Delaying the inevitable was getting me nowhere, so I rose to my knees and used the stove top as leverage. At six-three, I could stand slowly, making sure not to let go of the countertop this time. My ears were ringing, and I felt lightheaded. Once I was upright, I stood still for about two minutes.
Realizing that Mr. Timberland was still in my room, I wondered what was happening. I stepped around the worst of the mess on the floor. Reaching into the drawer, I grabbed two tea towels. Gripping the work surface as tightly as possible, I stepped on the middle of a towel and tied it over my foot. I wanted to protect the wound and not track blood into the back of the house. Using the other towel, I wiped off my other foot. I was going to do everything possible to no longer slip. Who thought tile was an innovative idea in the kitchen anyhow?
I limped towards the bedroom, and my body felt like I had just lost an MMA cage match. When I entered the room, I found Mr. Timberland on his stomach with his head and a good part of his chest under the bed.
My eyes ran down his back to his perfect ass, and my dick showed immediate appreciation for how effortlessly his jeans hugged hiscurves. Leave it to my libido to have zero regard for the rest of my body, which was beat up. Now that I was upright, I could tell how well-defined he was as I watched him. His arms and shoulders seemed huge, like a hockey player. I could see his hamstrings flexing as he moved. This guy was probably straight and would not appreciate me eyeballing his assets. Fortunately, he will never know.
“Aren’t you a pretty boy?” How had he seen me from his position under the bed? “It’s okay. You are safe. River didn’t mean to scare you.” He wasn’t talking to me.
“His name is Charlie,” I say a little too loudly.
He startled and bumped his head on the bottom of the mattress, then wiggled out from under the bed. I did not know how this mountain of a man would get Charlie out. There was maybe five inches of clearance; his shoulders didn’t fit.
Enjoying the show while he extracted himself, my eyes roamed until he was standing with his back to me. Admiring how his T-shirt pulled across his shoulders, the sleeves were tight around his thick, defined biceps. From under the sleeve, I could see part of a tattoo.
Digging through a backpack on the bed, he pulled out a harness and a fuzzy bag, then shoved something in his pocket. I was sure he was muttering under his breath, though I couldn’t quite make out the words. He was a little taller than me, and I couldn’t get over how perfectly his jeans sculpted his body. How much did he pay to get them to fit like that, and can I get the designer’s number?
When he turned around and looked at me, all I could think was that his eyes were the color of emeralds. Saying he was handsome wouldn’t define his features. He reminded me of the man you find on the cover of a romance novel. A day’s growth on his chin suited him while his lips looked warm and soft. Things stirred behind my zipper while Istood gazing at him, trying not to drool. As if I hadn’t embarrassed myself enough now, I hoped he wouldn’t notice the semi in my pants.
“Lesson number one. Use a harness for the next couple of days. It will take time before you trust each other enough to be free around the house without it.” His face showed no emotion. He was letting the harness dangle from his index finger in front of him. There was no way I would tell him I had a harness I hadn’t used.
I took the harness from him, trying to give him a reassuring smile. Looking me up and down, he scowled, or that was his regular face. “Nice suit.”
“What? I paid a lot for this suit.” I said much more defensively than I had intended. Looking at myself, I was rumpled and covered in sticky pie filling. This was a terrible first impression.
He raised his eyebrow and smirked. Turning around, he got onto his hands and knees. My heart skipped a beat, and I imagined how much I would enjoy him in that position naked with me behind him. I chastised myself for thinking such things about a man I didn’t know, but who could blame me? He was hot.
He shoved himself under the bed again. He was whispering this time, using Charlie’s name.
“I’m going to change clothes.” Unsure why, I felt I needed to announce it to him. It appeared he didn’t need my help, so I grabbed some clothes from my dresser and headed into the bathroom. There was no reason for me not to be comfortable; this man had seen me sprawled on my back, covered in pie, barely able to move. I could only improve from here. While changing, I realized he had gotten here quickly after the situation escalated. There must be a camera in the crate or some monitor on Charlie that told them to have Mr. Timberland retrieve Charlie, leaving me alone.
Chapter four
Aaron
When I looked at River properly, a shiver went up my spine, and the blood in my body traveled elsewhere. I haven’t felt an immediate attraction like this in years, more like decades. I’ve not been interested in a man since I came home from work one day to find a note from Stephen, whom I thought was my forever. That folded piece of paper was concise. He was leaving the relationship. Losing Stephen was not a surprise. Losing his son Tanner, whom I had been raising, was crushing.
I still missed Tanner, but my ex was in the rearview mirror. I hadn’t encountered someone interesting until today, and it intrigued my body. What I was feeling was surprising but not unwelcome. It was nice to realize I had not lost the ability to feel lust. Unfortunately, I directed it at a guy who couldn’t even manage to be alone with a tiny little dragon for twenty-five minutes.
He had this incredible square jaw, olive-colored skin, and wavy dark hair, begging for me to run my hands through it. You could tell he was Italian, maybe only a second-generation American. He had those dark eyes and broad shoulders that were fit. Losing the ability to speak, I looked at the plush lips that seemed so kissable; I made a smart-ass comment and turned around before he could see that he had caused me to swell against my zipper.
I needed to getCharlieout from under the bed. The problem was I needed things to settle enough that laying on my stomach on the hardwood wouldn’t be painful. Getting on the floor, I stayed on my hands and knees far longer than natural. I could feel River looking at me, wondering what I was doing. I knew my thoughts were improper since I needed to work with this man. I told myself he was rich, probably self-absorbed, and likely not into men. I was hoping my brain would let it go. I couldn't think of him as a snob since I found him on his kitchen floor covered in pie.
My brain was not helpful while still thinking about those lips and the places I wanted to feel them. I forced myself to focus on the task, getting my body under control, and then back under the bed I went. River said something about getting changed. I thought about him getting undressed only a few feet away from me.
“Charlie, you’re a good boy. Yes, you are. I know you’re scared, and this is all new, but you will be ok.” Using my most soothing tone, I looked him in the eyes. He blinked at me, appearing to relax. He had put himself as far away as possible, and I couldn’t get to him from where I was. My upper body was a hindrance. My shoulders and back were just too bulky.
I knew I had to ask the only other person around to help extract our friend. “River!” I say way too snappishly. I didn’t know the guy and treated him like he had offended me. Okay, he had offended me a little by scaring this poor fella, but otherwise, there was no reason I should hate him before I got to know him. It is interesting how the thought of his mouth and eyes also softened my feelings toward him.
“Did you call me?” I could see his feet from under the bed. It appeared he had a kitchen towel tied around one foot.
“Yeah, I need your help to get Charlie out from under the bed. Can you get down here next to me?” Charlie was on my right where I waslying, so I assumed River would also settle on my right. I knew his proximity was going to kill me. Hopefully, I could keep the memory of him lying on his back like a flipped turtle in my head. Nothing was attractive about that, and it made me chuckle to myself.
“Sure!” he said enthusiastically, then dropped to the ground on my left side. He then shimmied under the bed next to me.
“Wait. I need you on the other side, as close to Charlie as possible. Maybe move that end table a little if you can. I’ll need you to get him to climb in a ‘cave’ so we can bring him out.”
River squirmed back out from under the bed. He whimpered, which sounded like he was in pain. Once he cleared the bedframe, he stopped moving for a few moments. He grunted as he pushed up from the floor. He made other terrible noises, then stopped, returning to his knees. Instead of trying to stand up again, he straddled my waist with his thighs.
