BO dragged his suitcase into the room the Beast—no, make that Adam—had indicated as his. It was nearly the same size as the studio apartment he’d shared with his sister until only that very morning.
When he stopped short, a wall of barely clothed muscle bumped into his backside. He stumbled but didn’t go sprawling the way his klutzy nature and forward momentum should’ve led him. Instead, a pair of strong, solid arms wrapped around his waist and hoisted him upright.
“Sorry about that. You okay?”
The gravelly voice washed over Bo, sending shivers in its wake. He licked his lips but made no move to leave the warm circle of Adam’s unintentional embrace. “Ah, yep. Just dandy, thanks.”
Ugh. What was his problem? Sure, he was shy, and awkward didn’t even begin to cover the gamut of his quirks and mannerisms, but he wasn’t usually this bad. He’d started plenty of new jobs where he’d squeaked by with only the minimal amount of additional nerve-related embarrassment. This was taking it to a whole new level of special.
Adam dropped his arms and stepped around Bo’s frozen mortification. He picked up the oversized suitcase and tossed it onto the bed without the slightest hint of strain. As if the thing were full of feathers, not stocked to the gills with Bo’s most precious possessions—his books.
“What’d you do, pack the kitchen sink in this thing?” Adam jutted his stubble-covered chin toward the bed as he scooped up Bo’s duffel and tossed it next to the suitcase. “Didn’t anyone tell you that’s the first thing you leave behind?”
“It’s, ah, actually filled with books.”
Adam blinked a few times, then barked out a laugh. “Of course it is.”
Bo ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, unsure what his new boss’s reaction meant or how best to respond. He darted a nervous glance around the room, avoiding the temptation to linger over Adam’s bare torso, and noted an empty bookshelf perfect for his treasures. He sucked in a breath. “Can I use that?”
Adam let loose a softer chuckle, motioning into the room with open arms. “This space is yours. Make yourself at home. You know, mi casa es su casa and all that jazz.”
According to the research Bo had done before his interview, “the Beast” had quit high school the summer between sophomore and junior year to pursue his athletics. He also had a well-documented reputation for being the stereotypical dumb jock with a temper streak a mile long.
Bo’s first impression of his new boss was therefore born of jealous frustration. If he’d been given the choice whether to drop out of high school or not, there was no question he would’ve stayed. But that luxury had disappeared when his father succumbed to his two-year battle with cancer. Only a few months into his eighteenth year and as many shy of graduation, Bo had taken over as sole caregiver of his eleven-year-old sister, Tallulah.
Little Lulu was now eighteen herself and heading off to chase her mechanical engineering dreams at the University of California, Berkeley. An expensive school made doubly so thanks to his insistence she stay in the dorms for her personal safety and to get the full college experience. Even with student loans, there was a hefty balance.
Bo had taken this job because it paid twice what he’d made laboring over eighty hours a week doing grunt work. It also offered a place to live as an added perk. Otherwise, he never would’ve worked for someone like Adam.
It wasn’t that he had anything against professional athletes. More power to those individuals with the stamina and endurance to make a living with nothing more than their physical prowess and self-determination. But Adam “the Beast” Littrell was one of those guys who chewed up and spit out guys like Bo as a source of entertainment.
Which made their interactions thus far all the more perplexing. Aside from his near-nudity—and no apparent shame in that fact—Adam had been a complete gentleman.
Bo moved to the bed and unzipped his duffel bag, then extracted a fistful of boxer briefs. He cast a glance at Adam, who still hulked in the middle of the room like a sentinel. A very nearly naked sentinel. Bo swallowed. “If it’s okay, I’m going to unpack.”
Adam’s gaze drifted to the underwear Bo clutched. He bit his lip, clearly struggling to suppress a grin.
Warmth crept up Bo’s neck and heated his cheeks. He shoved the boxers out of sight between his duffel and suitcase. Was he destined to make a fool of himself at every turn?
“Yeah, yeah, no prob. I’ll throw on some clothes and meet you downstairs.” Adam brushed a thumb over his lips. Full, plump lips shadowed by salt-and-pepper stubble. The grin he’d failed at hiding lit his face with an unfair dose of beauty.
A man who’d taken countless blows to the head had no business being that handsome. Then again, a man like Bo had no business finding a man like Adam attractive in the first place. He was a celebrated athlete with all the world at his famously grumpy feet. Plus, he was Bo’s boss.
Bo couldn’t risk this opportunity. He might be only twenty-five, but he’d worked too hard to make ends meet the past seven years. No, even thinking about how sexy his new employer was would be out of the question. His focus needed to remain on the job and his baby sister. He might’ve missed all those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but he’d do everything in his power to be sure Lulu wouldn’t miss even one. Especially not because he’d been fired for lusting after his boss.
Landing this position with no previous experience in the field and a serious lack of formal education meant treading extra carefully to be sure his hotter-than-sin employer had no reason to reevaluate his decision.
“Take your time unpacking.” Adam backed toward the door, rubbing a big meaty palm over his cropped brown hair. Threaded with silver, much like his facial hair, the distinguished air it gave Adam added to Bo’s inappropriate longing. “When you’re done, maybe we can grab something to eat and get to know each other. I’ll even kick Kyle’s dinner-stealing ass out so his ugly mug doesn’t cause you to lose your appetite.”
Bo snorted. Loud. With a complete lack of grace. He closed his eyes and wished himself invisible. “Yeah, okay, I’ll be down in a jiffy.”
A jiffy? What, was he eighty years old now? Where did these sayings keep coming from? Some secret store of humiliation tactics his brain kept stocked for such an occasion?
When Adam disappeared with a chuckle on his lips, Bo blew out a breath. He dropped his head back and cursed his idiocy before setting to work unpacking his meager possessions. He rarely spent frivolous money on himself. The books he owned were mostly from before his father died, aside from a limited few Lulu had insisted he purchase as Christmas and birthday presents from her.
By the time he’d emptied his duffel, the dresser was barely half full and a scant handful of shirts and pants graced the countless hangers in the large walk-in closet. He pulled the door closed, more embarrassed by his sparse wardrobe than he cared to admit.
He gave extra attention to unloading his books onto the gorgeous mahogany bookshelf that matched the luxurious bedroom set. His fingers traced over each well-worn cover as he nestled them together on the rich wood. Images of the tales hidden beneath danced through his mind.
When there was nothing left to unpack—and no more logical reasons to avoid the inevitable—Bo accepted his fate. He had to go downstairs. To have dinner with Adam. His new boss. Not someone he should be lusting after. Not even someone he should be considering friendship with.
Business only. Nothing more.
WHEN Bo entered the living room, Adam was lounged on an overstuffed leather sofa watching football on a massive projector screen. The black T-shirt he now wore as a second skin over his sculpted torso rode up to display a deep, sexy V of muscle peeking out of a pair of basketball shorts—a physical feat Bo had never come close to achieving. His stomach was flat, but that had more to do with how little he ate than any purposeful attempt at maintaining his physique.
Adam leaped to his feet at a startling speed when Bo stepped into his line of sight. “Hey, I was beginning to think you’d smuggled yourself into Kyle’s trunk, never to be seen again.”
Bo drew back his chin. “Why would I sneak into Kyle’s trunk?”
Adam shrugged and—was that a blush? His cheeks turned the loveliest shade of pink. He ducked his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy shorts. “You seemed a bit spooked. I thought you might be second-guessing your decision to work for someone with my reputation. I’m not known to be overly fun to be around, after all. Then, you know, I greeted you in my underwear. Not my finest hour.”
A squeak escaped Bo’s lips. He covered his mouth in horror, his eyes widening beneath the frames he’d knocked askew in the process.
He’d second-guessed his decision, all right. And the near-nudity had been a factor, but more due to fear of his own issues maintaining professionalism than any concern over Adam’s lack thereof. Still, there was no turning back now. He’d already quit his other jobs. If he wanted to make Lulu’s next tuition payment in full and on time, there was no escaping the decision he’d made. Whether it was his brightest move or not, he was stuck with Adam for a boss.
A big, sexy, blushing boss who had yet to live up to his well-known meathead status.
“Sorry about that, by the way. The no-clothes thing. I forgot you were coming. I’m a bit disorganized.” Adam peered at Bo from his towering height, his lips tilted into a crooked, self-deprecating smirk. “Kinda why I need a PA. Someone’s gotta look after my ass or I’ll get myself into trouble.”
Bo cleared his throat. Professional. He had to keep it professional. Even when his brain twisted Adam’s words and produced an image of him getting paid to stare at his rock-hard backside.
Yeah. Especially then.
Squaring his shoulders, Bo forced a wide smile. “So, boss, what’s for dinner?”