Art of Love (Valley Boys Book 1)
Page 24
He’d jack off later that night. Clear the pipes and be good as new come morning.
Right?
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Foster paced his den as Milo folded the blankets on the couch. Milo felt bad he didn’t have time to wash them before he left, but Foster didn’t seem too concerned about the blankets right then.
Milo didn’t answer right away because he was afraid the truth would come out, and he’d say ‘yes.’
Really, what else would explain why he’d lied his way into a job at Kincaid Air after it became apparent Joss had been expecting someone else? And not only not come clean but kept up the ruse. And let Joss bring him back to Foster’s. And then Milo—aka Tim—had started packing up his things without stopping long enough to think about what he was doing or what would happen when Joss found out who he really was.
Because Joss was going to find out. Milo wasn’t that good of a liar, and the guilt of his dishonesty was already gnawing at the edges of his conscience.
But he’d worked hard. And needed a job. That hadn’t been a lie. Not telling Joss the truth about who he was and why he was there didn’t mean they couldn’t both benefit from him working there.
Clearly, Joss needed the help.
And Milo needed a job.
Win. Win.
Except for the whole deception thing.
“Are you even listening to me?” Foster had one hand in his hair, his grip tight on the strands as if he were about to pull them out in one big chunk.
“Yeah. No. I hear you. It’s just…”
“There’s no ‘It’s just,’ Milo. You fucking lied to the guy. If you don’t come clean now, it’s going to blow up in your face.”
“Maybe it won’t.”
Foster laughed. It sounded dismissive and lacked even the tiniest fraction of humor. “And maybe RuPaul will be your fairy godmother and make everything okay, but I wouldn’t bet my life savings on it.”
“At least you have a life savings. All I have is this job and seven dollars in my pocket and a whole lot of questions about a dead man I’ll never meet but owe everything to.”
“Fuck, Milo.” Foster plopped into the leather chair across from him, his forearms resting on his knees. “I know you’re curious about your heart donor, but—”
“Dan,” Milo corrected. “His name was Dan.”
“You should have stuck to your original plan of introducing yourself and seeing if Joss would talk with you.”
“Too late now.”
Foster leaned back as if deciding further argument was fruitless. “Did you see the size of that guy? I did. He could break you like a twig if you got him mad enough.”
Milo batted his eyes and smiled his most endearing smile.
“What’s that look? You look like you ate bad shrimp and need to fart, but you’re sitting in front of the Queen, and you can’t.”
Milo rolled his eyes. “That was me being adorable and un-twig breakable.”
“You might want to practice that in the mirror a few times. I think it needs work.”
“You only say that because you’re my friend and you’re immune to my charms.”
“No, I say that because I’m your friend, and I don’t want you getting your ass kicked.”
“Psht,” Milo waved him off. “Joss looks rough and gruff, but I’m sure there’s a soft, chewy center at the core. He gave me a ride back here, didn’t he?”
Foster reached down and started packing some of Milo’s electronics into his backpack. “That only means he’s not a complete asshole, or more likely, he’s happy to have found an employee and didn’t want you getting smooshed on the road before he could get a bunch of work out of you.”
“See? Soft and chewy center.”
Foster shook his head. “Whatever. All I can do is hand out the advice. I can’t make you take it.”
Milo stood and set the stack of blankets on the coffee table. “I know this must all seem nuts to you, but I’ve got to see this through. I can’t explain it, even to myself.”
Foster picked up the blankets to take back to the linen closet, and to be cautious, Milo said, “Maybe you don’t want to pack them too far in the back of the closet. I could be back here in a few days if it all goes to shit.”
Foster shoved the blankets onto a shelf and had to hold them back and lean on the door before it closed. “Don’t you mean when it goes to shit?”
“You done?”
Milo didn’t mean was Foster done putting the bedding away. He meant was he done busting his balls.
“For now.”
“Are you still taking me back, or do you want me to take the bus?”
“Don’t be an idiot. I’m taking you.”
Milo grinned and shouldered his backpack. “You want a closer look at Joss.”
“I want to know if the photo on his website does him justice, or if he paid someone to airbrush all those muscles onto him.”
Milo laughed, glad Foster was allowing him to shift the subject. “Trust me. I hand my hands on him as we weaved in and out of traffic. Nothing on him is airbrushed. It’s all real and even more impressive in person. Especially when he’s all sweaty from a workout and has his shirt off.”
“Ooof. Don’t make me jealous.” Foster toted Milo’s duffel bag, and they headed down to his car. Milo didn’t have much in the realm of worldly possessions, a good thing, considering the trunk of Foster’s Vette could barely hold a six-pack of beer.
“Does he know you’re gay?”
“It didn’t come up,” Milo said as Foster beeped his trunk open and they squished his belongings inside.
But something else certainly did come up during that ride. If his boss wasn’t paying attention, if he hadn’t already caught on that Milo was gay, Joss certainly could have figured it out when Milo had gone hard with his crotch snugged up against Joss on the ride down to the valley.
They climbed into Foster’s car, the low grumble of the engine vibrated throughout Milo’s body and, even for a guy who wasn’t a gear head, it was hard not to appreciate the power under the hood.
As they drove, the awkward silence lingered.
Foster turned at the first traffic light. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I may or may not have popped wood while riding on the back of his motorcycle.”
Foster barked out a laugh. “Are you saying you rubbed your hard-on against your boss’s ass?”
“Not intentionally.”
“Oh, sweet gay baby Jesus. This is going to be a disaster.”
A Letter to My Readers
Dear Reader,
Life in the valley is never dull, and there’s more excitement headed their way.
Do you know how those big guys fall?
Hard and fast.
And when Milo Malone comes knocking on his door, Joss Kincaid is not exception. Milo is the man Joss never knew he needed.
But is Joss’s broken heart ready for love?
Your next adventure starts here: Flight of Fancy, the second book in The Valley Boys series.
Romantic Suspense
Lazy S Ranch Series
Cowgirl, Unexpectedly (Book 1)
Must Love Horses (Book 2)
Hot on the Trail (Book 3)
Cowboy, Undercover (Book 4)
Cowboy, Unbridled (Book 5)
Cowgirl, Unbroken (Book 6)
Wright’s Island Series
Don’t Look Back (Book 1)
In Her Defense (Book 2)
Steele-Wolfe Securities
Wyoming Confidential (Book 1)
Contemporary Romance
Rockin’ Rodeo Series
Luck of the Draw (Book 1)
Photo Chute (Book 2)
Reined In (Book 3)
Rockin’ Rodeo Series Collection (Books 1-3)
MM Romance
Black Stallion Studios Series
One Shot (Book 1)
Key Grip (Book 2)
Best Boy (Book 3)
Black Stallion Studios Bo
x Set (Books 1-3)
Valley Boys
Art of Love (Book 1)
Flight of Fancy (Book 2)
Den of Thieves (Book 3 Coming Soon)
About the Author
Vicki Tharp makes her home on small acreage in south Texas with her husband and an embarrassing number of pets. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her on the back of her horse—avoiding anything that remotely resembles housework—smelling like fly spray and horse sweat.
Join my newsletter at: http://bit.ly/V-W-T
Join my street team and receive free Advance Reader Copies of my upcoming books at: http://bit.ly/S-W-S-T
You can find my website at: www.VickiTharp.com
I love to hear from readers. You can email me at vwtharp@VickiTharp.com
Or you can stalk me at: