A Restored Man (10 page)

Aidan placed his hands on his hips, looked upward and exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry," he said, dramatically.

Cole smiled smugly.

Aidan looked at him with one of his
I'm-going-to-kill-you-slow
glares. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Cole nodded slowly. "So, are we good?"

Aidan smirked. "Yeah, we're good."

"Good," Cole said, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Aidan's midsection.

"We're not
that
good," Aidan said, raising his hands.

"Thanks for getting me that job," Cole said before finally releasing Aidan.

Aidan straightened his suit and shirt. "I take it you and Ty got along then."

Cole smiled. "Ty's awesome. He's really easy to get along with, but it's probably that twisted sense of humor of his."

Aidan cocked his head. "Sense of humor?"

Cole plopped himself down on the loveseat. "Yeah," he said and chuckled.

Aidan paced the room a few more times then finally sat in the couch opposite Cole and leaned forward. "You mean he was joking around with you?"

"Why does everyone get all weird when I say that? Yes, he was cracking jokes and laughing, too. That's not a fucking crime, you know," Cole said, lowering his brow.

Aidan clasped his hands and grew silent.

Cole threw his head back on the couch. "Don't tell me I said something wrong."
Dammit
. He would never get this shit right. He looked back at Aidan when he didn't answer.

Aidan pursed his lips. His brows were furrowed and his eyes hid something odd in their expression. His glare, usually intimidating, was softer with a hint of worry. The hesitation was…out of character. Aidan didn't hesitate or ever appear indecisive. "You made him laugh," he said, his voice lower than usual.

"I'm pretty sure at my expense sometimes, but yeah. Why is that so weird?"

Aidan rose from his seat and walked toward the back door. He gripped the door handle and held that position for a few moments as if gathering his thoughts. He finally turned, looking off to the side rather than directly at Cole. His Adam's apple bobbed. He cleared his throat and said a few words before finally leaving.

"I haven't heard him laugh in almost two years."

Cole chatted and joked with the guys early in the morning, waiting for that moment when Ty would finally exit his office. He liked the techs and had appreciated working with them those first few days, but nothing beat his time with Ty. They worked effortlessly together, and oftentimes, it seemed as if they shared the same thought. It was both odd and exciting. He'd never meshed so fluidly with someone, not even the guys from his crew. He thought it might have been a new-hire honeymoon phase and figured Ty would come to his senses over the weekend and kick him to the curb. But he hadn't. They had spent the entire week working together and he loved every moment of it.

He was shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting for Ty, anxiously hoping the trend would continue for the rest of the week. He had finally discovered a hint of snark hidden under that calm, shy, reserved, and cordial exterior—and he absolutely loved it. He was helpless against Ty's smile and that low rumble-laugh always seemed to make his dick twitch. But most of all, around Ty, the billion thoughts that always ran circles in his mind of what he needed to change or improve on seemed to slow to a tolerable pace and quiet to a dull hum. Ty gave him a sense of peace no one had ever given him before.

He absently laughed at some joke Jeff said but couldn't recall what he was laughing about. All he could think about was Ty. The paint work was moving along quickly with only a few minor details to finish off. Once the paint work was completed, would Ty still want him around?

"You want some coffee?" Wayne asked, pulling Cole out of his somber thoughts.

Cole shook his head. "I'll pass. I think I'd explode if I had any caffeine."

It was perfect. Too perfect. He was waiting for something to happen that would fuck everything up. He glanced over to Ty's office again. The lights were on but the blinds were drawn.

Aidan's comment still weighed heavily on him. Ty seemed to laugh so easily with him, but apparently not with others. Cole closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. He paused and tried to control that demonic bitch named
curiosity
that thrived within him. He had kept her in check for most of the week, but she was itching to claw her way to the surface. He probably shouldn't ask, but something had happened almost two years ago that changed Ty's life. Something big enough to stop the laughter and make him decide to no longer do shows for his shop.

He looked up, saw movement in Ty's office and willed him to open the blinds. Within seconds, the blinds slid open to reveal a very sleepy looking Ty with disheveled hair and a plain white shirt.

Cole stood stock-still. And so did his dick.

The messy look suited him well. Ty rubbed his hand in his hair, which only served to stiffen Cole's hard-on further. Since when had messy hair been such a turn on? Ty's arm flexed with the motion to reveal the muscles built from natural work.

Coveralls suck. They must have been invented by a nun.

An arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Yeah, just sanding and painting," Jeff said quietly.

"Fuck you," Cole replied in a hushed tone, hoping and praying the work pants were thick enough to hide his hard-on.

Jeff snorted. "Just in case you're wondering, he sleeps in his office."

Cole looked over to him. The old guy was a mind reader. "What's on the agenda for today?" he asked, trying like hell to ignore Ty, who was now stretching.

Motherfucker. Is he exercising?

"I don't know, but I'm guessing Ty's going to kidnap you to try to finish the paint work," Jeff said with a teasing tone. "We're all great with our hands under the hood and with body work, but we collectively suck at painting."

Cole ducked his head to hide the smile. He was totally on board with spending more time with Ty, but he wasn't going to give away any details. A code of behavior that had kept him and his crew clean for years—
don't admit anything, never reveal anything, and only answer the question asked
. He didn't have a clue if Ty was out or not to his team so he certainly wasn't going to be the guy to do that for him. Regardless of what everyone thought, he did have some boundaries.

He chanced another glance toward Ty's office. Ty was still stretching.

Cole sighed and winced as he adjusted his crotch. His attraction to Ty was a growing problem.

Literally.

* * * * *

Ty couldn't get the stubborn knot out of his neck, and his shoulder was killing him. He should have taken more breaks. The extra lifting and work of the past week were catching up with him. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was going to pay for it today. He followed the routine his physical therapist had taught him—ten seconds in each position, then repeat. He clasped his hands and stretched his arms above his head, trying to ignore the tight pull at his side. He quickly released the pose after two seconds and exhaled heavily.

The removal of the pressure garment was supposed to help, not make it worse.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He was getting better. His recovery was moving along swiftly enough that he could cut back on his physical therapy to once-a-month follow-ups—but only if he kept up with the at-home regimen. With renewed determination, he clasped his hands again and stretched.

He gritted his teeth. He was not quitting.

He needed to get to work. They'd gotten ahead on the Drayton project and he was not going to risk falling behind again. Besides, spending another day working alongside Cole was enough motivation. He closed his eyes and counted, slowly exhaling as he held the position and felt the tightness at his side ease slightly.

He finally stopped when his cell phone rang.

He checked the caller ID and sighed. "Hello," he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Calloway. I'm calling to confirm your ten o'clock appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Newman."

Ty rubbed his eyes and grimaced as he reached for the note stuck on his monitor to confirm the time. "I'll be there. Thank you."

"Thank you, sir," the woman responded, before disconnecting the call.

Finally feeling semi-normal, Ty zipped up his coveralls, grabbed the file of work orders from his desk, and exited his office, ready for another day. He patted his pocket and smiled, making his way to the coffee station.

"Good morning, sir. I rescheduled your service appointments to next week as you requested. Here you go," Stacie said, handing him a cup of coffee.

He took the mug and handed her the folder. "Here are the work orders for service. Can you make sure we have all these items on hand for the appointments, please?"

"Of course," Stacie said with her usual glowing smile.

He looked at Cole who was shifting his weight from foot to foot. "So how much coffee have you had already?"

Cole turned quickly and grinned. "This is me,
au naturel
."

Ty hid behind the mug. "That's a scary thought."

"So, am I working with you again or did you get tired of me already?"

Ty finished his coffee and rinsed out his mug. "If you can put up with me another day, I think we might be able to get most of the final painting done. Does that work for you?"

"I'm all yours," Cole said with a bit of a teasing tone in his voice.

Ty shook his head, trying not to let his mind wander too much. "C'mon," he said, leading Cole to the paint bays. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say to strike up a conversation with Cole, but he loved hearing him talk about anything he enjoyed. Regardless of what they spoke about, if Cole liked the subject matter, it came through in his smile, his tone, and that laugh that sometimes echoed through the bays. He had a joy that was intoxicating. And Ty just wanted to let Cole's brightness wash over that dark cloud that had hovered over him for the past two years. He craved it with every fiber of his being. "So…how are you managing here so far?"

Cole walked alongside Ty, but would step ahead, turn to walk backward, then walk alongside him again while he spoke. Repeatedly.

"Are you kidding me? Your shop is great and there's always some project going on."

Ty stopped walking midway to their destination. "Are you sure you haven't had any coffee?"

Cole shook his head. "Sorry, I tend to have a lot of nervous energy."

"So you're getting along with everyone?"

Cole nodded quickly. "Stacie's on some major happy pill but she's really nice. Jeff is a bit of a smartass but I get a kick out of that. The guys are cool. Everyone's nice, everything's good."

Ty looked over to him. "So am I lumped into the
guys who are cool
or the
everyone's nice
?"

Cole stood in front of Ty, facing him. "Both and neither."

Ty cocked his head to the side. "That's…I don't know what to say to that."

"Are you fishing for a compliment?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

Ty's cheeks heated. They had joked endlessly for the last few days but Cole always seemed to say or do something unexpected. This time, he was hoping to be the one who would catch Cole off guard. He reached into his pocket and handed the plastic bag to Cole.

Cole took the clear bag and turned it in his hands. He ripped open the package and removed the knit cap inside then looked up at Ty. "This for me?"

Ty nodded. "We had some thin knit caps done a few years ago so the staff could wear it under the paint masks if they wanted to. I remembered we had some left so I thought you might want one."

Cole looked down at the cap and flattened his hand gently on the knitting. He grazed his index finger over the embroidery and exhaled deeply without saying a word. He turned his back to Ty and quickly pulled off his beanie, ran his fingers through his hair then tucked it under the new cap. He turned and tugged at the sides, setting the knit material over his ears. He touched the label at the top to make sure it was centered above his brows. "How does it look?" he asked expectantly, with a huge grin on his face.

Ty reached out and touched the
Calloway's
stitched tag, wishing he could have seen Cole with his hair loose. "It's perfect."

Cole looked up at him with that teasing spark in his eye Ty enjoyed. "So you've tagged me as yours. Should I be worried?"

Ty's cheeks heated again.
Damn
. How the hell did Cole always manage to get the upper hand?

Cole laughed and grabbed Ty's arm, tugging him to resume walking. "You're too easy. C'mon."

They reached the paint booths, and Cole immediately grabbed the roll of paper and tape to begin masking off the remaining parts for the second color while Ty began taping off the guides for the accents. Ty occasionally glanced at Cole. He worked quickly, his focus intense even without the music flowing in the booth. Every now and then, his head would bob and he'd shake his ass. Ty couldn't help but laugh, wondering what song played in Cole's head as he worked. He finished masking off the last of the panels then joined Ty.