“Right.” Ozzy gestured toward the fence. “If that’s the case, let’s get to tilling up some of this ground for planting. Should only take a couple more hours to prep the ground for the shrubs I want to put in.”
“Point taken. All right.” Jack gestured instead to the back door of the house. “Let’s go look at sheds.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Ozzy let the shower pound into his muscles, as much as it could. This wasn’t a high-end hotel, so it wasn’t like he had a massaging shower head or a rainfall or anything like that at his disposal. But for a small town hotel with a noticeably cheap-looking shower head, it did a fine enough job with his sore shoulders and back. It really hadn’t been that rough a day, but every time he saw Evander come too close, he tensed up like he was about to get punched.
He leaned his head against the wall and turned the cold water all the way down. Within about ten or fifteen seconds, the water heated up, searing away at him. Ozzy sighed and repositioned so it washed over his hair, his scalp, down his neck. He twisted a bit to keep it from stinging his junk, but other than that, he let the heat burn at him for a good five minutes before finally turning the shower off and stepping out onto the tiny hand towel he had in place of a mat.
He dried off just enough so he didn’t leave a trail across the tile and carpet, then headed over to his bed and flopped down. His mind spun around and around different ideas for the yard. In spite of all his work on the layout, the details were still a blur. What colors of gravel and pavers should he use? What about the stain for the concrete, since both patios had seen better days and needed some sprucing? The filler flowers, the bushes, the logistics for the privacy wall and the lighting setup for the outbuilding patio.
He also kept tripping over those damn rose bushes. Melanie was tied down to this idea of surprising her parents and she was the client they were working for. Well, technically. As far as Ozzy was concerned, they were working for Homescapes TV. It just so happened that Homescapes was ceding all control to Melanie.
It all amounted to Ozzy not seeing any realistic way to get those rose bushes transplanted. Best case, he would have to leave a spot for them and then hurry to uproot them and getthem planted after the reveal. Worst case, he’d leave information on who to call to get them moved and hope like hell everyone involved decided it was worth the money and effort.
Ozzy cringed at the thought of those big, beautiful bushes being left behind. Some of the loveliest rose bushes he’d seen in the years he’d worked in landscaping. Before that probably, too, but he had much more exposure to well-maintained plants after he started work.
Knock knock knock.
It was quiet, but definitely a knock at his door. Ozzy groaned and waited.Maybe they’ll go away. He really didn’t want company. Or to move.
Knock knock knock.
A little louder, more forceful. Ozzy groaned louder, then rolled off his bed. He pulled the sheet with him, yanking it free from the edges of the bed. Once he had it out, he wrapped it around his waist, leaving it to trail behind him. He only tripped on it a little.
Knock knock knock. “Oswald?”
He froze.The fuck is he doing here?One more time, Ozzy almost didn’t bother answering the door. He couldn’t think ofanythingworse to do than talk to Evander. With only a sheet around his waist.
But Evander wouldn’t just go away on his own, so Ozzy opened the door in spite of knowing better and raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you?”
Chapter twelve
Evander
Whoa. Evander swallowed hard as Ozzy filled up the doorway. The overalls were one thing, but it had been alongtime since Evander had seen him shirtless…naked. He had definitely been naked before Evander knocked, otherwise he would have had something better than a sheet to cover his bits. His belly was flat, nipples dark and pert—no shock, since even opening the door, it felt cold as fuck in that room—and he looked every bit as gorgeous as he had when they were dating. It was almost like stepping back in time.
Even that damn raised eyebrow. Ozzy loved to bust it out when he thought he was being fun or clever. The smile before he spoke also gave it away, if Evander hadn’t been so familiar with his expressions. “Can I help you?”
A dozen sexy, innuendo-laden answers played through Evander’s mind. He pursed his lips tight to prevent any of themfrom flying out until he could get control of himself. It wasn’t as if this was the first time he’d seen Ozzy shirtless. Or wrapped in a sheet. Or naked and grinning in a hotel room.Vegas. Do I still have those shot glasses?
He sighed. “Oswald. Took you a bit. I hope you weren’t busy.”
“Just jerking it.”
Does he know what the hell he’s doing to me?The blood rushed out of Evander’s body and downstairs, in spite of his best efforts to will himself out of getting a hard-on. He definitely felt some thickening going on, but he put on his best face. Plus, being a little bit of a brat gave him a good excuse to stare openly down at Ozzy’s crotch. He frowned and clucked his tongue. “Really? I guess you’re not as big as I remember. Have a whole Ken doll vibe going on as far as I can see.”
Ozzy rolled his eyes, the smile dropping. “What do you want? I want to get back to my night.”
“Too bad.” Evander almost excused himself. They could meet up and talk about the damn patio later. When they were all dressed. But he’d come all the way there, so walking away would honestly just make him seem like a dick. Plus, why lie? They could be professionals. Just because his cock throbbed against the inside of his underwear and his knees quaked at the prospect of getting any closer didn’t mean he had to act on any of the desires now scraping at the back of his skull. “We need to hash out some specifics.”
“Now? During my jerk-off hour?”
“Oh, Oswald. It’s just us here. We both know you’ve never lasted an hour in your life.”
Ozzy stepped back. “Good night, Evander.”
“Wait.” Ev held his hands up in front of his chest. “Truce. It’s actually important. If you really need to finish up, I’ll take a walk around the lobby for a bit. Just promise me you’ll crack awindow or something. I don’t need to smell your cum while I’m trying to focus”
