around the mouth of the bottle, sliding it in and out just the slightest bit before tipping it up and taking a drink. Chris gulped, lust curling in his gut at the sight. Jesse swallowed and winked at Chris before returning to the conversation, and Chris thought he’d go up in flames. Just spontaneously selfcombust right there.
Determined not to let Jesse get the better of him—the jackaroo might be older, but Chris was no inexperienced kid—Chris lifted his own beer to his mouth, rolling the rim of the glass back and forth along his lower lip, waiting for Jesse to turn his way before licking a drop of beer off the bottle. He swore he saw sparks flare in Jesse’s eyes.
He rocked onto the back legs of his chair and grinned in triumph. He might be susceptible to Jesse’s flirting, but Jesse was just as susceptible to him. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“The meat’s ready,” Patrick called. “Grab some plates and come serve yourselves. Carley made some side dishes and there’s more beer as well as soda or tea if you’d prefer that.”
Chris set his beer on the table, wondering how he’d manage to hold a plate and serve himself at the same time with his bad arm when Jesse smiled at him. God, it was hard not to imagine that mouth doing things to him when Jesse winked at him again. “Get your plate and tell me what you want,” Jesse said. “I’ll fill you up.”
Chris narrowed his eyes, but Jesse smiled at him, daring him to say anything. Chris just nodded, not trusting himself to do anything but beg Jesse to do exactly that, right now. “Later,” he finally croaked.
“Later for sure,” Jesse agreed, focusing in on Chris’s backside. Chris swore he felt the caress like a touch, but Jesse’s hands were at his side, not anywhere near the seat of Chris’s jeans. He cleared his throat and tried to adjust himself discreetly. The last thing he needed was for the others to notice his hard-on. He didn’t care if Jesse noticed. Hell, he hoped Jesse would do a lot more than notice before the night was over! He just didn’t want the other mechanics ragging on him for it.
Fortunately no one but Jesse seemed to pay any attention to Chris’s slightly awkward gait as he crossed the yard to where Patrick and Carley had the food laid out.
“What’ll you have?” Jesse asked. “Steak, snags, rissoles, ooh, is that lamb?”
“You’ll be tired of lamb before the summer’s over,” Patrick joked.
Jesse shook his head. “I never get tired of lamb. What do you want, Chris?”
“A couple of snags and a rissole,” Chris said. “That salad looks good, and fresh potato salad? I haven’t had that since before my mum got sick.”
Jesse loaded up Chris’s plate with meat and fixings, all without further comment, but Chris had no illusions the innuendo was done. He only hoped he could give as good as he got.
Back at the table, Chris nearly choked on his beer when Jesse picked up a whole sausage and put the tip in his mouth, grinning around it before biting off a mouthful.
“So, Chris,” Carley said, sitting down next to Jesse, fortunately after he’d put the snag back on his plate, “where are you from?”
“Adelaide,” Chris said, “but we left a while back. Mum got sick and couldn’t keep her job. We ended up in Canberra because that’s where her husband’s family was, but after she died, there wasn’t anything to keep us there.”
“You didn’t want to stay with your stepfather?”
Carley asked.
“Carley,” Patrick said, joining them. “Let the boy eat.
You can give him the third degree later.”
Chris shot Patrick a grateful smile. He really didn’t
want to talk about Tony, but maybe it would be better to
get it all out in the open once and for all. Then people
wouldn’t always be looking for casual ways to ask about
it.
“We weren’t his kids,” Chris said after a few bites,
not looking up as he spoke. He didn’t want to see their
reactions. “After Mum died, he told us to get out.
Determined not to let Jesse get the better of him—the jackaroo might be older, but Chris was no inexperienced kid—Chris lifted his own beer to his mouth, rolling the rim of the glass back and forth along his lower lip, waiting for Jesse to turn his way before licking a drop of beer off the bottle. He swore he saw sparks flare in Jesse’s eyes.
He rocked onto the back legs of his chair and grinned in triumph. He might be susceptible to Jesse’s flirting, but Jesse was just as susceptible to him. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“The meat’s ready,” Patrick called. “Grab some plates and come serve yourselves. Carley made some side dishes and there’s more beer as well as soda or tea if you’d prefer that.”
Chris set his beer on the table, wondering how he’d manage to hold a plate and serve himself at the same time with his bad arm when Jesse smiled at him. God, it was hard not to imagine that mouth doing things to him when Jesse winked at him again. “Get your plate and tell me what you want,” Jesse said. “I’ll fill you up.”
Chris narrowed his eyes, but Jesse smiled at him, daring him to say anything. Chris just nodded, not trusting himself to do anything but beg Jesse to do exactly that, right now. “Later,” he finally croaked.
“Later for sure,” Jesse agreed, focusing in on Chris’s backside. Chris swore he felt the caress like a touch, but Jesse’s hands were at his side, not anywhere near the seat of Chris’s jeans. He cleared his throat and tried to adjust himself discreetly. The last thing he needed was for the others to notice his hard-on. He didn’t care if Jesse noticed. Hell, he hoped Jesse would do a lot more than notice before the night was over! He just didn’t want the other mechanics ragging on him for it.
Fortunately no one but Jesse seemed to pay any attention to Chris’s slightly awkward gait as he crossed the yard to where Patrick and Carley had the food laid out.
“What’ll you have?” Jesse asked. “Steak, snags, rissoles, ooh, is that lamb?”
“You’ll be tired of lamb before the summer’s over,” Patrick joked.
Jesse shook his head. “I never get tired of lamb. What do you want, Chris?”
“A couple of snags and a rissole,” Chris said. “That salad looks good, and fresh potato salad? I haven’t had that since before my mum got sick.”
Jesse loaded up Chris’s plate with meat and fixings, all without further comment, but Chris had no illusions the innuendo was done. He only hoped he could give as good as he got.
Back at the table, Chris nearly choked on his beer when Jesse picked up a whole sausage and put the tip in his mouth, grinning around it before biting off a mouthful.
“So, Chris,” Carley said, sitting down next to Jesse, fortunately after he’d put the snag back on his plate, “where are you from?”
“Adelaide,” Chris said, “but we left a while back. Mum got sick and couldn’t keep her job. We ended up in Canberra because that’s where her husband’s family was, but after she died, there wasn’t anything to keep us there.”
“You didn’t want to stay with your stepfather?”
Carley asked.
“Carley,” Patrick said, joining them. “Let the boy eat.
You can give him the third degree later.”
Chris shot Patrick a grateful smile. He really didn’t
want to talk about Tony, but maybe it would be better to
get it all out in the open once and for all. Then people
wouldn’t always be looking for casual ways to ask about
it.
“We weren’t his kids,” Chris said after a few bites,
not looking up as he spoke. He didn’t want to see their
reactions. “After Mum died, he told us to get out.
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