Page 6 of Worthy

“I know what bats are. There are bats in that cave?” I wrinkle my nose. I’m not a squeamish guy, but bats are… I give an involuntary little shudder.

“Sure. Their droppings are what turn the rocks all sorts of colors. Didn’t know that little fact, did ya?” He cast me another suggestive grin. “Sure you don’t want a guide?”

“I’m good. Bats aren’t active in the day.”

“Not usually, no. Have fun, Solo.” He winks and moves to shut the door.

“Wait! How do I get your keys back to you?”

“Keep ‘em.” He shrugs. “I’ll either still be here when you get back or I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday. You work on Saturday?” I frown, worried I’m not going to get the two days of silence I’d been counting on.

“No, but it’s a small town. I’ll see you around one way or another.” He shuts me inside the cab of his truck with a lingering grin before turning to head back toward the construction site. I watch him go, admiring the view. He really is beautiful.

I am in so much trouble.

Chapter two

Cade

His eyes follow me as I walk away this time, I can feel it. That makes me smile, but it also makes me a little frustrated, because I thought for sure instead of going back to work, I’d be going hiking with him. I’m still not quite sure why that is, seeing as how I saw him checking me out, and those lingering gazes suggest he liked what he saw.

In my experience, women don’t say one thing with their eyes and another with their mouth, so the fact Maddox is doing just that is throwing me for a loop. Since I’ve never tried to pick up a guy before I don’t know if this is a guy thing or a Maddox thing, which makes him a bit of a mystery. And a mystery could be fun.

Maddox.Madd. The name suits him. It's unique. Bold. Edgy without sounding arrogant, just like his personality. Fuck, I’ve never thought twice about a man’s name and now I’m looking for a deeper meaning in his. What the hell? But seriously, our interactions have me intrigued. And not just physically.

Yeah, the guy is all sorts of gorgeous, an enticing mix of California sun and Colorado mountains. Sexy and rugged mixed into one, with a set of full lips that I’ve already imagined wrapped around my cock.But I’m equally curious about the man himself. Why is he here? Why does he seem to flirt back then retreat behind some imaginary wall? What will it take for him to drop his guard completely?

“Care to explain?” Deacon asks as I approach the bed of his truck where he’s scarfing down his lunch.

“Explain what?” I hop onto the tailgate and rifle through the bag between us for my food.

He swallows his bite with an eye roll. “I know the long flowing hair might be confusing, but that was actually a dude.”

“So?” I feign ignorance to give myself a few more seconds to prepare for the coming conversation.

“So, you either need your eyesight checked, or you’ve got some explaining to do, Mr. I’m-Straight.” He chomps down another bite. “Which is it?”

“Dude’s hot as fuck.” I lift a casual shoulder, like the admission is no big deal, though I’m secretly bracing for Deacon’s reaction. I don’t think he’d hold my newly discovered bisexuality against me, but he might be a little offended I didn’t tell him about this development the first time I felt it.

“Is that your way of saying you’re into guys too? Since when?”

“Officially, since last night. Unofficially, around a year ago.”

“And I’m only learning this now because…” He trails off with a pointed look that suggests I better give him the truth. I would anyway, but since I’ve held this secret for so long, I understand the warning.

“Because this town isn’t exactly teeming with queer people, so there’s not a lot of opportunity to hook up with guys.”

“It’s not teeming with women either, but you don’t have trouble finding them to warm your bed.” Deacon gives me a pointed look as he sips his soda. “And you’ve never bragged to me about your exploits with men.”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested. Plus, there haven’t been any.”

“Okay, first, I’m in my prime, so I’m interested in everything with humanoid forms over eighteen. And I do mean everything.” The pointed look he gives me suggests he’s not hung up on the gender thing either, which is news to me, but not something I’m going to hound him about since he’s giving me the same courtesy. “Second, when you say there haven’t been any, you meanany?As in this guy is the first you’ve made a move on?”

“Yep.”

“Why him?”

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