Gabriel would have laughed, but he knew Treb wasn’t kidding. “I’m interested in Pete.” There, he said it. Now he had to see how long it took before he would be fighting for his life.
“Interested, as in screwing? Dating? A hot and now? Or a forever?” Treb’s voice had gone cold and calm. The hair on Gabriel’s arms stood up straight. Shit.
“I want to spend more time with him. Get to know him better,” Gabriel answered. “But I’m planning on a forever.”
Treb was quiet for a long time and Gabriel started contemplating his chances of ever being able to walk again if he threw himself off the rock cliff they had just climbed.
“I’m getting thirsty and I’m sure Damian has left some food in the refrigerator. Want to come over for a beer?” Treb asked.
Gabriel deliberately didn’t look at the belt around Treb’s waist that held a half-full bottle of water. “Sure, that would be great,” he answered.
* * * *
Pete picked up his fork, ready to work on eating a group of large meatballs, swimming in rich red sauce, covering a huge plate of spaghetti. It was good to be back and sitting at Damian’s table ready to discuss any concerns about the planes. They would also go over the maintenance and flying schedules.
“How was the trip? Did Iowa treat you right?” Damian asked.
“It went okay, no problems,” Pete answered. Carefully he separated the meatballs so they weren’t touching each other, before cutting them up into smaller pieces.
“I was a little surprised that you stayed there instead of coming back right away. The clients had said upfront that their meetings would last almost a week, if not more.”
Pete stared at his plate of food. He should have known Damian would eventually ask. His intension had been to find as many hookups as he could, so that when he came back, he could withstand Gabriel’s charms and leave the man in the dust.
Except, that awesome plan completely backfired. Gabriel kept calling and Pete couldn’t stop himself from looking forward to every second of those calls. Meeting men in the bars every night was easy. Taking it a step further, was like hitting a solid wall of ice. He wanted no part of it. He wanted Gabriel’s warm strong arms wrapped tightly around him.
“I just thought a few days in the city would be fun.” Yep, that sounded lame.
“My Treble thought life was easier if he avoided emotions and complications,” Damian said.
Pete looked at Damian, not sure what the man was getting at.
“It took a bit of doing, but Treble eventually found out that life is so much better when you share it with someone.” Damian’s tone was so calm and kind, but his face was very serious.
“What are you trying to say?” Pete asked.
“Five years ago, I gave you the opportunity to get out of that hole you grew up in. I know you hated having to leave your cousin behind, but you did everything you could to help him, and still are. In that time I’ve watched you grow stronger and heal more every day.” Damian set his fork down and folded his hands over his plate. “The Rescue for Hire Company is a team of men who have to work closely together to be as outstandingly successful as they are. That closeness has also made them a family. The kind of family that worries, cares, supports, and meddles in each other’s business.”
“What has that to do with me? I’m your employee.”
“How’s Gabriel adjusting to working with Jack and the rest of the team?” Damian asked, changing the subject abruptly.
“He really likes it. He says it’s the perfect fit for him and he’s been working hard to be ready for their first rescue together,” Pete answered automatically. Then he saw the huge smile on Damian’s face and knew he had been busted.
“Welcome to the family, Pete,” Damian said.
Chapter Five
The door to the kitchen opened and in walked a sweaty Treb and an equally sweaty Gabriel. Both men were wearing black body hugging long-sleeved shirts and pants in Under Armour lightweight synthetic material.
Pete noted that Treb headed right over to Damian, but then his attention was centered on the gorgeous man whose bright green eyes were zeroed in on him. Gabriel walked right up to him and held out his hand, palm up.
Pete looked at Gabriel’s extended hand and then back up into his green eyes. This was what Damian had been talking about. But could he take the chance on ending up in another bloody heap of pain? Only this time it would be emotional instead of physical.
Pete looked over at the scary Treb, who was currently sitting on Damian’s lap, enclosed in his lover’s arms with their lips locked tightly together. Turning back, he lifted his hand and placed it into Gabriel’s.
The next second Pete’s world turned upside down and his breath was knocked out of his lungs, as Gabriel’s strong shoulder connected with his belly. Before he could get his bearings his world was tilted again and his back met the firm soft fabric of what now he could see was a sofa.
The length of Gabriel’s body covered his and the handsome man’s face was just inches above Pete’s.
Warm happy green eyes met his. “Hi.” Gabriel’s face swooped down and his lips stole a brief kiss.
Smiling, he said, “Hi. I missed you.” Crap, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Gabriel’s lips were back, capturing him in a kiss that made the toes on his feet curl up tight. All too soon the kiss ended.
“I missed you too,” Gabriel whispered. He seemed to be searching Pete’s face looking for something. Pete didn’t know what that something was and he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth unsure what to say or do.
A sudden movement next to his shoulder had Pete looking sideways, only to meet large green cat eyes. Blinking to bring the too-close creature into focus, Pete saw that Fred was standing up on his hind legs against the sofa.
“Treb has a cat?” Gabriel asked.
Pete laughed. “That’s Fred. He runs the house.”
“What happened to his ear and tail?”
“I don’t know. They were always gone, ever since I arrived here.” The big blue-gray tomcat, with its white paws and white spot on its chest had been living in the hangar when Pete had first started taking care of the place for Damian. When Damian got out of the service, he had taken Fred into the house and after a not so fun trip to the veterinarian for Fred, had kept him inside.
“You two want to quit sucking face on my couch and come have some lunch?” Treb asked. He was leaning against the doorframe, his coffee with a drop of cream colored arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he had every intension of staying there until the other two men moved.
Pete had quite a show, watching Gabriel’s muscles flex and move under the tight, whisper thin material of his pants and shirt, as he got off the sofa. Reaching down he took a hold of Pete’s hand and pulled him off the sofa and right into his arms. Again lips covered his and Gabriel’s tongue stroked his tender lower lip. Pete pressed his body closer, ready to lose himself in the feel of Gabriel’s kiss.
“I’m standing right here, until you two decide to respect all of Damian’s hard work making lunch,” Treb interrupted their moment.
Breaking the kiss, Pete looked at Treb in confusion. If he remembered right, he was the one that had prepared most of the meal. His cooking was much better than Damian’s. Was he going to point that out to Treb? No way.
Much to his disappointment, Gabriel let him go. But he did take solace as he followed Treb out of the living room, through the formal dining room and back to the kitchen, that Gabriel kept a possessive hand on the lower part of his back.
Quickly the spaghetti and sauce was reheated and the four sat down to have some lunch. Pete looked around the oval wooden table at the three other men. Although Damian and Gabriel were about the same height, Damian was a little thicker bodied then his Gabriel. Damian had beautiful chestnut-colored hair that was layered so that it lay close to his head, while his Gabriel’s hair was blue-black like Treb’s.
Treb’s hair was pulled ba
ck into a long braid that reached down past the middle of his back. Treb was also much shorter than all of them. At least three inches shorter than Pete’s own five-nine. Pete was the blond out of all of them and he knew he probably wore pants with the smallest waist size, he was so skinny. He could attest to the fact that a fast metabolism could be a complete and utter bitch sometimes.
Pete’s fork froze at the halfway point between the plate and his mouth. The piece of meatball that it had been holding landed back on his plate with a plop into the thick red sauce. Pete just realized he was thinking of the man sitting next to him, with his leg pressed firmly against his, as being his Gabriel.
A hand gently squeezed his thigh. “Are you okay, pretty Pete?” Gabriel asked.
Pete dipped his head and looked at Gabriel out of the corner of his eye. Damn, he could feel the heat rushing to his face and he would bet his bottom dollar that he was blushing. Jabbing his fork back into the piece of meatball, he cleared his throat.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff,” he answered.
“Good Stuff?” Gabriel pushed. He picked up Pete’s free hand and kissed his palm.
Pete felt a big piece of the wall protecting his heart crumble. He was astonished that this dazzling man had just kissed his hand!
Looking at his Gabriel, Pete smiled. “You know? It just might turn out to be a really good thing. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Damian cleared his throat. “Have you made any decisions about where you’re going to live?”
“I’m not sure,” Gabriel answered. “Cade said I was welcome to stay with him and Bret as long as it took. He’s urged me to take my time.”
“Why?” Pete asked. “Wouldn’t you want to find your own place as soon as possible?”
“Well, a member of the Rescue for Hire team has a lot of options,” Damian answered.
“I lived in an apartment in town, because I didn’t want to bother with a house,” Treb said. “But if I wanted, I could have built a house anywhere on the hundreds of acres Rescue for Hire owns.”
“So you could build your own home?” Pete new everyone at the table heard the yearning in his voice. He didn’t care. With all his heart he wished he had a real home of his own, filled with love, warmth, and happiness. He knew it wouldn’t all be hearts and roses, but he would happily accept the hard times too. He never had a real home.
“I’ve been serving in the military for eight years,” Gabriel said. “Cade’s right, I need to take a little time before I decide what kind of home I want to live in.” Green eyes bore into Pete’s holding him captive in their depths. “What would be your dream house, pretty Pete?”
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always dreamed of having a log home next to a nice big pond.” Pete was finding that when Gabriel looked at him like that, there was no way he could do anything but tell the truth.
“That sounds like a good dream,” Gabriel said. Again he lifted Pete’s hand and kissed it.
“It got me through some hard times,” Pete whispered.
Gabriel leaned forward and Pete met him halfway, their lips locking together.
“All right you two, only Damian and I get to make out at the kitchen table.” Treb’s voice broke them apart.
Pete was so embarrassed. He had totally forgotten that Damian and Treb were there. Looking at the door he judged the distance and wondered if he could make it through it before anyone stopped him.
“Not a chance,” Gabriel said. “Eat your food, pretty Pete.”
Pete gave up on idea of running and started eating.
* * * *
Later that day Pete was just finishing up wiping down and putting his tools back into the proper drawers of one of his many free-standing metal tool chests, when there was a noise by the door of the hangar.
“Mr. Peter Kenyan?”
Pete turned to see a tall man wearing brown shorts and a brown shirt, standing just inside the door. On the left pocket of the shirt, stitched in yellow was a UPS logo. In one hand he held a sealed cardboard envelope and in the other a brown plastic signature device.
“I’m Peter,” he answered.
The man handed Pete the device with the plastic pen hanging from it. “Please sign the first letter of your first name and total last name.”
From the emotionless way the man said that sentence, Pete knew he must repeat it at least fifty times a day. Following the man’s instructions, Pete signed and handed the device back with a smile. “There you go.”
The sealed cardboard envelope was handed to him, but when he tried to take it, the UPS man wouldn’t let it go. Pete looked up into the man’s face and saw he was smiling at Pete, with a look of interest.
“I’m Dave, and I just started this route,” Dave said.
Pete gave the envelope a little tug, hoping Dave would let it go. His relief at collecting the envelope was short lived when Dave stood there, a look of expectation on his face. It took a minute for Pete to realize the man was waiting for some kind of answer.
“Well, this is a nice area, so I’m sure you’re going to like delivering around here.” Pete cringed at how stupid that sounded. He was trying to be polite but not encourage the man’s interest.
Dave was tall and as blond as Pete. He also had a barrel chest and a thick waist. More importantly Dave was not the man who had currently walked through the hangar door with a frown on his face.
Pete couldn’t take his eyes off Gabriel. Long muscled legs moved purposely toward him, Gabriel’s wide chest thrust out, eyes like green lasers capturing him in their sights. When he reached Pete, Gabriel put his hand on the back of his neck.
“You ready, pretty Pete,” Gabriel asked.
There was a smile on Gabriel’s face, but Pete wasn’t fooled, the man was not happy.
“Yeah, Dave just delivered this package.” Pete wasn’t sure what he was ready for, that Gabriel was talking about, but he did know the man was starting to look downright dangerous.
Dave studied Gabriel and smartly took a step away from Pete.
“Well, I have a couple more deliveries to make. Nice meeting you Peter.” Pete watched the shorts clad man hurry away. He would never get use to the brown socks and shoes the employees were required to wear with those shorts. In Pete’s opinion, it was not attractive at all.
“Whatcha looking at?” A low steely voice spoke into his ear, while the hand on his nape tightened a fraction.
“Those uniforms suck,” Pete stated.
Gabriel laughed and the tension in the air dissipated. “You’re right, it’s not a good look.”
Arms encircled Pete as he glanced at the return address on the envelope in his hand. He just managed to catch a glimpse of the line that said St. Louis, MO before lips descended onto his. He was a little surprised the specifications for a new plane Damian was interested in had come so fast. He hadn’t expected them until the following week.
That was the last coherent thought he had as he opened his mouth and let Gabriel’s demanding tongue in. Absently he laid the envelope on top of the tool chest and lost himself in the feel and taste of Gabriel.
“Let’s go upstairs, baby,” Gabriel whispered against his mouth.
“Okay,” Pete agreed.
Pete’s hand was engulfed and he was quickly led to the steps of the hangar. As the two men ascended the stairs, neither noticed the envelope unbalance from its precarious spot on the edge of the tool chest and wedge itself behind it.
Chapter Six
Gabriel followed Pete’s fine ass up the stair steps and right into his apartment. Entering the bright sunlit, yellow kitchen, everything sparkled and shined at him from the smooth white cupboards to the creamy tan colored tiled floors.
Nothing was out of place on the kitchen-counters, not a crumb to be seen. He also couldn’t help but note that the three pairs of shoes sitting on a red, yellow and black striped rug were lined up so that their heels were in an exact straight line. His pretty Pete definitely had a few quirks.
Pete disappeared through a doorway on the left. Gabriel reached the door and stopped. Before him was his pretty Pete, T-shirt off and carefully folding it, before laying it on a hard backed wooden chair. The ever-present dark-blue coveralls pooled at his waist exposing Pete’s beautiful golden tanned skin that extended from his arms to his shoulders, and down his back.
Going over to his soon to be lover, Gabriel couldn’t and didn’t want to stop his hands from stroking the small of Pete’s back. Slowly exploring as much as his widespread fingers could reach, Gabriel caressed the silky skin all the way up to the nape of Pete’s neck. He was rewarded with Pete arching back into his touch and lifting his arms until fingers locked around the back of Gabriel’s neck.
“Keep them there, lovely,” Gabriel ordered.
Putting one hand on Pete’s warm flat belly, Gabriel reached with his other for the brown nipple that was pebble-hard begging for his touch. Still holding on with his back delightfully arched, Pete rested his blond head against Gabriel’s chest, while Gabriel pinched the nip hard and then rubbed it soothingly. Pete’s small whimper caused Gabriel’s cock to jerk hard in his jeans.
Again Gabriel ran his fingertips over the nip before taking it between two fingers and pulling it out tight. A little twist had Pete humping the air in front of him.
“Gabriel,” Pete whispered. He looked so pretty in his pleasure, eyes tight, and his mouth slightly open.
Gabriel followed the smooth golden-tan skin to the other nipple and pressed his blunt finger nail into it.
“Ah,” Pete moaned. “More please, more.”
Gabriel's Pretty [Rescue for Hire 6](Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 5