“Yes, but—”
“It’s just cosmetic issues then. How much would you charge for rent?”
“I have no idea how much to charge for a studio apartment that never advanced beyond the seventies.”
“How’s five hundred a month sound? Would that help?”
“Do you know someone who’d be interested?” I asked hopefully.
“It just so happens that I know a guy who’s looking to rent a one-bedroom apartment closer to work. What about the garage? How big is it and does the tenant get to use it?”
I narrowed my eyes. Wren surely didn’t mean himself, did he? “It’s a three-car garage and is mostly empty except for my grandpa’s tools. He used to own a repair garage here in town but retired back in the nineties. He sold a lot of tools and equipment to the new owner and only kept the ones that had sentimental value. Grandpa even has a story to go with each one of them.”
“I bet,” Wren said, smiling gently. “Can I come by tonight and look at the apartment?”
“Wren, you don’t have to do this.”
“I know that I don’t have to, but I want to. I really would like to live closer, especially on mornings like this, and I don’t care if the wallpaper is outdated or the carpet needs replaced. I need a roof over my head, heat, water that also heats, and a place to stash my baby.”
“Your baby?”
“If this works out you’ll get to see her.”
“Her?”
“Can you just answer my question?” Wren asked. “Are you free to show me the apartment tonight?”
I felt lighter than I had in months, and I should’ve shown my appreciation by giving Wren a straight answer. Instead, I tipped my head to the side and said, “Well, I need to give a few lap dances first, then I—” My voice hit a high-pitched note and squeaked to a stop when Wren grabbed both my ass cheeks with his big, strong hands. “Yes!” I moaned, not so much in answer, but because his manhandling brought me tighter against his erection.
“Oh no,” Wren said, grabbing my hips and gently pushing me back so that our hard-ons were no longer pressed against each other. “Not here.”
“Not ever,” I finished for him dryly. I saw and felt how much Wren wanted me, but he was still fighting it. I’d blown a few of Josh’s rules already, but just maybe I could give patience a try. “You can come by after work if you want.”
“It’s a plan,” Wren said then walked away without another word.
I stood in the kitchenette for a few more minutes to get my composure together. As I walked by Josh’s station on my way to the front of the salon, I said, “I accept your generous offer.” It didn’t matter what he had in mind; I was truly grateful. For the first time in a long time, I had hope that things were finally looking up for Grandpa and me.
The first workday of the year was everything I expected it would be—busy, fun, and frustrating. The busy and fun parts helped distract me from the person who had frustrated me since my first day working at the salon.
Dare and I started working at Curl Up and Dye on the same day a little over a year ago. Since then, I’ve been on a never-ending roller-coaster ride. The first thing that caught my eye about Dare was his looks. I wanted to pretend that I was some enlightened, modern man but that would be a bullshit lie. I took one look at his pouty lips and pert ass and immediately started having ideas about what I could do with them. I’ve found many sets of lips and ass cheeks attractive before and could easily walk away from them without a backward glance, but his physical beauty wasn’t what drew me to him time and time again like a moth to a flame.
Dare’s inner beauty shone through his eyes and joy burst from him through his laughter. His desire to make everyone happy spoke volumes about his character. Those were the reasons I could hardly look away from him. He was everything I wasn’t—charismatic, friendly, and good. Things went to hell when I touched them, people got hurt, and I couldn’t live with myself if I dragged Dare down into the gutter with me, so I did my best to ignore his flirting and blatant attempts at making me jealous. I somehow found the strength to call a halt to his sweet seduction before things went too far, but his heartbroken sobs against my chest moved me in ways I never thought possible.
I didn’t believe in love. I didn’t believe in fairy tales. I didn’t believe that two people could commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives, so why pretend? I lived by simple rules, the first three being: fast cars, freedom, and hard fucking. That sounded like the opposite of what a person would say about themselves on a dating site, but I wasn’t looking for dates. I didn’t want a boyfriend. If I did, I wouldn’t waste my time on one of those sites. I’d claim what Dare wanted so badly to give me. At first, he was probably captivated by my bad boy looks. I was used to it and would normally take advantage of the situation, but that would’ve been a violation of rule number four: never eat where you work. Oh, I wanted to gobble Dare up from head to toe then do it all over again, but he wasn’t for me.
Dare needed way more than I could give him, and I wasn’t talking about common decency either. He was the hearts and flowers, movie-date-nights, and take-home-to-your-mama kind of guy. I wasn’t interested in two of those things, and the other one could never happen. Damn, she would’ve loved him though. I’d learned the hard way that loving someone could lead to utter devastation when they left you behind. The best way to avoid that was by never allowing someone close enough to hurt you. I had never met anyone who made me question my choices until Dare. That angered me almost as much as my obsession with him did.
For his own good, I needed to push Dare away, not pull him closer. So why then did I insist on knowing the truth that morning in the kitchenette? Why not just let him spin his wild tales about dancing in cages and giving lap dances to horny, closeted men. Fuck, I was equal parts fascinated and horrified at the thought. I was no prude, I’d seen my fair share of dancing go-go boys, and I’d even let a few take a ride on my lap, but Dare was different. I just didn’t want to think about why that was. I also couldn’t figure out why solving his problems had become my number one priority, but it was hard to feel mad when I saw how much happier Dare seemed.
Sexy, kindhearted, and fuckable were traits that were already hard to resist, but the kind of devotion Dare had for his grandfather was breathtakingly beautiful. It was like I was seeing him in a new light, one that was almost too beautiful to view with the naked eye, but I couldn’t seem to look away. Where was my brain when I volunteered to practically move in his backyard? It was one thing to resist him at work, but knowing he was within walking distance was going to be brutal.
I had just about talked myself out of it until I saw him wrapping himself up like a mummy at the end of his shift. I wasn’t paying attention when I arrived that morning, but I realized at noon that his car wasn’t at the salon. That explained why he’d wrapped his scarf around his head and neck until only his eyes peeked through the knitted layers.
Before I could stop myself, I said, “Why don’t you just hang here for a few minutes and I’ll drive you home. We’re heading to the same place.”
“Oh, um…” I could tell he was eager to get home to check on his grandpa.
“I won’t be much longer. I just need to clean up my station.” I remote started my truck then left him in the kitchenette while I cleaned my station. I reminded myself to behave and keep my hands to myself and demanded that I not kiss his pouty lips as I swept up the last bit of hair beneath my chair.
When I returned to the kitchenette, Dare looked as if he were afraid to believe in me. I wondered if maybe our backgrounds weren’t that different after all.
“I just want you to know that I will not be upset if you change your mind, Wren.” It was cute the way he tried to put me at ease.
“Dare, there’s something you need to know about me.” He nodded eagerly, biting his lip nervously as he waited. “Rule number five: I never say things I don’t mean, and I don’t do things I don’t want to do.”
�
��That’s two different things,” Dare said. “That should be rules five and six.”
“They mean similar things, so they share a rule.”
“Saying and doing aren’t even close to the same thing,” Dare argued. “It would make sense if it was: say what you mean and mean what you say. They could share a rule.”
“They’re my rules, and I’ll categorize them as I see fit.”
“Well,” Dare said huffily. Then he tipped his head to the side and studied me speculatively. “I’ll let it drop if you tell me your first four rules. Not gonna lie, I kind of want to see if I can make you break them.”
“Not a chance,” I declared. His look said we’ll just see about that. “Are we doing this or not?” Dare responded by waggling his brows. “Are we looking at the apartment or not?” I clarified.
“Rule number five: you say what you mean,” Dare reminded me in a tone that made me want to turn him over my knee and spank his ass until it was cherry red. “Oh, I think I know that look.”
“Stop talking and get in the truck.” Damn, I sounded like an asshole. Good, maybe he’ll give up. I walked out the back door and Dare could either come with me or not. Of course, the little shit followed me because he never gives up.
“Chester from Nevada City wore that same expression last week when he asked if I would lie across his lap so that he could paddle my naughty booty. I never thought of my butt as a naughty booty. Do you?”
I didn’t answer him until we were both inside the warm cab of my truck. “It’s the naughtiest kind of booty,” I said between gritted teeth. Why bother lying when we both knew just how fascinated I was with his ass. I’d grabbed two handfuls of it on three occasions, and each incident was burned into my brain and relived when I stroked my cock to relieve the pressure in my sac.
Dare must’ve expected me to deny it because he stared at me for a few seconds without saying anything. That was two times now that I’d rendered him speechless. I liked it.
“But I know you didn’t meet Chester from Nevada City at a place called Drinks and Twinks because it doesn’t exist,” I said smugly.
“Checking up on me, huh?” Dare asked, sounding mighty pleased with himself. “I think I got the name wrong.”
“You got the name wrong?”
“I’ve only worked there a few weeks. I think it’s Drunks and Twunks.”
At this point, I could only shake my head. “You’re not a go-go boy.” Thank fuck because I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone touching him.
“This is a big truck,” Dare said, changing the subject. Where was he going with this? “I guess bigger bodies require bigger vehicles. Big hands,” he said, nodding to my hands white-knuckling the steering wheel. “Big feet too.”
“Yeah, Dare, I also have a big dick.” I wanted to beat him to the punch.
“I was going to say heart, but I have to agree with your assessment also. I’ve never seen it or directly touched your dick, but I’ve felt it pressed against my stomach a few times.”
“You have a big mouth,” I said, shifting my truck in reverse.
“Mmmm. It works well on big dicks.”
I nearly choked on my saliva. I’d set myself up for it, but Dare’s boldness still somehow shocked me.
“Where to?” I asked, ignoring his remark and trying to keep my brain on navigating icy roads instead of wondering how hot and wet his mouth would feel working my cock.
Dare let it go, but I doubted my reprieve would last long. He gave directions to a tidy, two-story house a few blocks away from the salon. I understood why he chose to walk instead of drive that morning. It would’ve taken him longer to clean his car off than walk to work. I parked behind his light-blue car and shut the truck off.
From what I could see of the garage, it appeared to be in good structural shape. Of course, I couldn’t see the condition of the shingles with six inches of snow covering the roof.
“The roof on the garage is metal like the one on the house,” Dare said. “They’re both in decent shape.”
“Let’s look inside,” I told him.
“I have to run in and check on Grandpa and grab the keys. Do you want to stay here or come inside and meet him?”
“I’ll say hello to your grandpa.”
It’s hard to say who was more surprised by my answer. I think Dare was just being polite and didn’t expect me to accept his offer. I had every intention of saying that I’d wait in the truck. Once the words were out, I couldn’t take them back without sounding like a dick.
A heatwave rolled out when Dare opened a door that led into a laundry room. “Grandpa likes it warm,” he said, grinning sheepishly.
Warm? It was so hot that I couldn’t breathe. How could Dare stand to live like that? I understood why after I followed him through the laundry room and kitchen to get to the living room. His grandfather dozed in his recliner while the evening news blared from the television. Dare tiptoed over to him and rearranged his blanket to cover his chest. I wished I had stayed in the truck when Dare placed a gentle kiss on his grandfather’s forehead because I thought I might possibly choke on the lump of emotion lodged in my throat.
“He’s sleeping pretty soundly, so we have enough time to explore the apartment before I need to make his dinner,” Dare said when he returned to my side. He wouldn’t look me in the eye. I wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment over the little scene I witnessed or if he felt as uncertain as I did about us living so close together.
I could tell by the way my heart raced that it was only a matter of time before I stopped fighting his cosmic pull and allowed myself to get sucked into his universe.
“Let me grab the key, and we’ll check it out,” he said. “Oh, maybe you want to look at it without me seeing your reactions.”
“It can’t be that bad,” I told him. “Come on, Go-Go, show me the apartment.”
“Okaaaaaay,” Dare said.
I was grateful to step outside in the freezing cold to follow him to the detached garage. “Damn, I don’t know how you handle the heat.”
“I don’t wear much,” Dare said, but not in a provocative way. “I wear shorts and T-shirts right up until I have to leave the house. At night—”
“Yeah, I can figure that one out for myself.”
“I was going to say that I turn on my ceiling fan, but I like the way your mind works better,” Dare said mischievously. “Would you like me to confirm or deny if I wear my birthday suit to bed?”
“No.” Some fantasies I wanted to keep to myself.
“Back to business,” Dare said when we stepped up to the exterior garage door. I noticed that a bright light came on when we stepped within ten feet of the structure. At least I’d know if the little demon tried to sneak up on me at night. “One key unlocks both doors,” Dare told me. “That could be a problem if we rented out the two spaces to different people, but…”
I tuned him out as soon as we stepped into the garage. It was a perfect space to store and work on my classic car and motorcycle. It was obvious that Dare’s grandpa put a lot of love into the space.
“You should see your face right now,” Dare said, snapping me back to the present. “I’ve only seen you look this stunned when you shoved me up against the door in the little mixing room and kissed me.”
“You kissed me,” I countered.
“Uh huh, keep telling yourself that, big guy. Follow me upstairs.”
I trailed behind him wishing he’d taken off that ridiculous coat so I could at least ogle his ass. “You have a real selective memory, Go-Go.”
“I have a perfect memory,” Dare said. “You breezed into town making all the gals and guys quake with your broody mysteriousness. I was like that bouncy Chihuahua dog who just wanted to be your friend, but you slapped me down.” Dare halted halfway up the stairs and turned suddenly to face me. I kept walking until we were at eye level. “Your words said that you weren’t interested in me, but your eyes and actions said differently. Remember Trent?”
I groaned. How the hell could I forget the pompous doctor who moved to Blissville? The jackass showed up at the salon for a haircut, but only had eyes for Dare. Of course, none of us knew that the doctor used to date our boss until Dare took him to Thanksgiving dinner at Josh’s house as his plus one. Trent thought it was funny to get a rise out of Josh’s husband, but I didn’t like that he used Dare to do it. I thought Dare really liked the guy, but it turned out he only dialed up the charm to make me jealous. It fucking worked too.
“If I recall correctly, I sought you out after work while you were cleaning the dye bowls out in the sink. I apologized for my behavior and said that I was done playing games and didn’t want that doctor. I confessed that I only wanted you. Do you remember what happened next?” Dare asked.
“Of course,” I said, but didn’t expand.
“I do too. You scooped me up, pinned me against the door with my legs around your waist and kissed me until I nearly came in my pants. I also remember leaving a little love bite on your neck.”
I wanted to refute him, but he was right. It was more than Dare taking Trent to Josh’s for dinner that riled me up. The doctor sent him apology flowers then took him out to dinner to make up for his crass treatment. I also saw them together at the Christmas parade. Hearing that I was the one he wanted made both my ego and dick swell. I didn’t think; I reacted. Like Dare, I almost reacted in my pants, but I crashed back down to reality before that happened. I’d set Dare back on his feet and apologized for manhandling him. I saw the hopefulness in his eyes for things to change between us and didn’t have the heart to squash his fantasy right then, or even the next day when he touched the mark on my neck tenderly after he arrived at work. I had to fight the urge to touch the spot on my neck where I wore his mark for almost a week, just as I had to resist the desire for him to do it again.
“Dare, I told you…” My words drifted off when I saw the light dim in his eyes. I knew he was thinking about the morning I finally set him straight. I told him that I would never be the guy for him. I admitted my attraction but told him it could never go beyond that. Dare deserved a guy who could give him more than I could. It sounded cliché to say that it hurt me as much as it hurt him, but it did.
Nobody's Prince Charming (Road to Blissville, #3) Page 2
