Page 3 of Worthy (Adrenalin #1)

Chapter two

Cade

H is eyes follow me as I walk away this time, I can feel it. That makes me smile, but it also makes me a little frustrated, because I thought for sure instead of going back to work, I’d be going hiking with him. I’m still not quite sure why that is, seeing as how I saw him checking me out, and those lingering gazes suggest he liked what he saw.

In my experience, women don’t say one thing with their eyes and another with their mouth, so the fact Maddox is doing just that is throwing me for a loop. Since I’ve never tried to pick up a guy before I don’t know if this is a guy thing or a Maddox thing, which makes him a bit of a mystery. And a mystery could be fun.

Maddox. Madd . The name suits him. It's unique. Bold. Edgy without sounding arrogant, just like his personality. Fuck, I’ve never thought twice about a man’s name and now I’m looking for a deeper meaning in his. What the hell? But seriously, our interactions have me intrigued. And not just physically.

Yeah, the guy is all sorts of gorgeous, an enticing mix of California sun and Colorado mountains. Sexy and rugged mixed into one, with a set of full lips that I’ve already imagined wrapped around my cock. But I’m equally curious about the man himself. Why is he here? Why does he seem to flirt back then retreat behind some imaginary wall? What will it take for him to drop his guard completely?

“Care to explain?” Deacon asks as I approach the bed of his truck where he’s scarfing down his lunch.

“Explain what?” I hop onto the tailgate and rifle through the bag between us for my food.

He swallows his bite with an eye roll. “I know the long flowing hair might be confusing, but that was actually a dude.”

“So?” I feign ignorance to give myself a few more seconds to prepare for the coming conversation.

“So, you either need your eyesight checked, or you’ve got some explaining to do, Mr. I’m-Straight.” He chomps down another bite. “Which is it?”

“Dude’s hot as fuck.” I lift a casual shoulder, like the admission is no big deal, though I’m secretly bracing for Deacon’s reaction. I don’t think he’d hold my newly discovered bisexuality against me, but he might be a little offended I didn’t tell him about this development the first time I felt it.

“Is that your way of saying you’re into guys too? Since when?”

“Officially, since last night. Unofficially, around a year ago.”

“And I’m only learning this now because…” He trails off with a pointed look that suggests I better give him the truth. I would anyway, but since I’ve held this secret for so long, I understand the warning.

“Because this town isn’t exactly teeming with queer people, so there’s not a lot of opportunity to hook up with guys.”

“It’s not teeming with women either, but you don’t have trouble finding them to warm your bed.” Deacon gives me a pointed look as he sips his soda. “And you’ve never bragged to me about your exploits with men. ”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested. Plus, there haven’t been any.”

“Okay, first, I’m in my prime, so I’m interested in everything with humanoid forms over eighteen. And I do mean everything.” The pointed look he gives me suggests he’s not hung up on the gender thing either, which is news to me, but not something I’m going to hound him about since he’s giving me the same courtesy. “Second, when you say there haven’t been any, you mean any? As in this guy is the first you’ve made a move on?”

“Yep.”

“Why him?”

“I already told you, he’s hot as fuck.”

Deacon rolls his eyes. “The same thing could be said about lots of guys. But this is the first time you’ve acted on it. Why?”

I take another bite to stall while I choose my next words, swallowing thickly and clearing my throat. “You know what this town is like. How people talk.”

Though my hometown is a place most people only dream of living in, the reality is this life isn’t for everyone. Winters are harsh, there’s no fast-food chains, we have one school, and the movie theatre only has one screen. Gossip is about the only thing to do other than play in the mountains, and while it’s not meant maliciously, it means privacy is hard to come by. Incidentally, so are relationships. There’s not a ton of single people here, so vacationers looking for a good time are the best option for more intimate activities.

I don’t shy away from intimate activities, and I don’t care who knows I partake in them. But I also don’t want the town talking about what type of activities I get up to before I’ve had the chance to figure out if they’re a phase or a new development.

“You think they’d object to you picking up men the way you pick up women?” Deacon’s question pulls me from my thoughts .

I lift both my shoulders. “I don’t know. I do know that I don’t see myself with a guy long-term, so if it’s just a physical thing to have some fun there’s no reason for the whole town to know about it.”

Deacon snorts. “Pretty sure the whole town thinks you don’t see yourself with anyone long-term, but you don’t hide the fact you pick up women regularly.”

I feel my face getting hot as I rub the back of my neck. “You got me there. I guess if I ever do settle down, I’d rather people say I had a way with the ladies than I’d bang any hole I could find.”

“Your future wife will be so proud,” Deacon deadpans.

“Shut up.” I shove my cousin’s shoulder. “You’re here to enjoy the tourists who come through town, same as I’ve always done, don’t deny it.”

“Oh, I’m not denying it. I’m looking forward to it. Speaking of looking forward—” Deacon glances to where my truck is no longer parked “—I’m not sure that’s what you were doing just now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll rephrase. Have you ever loaned your truck to someone you didn’t want to bang? You wouldn’t even let me drive it this morning.”

“I…”

Shit . Everyone in town knows my truck, and the sexy stranger driving it will get tongues wagging. Since my hospitality doesn’t usually extend to loaning out my ride, unless I’m hoping for a ride of my own, those tongues are going to have a field day speculating about my motives.

Damn stupid hunk who makes me lose all common sense.

“I guess I’m coming out now?” I bite my lip and glance at Deacon.

“Sure looks that way, cousin.” He shakes his head slowly back and forth. “You good with spilling your secret? ”

“I’m not ashamed of it, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not looking forward to an endless stream of questions about how or when I knew, but… Fuck it.” I ball up my empty wrapper and toss it in the takeout bag. “It’s not like I’ve ever given a shit what people say, and Maddox doesn’t act like he’s in the closet, so if I want a shot with him, I guess I can’t be either.”

“Pretty sure you had your shot and blew it.” Deacon chuckles.

“How can you say that when he’s driving my truck?” I jerk my thumb towards the direction he drove off in.

“Because you’re not in it. Your truck is going to round the bases faster than you are.” He smirks around a mouthful of his burger.

“Shut up.”

“I thought scoring chicks was supposed to be easy in this town. Is the same not true for dudes?”

“Fuck off.” I lift a special finger in his direction. “Finish your lunch and help me get this ground level. I have a feeling if I can get this backhoe out of here tomorrow, I’ll be in his good graces.”

Three hours later, the ground still isn’t level, and Maddox still isn’t back, which has me a little worried because the hike he’s doing shouldn’t be taking this long. He seems like a capable guy—more than capable actually—but even experts have accidents, so you never know. Rather than worry aloud and give Deacon more ammo to goad me with, I bite my tongue and head into town with him for dinner.

We park on Main Street and start making our way to the bar, but as we pass our favorite outdoor patio, I notice a head of wavy hair sitting at a corner table. I tell Deacon I’ll meet up with him shortly and make my way over.

Madd’s head is buried in a book, an empty glass on the table in front of him. The light is starting to fade, and there’s a chill in the air, but he seems oblivious to it all. Until I pull out the chair next to him and he jumps, the scrape of the metal legs interrupting his concentration.

“Hey, Solo. You always do your reading in public or were you just avoiding the house?” I spin the chair so it’s facing away from the table and climb on backwards.

“Avoiding the house, it was a little noisy there. You probably want your truck,” he starts to dig in his pocket for the keys.

“If you give me back the keys, how will you get home?” I stop him.

“The bus?”

“Is that a question?” I cock an eyebrow.

He starts to answer then stops, and I know I’ve caught him.

“You don’t know which bus to take.” I can’t stop the grin pulling at my lip. There are several ways to play this, and all of them will endear him to me.

“I can figure it out,” he grumbles, looking around to get his bearings as a small shiver ripples through him.

“I’m sure you could. But fortunately, you don’t have to. Not tonight, anyway,” I shrug out of the flannel shirt I’m wearing over my t-shirt and hand it to him. He hesitates a moment before accepting.

“What’s tonight?” He threads his arms through the sleeves and fastens the buttons one at a time with fingers that look both strong and gentle.

“I’d say you could join me for a drink—" I smile when he inhales sharply “—but I already know you won’t. So, I’m here to tell you to keep the keys. Until next week anyway. I can’t get the trailer moved until then.”

“I can’t keep your truck all weekend.” His eyes grow dark, like the color of the sky during a thunderstorm, when he frowns.

“It’s that or get a drink with me now and I’ll drive you home later.” I rest my forearms on the side of the chair and lean forward .

“Again with the hospitable stuff?” he grumbles despite the corner of his mouth creeping upward. My persistence is getting to him.

“Just giving you the options as I see them.” Somehow, I manage to keep my eyes on his instead of dwelling on how good he looks wrapped in my clothes.

“Hey Cade, get you anything?” Lennon, the owner of this fine establishment, holds his fist out for me to bump.

“Hi Len, busy today?” I drag my eyes away from Maddox and turn to look at him as we bump fists. The smirk he’s wearing tells me he’s angling for the scoop. And so it begins . Not to be left out, Beckett picks that opportune moment to join us, looking at me with an expression which can only be defined as hero worship.

“The usual,” Lennon shrugs. “Who’s your friend?”

I’m tempted to be vague, to play with his head since he obviously doesn’t know my history with these two, and the little frown on his face is one I really want to interpret as jealousy. But I have a niggling feeling this is a guy who needs to be wooed, not toyed with, so I decide to go easy on him.

“This is Maddox, Rick Gerome’s nephew. Maddox, this is Lennon, the owner of Murphy's Pub, and Beck, the little brother I never had. You can call him Beck.”

Madd’s eyes bug out for a second before he regains his composure and shakes their hands. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says.

“You’re staying at Rick’s place over the summer?” Beck asks. “I always did like that house. It’s so imposing from the outside but so cozy inside,” he rambles, overexcited as always.

Maddox nods along almost absently. “That’s the perfect way to describe it.”

“Well, Cade and his dad do good work.” I dodge Lennon’s hand as he reaches out to slap my shoulder .

“You built the house?” Maddox gawks at me.

“My dad mostly, but I worked on it quite a bit, yeah,” I nod. “I guess this makes now a good time for you to apologize for wondering why on earth Rick would hire me to work on his latest project,” I bait him.

“I didn’t wonder that.”

Are his cheeks looking a little pink?

“Yeah, you did. But I probably would’ve too if someone blocked my car in on the first day,” I wink.

“Jeez, Cade.” Beck shakes his head at me. “Is that why he’s driving your truck?”

“How did you…?” Maddox starts.

“Small town,” Lennon answers before Maddox can finish.

“It was an honest mistake.” I look up at the guys to make my case. “I thought Maddox wasn’t getting here until next week, so I didn’t expect anyone to need the car.”

“I guess that makes sense, seeing as how it’s been sitting in the drive for so long,” Beck laughs.

“Thanks Beck. Up until just now Maddox couldn’t understand how I’d be stupid enough to block in the car.” I smirk at Madd while bumping my fist against Beckett’s in solidarity, appreciating the fact he’s always got my back. He had a tendency to idolize me as a kid since I’m several years older, but just like he’s always in my corner I’m always in his.

Glancing back to Maddox, I see our exchange register because he stops pressing his lips together and lets them sort of fall open, an almost horrified look on his face. Fuck, I hate that having Beck defend me puts him on the spot, but seeing those plump lips slightly parted minimizes any guilt. I wonder if they’re as soft as they look .

“I didn’t. I mean I never…” Maddox starts to protest then abruptly shuts his mouth and looks down at the table with a heavy sigh .

“It’s okay.” I let him off the hook. “I should have double checked before parking the trailer.”

Madd’s face is so flushed it's almost the color of a cherry, visible even under the scruff on his jaw, but I kind of like it. I don’t usually see men blush, probably because I don’t get the chance to flirt with many, but now that I’m watching it, it’s fucking adorable.

“So, can I get you guys anything?” Lennon asks again.

I cast my eyes toward Maddox, who’s still averting his gaze. “How ‘bout just the check?”

“You got it.” Lennon turns to head toward the bar, Beck trailing after him. Thank God. Though neither of them mean any harm, they interact with a lot of people here in the restaurant, and I don’t need them chatting to the whole town about my conversation with Maddox.

“So, what do you say, Solo? Are you coming for a drink or are you headed home?”

“Uh…” He gnaws his lip, looking toward the mountains in the distance. I don’t know if that’s to avoid looking at me, or because they really are stunning, and he’s lost in the view. The introspective look on his face doesn’t betray what he’s thinking.

Damn, I want to cup his chin and force him to look at me so he knows I want him to come, but I suspect I’ve already pushed the boundaries by giving him my shirt, and I need to give him space to come around.

So, I stand up and toss a few bills on the table. If I’m short, Beck will just add it to my tab, and I’ll settle it at the end of the month like I always do.

“I’ll be at The Underground if you change your mind, gorgeous. See you around.”

** *

Despite being in a basement, The Underground is pretty spacious, with high ceilings and a half-moon bar in the middle of the room. It is dark, there aren’t any windows or anything, but I kind of like it that way.

The Underground draws a good mix of tourists and locals. There aren’t any places specifically for one or the other, but there are a few places the tourists don’t really know about, so if you aren’t in the mood for small talk with a stranger you can go to one of those.

Every once in a while, I hit those up, but mostly I go wherever I can find some familiar and new faces. On a given day that usually makes The Underground my preferred spot, especially with Deacon in town, because he’s looking for a good time. But tonight, I’m not as into it as I usually am. I’m too distracted wondering how long it will take for the pink to fade from Madd’s face, and whether he’ll surprise me by showing up.

I spot Deacon at the bar, slowly sipping his beer as he watches the crowd. I know he’s hoping to see the bachelorette party one more time before they leave tomorrow, but chances are they won’t be in until later, if they make it at all. They were pretty hammered last night.

“Find your truck?” He slides the extra beer he ordered toward me.

“Sorta.” I take a sip. “I told him to keep it through the weekend though, since I can’t move the trailer before then.”

He nods.

Dex, the bartender and owner of the joint, makes his way over to us. I have no idea if Dex is his first name, last name or a nickname, even though he’s lived here nearly a decade. He’s only ever referred to himself as Dex. He’s probably the friendliest guy in town, but he’s also pretty imposing, so no one presses him. “Who’s the guy?” he wipes the moisture from Deacon’s glass off the bar.

I knew this was coming, but sometimes it’d be nice to keep some things to myself for a change. To be anonymous.

I stare at Dex blankly.

He cocks an eyebrow.

“I’m just messing with you.” It’s pointless to play dumb, both about who he is and why he has my truck. Dex isn’t a gossip by nature, but he practically lives in this bar, so he’s surrounded by talk. I figure if I don’t make a big deal out of being into a guy, neither will he. He’s chill like that. Plus, if he knows my story, at least he can straighten out the folks who are speculating.

“He’s Rick Gerome’s hot as fuck nephew. I blocked the Subaru in the drive thinking he didn’t get here until next week, so I loaned him my truck.”

“Kinda risky, chasing your client’s nephew.” Dex grabs a lime and a knife from the counter.

I open my mouth to respond and stop short as his words sink in. It is kinda risky. Rick Gerome has given my family tons of business over the years, and he’s a genuinely good guy I wouldn’t want to piss off. But Maddox is legit the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, and something about the way he’s both sexy and serious, feisty yet reserved, just speaks to me. I want to get to the bottom of those contradictions. I want to see him blush from my teasing then lose his composure and pin me down to make me stop. I want him.

I can’t say that though. People will either interpret it as Maddox being my latest conquest or read into it and think I want something more than a quick romp. And while I’d be down to hook up while he’s here—a summer fling if you will—broadcasting such an intention won’t earn me any favor with Madd’s uncle.

“Don’t worry, I know he’s out of my league,” I tell Dex. “But a guy can dream.” I sip my beer.