Page 9 of Home on the Road

Ziggy did not know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject. “Where do you want me to put my stuff?”

Harry looked around before picking up the box and crossing the kitchen to an open doorway. Above the doorway was a sign that readJunque Room. “Let’s drop it in here for now. We’ll take everything upstairs later.”

Following Harry into the room, Ziggy saw three tables pushed against the three walls of the room. Each table had a sign over it with one of the men’s names on it. Brogan’s sign had been changed since Harry was home last and now readBrogan and Shepherd. Sam’s table was empty. Harry’s table had a pile of mail and a basket full of folded clothes. Brogan’s table held a similar stack of mail and two large boxes.

“This is quite the organization system you have here,” Ziggy commented as he set his duffel bag on Harry’s table.

“Mom started this when we were teenagers. This was originally her sewing room, but she cleared out a space and set up the first table as a place to keep all the stuff we boys left around the house that used to get piled on the kitchen table. That first table had been divided in three and we each had our space. After they died, we expanded the concept so we each hadour own table. Nowadays Sam uses the tables to sort our mail, hold anything we leave out of place, and any laundry we might leave in the dryer.”

“So will I get a table of my own?”

Harry smiled and looked around the room. “I’ll be happy to share my table with you.”

Ziggy had to bite back the urge to ask if Harry would share other things with him as well. Like his thoughts, his body, and his bed. But he was here for a job, not just to be Harry’s fuckboy.

Everything in him clenching with a crazy need to throw himself at Harry, Ziggy forced himself to walk out of the room in order to put more space between them. He needed to cool down before he crossed the line that he had drawn in the sand that they would be coworkers only.

Harry followed slowly, then moved around him to a doorway opposite the back door. “Let me show you around the house first. After that we can get your laundry started and then clean out the truck.”

“Sounds good. After that, I’ll need to find a place to stay until we go back out on the road.”

****

Harry stopped and turned to face Ziggy. His gut clenched as he thought about what Ziggy was saying. He wanted to find somewhere away from him.

“I figured you could just stay here. We have plenty of room,” he said softly, wishing he could close the distance between them and give Ziggy a hug.

But hugging would lead to kissing, and kissing would lead to more. And he had promised that he would not pressure Ziggy into more until he said he was ready for more. It had been less than a day since they came to that agreement, and he could not break it already. He had always been a man of his word, so whywas this proving so difficult?

Ziggy looked around and then back at him. “You want me to stay here? I figured you would want a break from me as well as the road.”

He looked so uncertain that Harry could not help himself. He stepped closer and slid one big hand around the back of Ziggy’s neck. Pulling him in, he moved both hands to his shoulders and massaged the tight muscles he felt there. He fought a cock-driven need to wrap both arms around the smaller man and hold on tight.

“Z-man, I said I’d wait for you to decide that we can be more than driving partners, and I will. But I also hoped we could spend time together here, off the road, so maybe you’ll make the decision that we can be more sooner rather than later.” Harry forced himself to stop talking and give Ziggy a chance to respond.

But the man said nothing.

Ziggy just stood still and silent in his embrace with his hands at his sides. Harry heard his heart splintering as the silence extended to an uncomfortable length.

Ziggy finally tilted his head back and looked up at him. “I’ll stay here with you, but I still think we shouldn’t have sex until we know each other better.”

Harry nodded, but could not help asking, “So how long do you think that will be?”

Ziggy bit his lip and dropped his gaze to Harry’s chin as he considered the question. “I think four weeks should be enough time.”

“Four weeks?”

Ziggy nodded. “One week here and then three weeks on the road. Then, in four weeks, when we start our time off road, we can talk about whether or not we need more time.”

“That sounds acceptable.”

Though Harry was reluctant to admit it, Ziggy was right. They needed time to get to know one another before they fell in bed again. For now, he would be happy just to be near the man, even if he could not touch him. He knew he would be dreaming of all the ways he would be touching him, in four weeks’ time.

“Well, I guess that means you’ll be sleeping in Brogan’s room this week. Come on, I’ll show you where it is.”

Chapter Six

Ziggy lay in bed and stared at the slowly twirling ceiling fan. He was exhausted, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Harry as he was every time they’d been together at the truck stop. The big man in jeans and a t-shirt standing beside his pretty purple truck, waiting for Ziggy to appear.

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