Page 9 of Heat Transfer
The door to the trailer opened.
Dad stepped in, his hunch a bit more prominent, how it always got after a long job. His deep-set eyes looked a little wearier today. Which was why he needed to retire, but the man was as stubborn as me.
Thank fuck we’d gotten the issue resolved before Dad got here.
Warmth coursed through my veins, and I was far too aware of the small place where Felix’s arm touched mine. Far too aware of everything when it came to him, honestly.
“Is there a party going on and no one told me?” Dad asked, lifting a brow.
“This wouldn’t even constitute as a family gathering, let alone a party.” Ollie leaned against the side of the desk.
“Well, more folks are crammed in the trailer than usual, which feels a little suspicious.” He dropped his work bag, which hit the floor with a thump.
“I just came by to bring food for these guys,” Liam said, his lips twitching with a grin.
I drew a line across my neck in a silent threat when Dad wasn’t looking.
“And this is Cor’s…” Ollie waggled his eyebrows.
Dad glanced at Felix. “Oh, are you a new boyfriend?” He scanned him up and down. “I like him better than Luke already.”
“You’d like anyone better than Luke,” Ollie said.
I ground my teeth, ready to jump in and correct Dad, but Felix stepped up to him, hand out.
“I’m Felix. Great to meet you, Mr. Brannon. Unfortunately, I’ve got to get going. I promised my folks I’d meet them for dinner.”
I licked my lips, guilt flushing through me. He’d rushed over here to help, even though he already had plans with his family.What did that mean? That he was a damn good friend? Felix strode toward the door, and I followed him on instinct. “I’ll walk you out.”
Ollie snickered behind me, and the urge to strangle my brother and his boyfriend rose exponentially. Shit, I’d never corrected Dad on the boyfriend front.
However, Felix hadn’t either.
My mouth was a little dry as I followed him. Damn, the sight of Felix in those slacks had me thirsting something fierce.
“I make an excellent boyfriend, just saying.” Felix winked at me. “Ignore the string of breakups I’ve got following me.”
“Sorry, I should’ve jumped in there.” My cheeks heated. “Dad leaped to the assumption because I don’t usually bring friends around the family a lot.”
“Any reason?” he asked, his thumb hooked in his pocket. The cool wind buffeted around, causing his black curls to drift across his forehead. My fingers twitched. Fuck, I wanted to brush them to the side.
“Most of my friends are unprepared for the Brannon brand of chaos.” Not that I had many. Sometimes I caught drinks with some guys from high school, and my siblings were my best friends, but after school, I’d had a hard time finding a spot where I belonged. I’d started straight into work, and that was that.
The sword fighting classes hadn’t only offered me a great outlet for stress but also Felix, who was the closest I’d felt to anyone outside my family in a long while. Which was why I needed to kill this crush, pronto. Because his friendship was too amazing a gift to risk.
“You all don’t seem that scary.” Felix crossed his arms.
“Yeah, that’s only half of the crew in there.”
“Well, I expect an invite to the next family gathering, boyfriend,” Felix teased, his eyes glinting. “Also a rain check on that dinner.”
My mind dizzied from those words, ones I wished were real beyond measure. Felix had been dangerous for my heart before, but ever since he’d gotten dumped, the flirting had amped up.
“Anything you want,” I said.
He winked, lifted his hand in a good-bye, and sauntered away, swinging his hips. My heart did a somersault.
Felix was pure, unadulterated trouble, and I wanted more.