Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
And he planned to.
“Shit,” he whispered. “I might cry.”
Tate moved in behind him. He circled his arm around Liam’s waist and rested his chin on Liam’s shoulder. “No one will think any less of you if you do,” he said before kissing Liam’s cheek. “Everyone is here because they love you.”
The past two months had been unlike any other time in his life. After a thorough assessment, the fire chief determined the studio building was foundationally unstable, which meant they couldn’t safely stay in the apartment until repairs had been made.
They’d been staying in Tate’s trailer, which was as interesting as it sounded. Some of the trailer park residents were open and friendly, while others had dished out some impressive side-eye at him living with Tate. A few were openly hostile, calling slurs and throwing rocks at Liam’s car. Tate was aggressive in his defense of Liam and their relationship, going toe-to-toe with anyone who so much as glared in their direction. And wonders of wonders, Randy also came to their defense, standing by Tate’s side at every turn.
“Maybe you should say something,” Tate whispered.
“Oh, yeah. I can do that.” He turned his head and found Tate’s lips for a quick kiss. Well, it was meant to be quick, but Tate, the sexy sneak, slipped his tongue into Liam’s mouth and upped the ante. “Damn,” he said when the kiss finally ended. “You’re sexy. Any chance you’d be interested in a date when we’re done today?”
Chuckling, Tate shook his head. “Can’t, sorry. I already got a man. He’s the kinda guy who’ll poison my food if I so much as look at another dude.”
That had Liam laughing. “And don’t you forget it,” he said, pinching Tate’s buff arms.
Tate released him. “Go speak to your admirers,” he said before swatting Liam’s ass playfully.
“Hey, hands off the goods, buddy. You think your boyfriend is scary, you should meet mine.” He winked, then turned to face the crowd milling around outside his charred studio. Taking a few steps forward, he cleared his throat and peered at the people dressed in work clothes and carrying an assortment of tools. Jonah and their new friends were among the helpers. He’d never seen a pair of pink sparkly work overalls, but Trevor wore them well.
“Um, hey, everyone, I just want to say a few things before we get started.”
All eyes turned to him. It seemed as though half the town had come out to help demo the remains of his studio. With this many hands, a job he’d assumed would take him, Tate, and Randy days of grueling demo work should be done by the end of the day.
“I’m completely shocked by all of you being here to help us today. Shocked and more grateful than I can put into words.” His throat thickened again, and he blinked to keep from making a fool of himself and crying in front of all these people. “Uh, so before I start bawling like a baby, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for accepting me and giving up your weekend to help save my dream.”
“We love you, Liam!” Trevor shouted, making everyone holler and cheer.
His face heated to a thousand degrees. Being the center of attention didn’t bother him. Usually, he lapped it up, but this day was so emotionally charged nothing felt normal. “So, we’ve already gone through and salvaged what little was savable. Everything else is going. Two dumpsters were dropped off last night. Basically, we just need to fill them up. So, I guess, let’s do it.”
“Woo-hoo!” Someone shouted, and the crowd broke apart as people went straight to work shoveling ash and burned debris to deposit in the dumpsters.
“Good job, Luxe,” Tate said as he hefted a sledgehammer onto his shoulder. A toolbelt hung low on his hips, loaded with various supplies. He wore a white tank, already soaked with sweat thanks to the late August heat. Liam would bet money Tate would lose the shirt in the next ten minutes, completing the work bare-chested.
“Geez, baby, how the hell am I supposed to do anything today when you look like that?” he asked, waving a hand at Tate’s general sexiness.
His man’s smile turned lascivious. “Oh yeah? You like this construction vibe I have going on?”
“Like it,” he whispered. “I’m half hard already. You look like you walked right off the set of half the porn videos out there.”
“Really?” Tate arched an eyebrow and stroked a hand up the length of the sledgehammer’s handle. “So you like my big tool, do you?”
A loud laugh burst from him. “It’s very impressive.”
Tate stepped close enough to whisper in Liam’s ear. “When we’re done here, I’ll show you how to use it.”
Tate’s warm breath tickled Liam’s cheek, sending shivers across his skin.
“No need for a lesson. I’m already very skilled with big, thick tools and willing to show you what I know.”