Free A Restored Man by Jaime Reese Page B

bothered much since it happened. They exchanged the bare minimum of words, but the work moved along swiftly. Cole hoped that was the only reason few words had been said. Not only did he want to keep the job and not risk losing his car, but he didn't want to push Ty away. Something about him drew him in like a moth to light.
    Cole glanced at the wall clock and saw the time. Julian would be there to pick him up at any minute. He wrapped up the last of what he was doing just as he heard the paint compressors shut off. He steeled himself and walked over to Ty's area, arriving just as Ty pulled off his paint mask.
    Cole tugged the edge of his beanie. "I set everything up so it's ready for early tomorrow morning. So you should be good to go."
    "You sound like you're abandoning me," Ty said, leaning against the booth door.
    Cole shoved his hands in his pants and looked away.
    "See you tomorrow," Ty said.
    Cole stilled and turned to Ty. "You still want me to come back?"
    Ty crossed his arms. "Why do you keep asking me that?" he asked, watching Cole intently.
    Cole tugged at his beanie. "I'm not usually told to stay at a job for more than a day. I've been here almost a week. I didn't want to push my luck."
    "Lucky for me they didn't keep you," Ty said with a half smile.
    Cole's pulse raced and his chest tightened. "I'm sorry about the Hulk stuff earlier. And the teasing stuff," he mumbled.
    Ty ducked his head, trying to maintain eye contact with Cole. "I'm not."
    Cole raised an eyebrow. "Careful what you wish for."
    "Bring it on, short stuff," Ty said with a huge grin on his face.
    Cole shook his head and walked away, giving Ty a backward wave. "See you tomorrow."
    He punched out and exited the shop to see Julian waiting in his truck. He climbed in and still had a silly grin on his face. The energy thrummed through his body so fiercely he barely felt the strain in his arms from a hard day's work.
    A couple of hours later, he was still humming and on a high from his workday. He was in the kitchen with Matt, Julian, and Luke when a knock at the back door echoed through the hallway.
    "I'll get that," Matt said, leaving them in the kitchen.
    Aidan walked in and greeted everyone then stared at Cole.
    Cole looked up from his seat at the dinner table but didn't say a word.
    "Matt tells me you've had a good week at the shop," Aidan said.
    Cole nodded. "Yeah, I guess I must have done something right."
    Aidan rubbed his thumb and index finger along his brows. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked Cole.
    "If you're going to beat the shit out of me, I'd prefer to have witnesses this time," Cole deadpanned.
    Aidan sighed heavily. "I don't plan on hitting you. Just give me a minute."
    "Did you plan on hitting me before?"
    Aidan muffled a curse. "Do you have to make this difficult? One fucking minute, asshole."
    Cole exhaled heavily then rose from the dinner table and followed Aidan into the living room.
    Aidan ran his fingers through his hair and paced the living room. "I want to apologize for the other day," he said then quieted.
    Cole held back a smile. "What did you say?"
    "Fuck you. You know what I said."
    "You said you wanted to apologize but I didn't hear you actually apologizing," Cole said, crossing his arms.
    Aidan placed his hands on his hips, looked upward and exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry," he said, dramatically.
    Cole smiled smugly.
    Aidan looked at him with one of his I'm-going-to-kill-you-slow glares. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
    Cole nodded slowly. "So, are we good?"
    Aidan smirked. "Yeah, we're good."
    "Good," Cole said, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Aidan's midsection.
    "We're not that good," Aidan said, raising his hands.
    "Thanks for getting me that job," Cole said before finally releasing Aidan.
    Aidan straightened his suit and shirt. "I take it you and Ty got along then."
    Cole smiled. "Ty's awesome. He's really easy to get along with, but it's probably that twisted sense of humor of his."
    Aidan