Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Chapter 3
The sexiest man he had ever met or, for that matter, ever seen was in his house, and Spencer was forcing him to talk about refinishing floors. His ex was right; there was something wrong with him.
“I’m sorry,” Spencer said. “You didn’t come here to work, and I’ve got you crawling on the floor.”
A slow smile crawled up Emilio’s face, followed by a light chuckle. “You sure do have a way with words.”
Oh God, that had come out all wrong. “I didn’t mean… I….”
“It’s okay, baby,” Emilio said as he slowly raised himself to his feet. “I don’t mind giving you a professional opinion on this house.”
Being called “baby” stunned him. He was older than Emilio. They’d just met. He wasn’t really the endearment type, as proven by the fact that his exes rarely called him anything other than Spencer and maybe the occasional “Spence.”
“Should we look at the kitchen next?” Emilio asked.
“The kitchen?”
“Yeah.” Emilio took his hand again, like he had outside, like it was the most natural thing in the world, and started walking through the dining room toward the kitchen. “That’s where you want to start the remodeling, right?”
“Yes, but how did you know that? And how do you know where the kitchen is?”
Spencer followed along as he asked the questions. He was completely off balance, his head was swimming, and the only thing stopping him from asking the stranger what was going on was a niggling fear that he was already supposed to know. Emilio was acting like everything was perfectly normal, and as disconnected as Spencer was to social settings, he had to leave room for the possibility that the only odd thing about the situation was him.
“People usually start with the kitchen when they’re remodeling,” Emilio said, answering his first question before moving on to the second. “I’ve been in a lot of these old houses, and they’re usually laid out the same way. Entryway leading to a living room on one side and a dining room on the other. The kitchen is behind the dining room, overlooking the backyard, sometimes with a little eating space. The bedrooms and bathroom can be accessed through the living room or a hallway off the kitchen.”
The house was small enough that they were standing in the kitchen by the time Emilio finished his explanation. He looked at Spencer and quirked one corner of his mouth up. “How’d I do?” he asked, sounding a little smug. It was sexy. “Did I miss anything?”
Spencer furrowed his brow and said, “I’m not sure how I feel about being so predictable.”
With a small tug, he was suddenly pressed against Emilio, chest to chest. The big man cupped his cheek with his free hand and rubbed his thumb under Spencer’s chin. “Your house is predictable, not you.” He gazed into Spencer’s eyes and lowered his voice. “To be honest, this is a little new to me. Hopefully I’m doing all right.”
Judging by the erection still throbbing in Spencer’s pants, he would have given Emilio high marks. But it wasn’t like he could articulate that answer, particularly because he wasn’t completely sure what Emilio was asking.
“What’s new to you?” he asked. “Do you mean the remodeling work or, uh….” He gulped. “Are you talking about the other, the, uh, coming home with me?”
“Damn, you’re cute.” Emilio moved his hand through Spencer’s hair and massaged his nape. “My family is in construction, there ain’t nothin’ new about that to me.” He grinned again, in that lopsided, self-assured manner. “And I’m pretty good at going home with guys too. But usually that means I get real familiar with their bedrooms.” His eyes seemed to darken as he peered at Spencer. “I’ve never met anyone like you, baby. That’s what I meant. So—” He paused. “How am I doin’? Do I got a chance here?”
Either the ground was shaking or he was. This couldn’t be real. Things like this didn’t happen to Spencer Derdinger: Great-looking men acting like he was some sort of catch. Hard-ons that wouldn’t quit. Free remodeling advice.
“A chance at what?” he asked, needing to understand what he was being asked, needing to know what was going on.
“A chance at you, baby.”
“I don’t know what that means. How old are you? I’m thirty-eight; that has to be older than you. Why do you keep calling me baby?”
Emilio stepped back and dragged his gaze from Spencer’s head to his feet and back again. Then he dipped down and whispered into Spencer’s ear. “I’m twenty-two. From the first day I saw you outside of your building, I’ve wanted you. Being older don’t matter. If anything, it’s a good thing. I think you’re hot as hell. All I need is a chance to show you how it can be between us.”
“I have no idea what that means,” Spencer whispered.