The Boys Who Loved Me - Krista Wolf Page 0,58

what looked to be a sleeveless white T-shirt painted onto his beautifully-swollen body. His gloves were worn through in places, where I could see the pads of his fingers. His work boots, practically bursting at the seams, bore the stains of a thousand jobs.

But God he looked so. Fucking. Hot.

“Thanks,” he said, saluting me with his coffee cup. He removed a glove, then took another long pull before setting it down and squinting at me. “You coming back for… lunch?”

I couldn’t help but turn two shades redder. ‘Lunch’ was code for being slam-fucked all over the jobsite, which had already happened a few times this week. I’d delivered him a sandwich during my lunch break at the animal hospital, and Adrian had sent me back there on two shaky legs, filled from within with his hot, sticky seed. I’d leaked into my panties for the rest of the day. Since then, I knew to bring a change of panties and carry them with me.

“I’m not going to work today,” I told him. “Actually, I was going to stay and help you.”

His eyebrow arched, the tattoos on his neck stretching tighter as he scratched his stubbled chin. “Oh really?”

His eyes scanned me head to toe, like he was checking out some merchandise. It made me feel warm all over.

“Actually, I kind of had another surprise for you. I—”

Almost on cue, the sound of gravel being crunched beneath tires drew Adrian’s attention to the driveway behind me. His eyes registered what it was, and I saw his shoulders slump.

“Kayla…”

Luke’s truck swung around, kicking up dust as it went. He hopped out and walked over, leaning into my car first to pick up his own coffee from the coffee holder.

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I know you said you wanted to keep this place a secret—”

“But you told him anyway?” he demanded angrily.

“Adrian,” I sighed defensively, “you need the help. There’s no way you can finish all this stuff on your own. Your father’s getting out in three days.”

He said nothing as Luke stomped over, sipping his coffee and checking the place out. He scanned the worksite and its scattered projects with the practiced eye of being familiar with everything he saw. Someone who’d done a lot of manual labor.

“So this is your dad’s old place, huh?” Luke asked.

Adrian didn’t reply. He only stared back at his friend coldly.

“Our girl here says you could use some help.”

“Our girl has a big mouth.”

Luke laughed. “Ain’t gonna argue that one. It’s a pretty mouth though,” he said, winking at me and clapping his hands together. “So where do we start?”

The property belonged to Adrian’s family, I knew that much. It wasn’t the house he’d grown up in, though. In fact, it wasn’t technically even in town. But when he admitted to me that he was fixing it up so his father would have a place to stay? Well… that part made my heart melt. As for the others, for the past two weeks Adrian had told them he’d found a temporary construction job.

Which, of course, wasn’t exactly a lie.

“C’mon man,” Luke said. “This looks like a lot. Let me help you.”

I settled back in silence, wondering what would happen next. The way I figured it, there were pretty much two ways things could go. One was spectacularly bad. The other…

“Can you sweat a copper pipe?”

Luke’s laugh was the same one Michael Jordan might give if someone asked if he played basketball.

“Is a frog’s ass watertight?”

If Adrian thought the joke was funny, his expression remained unchanged. His mouth stayed tight.

“I need some three-quarter copper changed out at the water heater,” Adrian said, “and the discharge pipe is leaking. Wanna start there?”

Luke nodded, giving me a quick sideways glance. “I’ll get my tools.”

He stomped away, leaving Adrian and I alone. I wasn’t sure if he was grateful or still pissed at me. Or maybe both.

“Thanks,” he said finally, looking slightly away. “You know I’d never ask, but—”

“You needed the help.”

He nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”

“Good,” I said, turning one corner of my mouth into a smile. “I’m glad this worked out. I’m also happy you settled things with your father,” I added carefully. “Or maybe you’re going to settle them. Either way, this is a wonderful thing you’re doing for him. He should be very happy.”

As usual, Adrian greeted the subject of his father with even more cold silence. This time there was a chink in the armor, though. A tiny crack in his expression that told me he was