Love Him Desperate (On the Market #5) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,67

without rent, he wouldn’t judge Dmitri the way everyone else would. He wouldn’t think twice about Dmitri’s struggle, he’d just go out of his way to ease it. But as appealing as it was, Dmitri wanted to feel like he could stand on his own, even if it meant struggling a little more.

He made it to the station and grabbed his coat—the thin green material deceptively warm, which he appreciated, and he made his way inside. Ronan was in his usual spot at his computer, though that day, his chair was pushed to the far side of the room, and he was sitting tall in his power chair.

The cold was as hard on him as it was on Raphael, and Dmitri felt a small pang of sympathy, though he never said it aloud. He let his actions speak louder than empty words, and he dragged his chair over to sit. “What can I do today?”

Ronan looked at him with a raised brow. “You eager to get your hands dirty?”

Dmitri ran fingers through his hair and tried not to sound frustrated in his sigh. “I just need to be kept busy.”

Ronan hummed, using the electric control to back up, and he moved around Dmitri’s seat to their little kitchenette where he started the coffee machine. “I figured you’d want to use this time to work on school.”

Dmitri opened his mouth to tell Ronan that he wasn’t being paid for school work—but in a way, he was. School made him think of Rian, though, which made him think of Raphael, which made his stomach twist. He couldn’t put it off entirely, but right then he wanted some escape.

“I think I need a break.”

“You look like you need a stiff drink,” Ronan countered. The coffeemaker gurgled, and he used the counter to help himself stand, grabbing one of the tumblers off the shelf before loading it up with coffee and cream. “If I were Parker, I’d probably load you up with Bailey’s, but I try to take this job seriously.” He wheeled back over to Dmitri and handed the mug out. “It’s cold as the Devil’s balls out there, so this’ll help. Fitz left a fresh pile of mittens in the bin by the door.”

Dmitri pushed to his feet and took the coffee with him. “What do you need me to do?”

“A couple rounds. Levi said he thought he heard coyotes behind Shalom last night, so check for deer.”

Dmitri knew he meant the dead ones, and he hadn’t yet had the pleasure of hauling off a carcass, but it was only a matter of time. “Great.”

“Just call me if you find it,” Ronan said with a faint grin. “Also check the fire pits. ‘Tis the fucking season.”

Dmitri knew that meant kids from the school sneaking out and trashing the place with cheap beer and cigarettes. He’d never participated himself, but he knew the kids who did—assholes with football scholarships on the horizon who didn’t give a shit that Cherry Creek would be the only place that would treat them with real kindness.

He didn’t resent cleaning up after them as much as he thought he would, though. They would have been the kids to shove him in lockers and trip him into trash cans, but cleaning their mess made him feel above them—above all of it. They’d eventually fuck off with no real ties to anyone or anything, and Dmitri would always be here, a lot warm and a little welcome.

“Jonas is bringing something to eat around two, so don’t be too long,” Ronan said.

Dmitri nodded, some of the weight lifting from his shoulders as he dug through the knit bin and found a matching set. Grabbing the keys off the hook, he clutched his coffee close to his chest and made his way out back for the ATV. It wasn’t cold enough to see his breath yet, but it would be soon. The lake was starting to frost at the shores at night, and only the pines were still green.

There was a slight hint of wood smoke in the air—one of the over-eager residents lighting up their fireplace. It would be a domino effect after that, and the haze would settle over the tops of everyone’s house. It would usher in the holidays and the feeling of soft, warm contentment for people whose lives were lacking in the empty chaos like his own.

Sonia and Rose would have him over, of course, and there would be Thanksgiving. Then Jayden would drag him back to