Wood (A True Lover's Story #2) - A.E. Via Page 0,12
roommate’s body from behind, and he paused with his spoon of sugary cereal halfway to his mouth when Trent bent over to get a bottle of water out of the pantry. Shit. The man had on ragged work jeans that rode low on his narrow hips, a thick wool sweater, and steel-toe boots. His body was tight, and he stood only a few inches shorter than him, but he was stacked with a lot of damn boldness. Trent would be just his type if he wasn’t so damn young. Wood didn’t know what rocked his boat anymore, but he knew it wasn’t this. He preferred maturity… experience.
“Yeah, I’m not sure about splitting food costs.” Trent finally turned around, and Wood caught the flash of something in his eyes before Trent looked away. “I mean, don’t you have a lot of dietary restrictions and shit? Health food is expensive. Special K costs a lot more than Fruity Rings. Then will we need to add like Metamucil and Tums to the list? Or foods high in fiber and low in salt. More leafy greens?”
The little bastard. He’d really like to teach Trent some manners, but he only knew one way to accomplish that, and he was no longer a convict, so not a very effective method. Hell. Did Trent really see him as some dried-up, withering, about-to-kick-the-bucket old man? Wood knew he was no George Clooney, and prison hadn’t been kind to him, but he wasn’t that damn bad. He could see that Trent liked to get into people’s heads, but he’d soon learn that Wood wasn’t that easy to manipulate.
Wood stood up, and the screeching sound of his chair scraping the hard floor drew Trent’s attention to him. As he tightened the distance between them, Trent’s gaze quickly roamed over his chest, then to the full sleeves he had tattooed on both arms. When he glanced back up, Wood was standing directly in front of him.
“What the hell are you doing?” Trent ground out. He scanned around him as if he was searching for an escape route.
Wood smirked and held up his empty bowl. “You’re standing in front of the sink.”
Trent scowled, then inched out of his way.
“And no, I don’t have any gastric issues, but thanks for your concern. I’m going to the store later if you want me to pick up anything.”
“I’m good. Thanks.” Trent took his lunch off the counter and went in the opposite direction, around the dining table, to avoid having to pass by him. He walked over to the hall closet and took out a small duffle bag and a yellow hard hat.
So he does construction. He looked prepared to work a long day, and Wood was curious. “What time do you get off? Are you going to the oceanfront with me and Bishop tonight?”
“I’ll think about it.” Trent smiled like he was the damn joker and left out the front door.
Trent
Trent threw his bag in his truck and hurried to get inside out of the freezing cold. He quickly started his old Chevy pickup so she could heat up. He blew his warm breath in his hands as he stared at the front door of his trailer and thought of who loomed beyond it.
When Wood arrived yesterday, his body had been covered with a long-sleeve shirt and jeans, so he’d missed the goddamn tats all over Wood’s upper chest and arms. Colorful, brilliant artwork that he’d never seen anywhere. There was no way those were done in prison, and Trent wanted a closer look, but he’d be damned if he asked. Trent absently licked his lips when he thought of how close they’d stood to one another in the kitchen. Close enough that he could smell Wood’s old-man cologne.
He sat up taller and adjusted in his seat, refusing to acknowledge anything he was feeling. All he wanted to recognize was the irritation he felt at Bishop for moving out and forcing a stranger down his throat. He could handle his friends moving on with their lives; he was used to being cast to the side. But what he wasn’t used to was noticing another man’s very unique scent the way he did Wood’s. It’s probably something ancient like English Leather or Wind & Timber. He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that Wood was only forty-six, not even as old as Mike. And he’d never once considered Mike old and still didn’t.