could catch his breath. “Which offends you more: the gas grill or the overgrown yard?”
He looked back and forth between the two, honestly not sure of the answer. “Um…”
Still chuckling, Lukas headed back toward the door. “Oh wow, here I thought I’d be embarrassed, but that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Hang on, let me grab the chicken.”
Not sure what to do or how to feel about Lukas’s amusement, he eyed the hard, plastic chair sitting on the very edge of the patio, facing outward. Lukas probably sat there sometimes and watched Ruby—he definitely wasn’t using it to enjoy his backyard after a long day’s work.
John shook his head and carefully lowered himself onto the seat, unsure if it would hold his large frame. When it didn’t make any cracking noises, he relaxed as he tried to take in the overgrown mess and see the potential beneath.
Before Dave had convinced him to look into a profession that would provide more financial stability, John had worked odd jobs in construction or laying cement, but there had also been a few years where he’d worked spring to fall for a landscaper. He’d enjoyed the work—for the most part—but the guy had been forced to lay off everyone during the winter since there wasn’t much work to go around during Michigan cold-weather months.
When the door opened, Ruby popped out from behind an enormous bush along the back fence and came running, tongue hanging out. Standing, John turned to find Lukas had the chicken breasts on a tray and a teasing grin on his face that John had the sudden and inexplicable urge to remove with a kiss.
Shaking his head, he accepted the tray and turning fork and moved over to the grill. “They won’t taste quite as good, but I guess we’ll live.”
Lukas laughed behind him but didn’t say anything. Once John had all the chicken on the grill, he turned and found Lukas wearing a small, happy smile. He held out his hand for the tray, then gave John one more unreadable look and headed back inside with Ruby.
Well, that had been strange.
He stared at the uncomfortable chair for a moment, but something was tugging at him. Looking through the window nearest him, he watched Lukas’s face as he washed the tray at the sink just on the other side. His mouth was moving, and it took John a moment to realize he was singing to himself.
Something that felt like longing hit him square in the chest as he stared hard at Lukas as he finished washing and then twirled around the kitchen, pulling salad fixings out of the fridge and grabbing something from out of the freezer before making a face.
When Lukas turned toward the window, he caught John’s eyes, lifted the bag, and pointed at it. They were frozen, crinkle-cut fries, and it seemed like Lukas was asking if John wanted them with their dinner.
Their dinner. Together. Just the two of them.
That feeling in his chest grew as he shook his head, letting Lukas know the fries weren’t necessary, then turned toward the grill to check on the chicken.
Noticing another man was attractive was fine—John had done it more than once in his life—but feeling attracted to them was something entirely different. And new. Was that really what he was feeling? Attracted to Lukas?
He remembered his thoughts from last Friday, and how much he’d been admiring Lukas’s ass.
Okay, so yeah, maybe he was attracted to Lukas.
That didn’t have to mean anything though.
Right?
Chapter Four
When Saturday rolled around, Lukas found he was still very much distracted by his midweek dinner with John. Laughing at John’s horror at his backyard, and then enjoying the meal as they talked about shows they’d been watching lately and comparing their tastes, had been one of the best date-type nights of his life, even though it had been the furthest thing from an actual date.
And wasn’t that kind of sad?
He’d been on plenty of actual dates—especially while he was working on his degree. Sure, he’d been attending a community college and living at home, but he’d still had a chance to meet and hook up with his fair share of men.
Guys his own age just didn’t really do it for him though, so a few years ago he’d started dating older men, usually ones who had a similar build as John. It was funny because it hadn’t been a conscious decision, just something that had happened naturally. But Kevin had pointed it