off his face, exposing the abs he worked extra hard to keep ripped. When he pulled the shirt down and made eye contact with Ty, Ty quickly looked away and swallowed heavily. Bench pressing and sit-ups are so worth it.
Cole smiled. "Aren't you going to answer her?"
Ty's focus snapped back to him, the playfulness gone from his expression. "What?"
"Stacie? She asked you a question about one of your service customers," Cole said and slowly walked around the fender propped on the stand between them.
Ty tracked Cole's slow, cat-like gait toward him. "She did?"
Cole nodded slowly as he continued to walk toward Ty until he was standing in front of him again.
"Stacie, what was that?" Ty said into the radio, looking away.
"Never mind, I'll check with Jeff and take care of it, sir," she said.
Ty shoved the radio in his pocket, dropped his hands to his side and looked back at Cole, a hint of want flickering in his eyes.
Cole took that tiny step forward and inched up to whisper in Ty's ear, "Careful. I like to be in control."
Ty closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, flattening his hands against the wall behind him. Cole backed off enough to see Ty's reaction. Ty opened his eyes and looked directly at Cole, the want still clearly burning in his gaze.
"Think you can take the hood to booth one so I can get started?" Ty said in a hoarse voice, his gaze still firmly focused on Cole.
Cole lips twitched. "I think I can manage that," he responded and stepped back slowly. He adjusted the bulge in his work pants while maintaining eye contact with Ty before he turned and walked away.
They continued to work the rest of the day, Ty finishing up the primer step while Cole handled block sanding the dry primer to prep for paint. He couldn't see Ty's face behind the paint mask unless he made it a point of doing so and he thought it best to not push the point. Cole kept replaying their earlier conversation. He thought he may have crossed the line but Ty didn't seem to have been bothered much since it happened. They exchanged the bare minimum of words, but the work moved along swiftly. Cole hoped that was the only reason few words had been said. Not only did he want to keep the job and not risk losing his car, but he didn't want to push Ty away. Something about him drew him in like a moth to light.
Cole glanced at the wall clock and saw the time. Julian would be there to pick him up at any minute. He wrapped up the last of what he was doing just as he heard the paint compressors shut off. He steeled himself and walked over to Ty's area, arriving just as Ty pulled off his paint mask.
Cole tugged the edge of his beanie. "I set everything up so it's ready for early tomorrow morning. So you should be good to go."
"You sound like you're abandoning me," Ty said, leaning against the booth door.
Cole shoved his hands in his pants and looked away.
"See you tomorrow," Ty said.
Cole stilled and turned to Ty. "You still want me to come back?"
Ty crossed his arms. "Why do you keep asking me that?" he asked, watching Cole intently.
Cole tugged at his beanie. "I'm not usually told to stay at a job for more than a day. I've been here almost a week. I didn't want to push my luck."
"Lucky for me they didn't keep you," Ty said with a half smile.
Cole's pulse raced and his chest tightened. "I'm sorry about the Hulk stuff earlier. And the teasing stuff," he mumbled.
Ty ducked his head, trying to maintain eye contact with Cole. "I'm not."
Cole raised an eyebrow. "Careful what you wish for."
"Bring it on, short stuff," Ty said with a huge grin on his face.
Cole shook his head and walked away, giving Ty a backward wave. "See you tomorrow."
He punched out and exited the shop to see Julian waiting in his truck. He climbed in and still had a silly grin on his face. The energy thrummed through his body so fiercely he barely felt the strain in his arms from a hard day's work.
A couple of hours later, he was still humming and on a high from his workday. He was in the kitchen with Matt, Julian, and Luke when a knock at the back door echoed through the hallway.
"I'll get that," Matt said, leaving them in the kitchen.
Aidan walked in and greeted everyone then stared at Cole.
Cole looked up from his seat at the dinner table but didn't say a word.
"Matt tells me you've had a good week at the shop," Aidan said.
Cole nodded. "Yeah, I guess I must have done something right."
Aidan rubbed his thumb and index finger along his brows. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked Cole.
"If you're going to beat the shit out of me, I'd prefer to have witnesses this time," Cole deadpanned.
Aidan sighed heavily. "I don't plan on hitting you. Just give me a minute."
"Did you plan on hitting me before?"
Aidan muffled a curse. "Do you have to make this difficult? One fucking minute, asshole."
Cole exhaled heavily
then rose from the dinner table and followed Aidan into the living room.
Aidan ran his fingers through his hair and paced the living room. "I want to apologize for the other day," he said then quieted.
Cole held back a smile. "What did you say?"
"Fuck you. You know what I said."
"You said you wanted to apologize but I didn't hear you actually apologizing," Cole said, crossing his arms.
Aidan placed his hands on his hips, looked upward and exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry," he said, dramatically.
Cole smiled smugly.
Aidan looked at him with one of his I'm-going-to-kill-you-slow glares. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Cole nodded slowly. "So, are we good?"
Aidan smirked. "Yeah, we're good."
"Good," Cole said, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Aidan's midsection.
"We're not that good," Aidan said, raising his hands.
"Thanks for getting me that job," Cole said before finally releasing Aidan.
Aidan straightened his suit and shirt. "I take it you and Ty got along then."
Cole smiled. "Ty's awesome. He's really easy to get along with, but it's probably that twisted sense of humor of his."
Aidan cocked his head. "Sense of humor?"
Cole plopped himself down on the loveseat. "Yeah," he said and chuckled.
Aidan paced the room a few more times then finally sat in the couch opposite Cole and leaned forward. "You mean he was joking around with you?"
"Why does everyone get all weird when I say that? Yes, he was cracking jokes and laughing, too. That's not a fucking crime, you know," Cole said, lowering his brow.
Aidan clasped his hands and grew silent.
Cole threw his head back on the couch. "Don't tell me I said something wrong." Dammit. He would never get this shit right. He looked back at Aidan when he didn't answer.
Aidan pursed his lips. His brows were furrowed and his eyes hid something odd in their expression. His glare, usually intimidating, was softer with a hint of worry. The hesitation was…out of character. Aidan didn't hesitate or ever appear indecisive. "You made him laugh," he said, his voice lower than usual.
"I'm pretty sure at my expense sometimes, but yeah. Why is that so weird?"
Aidan rose from his seat and walked toward the back door. He gripped the door handle and held that position for a few moments as if gathering his thoughts. He finally turned, looking off to the side rather than directly at Cole. His Adam's apple bobbed. He cleared his throat and said a few words before finally leaving.
"I haven't heard him laugh in almost two years."
Cole chatted and joked with the guys early in the morning, waiting for that moment when Ty would finally exit his office. He liked the techs and had appreciated working with them those first few days, but nothing beat his time with Ty. They worked effortlessly together, and oftentimes, it seemed as if they shared the same thought. It was both odd and exciting. He'd never meshed so fluidly with someone, not even the guys from his crew. He thought it might have been a new-hire honeymoon phase and figured Ty would come to his senses over the weekend and kick him to the curb. But he hadn't. They had spent the entire week working together and he loved every moment of it.
He was shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting for Ty, anxiously hoping the trend would continue for the rest of the week. He had finally discovered a hint of snark hidden under that calm, shy, reserved, and cordial exterior—and he absolutely loved it. He was helpless against Ty's smile and that low rumble-laugh always seemed to make his dick twitch. But most of all, around Ty, the billion thoughts that always ran circles in his mind of what he needed to change or improve on seemed to slow to a tolerable pace and quiet to a dull hum. Ty gave him a sense of peace no one had ever given him before.
He absently laughed at some joke Jeff said but couldn't recall what he was laughing about. All he could think about was Ty. The paint work was moving along quickly with only a few minor details to finish off. Once the paint work was completed, would Ty still want him around?
"You want some coffee?" Wayne asked, pulling Cole out of his somber thoughts.
Cole shook his head. "I'll pass. I think I'd explode if I had any caffeine."
It was perfect. Too perfect. He was waiting for something to happen that would fuck everything up. He glanced over to Ty's office again. The lights were on but the blinds were drawn.
Aidan's comment still weighed heavily on him. Ty seemed to laugh so easily with him, but apparently not with others. Cole closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. He paused and tried to control that demonic bitch named curiosity that thrived within him. He had kept her in check for most of the week, but she was itching to claw her way to the surface. He probably shouldn't ask, but something had happened almost two years ago that changed Ty's life. Something big enough to stop the laughter and make him decide to no longer do shows for his shop.
He looked up, saw movement in Ty's office and willed him to open the blinds. Within seconds, the blinds slid open to reveal a very sleepy looking Ty with disheveled hair and a plain white shirt.
Cole stood stock-still. And so did his dick.
The messy look suited him well. Ty rubbed his hand in his hair, which only served to stiffen Cole's hard-on further. Since when had messy hair been such a turn on? Ty's arm flexed with the motion to reveal the muscles built from natural work.
Coveralls suck. They must have been invented by a nun.
An arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Yeah, just sanding and painting," Jeff said quietly.
"Fuck you," Cole replied in a hushed tone, hoping and praying the work pants were thick enough to hide his hard-on.
Jeff snorted. "Just in case you're wondering, he sleeps in his office."
Cole looked over to him. The old guy was a mind reader. "What's on the agenda for today?" he asked, trying like hell to ignore Ty, who was now stretching.
Motherfucker. Is he exercising?
"I don't know, but I'm guessing Ty's going to kidnap you to try to finish the paint work," Jeff said with a teasing tone. "We're all great with our hands under the hood and with body work, but we collectively suck at painting."
Cole ducked his head to hide the smile. He was totally on board with spending more time with Ty, but he wasn't going to give away any details. A code of behavior that had kept him and his crew clean for years—don't admit anything, never reveal anything, and only answer the question asked. He didn't have a clue if Ty was out or not to his team so he certainly wasn't going to be the guy to do that for him. Regardless of what everyone thought, he did have some boundaries.
He chanced another glance toward Ty's office. Ty was still stretching.
Cole sighed and winced as he adjusted his crotch. His attraction to Ty was a growing problem.
Literally.
* * * * *
Ty couldn't get the stubborn knot out of his neck, and his shoulder was killing him. He should have taken more breaks. The extra lifting and work of the past week were catching up with him. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was going to pay for it today. He followed the routine his physical therapist had taught him—ten seconds in each position, then repeat. He clasped his hands and stretched his arms above his head, trying to ignore the tight pull at his side. He quickly released the pose after two seconds and exhaled heavily.
The removal of the pressure garment was supposed to help, not make it worse.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He was getting better. His recovery was moving along swiftly enough that he could cut back on his physical therapy to once-a-month follow-ups—but only if he kept up with the at-home regimen. With renewed determination, he clasped his hands again and stretched.
He gritted his teeth. He was not quitting.
He needed to get to work. They'd gotten ahead on the Drayton project and he was not going to risk falling behind again. Besides, spending another day working alongside Cole was enough motivation. He clo
sed his eyes and counted, slowly exhaling as he held the position and felt the tightness at his side ease slightly.
He finally stopped when his cell phone rang.
He checked the caller ID and sighed. "Hello," he said.
"Good morning, Mr. Calloway. I'm calling to confirm your ten o'clock appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Newman."
Ty rubbed his eyes and grimaced as he reached for the note stuck on his monitor to confirm the time. "I'll be there. Thank you."
"Thank you, sir," the woman responded, before disconnecting the call.
Finally feeling semi-normal, Ty zipped up his coveralls, grabbed the file of work orders from his desk, and exited his office, ready for another day. He patted his pocket and smiled, making his way to the coffee station.
"Good morning, sir. I rescheduled your service appointments to next week as you requested. Here you go," Stacie said, handing him a cup of coffee.
He took the mug and handed her the folder. "Here are the work orders for service. Can you make sure we have all these items on hand for the appointments, please?"
"Of course," Stacie said with her usual glowing smile.
He looked at Cole who was shifting his weight from foot to foot. "So how much coffee have you had already?"
Cole turned quickly and grinned. "This is me, au naturel."
Ty hid behind the mug. "That's a scary thought."
"So, am I working with you again or did you get tired of me already?"
Ty finished his coffee and rinsed out his mug. "If you can put up with me another day, I think we might be able to get most of the final painting done. Does that work for you?"
"I'm all yours," Cole said with a bit of a teasing tone in his voice.
Ty shook his head, trying not to let his mind wander too much. "C'mon," he said, leading Cole to the paint bays. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to strike up a conversation with Cole, but he loved hearing him talk about anything he enjoyed. Regardless of what they spoke about, if Cole liked the subject matter, it came through in his smile, his tone, and that laugh that sometimes echoed through the bays. He had a joy that was intoxicating. And Ty just wanted to let Cole's brightness wash over that dark cloud that had hovered over him for the past two years. He craved it with every fiber of his being. "So…how are you managing here so far?"