Jared watched the men pack up the site, hurrying to finish for the day. He didn't like exterior jobs. He preferred inside work because carpentry was his first and best love, and the weather didn't interfere. He glanced up, noting sky looked blacker than ever and the wind had kicked up. It tugged his clothes and sent debris skidding across the ground, giving every indication a huge storm brewed. Normally he didn't stop work unless rain actually fell, but all signs pointed to the bottom falling out. He had no desire for it to land on him and, apparently, no one else wanted to be outside for the action either. Tools were stored in record time. Jared watched carefully. He didn't know all the men working for him on the current project and equipment didn't come cheap. Anytime he had to hire more men, or contract work out, he didn't always know what he was getting. He realized they’d finished loading up, and waved to the men as they piled into Jimmy's truck. The guys carpooled from the office every day. Jared would've enjoyed the camaraderie of the ride, but he drove alone. A twenty year old boss couldn't afford fraternization.
Fat raindrops started to fall as the taillights disappeared around the corner and Jared headed for his truck. He turned up his shirt collar and bowed his head against the wind as he ran. The rain thumped steadily on his hard hat and the chilly drops ran down the back of his shirt. When he reached the truck, Jared nearly plowed head first into a kid blocking the door. He stopped just short of bowling the boy over and annoyance flared.
"Can I talk to you?" The boy's voice was so quiet Jared almost didn't hear him over the beginnings of the storm. A gust of wind lifted the tail of the shirt he'd put on over his tee that morning, a blue plaid he wore unbuttoned and rolled up to just below his elbows. He tried to see the boy, but the kid ducked his head and Jared got an impression of dark eyes and curls. What the hell?
"Get in," he yelled, and the boy took off around the front of the truck, the backpack over his shoulder bouncing against his back. High school kid, Jared noted, before ducking into the truck. He pulled off his hard hat and tossed it, along with his bandanna, on the back bench seat. He had barely settled behind the wheel when the passenger door opened and the slim form of a teenage boy climbed into the seat beside him. Jared took a quick inventory of the invader, Nikes, blue jeans, a striped rugby shirt, and shaggy dark hair that needed a cut and waved a bit unruly over his ears and collar. He didn't see anything familiar about the boy and wondered what he wanted, but then he met the kid's eyes.
Dark eyes, deep enough to drown in, looked back at him. Jared's mouth went dry. The boy from the library. Jared didn't want to remember how many hours he spent not thinking about this kid. He raked his hand through his hair, trying to decide what to do. Sitting in his truck, in the rain, with an underage boy was not a good idea. Sitting here with this boy was insane. Alex attracted Jared in a way the young man rarely found himself tempted, and there was something disturbingly intimate about sharing the inside of a vehicle during a storm. Rain pounded the metal, falling in sheets down the windows, concealing them from the outside world. Alex shook some of the rain out of his hair. Jared watched the puppyish action cautiously, waiting to find out what the boy wanted.
"Hi," Alex said. That was all, just hi. Jared glanced at the windshield, watching the water cascade down. The windows began to fog. The temperature hadn't gone down much with the rain and it was muggy in the cab of the truck. Jared considered starting it so he could turn on the air, but decided comfort might encourage his visitor to stay. He let his hand fall away from the key after sticking it into the ignition. Several uncomfortable minutes passed before Jared relented.
"Hi," he said back, regretting it instantly when the boy turned his smile on him. Jared thought he was ready for that smile and the way it transformed Alex's face from average to incredible, but he was wrong. His stomach turned a slow flip and he forced himself to look away, once again staring at the water pouring down the windshield, listening to it pound the roof of his truck. He contemplated what to say, unsure he trusted himself to open his mouth.
"You don't remember me." Alex sounded disappointed. Jared knew the smartest thing to do would be to pretend it was true and behave as if he'd never seen this kid in his life, but the sheer desperation in Alex's voice made such an act impossible. Jared was practical, not a liar. He turned to face the younger man.
"I remember." His quiet words filled the cab with more meaning than he intended. He wished he could call them back but it was too late. Alex met his eyes with a look of such naked need that Jared's body reacted immediately, even though he knew Alex's real needs were more emotional than physical. I'm only human. Jared reminded himself, wrestling his lust under control. Alex was only a few years his junior. He was beautiful, brave, and sincere. Jared ached to pull the younger man's slight body into his arms, to bury his face in that dark mass of hair, and just breathe him in.
Jared could reach out and cup that smooth-cheeked face in his hand, to capture those willing lips with his, and taste the flavor of newly born passion. Jared sensed Alex wouldn’t stop him and images of everything he could teach the boy filled his mind despite his efforts to reject them. It would be simple to give in, effortless to give this man-child what he thought he was ready to experience. Easy and wrong. Jared's hands curled into fists as he struggled with his control. He took one deep breath, then another, and forced himself to relax. There was only one thing he had any right to teach a boy this young, and that was self-respect.
"You had a lot of questions," he teased, proving he did remember their first encounter, and allowed his mouth to curl into a smile.
"Yeah." Alex blushed. "I live across the street and I saw you out here the other day. I thought maybe we could hang out, or something." He shrugged weakly.
Jared studied Alex in silence, attempting to discern if Alex was attracted to him or desperate for someone who could relate to what was happening to him. Hanging out with Alex would be about as safe as navigating a field of land mines. Jared had no idea how he would maneuver without losing a piece of himself, but he couldn't refuse the hope burning in the depths of Alex's expressive eyes. Deep hazel. Tinged with green and gold. Where the hell did someone get eyes like that?
"Well, I don't know. You're sorta young. What did you have in mind?" He noticed the rain finally starting to ease and watched over Alex's shoulder as the flood of water turned into a steady drizzle. Jared’s situation had made him constantly aware of his youth and he made it a priority to project an aura of maturity. He assumed that was how Alex saw him. Jared thought he could handle the situation, if he proceeded with care and kept an eye out for the mines. Brushing his hair away from his face, Jared waited for Alex to answer. The boy shrugged.
"What do you like to do? Bowl?" Alex asked, his eyes lighting with mischief. He startled a snort from Jared. He met the youngster's eyes again. He would have to come to grips with this whole stomach thing if he was going to do this. He wondered how long it would take to get used to Alex's smile When he did, things should get easier.
"You bowl?" Jared asked, and Alex laughed.
"No, but it seemed like something an old guy would like to do." This time Jared laughed too. He supposed he asked for that.
"Bowling's okay, we can do that. If you don't know how, I'll teach you. Now, the rain's stopped, and I think you should go home before someone comes looking for you." Alex glanced with surprise at the windows of the truck. He hesitated, and Jared gave in to the urge to muss his hair. It slid like satin through his fingers and he jerked his hand away. Rules, he needed a few. Rule number one: No Touching.
Aloud, he said, "There's a bowling alley down the street from the Dollar K. I'll see you there tomorrow about one. Is that good for you?"
Alex froze under Jared's touch then grinned from ear to ear. "Yes," he said. "I mean, yeah, that's good." His cheeks colored and he ducked away. He opened the pickup door, and slid out quickly. "See ya then." It was still drizzling and he didn't wait for an answer. Jared watched him go.
"Jared Douglas, you are going to regret this," he told himself, but the knowledge didn't stop the grin spreading across his face.