Tough Luck (A-List Security 1)

“At least you’re easily amused,” Cash called back from where he was poking around the kitchen. “And let’s hope that’s not the only bed.”

Chapter Eleven

Cash

This place better have a second bed. Hell, I was one hundred percent willing to build another bed my own damn self if there wasn’t one. Because no way, no how was I sharing the loft with Daniel. Not with him looking all cute scampering up the ladder, all delighted noises as he explored, calling out his discoveries like this was an amazing adventure. He was treating this whole thing like an extended field trip. I supposed that was better than him acting like a prisoner, and his enthusiasm certainly made things easier.

And hard. So hard. I wasn’t supposed to find anything about him cute. Or sweet or hot. Definitely not that, and my eyeballs needed to get a hobby beyond staring at his lips or ass. An ass that was now shaking as he crawled around the low space in the loft.

“You were right,” he crowed from his perch. “I found tons of books up here. I don’t read mysteries, but there are several comic compilations and graphic novels too. Score!”

“Awesome.” Leaving him and all his distracting body parts to have fun in the loft, I investigated more of the first floor. I’d only done a cursory check earlier to ensure the place was unoccupied, so I took my time exploring. Teeny kitchen with a half-size stove and small fridge. Mismatched cabinets someone had painted apple green, but the cheerful paint couldn’t disguise the homeliness of the space. A back porch beyond the kitchen revealed a grill, an outdoor eating space, an old-fashioned porch swing, and an outdoor tub, one of those old clawfoot kinds, right out in the open in a little garden. And, of course, my long-dormant imagination chose that instant to supply an image of Daniel enjoying a bath among the rocks and weeds.

Fuck. Back inside. Pronto. I liked the stone fireplace surrounding the woodstove in the corner with two oversize chairs in front of it. And thank you, sweet baby Jesus, I found a tucked-away sleeping nook near the bathroom. Only a twin-sized bed, but that was fine. I was used to tight quarters.

“Found a second bed,” I yelled out to Daniel.

“Yay.” He didn’t sound as happy as me. Had he wanted to share? I’d assumed his offer to kiss me was more about being nice, but was he actually attracted to me? And why did I care?

More questions to add to the big one looming in my brain. People tend to fear the unknown, I’d told him like I was some type of expert. I was such a fucking hypocrite because I had no intention of addressing that particular unknown. I’d leave my questions unanswered. Safer that way.

“We should make food,” I said as Daniel climbed back down the ladder. He had dust on his nose, and I had to shove my hands in my pockets to keep from wiping it away.

“Yeah, it was a long drive, and that popcorn wasn’t really a lunch.” Daniel looked around the kitchen, opening cupboards. “Tell me how to help. Do we have to pump water? Build a fire?”

His eagerness had me laughing. “Hang on there, Yosemite Sam. There’s a generator. The woodstove is for warmth, not cooking. And even though the spring thaw has come, we’ll still need the heat tonight.”

“Oh.” He sounded a little sad that we wouldn’t be roasting our dinner.

“There’s a grill outside. If you want to cook with fire, maybe we can get some hot dogs at the little general store we saw.”

“I like that idea.” He grinned like barbecuing would be a huge treat. “So there’s indoor plumbing too?”

“Yes. Pretty basic, and the water is solar heated, so no long showers, but there’s a septic system and well pump once I kick the generator on.”

“I wanna see.” He followed me out to the generator house. Luckily, it was a newer push-start kind, and it roared to life on the first try. Way smoother than some of the systems I’d had to deal with in the field.

“Yay! We did it!” Daniel’s enthusiasm was so contagious that even I had to smile.

“We did good. Now to put away the food and make some dinner.” I led the way back to the Jeep, and we collected the supplies Harley had hooked us up with.

“There’s not much fresh,” Daniel observed as we put away the cans of food. The fridge had hummed to life, but we only had a few basics like milk, eggs, and cheese.

“There’s no blender either, Mr. Smoothie King, but we can add produce to the shopping list.” Taking Daniel on a trip into the tiny mountain town would be a risk, but I was also looking at the supplies with an eye to needing a few things. Like meat. There was only so much soup I was willing to have, but right then, it was our best bet for dinner. “This brand of soup doesn’t have stars. Sorry.”