“Anyone’s capable of murder under the right circumstances. I don’t think you’re stupid enough to kill someone to protect my honor, but you’ve been full of surprises lately. And I simply want to hear it from you.”
“No, I didn’t kill anybody.”
“Good. I’m tired. We’re camping again tonight, aren’t we? I’m gonna set the alarm on my phone. Olly will be here tomorrow and, knowing him, probably early. We’ll need to make a run to the hardware store to get…stuff.” She gesture at the house. “Time to wrap this thing up.”
Olly arrived at eight, wearing ratty jeans and a T-shirt—dressed for work—but still managed to look fresh and crisp. Ever thoughtful, he was bearing coffee and baked-ham-and-cheese croissants, but for once Rich and Sandy were ahead of him. They’d had breakfast of cold cereal and taken a trip to Lowe’s to return the sander and buy all the things they needed for the hardwood floors. Not just the sealant and polyurethane, but brushes, applicators, knee pads, gloves and masks too. The whole enchilada.
Once they were suited up, Rich led them to the smaller bedroom and demonstrated how to apply the sealant, starting at the edges and moving on to the rest of the floor.
“I thought we were going to stain it,” Olly commented.
Rich shook his head. “It’s pine—doesn’t take well to stain. Don’t worry, the wood won’t stay this pale. Once we’re done, it’ll be nice and blond.” His gaze strayed to Olly’s light hair. “Honey colored,” he corrected himself.
“Clover honey?” Olly asked, cocking his head to the side. The corners of his lips twitched with a smothered smile.
Rich sensed zings of electricity starting to fill in the space between them. They made the small hairs on his skin stand up. “If you say so—you’re the honey expert.” Rich was surprised to hear his own words coming out in a low rumble.
Sandy cleared her throat. “So, about the floor…”
“Right, the floor.” Rich handed her the brush. “As I said, the edges first, then the middle with the applicator. Got it?”
“Yes, boss.” Sandy pulled the mask over her nose and got to work.
Rich sent Olly to the other bedroom while he moved on to the living and dining rooms. They opened into each other without doors, so it made sense to do them together. The others finished in their smaller rooms before him and helped him finish before moving on to the kitchen with a brief detour to the laundry room, making their way through the house front to back, and out to the back porch.
“Now what?” Sandy asked, flopping onto the couch.
“Now we wait. In about two hours, the sealant will be dry, and we can do a coat of polyurethane,” Rich replied.
“Ah, good, my knees are killing me.” She unbuckled her kneepads and tossed them aside. “I need to pee.”
Rich pulled a face. “Well, you can’t go inside.”
She dug into her pocket to check for money. “I’m gonna walk down to the corner coffee shop and use the facilities. Should I bring you guys back anything?”
Olly was cleaning brushes and applicators at the bottom of the porch steps. “Ice coffee would be nice.”
She nodded. “You, Rich?”
“Same.”
“I’ll be back in twenty,” she said and trod off.
Rich sat on the couch, leaned back and stretched his legs out. “Almost done.” He meant the house in general. The floor needed a few more coats.
Olly laid the last brush out to dry on a rag and sat next to Rich. Close. He slumped low, leaning his head sideways on the backrest, and studied Rich through half-closed eyes. The languid-cat pose fit him well. Rich stared back, wordless and motionless. Being late morning, heat was filling the air, but it was still nice in the shelter of the covered porch. The trees shading the backyard rustled their leaves in the breeze, and a lovesick dove cooed on the neighbor’s roof. It was all very sleep-inducing, but Rich felt wide awake. Olly tilted his head an inch, and his lips parted, pink tip of his tongue darting out.
Rich moved on impulse to close the distance. They kissed hungrily but slowly, tasting, exploring with every touch of tongue and press of lips. Rich felt Olly’s fingers dig under his shirt. They traced the edge of his jeans before dipping under and sending a shiver up his spine. At the same time, Olly’s teeth grazed his lips. For someone so young, Olly knew all too well which buttons to push, Rich noted with alarm amidst his adrenaline rush. He clasped Olly’s ass and pulled it closer. Olly had thrown one leg over Rich’s, and now they sat in an awkward position, thighs and groins pressing at odd ways and not giving enough friction.