A Restored Man (31 page)

Ty couldn't speak, he couldn't think. All that mattered was the closeness, the heat emitting from Cole's body, and the tight grip sliding up and down his painful arousal. His legs weakened and slipped, held only by Cole's arm wrapped firmly around his waist. A moan escaped him when he felt a spark flicker at the base of his spine. His head lolled to the side, still resting against Cole's forehead.

"Say something or I'm stopping," Cole said, reaching out and sucking on Ty's lower lip then pulling his lip between his teeth before releasing the tender skin.

A whimper escaped Ty, his body thrumming with the need for closeness and an urgency for release.

"I love that sound," Cole whispered hoarsely, speeding the strong hold on their joined shafts.

The pounding of Ty's heart echoed in his ears. His pulse raced and his breath quickened. He was close, too close. He twisted his grip on Cole's collar, trying to fight the orgasm that chased up his spine. He gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut as another whimper escaped.

"Mmm," Cole moaned against his ear. "Say my name."

Ty couldn't concentrate on anything past the firm, steady up and down rhythm. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, and he could barely stand on his wobbly legs. "C-C-Cole—"

Cole grunted and Ty bit back a yell when they came together. Ty felt his legs give and Cole instantly tightening his grip around Ty's waist to hold him steady. "I love it when you stutter for me," he said, brushing kisses along Ty's jaw.

Ty quietly laughed, barely able to catch his breath. "I can't think straight when I'm around you."

Cole sucked in Ty's earlobe and trailed a path of kisses along Ty's neck. "Good. I like you all bendy. Body and brain."

Ty chuckled weakly.

"I made a mess of you," Cole said.

"I don't care," Ty said, placing a gentle kiss on Cole's lips.

Cole looked at him with a glint of mischief in his mismatched eyes. "I figured you had spare coveralls."

"I do."

"Good," Cole said then ran the palm of his hand down Ty's torso on the coverall fabric leaving a vertical smear of their combined release in its wake. "Are you going to fold this and stash it away too,
Oh Twisted One
?"

Ty chuckled and pressed a kiss to Cole's smiling lips.

Cole pulled up his work pants and underwear and tucked his shirt. "So tell me, what triggered this? What happened that got you this horny? Because whatever the hell it is, I need to know so I can do it again and again and again."

Ty grinned and carded his fingers through Cole's dark hair, pulling him close again. "I don't know. There was something about the way you were back there, leading your team."

Cole looked away briefly. "I thought you'd hate me after seeing that. I can't help it. It's like I flip a switch inside. I turn into a man on a mission or something and I need to be in control when it comes to work."

"How could I possibly hate you like that? It was as if your regular charisma was on overdrive, with a focused goal. It's alluring and mesmerizing," Ty said, still running his fingers in Cole's hair.

"You really like dicking around with my hair, don't you?" Cole said with a chuckle.

"What's the Three F rule?"

Cole cocked his head in question.

"You said it out there, to your crew. You demanded those rules apply. What are they?" Ty asked.

Cole ticked each rule off on his fingers. "No fucking. That's for anyone who thinks they can sneak in a little side action. No fucking around, because I refuse to slow down the schedule. And no fuck ups, because I hate mistakes when working on jobs."

Ty chuckled. "You do realize we just blew one of your own rules?"

Cole shrugged. "You're worth it, so don't knock it," he said, kissing Ty gently on the lips. "I need to get back to work and so do you. We've each got cars to work on today and I'm not breaking another rule in my code."

"Yes, boss," Ty said, picking up the beanie from the floor. He finger-combed Cole's hair and slipped on the knit hat again.

Cole shook his head and held back a smile. "You, my sweet, shy metal man have a certified hair fetish."

Ty bit back a grin. "I kinda like what's attached to all that hair as well."

Cole's eyes glinted with mischief and something else Ty couldn't quite place. "I think I found my personal superhero's weakness."

"I think you did," Ty said and gave Cole a chaste kiss. "Now get back out there and do what you do best. I'll be out there in a couple of minutes after I change."

Cole nodded and headed toward the door. He hesitated and turned before exiting. "Ty…"

"Yeah?" Ty prompted after Cole remained silent for a few moments.

"Thanks," Cole said, tugging on his beanie then slipping his hand under the material to tuck the hair at his sides. He looked back at Ty and smiled.

Ty cocked his head, curiously. "For what?"

Cole looked away and fidgeted, grabbing the doorknob and pausing. "For everything," he whispered, before unlocking the door and leaving the office.

Ty stared at his door, unable to move after Cole's words. He had no idea why Cole was thanking him. He had done nothing other than agree to hire him. He hadn't expected a new hire from the local halfway house to have skills that would rival his senior tech's. But Cole had proven his worth in the shop on numerous occasions. As if that wasn't enough, he had made it his mission to firmly plant himself in Ty's personal life as well. Cole had single-handedly awakened a desire to fight, a wish to smile, and a craving for laughter Ty had missed for far too long.

He should be the one thanking Cole. Because of him, Ty finally felt alive again.

After two intense workweeks with Cole's crew and finishing his follow-up doctors' appointments during the current 'off' week in Cole's rigorous service ticket crisis resolution schedule, Ty took advantage of the remaining days to work on the restoration project. Although he'd always taken on classic and muscle car restorations on his own, the awe he had seen in Cole's eyes that first night always seemed to crawl back into his mind. He couldn't wait to share the restoration tasks with Cole.

"So, um…what do you do when you're not here?" Ty asked, trying for a nonchalant tone.

Cole was on a shop creeper, looking at the underside of the Yenko's body. He rolled out from under the car's frame and looked at Ty. "Huh? Oh, you mean nights and weekends?"

Ty nodded and turned away as a flush of heat rose to his cheeks. When the hell had he become self-conscious about asking questions like this?

"I don't really go anywhere at night because of the curfew. Other than work, that's about it on the weekdays. Weekends, I don't really have anywhere to go other than my mom's house," Cole said with a shrug. "Julian takes me by for a visit or he'll let me tag along to run errands if I haven't pissed him off too much during the week. You come over for dinner when it's my turn to cook," he said with a smile. "Those are the best nights."

Ty looked back at Cole who had returned his focus to the car. Cole lowered his brow as if thinking, then quickly looked back at Ty with a half smile. He sat up on the creeper and rested his arms on his knee. "Why ya asking?" he said with a slow, playful drawl.

Ty shrugged, feeling the heat on his face again.

Cole stood and walked over to Ty, his gait a slow cat-like prowl. Ty closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hated feeling self-conscious, hated the doubt that snuck in.
Dammit
. Cole was giving him space, forcing Ty to let him know when he was ready to move things along between them, but the fear of possible rejection still stung. He finally opened his eyes and Cole was standing directly in front of him, looking at him and waiting.

The cocky bastard smirked. "If you want something, just say it."

Ty looked away, his cheeks burning again. He scowled and sneered as the doubt twisted his gut. Cole had already seen his burn scars and didn't care, he'd seen the surgery scars and that hadn't fazed him either. They had already shared far more than a few stolen kisses, and yet, Ty still hesitated, worried whether Cole would want more.

Cole grabbed his chin and turned Ty to face him. "Say it."

Ty wanted to spend time with Cole without interruptions—without Aidan walking in, without the stupid radio chirping in at the worst possible time, without the worry of a tech sneaking up on them, without a single other soul around them so they could take their time to explore each other. Stolen moments in the office and a few dinner nights just wasn't enough.

"If you don't say it, it'll never happen. You've been through tougher shit than this. So just say it."

Ty's heart pounded like a sledgehammer against his chest. "I want you."

Cole shook his head. "Try again. You've already got me
here
. Say what you mean."

Ty looked away and tried to swallow past the knot in his throat.
Why the hell is this so tough?

Cole grabbed his chin again and turned his face. "I'll make it easy for you. My answer will be yes. So ask."

Ty scowled. "If your answer is going to be yes, then why do I even have to ask?"

Cole half smiled and stroked Ty's cheek with his thumb. "Because I know there's a guy in there who, years ago, would have asked the question. But he's hiding out like a fucking turtle in a shell. You're
my
metal man, get out of your shell and ask me."

Ty steeled himself. This shouldn't be so hard. "Would you like to spend the weekend with me?" he finally said in a spill of words, his chest tightening.

A smile spread across Cole's face. "That wasn't so hard now was it?" He leaned in and kissed a path along Ty's jaw to his ear. "What do you want to do with me all weekend?" He wrapped his arm around Ty's waist and pulled him closer, flush against his body.

Ty tilted his head, every nerve in his body hypnotized with Cole's teasing, the heat of his body, and the hardness pressed against him.

"Tell me," Cole said, working a hand to unzip the front of Ty's coveralls.

Ty's heart sped when Cole pressed the palm of his hand against Ty's shaft, moving up and down against his underwear.

"Tell me," Cole said hoarsely. "I'll do anything you want as long as you tell me."

Ty groaned when Cole's hand shifted. He dipped a finger along the seam of the underwear, slowly following the waistband until his hand reached his back to squeeze Ty's ass.

"Tell me," Cole growled.

He couldn't think when Cole's strong hand kneaded his ass. His heart pounded so hard it echoed in his ears and head. He gasped when a finger teased along his crease, finally finding the words through the fog of need in his mind. "I want to spend the weekend with you in bed."

Cole slowly withdrew his hand from Ty's coveralls and took a few steps back.

Ty swayed slightly, trying to maintain his balance and clear the desire clouding his vision to focus on Cole, who now stood a few steps away. "Did I say something wrong?"

Cole screwed his eyes shut and placed his hands at the top of his beanie as he paced. "No, but if you said anything more I wasn't going to give a shit if Stacie or someone else walked in on us. And I know how picky you are about that." He stopped pacing but still kept a bit of distance between them. "It feels as if I've been waiting forever for you to ask to spend some time together…alone." He chuckled quietly. "I really don't have as much self-control as you seem to think I do."

A grin tugged at the corner of Ty's mouth and a spark of determination began to flicker inside. "Is that so? So, let me see," he said, crossing his arms and slowly, exaggeratedly rubbing his chin. "I want you to kiss me."

"I already do," Cole said, huffing a nervous laugh.

Ty stilled and looked at Cole, hoping to communicate exactly what he was thinking. "All over," he said, challenging.

"Shit," Cole cursed under his breath.

"Then I want to lick you."

Cole pressed the palm of his hand against the bulge in his pants and winced.

Ty remained steady, firm, suddenly empowered. "I'm going to lick every fucking inch of your body—"

Cole stalked over to Ty and pulled him in for a fierce, possessive kiss. He pushed his lips hard against Ty's mouth and gripped the back of his hair. He effortlessly shifted Ty exactly where he wanted him as he dove into the kiss, exploring, tasting, claiming.

Ty gasped for air when Cole withdrew from the kiss and rested his head at the side of Ty's neck.

"Yes, to all of it. Anything you want. Yes," Cole said breathlessly.

Ty stroked the back of Cole's neck and wrapped an arm around his back, running his hand up and down Cole's spine.

"You said fuck," Cole said, placing a gentle kiss at the side of Ty's neck.

Ty closed his eyes when Cole's breath breezed across his skin. "I knew that would get your attention."

"I don't care where we go or what we do as long as I have you all to myself," Cole said.

Ty placed a gentle kiss on Cole's lips then took a step back, zipping up the front of his coveralls. "I have to do some paperwork. Right?"

"I have a form in my locker for the weekend pass."