“Yes. Thanks.”
“And we have to write up an injury report. I’ll come find you for that.”
He frowned. “For a scratch?”
“If it bleeds, it goes down on paper. In case your arm gets infected or something, detailed records make workman’s comp happy.”
He dropped his gaze to my bandaided finger and scuffed knuckle, then gave me an intent look. “Did you report your hand?”
“Paper cuts are exempt.” I waved him off. “Go fix your arm and then you can come back and help.”
His lips parted as if he was going to say something. He rubbed his arm where I'd accidentally shocked him and stared into my eyes. I found it hard to break his gaze. I felt as if he saw a part of me I needed to keep private, but that was nonsense, of course. Even if he’d picked me up on gaydar, well, I’d picked him up too, and anyhow I was out. My uncle pretended he didn’t know, and everyone else was cool with queerness. Alaric’s perceptiveness was no threat.
After a moment, he gave me a nod, whirled, and strode off into the store.
“He’s an odd one,” Minerva muttered. “Not afraid of work, though. Unlike some we’ve had in the past.” She waved Sheldon to take the bottom end of the door and they lifted the slab of oak together.
As they hauled the door back to the racks where we’d take off the hardware and measure it for a price tag, I squatted by the fallen lumber. The main damage was a broken rail on a rack holding trim pieces, spilling molding strips across the floor. Even in a suit, I could pick up the lighter ones and squeezed them into the next bin. I’d mess up Minerva’s sorting, but we’d have to fix that rail first. Luckily, we had plenty of free lumber. I smiled, eyeing the handmade racks I’d made years back. We cannibalized a certain amount of what came in to keep the store in good repair. Waste not, want not. I picked up a few strips with carved-leaf motifs and stood them upright.
Minerva and Sheldon returned and got to work shifting the rest of the doors and lumber stacked by the exit. I continued picking up the trim. It took me ten minutes to notice that Alaric hadn’t come back.Maybe he can’t find the kit, or maybe he’s more hurt than he admitted.
I straightened. “I’m going to go check on Alaric. You two okay here?”
“I think we can lift a few two by twos.” Minerva waved me off.
The office was deserted when I peered inside, the first aid kit in its place. I couldn’t tell if Alaric had used the supplies or not. There was no employee passed out on the floor. The office bathroom stood open and empty.Did he quit, from a little scrape?That didn’t fit with anything I’d imagined about him.
As I left the office, I spotted the door of my workshop standing ajar.I closed that, didn’t I?I strode over and as I got near, Alaric appeared in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder. I asked, “Can I help you with something?”
He jumped and turned. “The door was open.”
“And you got curious? You’ve seen the place before.”
Alaric licked his lips and came out with, “It’s your hideaway. I, um, wanted to know more about you. Who you are. What kind of man you are.”
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Short. Gay. Your boss.” Something hot and electric crossed the space between us, a potent mix of his wet lips and dark eyes and my words, echoing…
Alaric suddenly stepped in front of me, so close I had to tip my head back to look him in the eyes. “Do you care about that? Being my boss? You’re not the one who signs my paychecks.”
My uncle took care of payroll. Didn’t change the fact that I could fire Alaric. Which in turn didn’t change the fact that, this close, I could see the gold flecks in his brown eyes and the haze of stubble already regrowing on his chin. A quick breath didn’t help, bringing me the spicy, musky scent of his cologne and the earthier smell of his skin. For a man with the cheekbones and proud nose of Geef’s Lucifer statue, Alaric had an unfairly lush mouth.
A mouth that landed on mine a moment later.
My gasp of surprise was the wrong tactic, since it parted my lips for him. His tongue against mine sent blood racing to my dick. In a moment of shock, I didn’t fight when he swung us farther into the workshop and kicked the door shut. My arms went around him instinctively as he bent and kissed me again. His strong grip and hot mouth and male scent filled my senses.
Sanity came a moment too late. I pushed away from him, breathing hard, and he let me go.
“What the fuck was that?” I demanded, ignoring the way my heart was racing.
Alaric tilted his head. “Tell me you haven’t been flirting for the last week.”
“I haven’t!”Have I?Yeah, I’d spent time with Alaric, but I did with every new employee. I’d noticed him, no denying that, but flirting?
He stepped toward me and I backed up until my spine hit the workbench. I jerked my chin up to hold his gaze. He might be a foot taller, but I wasn’t afraid of him. This was my domain.
Alaric reached out and fingered my pinstriped lapel. “Tell me you haven’t been wearing a suit to a warehouse of all places, for a week, for my benefit.”
So you’d know your place.I wasn’t about to put it like that. “I’m the boss.”
