Their house was just so fucking wholesome, and the way they acted with me in the shed was so totally not. Why was that so hot to me?
If the really knew what my life was like, anyway, and honestly understood how not wholesome I was, they wouldn’t even let me around their house.
Bullet holes in the rearview mirror did not mix with teenage girls, after all.
I tucked my elbow around the ladder, then dragged it to the front of the shed. Another gust shook the trees, and I was grateful I’d thought to grab my old denim jacket. Five years in Los Angeles meant I was weak to the Seattle chill again.
There was a lot of smaller trim work in the front of the shed, so I hauled the paint bucket up to the top of the ladder, then went to fetch a brush. I poked around in the shed, admiring my own handiwork for a minute and resisting the urge to jerk one out quickly while I had the chance.
Better save it, I thought. Just in case.
When I exited the shed, Rory was stepping out of the back of the house. He raised an arm, gesturing lightly with his hand, almost like a wave. I leaned against the ladder, then cocked my head back.
“Hey, Rory,” I called out. “What can I do for you?”
I made no effort to hide the way I ate him up with my eyes while he walked across the yard. He had another checkered shirt on, buttoned to the top, which he had matched with a pair of khaki pants. He walked purposefully toward me, his strong arms swaying by his side.
It felt like he was coming to get me.
I gulped. Even as I straightened my back, eager to please and impress him, something else started itching the back of my mind. It was a whisper of a voice, asking what would happen if I pushed his buttons a little.
How’d you handle a feisty guy, Rory? Would you put him in his place?
“Asher,” he said. “Everything going well out here? I was going to run to the store and thought I’d check if you needed anything.”
“Me?” I said, cocking my eyebrow. “I’m sure I could think up something I need…”
I stuck my elbow out, then leaned against the ladder. I held the pose for a second, grinning at Rory as I held his eyes, desperate for him to see me and drink me up with those smart brown eyes.
And then, like a flash of lightning, the ladder clattered to the side, the world spun upside down, and I found myself sitting on the ground, soaked in green paint.
I lifted the upside-down bucket off my lap, then tossed it aside. “Oh my goodness!” Rory said abruptly, dropping down to a squat beside me. “Are you all right?”
I rubbed my ass, which was smarting, then turned my eye to the ladder, spilled across the lawn. “I’m fine,” I said, then wiped a glob of paint out of my hair with the back of my hand. “Just painted.”
Rory smiled as he extended me his hand. I hesitated, glancing at my paint-splattered fingers, but he reached out and grabbed me anyway, tugging me to my feet.
“You’ll need some cleaning up.”
I looked down at myself. “And we’ll need more paint.”
“Good thing I’m about to run errands,” he said cheerily. “Come on, let me get you some towels.”
We walked toward the back of the house, my socks sloshing in my tennis shoes. On one side, the garage blocked us from the street, and on the other, a line of old pine trees formed a barrier between the neighbors. Glancing around a few times, I bit down on my lip to gather my nerve.
Fuck it. If he’s not mad that I made a mess, might as well try to push things a little more.
I tugged my jacket off and my shirt over my head first, then set them on the patch of pavement by the back porch. Rory pulled the door open, then turned to see me kicking my shoes off, and undoing the fly on my jeans.
“Oh!” he said. “I guess that works, too.”
“Don’t want to drag paint into your house,” I said with a wink. “Maybe you got a hose?”
I shoved my pants down, then tossed them by the rest of my clothes. I stood there in a pair of tight red briefs that hugged my ass just right. There were still splotches of paint on my hands, neck, and face, but the rest of me was clean.
Another gust of wind went by, sending a chill across my skin. I started to fold my arms over my chest but forced myself to strike a cocky pose for Rory instead.
I already had your dick in my mouth. No way I’m going to act all shy now.
“I won’t make you hose off,” he said, holding my eye as though I wasn’t standing there naked. “Here.” He squatted down, then lifted my clothes. “I’ll rinse these off in the basement sink for you and then toss them in for a quick wash and dry.” He eyed me up and down, pursing his lips while he studied my body, and goosebumps rose up all over.
How is it possible to feel more naked?
Because that was exactly the sensation when Rory turned his eyes on me, like being totally exposed.
He dangled my clothes in the air, like he was teasing me that he had them. “You’re good like you are?”
I looked down at myself. I wanted to ask for a robe or something, but I felt like that would be giving in, and I’d already gone too far. “Yeah, I’m real good,” I said, jutting my hip to the side. As he stared at me, my cock thickened with warmth, and I became hyperaware that I couldn’t really conceal my arousal.
Fuck. I really gave him the upper hand here.
Rory shrugged. “Suit yourself. Come inside where it’s warm, at least.”
He held the door, and I followed him inside. Rory left me in the living room while he ran downstairs to take care of the clothes, and I kind of stood awkwardly.
“Franklin?” I called out softly. I knew he was somewhere in the big old house.
Surprise! It’s just me, half-naked Asher.
A blush spread across my cheeks. I almost just ran downstairs to ask for a towel. Instead, I did the next most obvious thing.
I started snooping around.
I peered at the pictures on the wall and glanced at the notepad that was sitting on the table. I stuck my head through the open door of the office, then clasped my hands behind my back as I stepped in, studying a whole new room’s worth of artifacts, from the grandfather clock to the weird toys on the desk.
Marlene appeared in the doorway, then jumped around by my feet. I followed her out as she led me through the dining room, then to a small, ornate door off to the side.
She barked softly, then pressed her paw against the door.
“Aw, sweetie,” I said, dropping to my knees to pet her quickly. “Something special in here?”
Marlene licked my face, and I laughed as I stood back up. I tapped my finger against my lip. She was giving me a good excuse to look in that special room…
With a shrug, I tugged the door open and found myself face to face with the most surprising thing.
The yard.
Marlene yipped, then ran out between my legs.
“Asher, what the hell.”
I guess that explained why she was barking at the door. That’s usually what dogs did when they needed to go outside, after all.
My heart skipped when Marlene made a beeline for the street. Cursing, I sprinted out after her, my bare feet flapping on the grass as I called her name.
“Marlene! Marlene!” She jumped in the air a couple of times, then ran behind a bush in the front of their yard. I started to slide on the grass as I chased after her, and when I stumbled to a stop behind the bush, she was paused only a couple of feet away.