The Hot Floor Read Online Free PDF Page A

really.” Sad but true.
    “No girlfriend waiting for you, then?”
    I felt my cheeks flush as I shook my head. Stella tilted her head to one side and squinted.
    “Boyfriend, perhaps?”
    “No! I, uh, not anymore.” I gulped. I might be technically out, but I really hated this part of it, when I got to find out whether someone was going to treat me differently once they knew. “He left me. Kicked me out. That’s why I moved in here.”
    “But that was at Christmas, wasn’t it? Yes, I remember it now. Something’s obviously still working up here.” Stella tapped her head. “What a terrible cad, kicking you out at Christmas. We used to have a word for those kinds of men when I was a youngster,” she said darkly.
    If I hadn’t fallen half in love with the crazy old bird already, I would have done at her scowl then.
    “Before you fix that thing, how about I make us a cup of tea, and you tell me all about it.”
    I was about to decline because I didn’t like talking about Kenny with anyone, but then I looked at her again.
    “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen?” Stella challenged me. “If you’re lucky, I’ll dig out some of my old photograph albums, and you can see pictures of some of the young men who broke my heart. Handsome young fellows they all were too. Such a crying shame.”
    Oh, what the hell. It wasn’t like it would be humiliating to share it with someone who reminded me of the gran I’d always wanted.
    “All right, then, but I’ll make the tea.”
    Stella grinned, and her eyes sparkled. “You and I, Josh, I can tell we’re going to be excellent friends.”

Chapter Three
    “Hey, Josh—great to see you, hon.”
    Rai stepped back into the tiny entrance hall to let me in, then ambushed me with a hug as the door swung shut behind me.
    “Oh, hi. Good to see you too.” I hoped the chocolate HobNobs I was carrying weren’t getting crushed to bits between our bodies. It was either that or they’d be melted into one giant cylindrical biscuit. I did my best to concentrate on those biscuits, because Rai’s tight embrace and faint aroma of herbal shower gel were stirring up an entirely inappropriate physical response.
    “Come on in,” Rai said as he pulled back, taking hold of one of my hands. “We’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
    It was only a step through to the living room, and there Evan was, sprawled on the sofa and seeming to take up far more space than one man should. He had on a pair of camouflage combat trousers—huge bare feet sticking out of the bottom—and a faded Massive Attack T-shirt with the arms and neck cut off. I remembered Denise’s comment about his lack of style, but hey, it suited him.
    Evan gave me a lazy smile and got to his feet. “Ey up, Josh. Hey, you brought snacks.” His blue eyes lit up as he spotted the biscuits and big bag of Kettle Chips. “There’s a man after my own heart. You should be taking notes, pet.”
    I watched Rai flip Evan the bird with a sunny smile. “I do the brainy stuff, you do the brawny stuff—that’s the deal, lover. You want me to go shopping and make dinner, you have to learn how to do your own accounts.” Rai turned to me and winked. “I will take these through to the kitchen and get us some drinks, though. What do you fancy, Josh. Tea? Coffee? Beer?”
    “Beer sounds good,” I said, my voice only quavering ever so slightly as Rai took my meagre offerings, his fingers brushing mine. “Thanks”
    As Rai disappeared through to the kitchen, Evan pulled me into a bear hug. Christ, I really wasn’t used to all this touchy-feely stuff. It’d been way too long since another man had wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me in close to his rock-hard, musky-smelling body.
    Uh-oh. I felt like the life was being crushed out of my lungs, and my dick was starting to chub up. How sick was that? And embarrassing too, because there was no way Evan wouldn’t be able to feel it, all squished up close like he