Wednesday 21st of December

Patrick kept his gaze fixed on his boss, Brian Buckley, but he was all too aware of Kyle’s presence next to him. Kyle was like a splinter, niggling away under his skin in a way that was annoying, yet hard to ignore.

Impossible to ignore, in fact.

Since Kyle had started working as a trainee sales rep in the offices of Lipton Medical Ltd six weeks ago, and Patrick, assigned as his mentor, had struggled to focus on much else because Kyle was very distracting.

Brian ran his hand through his thinning grey hair, looking exasperated. “I’m tired of you sniping at each other around the office. Even if you can’t settle your differences you need to find a way to be civil. The current situation is unprofessional and it needs to stop.”

Patrick felt his ears heat as he blushed. “I’m sorry.” In the seven years he’d been working here, Brian had never had cause to criticise his professionalism before.

Bloody Kyle.

At least this meeting at Carlisle Royal Infirmary—one of the furthest clients from their Manchester base—would be their last trip together, as well as their last trip before the Christmas break. In the new year Kyle would be taking on his own clients and Patrick would no longer be his mentor, so Patrick wouldn’t see nearly so much of him.

“Book a hotel and stay the night. There’s no rush to get back on Friday as we’re winding down for the holidays anyway. Go out for a meal, have a few beers. Maybe spending some time together out of the office will help the two of you to get along better.”

“Maybe,” Patrick said, unconvinced. The best part of two days together would probably have them close to murdering each other by the time they were done. He’d rather drive back from Carlisle the same day, but with the meeting ending at five-thirty—and they had a tendency to run over—it could be a long day if they didn’t stay the night.

Kyle cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Patrick flashed a glance sideways and caught Kyle looking back at him. Kyle raised his perfectly shaped eyebrows as though in challenge and Patrick looked away quickly.

“Well I don’t care if you do it, but you need to sort things out,” Brian said seriously. “Even if you’re not working together so closely in the new year, you’re still going to be part of the same team. This schoolyard bickering needs to stop.”

“Of course.” Patrick addressed Brian. “We’ll do our best.”

“Kyle?” Brian raised his eyebrows.

“Absolutely, boss. I’m sure this trip will be a great opportunity for us to bond.” Kyle’s voice was smooth and sweet as syrup.

Patrick tried not to roll his eyes at Kyle’s obsequiousness. What an arse-licker. He shook the fleeting image of the literal version of that out of his head. Not going there.

“Right, that’s all. Safe travels and I’ll see you both back here in January.” Dismissed, they stood. “Have a good Christmas, both of you,” Brian added just as Patrick was opening the office door.

“Thanks, you too,” Kyle said.

“Yes. Thank you,” Patrick added, a twist of sadness in his chest as he remembered he’d be spending Christmas alone this year.

Back at his desk, Patrick pretended to read through some notes on a new product they’d be rolling out in January but his mind was elsewhere. Feeling despondent, he allowed himself to think about Kyle instead, welcoming the distraction from memories that hurt. He risked a furtive glare at the side of Kyle’s blond head where he sat opposite, intent on something on his laptop screen. A strand of hair fell over Kyle’s forehead and he swept it back. Surely that sun-streaked look couldn’t be natural, not in the middle of winter?

Patrick sighed. He spent way too much time thinking about Kyle when he was supposed to be concentrating on work. It was incredibly frustrating to be fixated on someone he didn’t even like. It was hard to pinpoint why he annoyed Patrick so much. Perhaps it was because they were so different.

Patrick was good at his job as a sales rep, but his systems were seemingly chaotic. By the age of thirty he should probably have learnt to file things more neatly, but the piles of paper on his desk were actually arranged in a way that made perfect sense—to Patrick. Kyle on the other hand kept his desk clear and was obsessive about keeping things tidy. Working together, he’d been constantly frustrated by Patrick’s mess and clutter.

Kyle’s phone chimed with a distinctive sounding notification. Patrick’s frustration rose a few notches as he watched Kyle slip his phone out of his pocket. Smiling to himself, Kyle typed a reply, engaging in a brief exchange of messages before putting his phone away.

Although they were only seven years apart in age, twenty-three-year-old Kyle sometimes seemed as if he was from a different generation. Wedded to his phone, Kyle was a party boy and a Grindr addict. Patrick had always shied away from that type of gay man, preferring to meet people organically through shared interests. A night out clubbing was Patrick’s idea of torture. He’d rather go on a date to the theatre, or sit alone at home with a good book.

The only thing they had in common was their sexuality; although Patrick was discreet at work so Kyle didn’t know they shared an interest in men. Kyle, on the other hand, was indiscreet to the point of being inappropriate. Maybe Patrick was the only one in their office who recognised the tone of a Grindr notification, but sooner or later Kyle would get caught sexting when he was supposed to be working.

Patrick had managed to convince himself that it was disapproval that made him bristle whenever he heard those notifications. The fact that Kyle was cute as hell with an arse you could bounce pound coins off had nothing to do with it. Patrick wasn’t into casual sex, and he didn’t want to be intimate with someone he didn’t even like, no matter how much he fancied him.

Giving himself a mental slap, Patrick tore his attention away from Kyle and forced himself to concentrate on work. There’d be plenty of time over the Christmas holiday to think about Kyle’s arse. It wasn’t like Patrick would have anything better to do this year.

Feeling boosted by a message exchange with one of his occasional hook up buddies, Kyle turned his focus back to work and began to re-read the notes he’d prepared for the meeting in Carlisle. He could sense Patrick’s irritation rolling off him like smoke. Instinct told him that if he looked up, Patrick would be watching him. Patrick spent a lot of time watching Kyle, and he wasn’t nearly as subtle about it as he probably imagined. His attraction was painfully obvious to Kyle who was very used to basking in male attention and could recognise it a mile off.

Shame for Patrick that he wasn’t Kyle’s type.

Hiding a smug smile behind his hand, Kyle put Patrick from his mind. He closed his notes and opened the folder of client details, planning to use the rest of the afternoon to familiarise himself with the clients he’d be taking on alone in January.

Kyle had lost track of time when Patrick’s voice pulled him out of focus.

“Right, I’m done for the day so I’m heading home soon.” Patrick pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and a lock of dark wavy hair fell over his brow. “I’ll need to pick you up at ten tomorrow for us to allow for traffic if we want to be sure of making the meeting at one.”

“Can we take my car?” Kyle asked. “Now I’ve finally got a decent one I could do with giving it a good run to get used to it.”

The car allowance from the company meant he’d been able to upgrade from his ancient VW Golf to a nearly new BMW 3 Series. He’d only collected it two days ago and was desperate for a chance to take it on a longer drive than his commute to the office. Plus Patrick drove like Kyle’s granny so they’d get there faster with Kyle behind the wheel.

“I suppose.” Patrick gave a small frown. “We can share the driving regardless.”

“There’s no need. It’s not likely to be more than two hours.” Patrick’s frown deepened and Kyle had to bite back a smirk. Patrick hated being a passenger. On the couple of occasions he’d reluctantly let Kyle drive his Mercedes, he’d been jumpy as hell, foot pressing down on a non-existent brake whenever Kyle had gone a little too close—in Patrick’s opinion—to the car in front. “So I’ll pick you up at ten,” Kyle continued cheerily. “Can you text me your address?”

“Sure.” Patrick sounded resigned. “See you in the morning then.”

“Yep, bye.” Kyle grinned, happy to have won that round.

In some ways he was going to miss working so closely with Patrick. Winding him up was a sport Kyle excelled at.

He watched as Patrick walked away. Tall and lean, his shoulders were broad in his dark grey suit. He didn’t have enough muscle for Kyle’s tastes, and he preferred his men more dominant in their personality, but he had to admit he liked Patrick’s hair. The rumpled mess of dark curls wasn’t something Kyle would normally notice—previously preferring more military styles—but it had grown on him, and when Patrick forgot to shave, his dark stubble looked good on him too.