It took Marcus only a minute to locate Ethan in a rarely used spare bedroom. A pair of white earbuds were visible in his ears as he danced around the room to music that Marcus couldn’t hear. His singing wasn’t great. Okay, it was pretty bad, but he looked so damn happy as he danced over to a tape dispenser and picked it up off the bed.
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the open doorway, his smile growing as he watched the man work. While he was smaller than Marcus, there was an intoxicating, lithe energy to Ethan. A vibrancy that Marcus couldn’t look away from.
His jeans clung to his legs a little tighter than the first day of work and perfectly hugged his adorable ass. His T-shirt held a cartoon graphic of a squirrel with a flamethrower, admonishing him to “Protect Your Nutz.” Probably not the most work-appropriate thing, but then Ethan had been completely alone the past four days. He obviously wasn’t expecting to see his boss.
Ethan turned toward the box he was in the process of sealing and that put him facing the open doorway…and Marcus. A startled yelp escaped him, and he jumped back so violently that he landed on his ass. Marcus winced at the loud thud. He hadn’t meant to scare Ethan so horribly.
Dropping the tape dispenser, Ethan ripped the earbuds from his ears. “Oh, God! Mr. Varik! I didn’t see you there.”
“I noticed,” Marcus said, trying so damn hard not to sound like he was laughing.
“I-I wasn’t disturbing you, was I? Sometimes I get into a song, and I don’t realize how loud I am. I’m sor—”
He started to apologize, but Marcus straightened and raised a hand, stopping his words. He’d not come looking for Ethan so he could scare him or make him feel badly for singing while he worked.
“No, I apologize for startling you. You weren’t disturbing me.”
“Oh good,” Ethan said on a sigh. He shoved one hand through his sweaty blond hair, pushing it back from where it threatened to fall into his eyes and leaving some of it standing up.
An uneasy silence settled over the room, and Marcus folded his hands together in front of him, looking down at the carpet. Why did he have to be so damn awkward around Ethan?
“Was there something I could help you with?” Ethan asked after a couple of seconds. “Do you need me to run an errand?”
“No,” Marcus said sharply. His head popped up to look at Ethan for a heartbeat, and then he frowned and looked down again. “I…I was thinking of ordering something to eat. From one of those food delivery apps.” He lifted his head again to gaze at Ethan. He tried a small smile. “I’ve gotten quite good at using those.” He inwardly winced, regretting his words. He’d thought it would make him sound more normal, but he was sure it just made him sound old. Well, older than the thirty years he appeared to be.
Ethan sort of groaned and chuckled at the same time. The odd noise stirred something in Marcus’s stomach and quickened his heart. He wanted to hear Ethan make that sound again. Wanted to be standing close enough to feel the rumble up his chest.
“Me too. It’s the only way I’ve learned to survive after a long day of work and classes,” Ethan said.
Something in Marcus relaxed a little. He could feel the tension unwind from his shoulders and it was just a tiny bit easier to breathe. “Would you care to join me?”
“Um, sure. If you don’t mind the company. Where are you ordering from?”
“I haven’t figured out that part yet.” Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone as he stepped farther into the room. He thumbed through it, going to a familiar app. He kneeled down beside Ethan so that the other man could clearly see his screen. “This is the one I’ve been using the most. It seems to have the biggest selection. The drivers appear to be quite fast as well.”
“Oh wow,” Ethan whispered as he watched Marcus scroll through the list of restaurants. “You’ve got more choices here in the downtown area than I had in Glenpark. What are you in the mood for? Any favorites?”
Ethan had inched a little closer and the minty scent he’d caught earlier in the other rooms was stronger now. Marcus ached to lean forward and press his nose to Ethan’s hair, inhale him along with the strong smell of sweat and something musky that had to simply be Ethan. Underlying it was always the alluring hint of blood, but he wasn’t hungry. This draw to Ethan had nothing to do with hunger. He didn’t want to feed from Ethan ever.
But something within him wanted to bite Ethan. Wanted to pin him down and sink his teeth deep as Ethan moaned and rubbed his body against Marcus’s, begging for more.