by Jayne Rylon
Running late on day one wouldn’t earn the guy any brownie points.
Still, the sweet view made up for abandoning James, who’d already started tearing up the shitty old flooring by himself. Neil hated to let his partner shoulder more than his fair share. Generous and hardworking, his mate would push himself harder than he should. Neil swore he’d make it up to James with a killer back rub and slow, relaxed sex.
Maybe sooner rather than later if he ate his fill of such sweet eye candy.
The woman sauntered around to the other side of her truck and caused Neil to wonder if he was dreaming when she shucked her cornflower blue peasant blouse right there in the soft light of the spring morning. She left her racer-backed sports bra in place as she kicked off those sinful shoes and covered her cute pink pedicure with thick white socks before slipping her dainty feet into sturdy…construction boots?
What the—?
The petite-yet-toned woman’s jacked arms flexed as she strapped a canvas tool belt around her miniscule waist. A hammer hung from one of the loops over her khaki cargo shorts. She flipped a pair of sunglasses onto her head. The eyewear, which had more in common with safety goggles than designer shades, pinned her cute bob of ash blonde hair off her striking face. The swell of her perfect ass stunned him as she reached into the truck. Next thing he knew, she had retrieved a large water bottle, locked up the vehicle and headed in his direction.
It was then he met her gaze. An uncommon shade of gorgeous jade-green eyes, which he’d only seen once before—on James—snared his attention. Her seamless mix of tomboy charm with pixie sass entranced him. When she noticed him and smiled, offering a small wave as she approached, he realized he was royally screwed.
The world popped into slow motion. His heart stuttered in its pounding beat and the ground lurched below his feet as he experienced the same supposedly once-in-a-lifetime sensation he’d had the day he’d met James, when their professor assigned partners in their trade school lab.
Love at first sight.
Oh, fuck.
Devon cringed when the hottie construction worker’s smile morphed into a major grimace.
Not again. Damn it.
Her sister’s roommate had rambled on and on about the amazing crew when she’d spotted the opening for an apprentice in an online job ad. Julie had promised Devon the all-guy team of five was forward-thinking, accepting and had a lot to teach her, though she refused to go into detail on how she’d learned of their reputation.
Give them a chance, Dev.
“Good morning. I’m…”
“Devon Giles. Of course.” He scrubbed his hand through his messy hair before taking her fingers with a measured action more suitable for reaching for a viper than a trainee. “I was expecting someone—”
“With a dick?” She canted her head and planted her fist on her hip, daring him to deny it while hoping she’d misinterpreted his sour puss.
He barked out a laugh. “Well, yeah, I suppose.”
“Look, if this is going to be an issue, I’d rather head out now than waste time—yours or mine. I’m a damned good worker and—”
“Hey.” A man with a soft, kind voice interrupted her rant before the gorgeous, but assholish, guy could backpedal. “I thought I heard someone pull up.”
Did she imagine the way the new arrival brushed against the first guy as though he were a cat winding around his owner’s ankle?
“Ah…”
The taller guy grunted. “Yeah. This is Devon.”
“Pleased to meet you.” The smaller man’s shake was firm, which she appreciated. She didn’t need them to make any concessions for her. “I’m James.”
“And I’m Neil.” The original guy surprised her by pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
“Okay, Romeo.” She had to nip this shit in the bud or it would spiral out of control. After the last job she’d had to leave—when the foreman deluded himself into believing she’d take orders to bend over as well as she did instructions on leveling framing jobs—she wouldn’t risk giving anyone the wrong idea. “Enough of that nonsense. Would you have done that if I were the man you expected this morning?”
“Maybe. If he were as cute as you are.” He laughed when James smacked him on the ass.
Holy shit. No mistaking the easy, familiar contact or the heat in the men’s eyes when their gazes met and locked. Maybe she had found the perfect employers. If they were gay, they might leave her to work and develop her skills in peace.
The spring was looking brighter by the second.
1
“Dev, could you grab another tube of caulk off the back of my truck? This one isn’t going to make it.” Dave had squished his mammoth frame into the standard tub to run a bead around the base of the tile work she’d installed with his guidance. Of course, she’d added a little of her own flair to the design. As she surveyed it now, she had to say it’d come out better than she’d imagined.
Rewarding her for a job he approved of, Dave had done the grunt work and saved her back some strain. Pleasing the crew could be tough. The guys had lofty standards. In the past three weeks, she’d learned tons and had started surpassing their expectations. When she did, they made sure she knew it.
Dooming Dave to unfolding and refolding that stunning body would be torture. For both him and her, watching. “Devon?”
“Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’ve got it. Be right back.”
She jogged down the hall. Plastic sheeting covered new hardwood planks that made her light footfalls crunch in the long, empty space. Mike and Joe perked up as she trotted past the master bedroom where they were installing recessed lighting, which would add some flair to the space.
“Hey, Dev. You two almost ready for lunch? I’m starving.” Mike looked pretty damn hungry when he glanced in her direction. Silly to wonder if that smoky look meant anything more than desire for the packed meal his adorable fiancée had shipped him off with this morning.
“Mmm. Yeah.” Joe rubbed his flat belly. Dear God, did they have to work without shirts so much? It was enough to drive any red-blooded woman insane. “Morgan’s testing out new cookies again. She sent a big box for us to share.”
“And how many did you eat for breakfast?” She loved teasing the crew.
“As many as I could shove in my mouth on the drive in.” He winked at her.
“Well, we all know your mouth is capable of some pretty amazing feats.” Mike poked Joe in the ribs with the handle of his needle-nose pliers. “Hand me that housing so we can wrap up. Tell Neil and James they’ve got about fifteen minutes ’til break.”
“Right-o, foreman.” She saluted then jumped when Dave’s yell reached her loud and clear.
“Dev! You coming or what? I’m going to be pulling a Taft soon.”
“Definitely or what,” Joe bellowed for her, somehow still managing to pout. “We’re not that lucky. Give her a second. Mike distracted her. Besides, if you get stuck I know where to find some lube.”
“Don’t you usually grease up to try and get in, not out?” Mike’s wicked grin sent shivers along her spine.
She pretended to dismiss his dirty implications with an eye roll and a little finger wave then continued her jog down the stairs. Thank God they couldn’t tell how slick the tops of her thighs were. They were guys. Five of them, in all their sweaty and sexy glory. Holy testosterone overload. They couldn’t help themselves and somehow their equal opportunity jokes didn’t bother her. They aimed them at each other as often as they did at her. Being left out of the good-natured teasing probably would have made things awkward.
Luckily, she didn’t know for sure. The crew had made her feel at home from the moment James had saved her from that uncomfortable start with Neil on the curb outside this house. The renovations had come a long way in the past three weeks. Within a month they’d be wrapping the place up with a big ass ribbon for the future owners. Moving on from the project she’d come to associate with her mentors would suck. Between the crew and t
heir women, she’d instantly inherited eight new friends. Spending the spring with them would be no hardship.
It was leaving at the end of the internship that worried her. Maybe if she buckled down and absorbed as much as she could from them, they’d have a permanent spot for her as they headed into summer and the end of their three-month arrangement.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the rustle of denim on denim or the soft moans echoing in the vacant living room until it was too late. Devon burst onto the main level of the house, where Neil was making a late-morning snack out of James’s parted lips.
She lurched to a dead stop.
Move. Look away. Keep going.
Devon couldn’t force her legs to walk on past. Not when the fire between the two men burned hot enough to have tiny beads of sweat dotting her upper lip. She licked the salty sheen, wishing she could taste the partners’ passion instead.
Pure devotion laced every tender sweep of James’s fingers over Neil’s bare shoulder, warring with the desperation of their mouths, as though they couldn’t stand to be apart. Yet she could see the warm spring sunlight from the bay window behind them streaming between their torsos.
A golden beam cut through the dust in the air. It led her stare to the juncture of the men’s bodies. They hadn’t embraced closer because Neil fisted a double helping of beefy cock in his right hand, massaging their erections in time to the flicker of their tongues. He squeezed their shafts together. The tip of his cock tucked against James’s balls though James’s hard-on only reached most of the way back to Neil’s groin. With a firm grip—much harder than Devon would have been comfortable administering—Neil made several circuits with his fist, drawing a sweet whimper from James.
The plea morphed into a groan as Neil’s hand shuttled faster between them. James arched his hips, still wrapped in the ripped jeans he wore so well. The fly had been left open, allowing the V of denim to frame his cock. Devon wished she could see Neil’s fine ass, but his pants remained mostly in place.
Would he guide the pair toward the inevitable conclusion of their escalating exchange? Or would he yank his hand free, bend James over the nearby sawhorse and ride…
“Devon!” Dave’s holler broke through the steam fogging her brain.
She jumped several inches off the brand new hardwood planks, which the duo making out in the corner had laid this morning. Her boot knocked into a forgotten scrap board. It launched in the couple’s direction, skittering across the unpolished surface with a scratchy racket they couldn’t ignore.
James blinked.
He met her gaze, his eyes widening when he caught her spying on their break.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Her cheeks blazed. She hadn’t considered their privacy. Not that they should have expected any here. Still, she could have respected their relationship instead of ogling them as if they were stars in a seedy peep show.
Worse yet, when had her fingers strayed between her legs, pressing on the soaked crotch of her cut-off jean shorts? She stumbled backward.
“Dev, wait.” Neil took a stride in her direction. His rock-solid cock bobbed and waved. He cursed as he tried to tuck it inside the unzipped flap of his jeans. As if that measly scrap of fabric had any chance of obscuring his impressive erection from view.
She bolted for Dave’s truck, planted one palm on the open tailgate and boosted herself into the bed. In less than ten seconds, she’d snagged a tube of caulk at random and hustled up the driveway to the garage entrance. No way was she retracing her steps.
How could she face Neil and James after copping a self-feel at their display?
How could she have resisted the genuine love urging them to take the opportunity to bond? She’d never seen anything so beautiful in her whole life. Not even the gardens at Versailles that she’d studied endlessly in hopes of adding landscaping to her list of handywoman skills.
“What the hell took so long?” Dave grunted. “My knees are turning into ground beef. Now I get why Kay hates blowing me in the shower. I’m never suggesting it again. Unless… Hmm. I could always hold her upside down, use the wall to—”
“Gah!” A strangled gurgle escaped her throat. Were they trying to give her a heart attack?
“Shit. Sorry, Dev. I forget you’re not one of the guys sometimes.” He winked. “Planning to give me that caulk or do you really think it’s going to keep you safe from my wicked ways?”
She forced her fingers to uncurl one by one from the tube she hadn’t realized she’d aimed in his direction like a gloppy version of a vampire hunter’s stake.
“Seriously. Are you okay?” He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Smack us upside the head if we get too wild for you.”
“I don’t think they’d have appreciated that,” she mumbled below her breath.
“What?” Dave accepted the cylinder then frowned. “Devon, this is clear silicone. We were using white to blend with the grout, remember? Is that what took so long? If you’re not sure of something just ask. It’s okay. You’re here to learn.”
“For Pete’s sake.” She slapped her hands on the outside of her thighs hard enough to sting both the skin there and her palms. “I know the fucking difference between clear and opaque caulk.”
“Whoa.” Dave climbed to his feet with hardly a wince as he focused on her, his voice softening. “What’s happening here?”
She hated the tremble in her quads. Surrendering to the weakness, she let it drop her to the closed lid of the horrid shell-pink toilet they planned to replace after they finished the shower. Her head felt like a fifty-pound bowling ball in her hands.
The big man, who’d just escaped the torture of the bathtub, crouched beside her, ignoring the pop and crackle of his poor joints. He rubbed one broad hand over her back in big circles. “Calm down, sweetheart.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.” She may have objected, but she couldn’t make herself brush off his platonic touch. “Would you use frilly nicknames for the rest of the crew?”
“Yeah, he probably would.” Mike leaned against the jamb, nodding to Dave when the other man shot him a clear mayday look. “Devon got an eyeful of Neil and James trying to sneak a quickie. We warned them about trying shit like that these days.”
“Damn it.” Dave rubbed his temples.
“Does these days mean since I’ve been around?” Could she be cramping everyone’s style? What rabbit hole had she tumbled down if that were true? This time she might be the one causing discomfort on the job site by forcing team members to repress their sexuality for fear of making things awkward.
Ah, crap. How was that for karma?
There was a difference between asking assholes at prior sites to keep their hands off her ass every time she bent over and forcing two men obviously in love to hide their affection.
Okay, so maybe there’d been too much for anyone’s official workplace standards going on in the living room. If she’d forced them to keep a lid on it for weeks, it was no wonder they’d erupted in a spectacular display of passion. The two of them had the real deal. She refused to allow jealousy to turn her appreciation green.
“I think we’d better have a staff meeting. Come on you two. We’ll eat our lunches and talk this through with the whole crew.” Mike addressed them both though his warm eyes melted on her. “No slouching, newbie. You didn’t screw up. They owe you an apology.”
“No—”
Mike waved her off before she could explain. “Save it. We’ll figure things out together.”
She stood and accepted a hand from both men. Though their broad shoulders wouldn’t permit them to walk side by side, they didn’t let go as they formed a chain and headed downstairs together.
2
Devon grabbed her reusable lavender lunch pouch from the pile on the kitchen counter. The pretty bag stuck out like a sore thumb in the mix of dented aluminum boxes and crumpled paper sacks. She couldn’t help humming a snippet of that old Sesame Street
song, “One Of These Things (Is Not Like The Others)”.
Neil had claimed the red plastic cooler, which was far too large for one man’s sustenance even considering the astounding stomach capacity the guys in the crew possessed.
What other enormous appetites could they have?
Refusing to give in to the urge to huddle in the corner and let Mike navigate the tricky waters they’d found themselves in, Devon inserted herself between Neil and Joe, who leaned one hip against the crappy Formica they hadn’t yet replaced with granite. His long, powerful legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankle.
“Could I get a boost?” She smiled when he nearly encircled her waist with his long fingers then lifted her as though she weighed less than a bag of cement. Tucking her legs under her in the front, she sat cross-legged, pleased to be somewhere near eye level with most of the crew.
“Sure thing, pipsqueak.” Joe ignored her glare in favor of scooping up his prime sandwich for another colossal bite that demolished a fourth of the generous entrée in one fell swoop.
“Is that fresh-baked wheat?” Her mouth watered. Suddenly her PB&J on Wonder bread with a side of baby carrots and celery sticks didn’t sound so appealing.
“Yeah, want a taste?” Joe ripped off a piece of the bread and held it out. “I think Morgan added some honey and oats or something. She’s a goddess.”
Devon didn’t think anything of eating it from his fingers until she caught the strangled groan from Neil. Her knee brushed his ribs, which fluttered against her in time to his rapid respiration. Maybe he and James hadn’t finished their session after her extra-rude interruption.
“Devon—” he began as she also spoke.
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to ruin your fun.” When James attempted to cut her off, she only talked louder. “Believe me, I understand what it’s like to hide in plain sight. I would never wish that on anyone else. I hope that you won’t let having me around change your behavior. If the rest of these guys can handle watching you two work together, then so can I.”
