“Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it.”
After getting them both situated, he headed out to the living room and put on a random episode of Psych while he scrolled through social media on his phone. He wasn’t sure what else he should do while John was working. When an hour had passed since John had disappeared downstairs, he began to worry but decided to hold off on going down after him just yet.
Another hour went by.
He paused his TV and listened but couldn’t hear any clanking or cursing to indicate John was still working. He didn’t want to seem like he was hovering or didn’t trust John to do a good job. When he was a kid, he’d always hated how his dad would stand over the shoulder of any repairman or installer who came to their house. It had given him secondary anxiety just trying to imagine what it must be like to try and do a job with someone watching and judging you the whole time.
Just as he was standing from the couch—Ruby already jumping to the floor in anticipation of Lukas moving—the front door of his house opened, and John called, “Hey, Lukas?”
Ruby barked and went tearing toward the door, butt wiggling in excitement.
“Hey, pretty girl.” John was crouched in the doorway, petting Ruby, who had flopped on the floor to get her belly rubbed.
Lukas was kinda jealous.
“Why are you back at the front door? Get lost down there?” He eyed the wet hem of John’s pants, and his heart warmed when he realized John was intentionally staying on the porch and not tracking in water.
John chuckled as he rose, and Lukas ignored—with a steadfastness that came from years of experience—how tall and gorgeous he was. The man was almost a head taller than Lukas, had massive shoulders and a matching chest, and a nice cuddly midsection that Lukas knew he was a little self-conscious about, having heard him grumble about it over the years. “No, I’m all set. I was able to use the portable sump pump I keep in my truck to get most of the water out. Set up some fans down there tonight or in the morning, and it’ll dry the rest of the way out.”
He’d fixed the pipe and cleaned up the water? God, the man was too freaking sweet. “You’re awesome. Thank you so much for coming so quickly.” He turned toward the stairs. “Shit, my wallet is up in my room. You got a card swipe thing on your phone, right? I don’t have any checks.”
John was already shaking his head. “Not happening. You’re family, ki—Lukas. I don’t charge family.”
He crossed his arms. “That’s ridiculous. I called you over, late in the evening, and you stayed for two hours! I should at least compensate you for—”
“Nope.” John’s eyes fucking twinkled as he popped his p at him.
At Lukas’s frown, John’s grin only widened. Gorgeous, smug bastard. “Fine, but I’ll pay you back somehow.”
Realizing he’d won, John started backing away toward his truck and shrugged. “I would accept nonmonetary payment.”
Why the fuck did his dick twitch? Jesus, “nonmonetary payment” was not a sexy phrase, and a straight guy like John hadn’t meant it that way either.
Choking on spit and face flaming, he finally managed to croak out, “Okay. I’ll see what I can come up with.”
John winked and turned away.
God, why did the man have to be so damn hot?
Chapter Two
Friday after work, Lukas found himself sitting in his car just outside John’s house, a dozen homemade cupcakes on the seat next to him and a kaleidoscope of butterflies in his stomach.
“Stop it. He just sees you as his friend’s kid. Don’t make it into more than it is, and do not make him uncomfortable.” He nodded to himself, grabbing the container as he exited his car. Without stopping to triple-guess himself, he marched up to the door and knocked.
John’s house was a beautiful two-story house that he’d bought not long before his divorce and had slowly renovated, pretty much on his own. Lukas’s dad had helped some—he was a licensed contractor after all—but only when John couldn’t manage by himself. It had been a few years since Lukas had been inside, but the outside looked amazing. The wide porch had large pots with different kinds of flowers and an enormous swing that looked perfect for relaxing on after a long day. Even the grass was cut short, without a weed in sight.
It made Lukas uncomfortably aware of how unkept his own house looked on the outside. Inside, he’d worked hard to make the space comfortable and homey, but the last thing he wanted to do after getting home from work was mow his yard or weed the flower beds his mom insisted on planting every spring. The front wasn’t so bad because his parents hassled him if it got too out of control. But the back?
“Hey, Lukas.” John swung the door open and smiled, though he looked more than a little surprised. His eyes zeroed in on the container quickly, and his mouth stretched into an eager grin. “Are those red velvet cupcakes?”
Chuckling, Lukas held them out. “They are. I know they’re your favorite, and it’s literally the least I can do after you saved my ass the other night.”
John took the container and stepped back so Lukas could come in, waving his hand at him. “Stop. It’s fine. I didn’t mind.”
Surprised at the invitation into John’s inner sanctum, he carefully stepped over the threshold, gaze bouncing all over to try and take everything in at once. Absently, he said, “You forget, I’ve been hanging around you and my dad for years. I’ve heard you complain about late-night phone calls from friends having plumbing emergencies and then not wanting to pay you.”
He peeked his head into the room just off the entryway on the right and admired the large, comfortably decorated living room. The sectional looked wide enough for two grown men to— Stop that. When he realized John hadn’t responded to his comment, he twisted back around, hoping John hadn’t somehow learned to read minds.
There was a crease between John’s dark eyebrows as he eyed Lukas like he was an idiot. “You aren’t just some guy I know from the bar, or someone I went to school with but haven’t spoken to in ten years.”
The intense look in John’s dark brown eyes seared Lukas’s insides, heating his blood and raising goose bumps all over his body. Licking his lips, he nodded. “Right. I know. I just… I still kind of feel like I took advantage of you. Of our… friendship.”
He watched as John’s eyebrows did this weird thing, like he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about Lukas calling them friends. Or maybe he was wondering why Lukas was being weird. Finally, John just shrugged and started walking away, calling over his shoulder, “I told you Tuesday—we’re family. Besides, these cupcakes more than make up for it.”
Lukas followed slowly, unsure how long he should stay. Getting deeper in the house, he caught the smell of something… awful. “Um, did I catch you during dinner?”
He finally caught up to John in the large, open kitchen and found him already eating one of the cupcakes, frosting smeared across his mouth and stubble. Lukas’s mouth literally watered as he curled his toes, stopping his urge to stride over and lick the tangy cream cheese frosting away.
Finishing his cupcake and wiping his mouth with a piece of paper towel, John nodded at the breakfast nook on the other side of the room. “I was just about to sit down and eat.”