The O'Brien Way (5 page)

Sean chuckled and reached out to pet the top of
Jilly’s
head and down behind her ears. “She’s a dog. It’s what they do.”

Moby gestured to his mom. “Sean, this is my mother, Virginia. Mom, this is my boss, Sean.”

Virginia
nodded her head in greeting. “Thank you for helping William with the fence.”

“No problem, Ma’am. Mob—William, has helped me out on several occasions.”

Moby was thankful Sean had caught his slip before it came out. Although he preferred the nickname given to him as a teenager, he’d never been able to explain to his mother why they’d started calling him Moby.

Moby gestured towards the backyard. “Are you ready?”

Sean nodded. “Yeah, we’d better get started. I have to be back to the pub by five.”

Moby led the way to the backdoor.
“Shouldn’t be a problem.
The posts are all in good condition. It’s just one side of the yard that needs the panels replaced.”

As soon as they stepped outside, Moby led Sean around to the corner of the house. It wasn’t exactly private, but at least his mom couldn’t see them if she spied out of the window. With his gloved hands jammed into his coat pockets, Moby leaned against Sean’s muscled body and kissed him. He was surprised to taste whisky so early in the morning. He pulled out of the kiss. “Drinking already?”

“Just a small shot of liquid courage,” Sean explained. “I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of greeting to expect.”

“By me,
Jilly
or my mom?”

“Any and all,” Sean replied. “The last mother I met didn’t care too much for me.”

Jay had mentioned Sean’s brief relationship with Ryan Bronwyn so he wasn’t totally lost by the comment. “I’ve never let my parent’s opinions about my lifestyle sway me one way or the other.” He kissed Sean once more before stepping back. “Let’s get this done so we can get the hell out of this weather.”

* * * *

“You’re in a good mood,” Rio said, taking a seat at the bar.

Sean immediately reached for a glass and started building his good friend a Guinness. “What’re you doing out of the house alone?”

Rio let out a snort.
“Council night.
I’ve been left on my own for dinner. What do you have that’s good?”

“The meatloaf’s damn good. I had some of that for dinner. But Jay seems pretty proud of the chicken and dumplings he’s cooked up as well.”

Rio licked his lips. “
Lordy
, I haven’t had dumplings in forever. Give me a double order.”

Laughing, Sean walked over to the order window and peered through to Jay. “The big man needs a double of dumplings.”

“Hey, Rio,” Jay hollered from the back.

Sean turned around, laughing even harder. “It says a lot that he knew who the hell I was ordering for.”

“Yeah, that’s just because it’s not Taco Tuesday. Otherwise he would’ve thought I was Ezra.” Rio pretended to pout as he picked up his drink.

Sean could see right through Rio. “What’s going on?”

Rio’s black brows rose towards his hairline. “Excuse me?”

Sean leaned against the bar and clasped his hands. “What’s on your mind? You seem
kinda
…off.”

Rio sat there for several moments before blowing out a long breath. “I’m tired of doing laundry.”

“Huh?” Sean asked, suddenly unable to follow the conversation.

Rio leaned his head in his hands. “Okay, here’s the deal. We used to all do our own laundry. It just worked for us. But then Ryan and Nate started having all these meetings at night, so I tried to help by doing their laundry and now they just expect it. Before he left the house tonight Ryan asked what was going on because he didn’t have clean jeans for tomorrow. Like it’s my job now to make sure his laundry’s done when he wants it.” Rio shook his head.

Sean’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Not only was the picture of Rio doing laundry disturbing, but the fact that he was so upset over it was over the top.

“I mean, is it too much to ask to be asked?” Rio continued.

“No,” Sean answered, seeing his friend in an entirely different light. “Have you talked to them about it?”

Rio shook his head. “I don’t want to start shit. I just want to be appreciated,
ya
know?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sean agreed. When Jay rang the bell signalling Rio’s dinner was ready, Sean let out a sigh of relief. “Hang on a sec.” He went to the order window and grabbed the large plate heaped with chicken and dumplings.

Change the subject.
He set Rio’s dinner in front of him. “So what’re your plans for Christmas?”

Rio’s forkful of dinner paused on the way to his mouth. “Same old thing, I imagine. There’s the thing at the church on Christmas Eve,” he began with a wave of his fork. “That usually takes a while.
Lots of planning and stuff.
I usually get stuck on the clean-up crew, not that I mind, but
ya
know, sometimes it would be nice to just sit home with my partners by the fire.”

Sean’s gaze continued to follow the fork, waiting for the huge pile to flip across the bar at him. Once he was sure the dumplings were safe, Moby crossed the bar, garnering Sean’s complete attention. With the fence fixed for
Jilly
, Sean hoped Moby would agree to spend the night with him.

“Sean?”

Sean blinked and wiped the bar in front of him.
“Oh, yeah, totally.”
He hoped he had responded appropriately.

“Okay, I’ve told you my troubles, now spill,” Rio said around a mouthful of food.

“Spill what? I’m not the one flailing my fork around.”

“What’s with the goofy grin every time you look over my shoulder? You got your eye on someone back there?”

Am I telegraphing my feelings for Moby? Has Moby seen me do it?
The thoughts horrified Sean
.
He’d never been so into a guy that he put it out there for everyone to see.

“Cosmo and two Miller
Lites
,” Moby said, stepping up to the bar.

Sean shifted uncomfortably. Play it cool. Without looking up, Sean immediately went to work filling the order. He glanced at Rio out of the corner of his eye and was relieved to see his friend inhaling his dinner.

Setting the bottles of beer on Moby’s tray, Sean caught the object of his lust grinning at him. He averted his eyes and walked back to his usual spot at the bar. Moby chuckled and walked off with his order.

“Yeah, he’s a good-
lookin
’ guy. Can’t say I blame you,” Rio mumbled.

“What?”

Rio glanced up and looked into the long mirror behind the bar. His eyes tracked something or
someone
around the bar for several moments before returning his attention to Sean. “He likes you.”

“Who?”
Sean asked, continuing to play dumb.

Rio reached across the bar and smacked Sean on the side of the head.

Sean rubbed his head. The slap hadn’t hurt. It had surprised him more than anything. He knew very well Rio could’ve knocked him flat on the floor with little effort if he’d meant to. “What the hell was that for?”

“You know exactly what that was for. So stop being an ass and tell me how long it’s been going on?”

“It’s new, okay? And I’m not comfortable with it. So just drop it,” Sean grumbled.

Rio tracked Moby in the mirror again. “Well, I can’t tell you what to do, but if I had a man like that interested in me, I’d sure as hell stake my claim before someone else tried to.”

As Sean watched, yet another hand landed on Moby’s ass. Guy Hoisington was a regular, even though he owned the lodge up on the mountain. Not only was the handsome man an ex pro and Olympic skier, but with the kind of money he had in the bank, Guy was known for being a big tipper. Sean’s gut clenched. He had to refrain from jumping over the bar and tossing Guy out on his ass. His self-protection instincts prevailed, but he wondered for how long.

Chapter Four

More than one customer had noticed Moby’s condition every time he caught Sean eyeing him across the bar. A hard dick wasn’t something Moby had ever tried to hide. His need for a man wasn’t something he was ashamed of, no matter who that man was. Whether or not it had something to do with his years as a stripper, he didn’t know. Although for the most part it was women who used to frequent his show, touched in the right way, a hand was a hand and his cock usually responded.

Moby glanced at the large clock on the wall and smiled. Last call had already been announced and there were only two tables of diehards still trying to finish their drinks. Moby had already scrubbed the empty tables and picked the chairs up off the floor so he could sweep. Until the last customer left, he had nothing else to do.

Sean had a protective rubber glove over his injured hand as he washed a sink full of glasses. Moby grinned as he walked towards the bar. All evening he’d felt Sean watching him, but every time Moby tried to catch his gaze, Sean turned away. Was the man playing hard to get or was he embarrassed?

Moby decided to find out. With the remaining customers busy with each other, Moby set down his tray and joined Sean at the sink. He stood close enough to brush the hard bulge behind his fly across Sean’s ass. “Am I staying?”

Sean removed his glove.
“If you want.”

“Oh, I more than want.”
Moby stepped even closer, pressing his cock against Sean.

Sean cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder to stare into Moby’s eyes. “Did you make good tips tonight?”

Moby thought of the wad of cash in his pocket. Thanks to his favourite customer, he was packing a lot more money than usual.
“Yeah.
I already logged it in.”

“All of it?” Sean questioned.

Moby had never tried to cheat on his taxes and having his boss question him, didn’t sit well.
“Yes, all of it.
If you don’t trust me, frisk me.”

Sean shook his head. “Don’t go getting all riled up. I’ve been in your shoes, and I know it’s incredibly tempting to hold back reporting when you have an exceptional night.” Sean flashed an apologetic smile. “So, how much did Guy slip you?”

Moby glanced up and saw the last of the customers walking towards the door. He waited until he’d locked the door behind them to place a kiss to Sean’s neck and answer the question. “Fifty.”

“And what did he get for that fifty?”

Moby hid his grin by kissing Sean again. “I kept my hands to myself. He likes me,
that’s
all.
Why, jealous?”

“No, I just don’t approve, and you know that.” Sean turned around and put his hands on Moby’s hips. He pulled Moby fully against him. “If you want me for more than a night, knock it off.”

Moby ran his fingers over Sean’s short beard and moustache before tracing his lips. He’d never allowed himself to fall in love, so dealing with another man’s jealousy wasn’t something he was comfortable with. “I’ve told you a million times that it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“But it means something to me,” Sean argued. “This is exactly the reason the rules have been put in place.”

“These rules, are they yours or your
family’s
?” Moby asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Sean mumbled.

Moby tried to understand Sean’s point of view, but no matter how many times he ran it around in his head, he still didn’t get it. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why it should matter as long as I’m not touching them back. I mean, it’s just my body, not my heart.”

Sean wrapped his arms around Moby. “I don’t think you have any idea of your real worth and it has nothing to do with your body. Most people have physical boundaries, those little invisible lines that they won’t let others cross, but you don’t seem to have those.” He took Moby’s hand and lifted it to his heart. “When I see someone cross those boundaries that should be in place, it makes me angry on your behalf.”

Moby didn’t like the direction of the conversation. He tried to derail the subject by running his thumb over Sean’s pebbled nipple. “It’s late. Can we talk about this another time?”

Sean nipped Moby’s shoulder. “Sure. Let’s finish down here and go on up.”

* * * *

“Mind if I take a shower?” Moby asked.

Sean stopped counting and scribbled a figure on a sheet of paper.
“Not at all.
I’ll be done here in about ten minutes.”

Before walking off, Moby grabbed Sean by the back of the neck and kissed him. Sean opened willingly for Moby’s probing tongue. With each thrust, Sean’s cock hardened further. He finally broke away and shook his head. “I need to get this balanced and put into the safe. Go scrub yourself, and I’ll be up to enjoy it in a bit.”

With a big smile, Moby nodded and disappeared through the swinging door.

Sean tried to go back to the pile of cash and credit card receipts, but it was useless.
Dammit
.
Tilting his head back, he stared at the ceiling. His longing for the man upstairs was overpowering.

“Fuck it,” he grumbled, throwing everything into a large canvas money bag. He shut off the lights, turned on the alarm and carried the bag upstairs. As he entered his apartment, he heard the squeak as the shower cut off. Sean chuckled and shook his head. He’d been meaning to fix that stupid handle for months but never seemed to get around to it. It was normal for him to work a seven day week. In the few hours he had to relax, the last thing he felt like doing was playing repairman.

He crossed to the corner of the living room and lifted the tablecloth on his favourite piece of furniture. Squatting, Sean spun the lock of the safe until he heard a click and turned the handle.

After his daily totals were tucked away, he took off his shoes and locked the front door. As he neared the bedroom, a combination of guilt and lust threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted Moby, there was no doubt about it, but would he be able to handle a working relationship after he’d been intimate with the gorgeous flirt?

The sight of a freshly showered naked man sprawled across his bed drove all hesitations from Sean’s mind. His gaze went to Moby’s hard cock as he scrambled to undress. “I take it the shower was satisfactory?” he joked, pointing towards Moby’s erection.