Ethan wanted to argue with Beau, but then decided against it. He wasn’t going to win this one. And based on his body’s current reaction, he wasn’t so sure either one of them would walk out of this house before this pot of lust and need boiled up and over, spilling everywhere and creating a disaster that Ethan wasn’t quite ready to have to deal with.
Chapter Seventeen
♂♂
Beau
Beau pretended not to notice Ethan’s reaction to his words. His disbelief was clearly written across his ruggedly handsome face. And knowing that he had shocked Ethan made him a little giddy. Rather than give himself away, he admired Ethan from beneath his lashes, pretending to be interested in what was in the bowl in front of him.
He wasn’t used to seeing Ethan quite so clean cut, generally he was sporting a ball cap on backward, a t-shirt and jeans that had seen much better days, and a shadow of beard along his angular jaw. Today, the man looked entirely different. His hair was a little too long, but combed neatly, his face was smooth, and his clothes weren’t ones that he used as a grease rag on a regular basis.
And fuck if Beau didn’t find himself hard enough to pound nails. He was tired of playing this game with Ethan, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to handle it, especially if Lorrie Walker was getting involved. Despite what everyone thought, Beau knew for a fact that Lorrie offered a little helping hand in her sons’ relationships. Beau had the luxury of being on the outside looking in from time to time, and based on what he knew, she was at it again.
Only this time, her interference was going to work in Beau’s favor. At least he hoped it would.
“You boys aren’t finished yet?” Lorrie asked when she returned to the kitchen a few minutes later.
“You’re not gonna join us?” Ethan asked, jerking his gaze away from Beau as though he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Not today. I ate earlier with Sawyer.”
“This is wonderful, Mrs. Walker. Thanks for inviting me over,” Beau said, keeping his voice low and even.
“Well, when you’re done with that, there’s pumpkin pie in the refrigerator. I made one specifically for today.”
Beau wasn’t opposed to pumpkin pie or dessert of any kind for that matter, but he couldn’t quite figure out how his mind could deviate to images of Ethan naked and a can of whipped cream at the ready. Especially while Lorrie was still in the room.
To Beau’s surprise, Lorrie didn’t stick around, she just turned and headed back to the living room where she had come from. From where he sat at the kitchen table, he could see Curtis sitting in his recliner while Lorrie made herself comfortable on the couch, her e-reader in hand.
Forcing his gaze back to Ethan, he noticed him shoveling food in his mouth like it wasn’t going to be there a minute from now and he would die without nourishment.
It was obvious, Ethan was doing one of two things: ensuring he didn’t have to talk or finishing so he could flee.
Considering the possibilities that had been handed to him practically on a silver platter, Beau wasn’t ready for Ethan to disappear just yet. The opportunities to be alone with the guy, even if they weren’t completely alone, were few and far between, and he couldn’t imagine letting this chance to be closer to him get away.
“Hey, boy,” Curtis called from the living room and Ethan sat up and turned to face his father while Beau looked on.
“What’s up?” Ethan called out, his broad, muscular chest shifting sideways as he looked behind him, the crisp white t-shirt that accentuated his bronze skin stretching tightly over hard pecs.
Beau’s mouth watered.
“When you’re done feeding your face, your mother wants you and Beau to help her move some furniture upstairs.”
Lord have mercy. Beau’s dick throbbed, his jeans painfully tight, and it had nothing to do with the fact his stomach was now full. How the hell was he supposed to be able to resist a temptation like that one. The only rooms upstairs were the bedrooms that the brothers had used when they lived here as kids. Which meant, unless Lorrie had some strange furniture in the bathrooms, he was going to find himself alone in a bedroom with Ethan.
Beau glanced back to Ethan’s face, noticing he was staring intently at him. He wanted to ask him what the problem was, but he already knew. The idea of them being alone was having the same effect on Ethan as it was on him. Only…
“Hey, Mom,” Ethan called out, his eyes still locked with Beau’s.
“What, honey?”
“You mind if I invite Blake to Christmas dinner tomorrow?”
The low, animalistic growl that erupted from Beau’s chest was barely perceptible, however, it was unmistakable. He didn’t like the idea, but it wasn’t like he could do a damn thing about it. Ethan was going to push, and he was going to push hard. The guy wasn’t going to open up and admit anything he didn’t have to. Beau knew that much.