Theo smiled a little wider as Evan looked mildly horrified and shook his head. He translated that as terrible. You look terrible.
The tall man shrugged, wide shoulders slumping. Then he stuffed his discarded clothes into the side panniers on his bike.
When Evan began to undo his own tie, then went on to loop it around the other man’s collar, Theo moved a little closer to the window, feeling slightly voyeuristic. This was the most entertainment he’d had in… forever.
Evan finished straightening his tie on the other man, then carried on talking for a while, pointing at his hair. Theo heard the other man’s laughter from three floors up. Then he watched the man lean down a little as Evan pulled a comb from his back pocket.
Evan did his best, but even Theo could see that his mission was hopeless.
By this time, Theo had guessed that the taller dude was his next potential intern, Joel Hudson, an environmental studies major. Yes, he looked a little like he belonged in the great outdoors, rather than in an office.
Evan shook his head, and Theo couldn’t blame him. Even in a shirt and tie, the other man looked the opposite of suitable for a formal interview.
Still, he was resourceful; Theo would give him that at least. He’d nearly killed a stranger—just like Ben had with him at their first meeting—then used the opportunity to get some help with his interview preparation. He watched them for a few more minutes, while his back yelled at him to sit down again already. Oh yes, this guy was an opportunity taker.
He noticed the way he talked to Evan the whole time, his face completely animated.
When he pulled out a cell phone, Theo saw Evan recite, as if giving his own cell number.
“Smooth move, dude.” Theo remembered how Ben turned his own anger at their near-death almost-collision into an opportunity to extract his hotel name and room number from Theo within five minutes. When he’d opened his hotel door later that night to the handsome, energetic Italian, his life had changed forever.
Later, much later, Theo found himself wondering if opening the door to Joel Hudson was the moment that his whole life changed again.
W HEN Maggie arrived just before one, arms full of files and takeout for lunch, Theo heard her lean on the door buzzer, then let herself in. Even if he’d wanted to he couldn’t have explained exactly how he came to be flat on his front, stretched out on a sheet across his living room floor. It was, he judged, fairly inexplicable.
Besides, the fact that a smiling young man was kneading oil into his lower back would probably make any explanation he could come up with pretty redundant. So instead of explaining, he lowered his head to the sheet again, and groaned as Joel’s long, strong, amazing fingers pushed his pain away.
“Theo Anderson!” Maggie dumped the files on the couch before kneeling down beside him. “What did I tell you about lawsuits?”
Theo shook his head. He had no idea how he had progressed from interviewing the young man to allowing his shirt to be removed and practically begging him not to stop once he started with his massage demonstration.
“There’s no need to worry, ma’am. He already offered me the job, and I already accepted the position. This massage is for therapeutic purposes only, although if I’d known the effect it would have, I guess I would have offered right at the start. It would have saved a whole lot of talking.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Joel talked as if someone might ration words at any minute. He’d only stopped talking once he started rubbing Theo’s locked-up muscles. The silence had been incredible, and Theo had fallen headfirst into it, almost drifting off to sleep once he was sure that Joel’s actions weren’t going to make his back spasm any worse. Theo craned his head to the side, blinking into Maggie’s dark stare. “Get out while you still can, Maggie.” Theo’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper as he said, “I think he
The tall man shrugged, wide shoulders slumping. Then he stuffed his discarded clothes into the side panniers on his bike.
When Evan began to undo his own tie, then went on to loop it around the other man’s collar, Theo moved a little closer to the window, feeling slightly voyeuristic. This was the most entertainment he’d had in… forever.
Evan finished straightening his tie on the other man, then carried on talking for a while, pointing at his hair. Theo heard the other man’s laughter from three floors up. Then he watched the man lean down a little as Evan pulled a comb from his back pocket.
Evan did his best, but even Theo could see that his mission was hopeless.
By this time, Theo had guessed that the taller dude was his next potential intern, Joel Hudson, an environmental studies major. Yes, he looked a little like he belonged in the great outdoors, rather than in an office.
Evan shook his head, and Theo couldn’t blame him. Even in a shirt and tie, the other man looked the opposite of suitable for a formal interview.
Still, he was resourceful; Theo would give him that at least. He’d nearly killed a stranger—just like Ben had with him at their first meeting—then used the opportunity to get some help with his interview preparation. He watched them for a few more minutes, while his back yelled at him to sit down again already. Oh yes, this guy was an opportunity taker.
He noticed the way he talked to Evan the whole time, his face completely animated.
When he pulled out a cell phone, Theo saw Evan recite, as if giving his own cell number.
“Smooth move, dude.” Theo remembered how Ben turned his own anger at their near-death almost-collision into an opportunity to extract his hotel name and room number from Theo within five minutes. When he’d opened his hotel door later that night to the handsome, energetic Italian, his life had changed forever.
Later, much later, Theo found himself wondering if opening the door to Joel Hudson was the moment that his whole life changed again.
W HEN Maggie arrived just before one, arms full of files and takeout for lunch, Theo heard her lean on the door buzzer, then let herself in. Even if he’d wanted to he couldn’t have explained exactly how he came to be flat on his front, stretched out on a sheet across his living room floor. It was, he judged, fairly inexplicable.
Besides, the fact that a smiling young man was kneading oil into his lower back would probably make any explanation he could come up with pretty redundant. So instead of explaining, he lowered his head to the sheet again, and groaned as Joel’s long, strong, amazing fingers pushed his pain away.
“Theo Anderson!” Maggie dumped the files on the couch before kneeling down beside him. “What did I tell you about lawsuits?”
Theo shook his head. He had no idea how he had progressed from interviewing the young man to allowing his shirt to be removed and practically begging him not to stop once he started with his massage demonstration.
“There’s no need to worry, ma’am. He already offered me the job, and I already accepted the position. This massage is for therapeutic purposes only, although if I’d known the effect it would have, I guess I would have offered right at the start. It would have saved a whole lot of talking.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Joel talked as if someone might ration words at any minute. He’d only stopped talking once he started rubbing Theo’s locked-up muscles. The silence had been incredible, and Theo had fallen headfirst into it, almost drifting off to sleep once he was sure that Joel’s actions weren’t going to make his back spasm any worse. Theo craned his head to the side, blinking into Maggie’s dark stare. “Get out while you still can, Maggie.” Theo’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper as he said, “I think he
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