Benjamin ran out of steam and cut the meeting short early.
He caught Sid on his way out. “Was that necessary?”
Sid waited for the majority of the management team to pass him by before he spoke. Then he fixed Benjamin with an impatient scowl. “Of course it was. It’s not okay for that twat from the gift shop to bitch that Dante doesn’t smile enough. He works harder than anyone.”
“Harder than you?”
“Sometimes. I’ve got fuck all done today because you’ve been up my arse for most of it.”
Benjamin grinned. “Charming. All right, fair enough. It would just make my life easier if you didn’t go for the jugular every time Simon opens his mouth. He’s already complained about you twice, and it’s hard to defend you when you go postal like that.”
“Sorry,” Sid said with no contrition whatsoever.
Benjamin’s smile widened, and he chuckled. “I appreciate the lie. Staying with Dante, though—and I’m not saying Simon has a point—but is he doing okay? I’ve seen him a few times this week and he looked a little stressed.”
Sid would rather have set himself on fire than betray Dante’s confidence, but the truth was better than wherever Benjamin’s imagination would go without it. “He’s got something on his mind. Family stuff.”
“Does he need support? I have contacts at the prison if—”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that. I think it’s just... hard, you know? He’s been gone a long time, and his brother is all he has.”
“Worth fighting for then, eh?”
Sid studied Benjamin and wondered how much he knew that Sid didn’t and, not for the first time, cursed his past self for his disinterest in the assistant he’d never wanted but now apparently couldn’t live without. “I think so. I’m sure they’ll work it out.”
Benjamin nodded. “Well, if you’re worried, come and talk to me. I’m not always the arsehole you think I am, and for what it’s worth, I have a lot of time for Dante, and I’m not the only one.”
“That right?”
“Yes. He might terrify the coven in the gift shop, but the barn girls love him.”
Sid frowned and tried to recall any interaction Dante had ever had with the crew of women who ran the barn kitchen, but none came to mind. It was a rare day when Dante acknowledged anyone but Sid. “Whatever, man. I’m going home.”
He thumped Benjamin’s shoulder and left, wondering how his day had been swallowed up by so many deep conversations. And feeling more than a little bad about the amount of shit he’d given Benjamin.I’m the arsehole, not him.
His subconscious gave him no argument, only a light flutter of anticipation as it dawned on him that Dante was waiting for him at homeandthat he’d remembered to put dinner in the slow cooker that morning.
Dinner and Dante.
Score.
Sid meandered across the estate, crossing the yard with the evening sun on his back. The inferno of the day was starting to fade into the kind of weather that was as perfect for Sid as life ever got. Gentle heat. Cleansing rain. Nights that stretched on and on until green became gold with the autumn winds.
Thinking about the changing seasons reminded him that he needed to scope the pumpkin field for the display he’d promised Benjamin, but as he reached his front door, his brain emptied of anything and everything that wasn’t the man on the other side.
He let himself in and shut the door behind him. Dante’s boots were on the mat, tucked away, laces coiled inside. Sid stared, transfixed, then lifted his head to follow the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
The door was open, steam billowing out into the narrow hallway.
Sid’s heart skipped a beat, and he moved through the bungalow with little conscious thought, kicking off his boots and shedding clothes until only his shorts and underwear remained.
Barefoot, he paused in the doorway. Dante was beneath the spray, head bowed, eyes closed, and scorching hot. As tempting as it was to slide in behind him with no warning, Sid knew better than to sneak up on him.
He rapped his knuckles on the doorframe. “Knock knock.”
Dante’s head snapped up and his eyes flew open. “Fuck. You’re early.”
“I am. Or just in time, depending on how you look at it.”