Page 7 of Finding Their Place

I grabbed the throw pillow to cover my groin.

Haley snorted with laughter. “As if I haven’t seen you get hard before.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Anytime I sported an erection in front of her that didn’t go unnoticed, I blamed the nearest man—in person or on screen.

“It’s okay.” Haley pressed in closer. “I totally understand the draw. That dark hair begging to be mussed up, that mouth of his.” She shivered, and for a second, I imagined it was the heat of my skin along her side that roused her. “I’d do him for free.”

I moved my lollipop around in my mouth a few times, sucking down the sweetness, hard as fucking nails. “So would I,” I agreed.

But only if you were there with us.

A man could dream.

3

Wyatt

Rhett Stirling and his partner Ashton had a gorgeous house on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since they were my longest customers, I still took care for their grounds bimonthly on my own.

It had been Rhett’s recommendations countless times that had helped me build up the business my dad had handed over to me five years earlier. Named after Dad, Lionel’s Landscaping had grown substantially since I had taken the reins. We’d gone from mowing lawns to caring for other landscaping needs, including laying patio and outdoor living areas for the rich and famous.

I’d even landed a contract with Sunrise Condos and had my best worker making everyone smile at the retirement community. If I could have cloned my employee Blaine, I’d have done so a dozen times over. The man knew how to work, keep his mouth shut, and take guidance from his boss.

While he didn’t seem the submissive sort, he certainly liked not having to be the decision maker.

My kind of guy—it was too bad he was spoken for. Twice over.

I wasn’t a Dom but I definitely enjoyed being in charge and taking care of people who looked to me for guidance.

I had offered Blaine the position at Sunrise, which pushed him outside his comfort zone, but I didn’t have anyone else I could trust like I did him to get shit done.

I finished up the irrigation repair in Rhett’s backyard and headed around front, ready to call it a day.

Sweat soaked my green T-shirt that stuck to my back. It had hit 82 degrees, hot for March, and I wasn’t anywhere near prepared mentally for the months ahead. While I loved the sun, sand, and surf, the heat got to me.

“Wyatt!”

I pulled up short.

Rhett stepped through the slider, a couple of beer bottles in hand. “Want a cold one?”

“Fuck yeah.” I left my tools laying beside the walkway leading out front and joined him beneath the second floor’s balcony. The shade welcomed me with a cooling caress, and I sank into one of the cushioned chairs beside him.

He handed me a beer, the glass chilled and sweating. “Cheers.”

We clicked our bottles together, and I sucked down half the beer in one go, the chill sliding straight to my stomach. “Goddamn, did I ever need that.” I swiped sweat from my brow with my forearm.

“If you want to borrow some trunks, you’re welcome to hop in.”

The water in the kidney-shaped pool in front of us lay still as glass, blue as the sky. While the offer tempted me, I’d had enough of the sun. “This is good, thanks.” I lifted my beer and swigged. “Fuck, this is hitting the spot.”

“How’s business?”

“Busy, and finding a good worker is damn near impossible. I have a handful of guys I can trust on a job without constant supervision, but more and more people these days don’t want to be bothered with landscaping.” I stretched my neck and enjoyed another long pull from my beer. “I’m starting to think it’s time to hire someone to take care of all the office shit too. I hate paperwork and my current billing system, having to make calls after hours…I’d rather be out sweating. Working with my hands.”

I glanced over to find Rhett’s face pinched and laughed. “When’s the last time you labored out under the sun?” I asked him.

“High school—and never again.” He grinned and clinked his bottle against mine a second time. “Ash and I used to rake and bag leaves in our neighborhood back in Massachusetts.”

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