by Tessa Bailey
“I don’t have all night, Bautista. Let’s hear the proposition so I can turn it down.”
Milo smirked, but his muscles were already bracing for rejection. “All right, here we go. My father had a heart attack, too—”
“If you’re honestly comparing me to your father, I’ll stop you right there.”
“That might have been the wrong place to start.”
Renner sighed, and for the first time, Milo wondered if Renner wasn’t half as confident as he liked to project. Which was unexpected. And went a long way toward his theory that they were just two guys in a kitchen, instead of boss and employee.
“You are…” Milo cleared his throat and tried to sew words out of thin air. “My dad is really proud and a damn hard worker, so if I were to compare you to him, it would be a compliment. But you’re young and hot. My father doesn’t have that going for him anymore. Also, you like dudes, so…not comparing.”
Renner stared. “Apart from you calling me young and hot, this isn’t going well.”
“You’re telling me.” Milo raked a hand through his hair. “Starting over. You need to relax, right? Your doctor gave you these pills because it doesn’t get more serious than a heart attack and I’ve helped take care—”
“Easy.”
“I…helped out with my dad. Got him into yoga—”
“Fuck off.”
Milo persisted, even though the general was definitely not interested in his strategy. “I’m probably, definitely the most relaxed person you know, boss man. If you stay in Hook, I can help you out. You won’t even need these pills if you learn to take a time-out once in a while.”
Renner pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “And in return, I’m going to do what, exactly?” He dropped his hand and scrutinized Milo. “This isn’t just a purely selfless gesture on your part, is it?”
No, it wasn’t. But if he didn’t think it would freak Renner out of his skin, he would have left the offer one-sided. Even if Renner didn’t agree to help him in return. Because there had been another side effect of watching Renner too closely for months on end. He’d seen the guy transform the factory into a safe, healthy working environment. Witnessed the man raising salaries and treating his employees fairly, even if he refrained from becoming friendly. And still no one attempted to pull Renner into the fold. To say Milo was bothered by the oversight was putting it mildly.
He also knew enough about Renner to keep the sympathetic observation to himself.
What had they been talking about?
The plan. Right.
“Travis is back in Boston,” Milo said instead, confusion trickling in when Renner’s gaze cut away. “I left when Vaughn offered me the security job, because it was getting harder…watching him go out with someone new every week. He goes to clubs and wears the right clothes.” Milo blew out a breath. “I know women. Know where to take them and…how to touch them.”
“You’re not going to practice touching men…with me,” Renner said, his voice deep. “That’s not going to happen. I have rules against things like this.”
“Jesus, that’s not what I meant.” Wow. He was completely blowing this. Not only was he stumbling his way through the whole conversation, now he’d disrespected the man. “I didn’t mean we would touch. I would never just presume something like that.”
“Good.”
“You didn’t have to say ‘good.’” Renner tilted his head like Milo was a science experiment gone wrong, so Milo held up a hand. “Wait, did you say you have rules?”
Renner crossed his arms. “I have rules for everything. Especially dating.”
“I have to hear this.”
He watched as Renner started to deny him an explanation, but shrugged and changed his mind. “No one under thirty.”
“Now it’s my turn to say fuck off.”
Renner smirked and checked his watch, which earned him an eye roll from Milo. “No one under thirty. No one with even a remote connection to my company. And no one on the fence.” He paused. “That might seem a little harsh to you, but it’s better for everyone involved if there are no second thoughts or regrets.”
Milo kept his features neutral even though all three of Renner’s rules seemed directly aimed at him, which rankled more than it should have. “Did someone have second thoughts about you?”
“Did I say that?” Renner pushed off the counter in one abrupt movement. “Look, it’s getting late—”
“Help me,” Milo said, cutting off his boss. “Don’t let me look like some wet-behind-the-ears amateur when I go visit Travis.”
“When is that?”
Milo gave a low whistle under his breath. “There’s no reason to yell. It can’t be good for your blood pressure.”
Renner flipped him the bird, right on cue.
Milo smiled. “I’ll show you how to relax, you help me impress Travis. Simple as that.”
Renner scanned the apartment, the grim line of his mouth saying it was more of a holding cell than a home to him. “I’m going back to Manhattan.”
“Look, today is Tuesday. Give me until Saturday when I head to Boston and get out of your hair.” Milo went toward Renner with a hand extended. “Come on, boss man. Friends helping friends.”
His arm was getting tired by the time Renner actually shook his hand, wariness in every intelligent line of his face. Despite his relief, Milo wondered if he was wearing the same expression. Couldn’t be. This was good, right? This was progress.
But a voice spoke up in the back of his mind, overruling his victory. The prospect of Renner sending him off to another man…it didn’t feel exactly right. Then again, nothing had felt 100 percent right since he’d met Travis and recognized what he’d been suppressing for so long. Maybe this was part of the process. Part of accepting a long-denied part of himself. Having doubts and questions along the way was surely par for the course.
This was the help he’d been needing. Everything was going to be fine.
When Milo left the apartment, though, the hand he’d used to shake Renner’s was pressed to his neck, to keep the sensation from flying away.
Chapter Four
Renner woke up early to go for a run.
Doctor’s orders, and all that jazz.
Yeah, right.
He’d been kept awake half the night by a restlessness in his gut. The handshake with Milo. He kept thinking about the handshake. Every single one of Renner’s business deals was rock solid and planned straight down to the contract’s paper stock. This deal he’d made…this agreement to help Milo become more comfortable and confident with his own sexuality…it reminded him of that story he’d heard as a child in church. About a man who’d built his house on the sand.
The story being relevant to Renner, not Milo.
There was a shifting beneath his feet as he jogged down the dim staircase of his building. This annoying interest Renner had in Milo should have precluded him from making the deal, but the prospect of spending time with him had been too appealing. Even in the moments that passed right after striking the deal, the tide had begun moving in and out, weakening Renner’s foundation.
After spending time with Milo, would it be so easy watching him leave for another man?
Or would it feel all too familiar for Renner?
God knew it wouldn’t be the first time he’d been left behind for someone else.
Discomfort climbed the walls of his throat as he hit the street. Dawn was just beginning to break over Hook as Renner started to run, not a single soul on the avenue. His lips curved when he thought how Milo would pitch a fit if he knew Renner was running alone in the near-dark. He would give his usual lecture, those hands tucking into his safety belt, pushing it low on his hips. Maybe like last night in the kitchen, he would give Renner that sexy frown and get close, get right in his face with that displeasure.
Close enough to kiss.
Oh no. No. Too far.
Renner realized he was breathing heavily, and it had nothing to do with t
he run. Looking around, he saw he’d gone farther than intended and headed back.
When he saw a man ahead loading something into the trunk of his car, Renner was fully intending to ignore the person. After all, he was used to the jogging paths of Manhattan’s West Side, where no one acknowledged another soul unless forced. The man straightened and turned, however, and Renner slowed to a stop. Milo?
“Boss man?” Milo peered through the morning mist. “I didn’t know you were a runner.”
Renner swiped the perspiration off his forehead with the hem of his T-shirt. “Is that your way of saying I’m not in good shape?”
Milo seemed distracted by something, but finally answered when Renner dropped the T-shirt hem and raised an eyebrow. “You’re… I didn’t say that. I like the shape you’re in.” Eyes closing, he gave an abrupt shake of his head. “I meant, I’ve never seen you up this way so early.”
“Yes…” Renner looked around. “This isn’t my usual route.”
“Well,” Milo said, beginning to look irritated. “You should stick to a route that you know is safe. It hasn’t even been twelve hours since—”
“I don’t need a lecture, Bautista.” Liar. You love it. “You’re up pretty early yourself.”
“Yeah.” He scratched behind his ear. “I was going to set something up for later. You know, in the interest of holding up my end of our bargain.”
Thanks to Milo’s accent, the word “bargain” came out sounding like bah-gin. And a slow punch of surprise and…very cautious pleasure landed in the center of Renner’s stomach. “You were going to set something up for me?”
Milo nodded, tongue jammed into the inside of his cheek. “It was going to seem effortless when I brought you there. Like…boom. Look what just appeared.” He sidestepped in a way that suggested he didn’t want Renner to see what was in the trunk. “Guess that’s not going to happen now.”
“No, I guess not,” Renner agreed, curiosity grabbing him. Enough to propel him forward. “What is it?”
“A hammock,” Milo blurted, turning away from Renner to root through the trunk. “Borrowed it from Duke. I thought it sounded like a good way for you to relax.”
Christ. Renner could no more picture himself in a hammock, let alone his brother-in-law’s hammock, than he could a sequined prom dress, complete with corsage. “I appreciate the thought, Bautista, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Yeah,” Milo said, turning around again. “It is.”
“No, it’s not. Where were you going to hang it, anyway?”
“There’s…nature.” His tone was defensive. “Around here.”
Now that was a stretch, but surrounding the local church, there was a decent preserve where people supposedly hiked. Renner had never gone to check. And if Bautista thought he’d get Renner out there in a hammock, he had another think coming. Although if Renner didn’t let Milo hold up his end of the deal…would that mean the agreement was void? “Listen, can you think of something else?”
“Dancing.” Milo shrugged. “That’s all I got.”
“I dance for no man.”
Milo threw up his hands. “All right. You know what? It was a stupid idea. I should have known you wouldn’t go for it.” He turned and slammed the trunk. “Just…don’t forget to take your pills this morning, huh? I’ll see you at the factory.”
“Wait.” Had Renner said that out loud? Yeah. He had. Milo was looking at him expectantly. Could it be that he didn’t like seeing the guy doubt himself? Yes, that seemed to be bothering Renner a great deal, if the pressure in his sternum was any hint. Last night, Milo had put himself out there in a huge way and Renner was repaying him by being an asshole. What else was new? “I have a conference call with Hong Kong tonight, so I’ll be working late.” He was actually doing this, wasn’t he? “Could we get this over with now?”
It was dangerous. Dangerous as hell the way his pulse tripled over Milo’s slow smile.
The sand under his feet shifted a little more.
…
Mission accomplished.
Milo had the boss man in his passenger seat. Correction: the sweaty boss man.
When Milo perspired, you could wring out his T-shirt afterward. Renner looked like he’d been spritzed by a water bottle in all the right places. And Milo definitely shouldn’t be noticing that. Or the way his navy-blue sweatpants clung hard. There. Right there.
Eyes on the road. Mind on the task ahead. That focus had served Milo well in the army, which was funny, because he was more nervous about setting up a hammock for Renner than he’d ever been overseas. His cotton-mouth was out of control, and he couldn’t think of a single thing to say, when talking was kind of his favorite pastime. It was just…Renner took up so much air, so much space. His expression said he owned it all, too. Owned everything around him.
When they reached the nature preserve, Hook was still quiet, but it was nothing like the small wooded area. As they walked, you could hear every leaf shake, every gasp of wind. Milo could taste the moisture and damp earth in the air, and it calmed him some. As calm as possible with Renner following behind him, large and skeptical.
“What are you planning on doing while I waste precious minutes hanging in a suspended net?” Renner asked.
Stopping between two trees and unfurling the hammock, Milo felt a hot prickle climb his neck. “I hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead.”
Renner sighed and began pacing in a circle, as if standing still were a foreign concept. “You’re not going to mention this to anyone.”
“Was that a question or a demand?”
No answer. “Let’s talk about Travis.”
The name seemed to send a ripple effect through the trees. “Okay,” Milo said, then swallowed. “What do you want to know about him?”
“Would he…do this kind of thing?”
Milo answered honestly. “He’d do any kind of thing. You could say he’s on the adventurous side.” Without turning around, he could sense Renner’s disappointment, but didn’t understand it. “Why?”
“No reason.” Looking desperate for something to focus on, Renner came forward to help Milo tie each end of the hammock between the trees. “This thing is huge.”
“That’s what she said.” Milo made a face. “Ah, man. Can I even make that joke anymore?”
“Yes, you’re still allowed,” Renner said impatiently. “And I guess if this hammock needed to fit Duke, it’s big enough to fit a cargo ship.”
“How are things between you and Duke?” Milo asked, very aware that the boss could shut him down faster than a door slamming. Renner’s famously getting off on the wrong foot with his stepsister’s hulking mechanic husband wasn’t exactly a neutral topic. The boss man had almost broken up the lovebirds, and that wasn’t even his worst offense. “Or should I ask, how are things with Duke since you almost made him explode along with the side of the factory?”
Renner sent Milo a look as they pulled the ropes tight and stepped back, surveying the hammock. “Is that what you think? That I almost blew up Duke?”
“That’s what everyone thinks.” A thought occurred to Milo. “To be fair, though, no one has really asked Duke what happened, either. If Duke doesn’t volunteer something, you don’t ask. It’s kind of an unwritten rule people have for both of you guys, actually.”
“Yeah? You don’t seem to be following it.”
Milo winked at Renner and he scowled.
With a muttered curse, Renner climbed into the hammock. Like he’d been doing it his entire life. So easy and smooth. Once he was on his back, he resembled a king waiting for grapes to be popped into his mouth. “I tried to stop Duke from going in. Once I realized the danger, I…went in after him, actually. But he locked me out of the main factory floor. Locked it from the inside, so I had no choice but to leave him. To wait out on the street like everyone else.” He tucked his hands beneath his head and sniffed. “I’ve since had that door’s lock mechanism replaced. It no longer locks from the inside.”
/> Milo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All this time, he’d been vilified for nothing? “Why didn’t you say something?”
“It wouldn’t make a difference.” Renner stared straight ahead. “I was still the one who called Duke. The one who asked him to come repair the machine.”
“Yeah. And you changed your mind. Everyone fucks up once in a while.”
“This conversation is getting exhausting.” Renner looked anything but bored, but Milo didn’t comment, knowing they’d gotten as far as they could on the topic. “Are you really just going to stand there and watch me attempt relaxation?”
Milo looked down the leaf-strewn path. “This is the one situation where you could tell me to take a hike, and I could actually do it.”
“Just…” Renner pushed the word through his teeth. “Climb in here. There’s enough room for eight of you.”
God, it was embarrassing how fast Milo’s dick got hard. There would be no way to avoid touching Renner if he joined him in the hammock. Did Renner realize that? Was that…why he’d asked? Were men always this damn hard to read? If so, he had a lot of frustration ahead. He really should have declined, but…bottom line, he didn’t want to. Renner made his stomach ache in that twisting, mysterious way—so different from the lighthearted excitement Travis evoked. He’d watched his boss move around the factory in his expensive suits and thought him untouchable. But he wasn’t right at this second. He was so touchable Milo needed an oxygen tank.
“Uh, okay. Cool.” Milo eased into the hammock, the groan of the ropes resonating in his belly…and immediately rolled to the middle. Smack up against his boss. And it became pretty damn apparent that Renner hadn’t anticipated the tight proximity. The hard line of his mouth was a bare inch from Milo’s. Up close, he looked so much more human. There were imperfections on his skin; some of his eyelashes were clumped together. Real. Hot, hard, and real. Breathing through his nose, Milo turned onto his back and propped up his left knee, trying to hide his erection, which was almost impossible because he couldn’t remember having wood like this. “Sorry about that.”
