Read Rough [01] - A Bit of Rough for Free Online Page A

steady himself and found Bram there instead. The big man guided James over to sit on the couch.
    "No. No, I . . . I need to . . . don't want to sit. Not right now." James slipped from Bram's light grip and began to pace the room, randomly fussing with small items on the shelves and tables, then ducking into the compact kitchen area off the living room and back out again.
    Bram occupied himself with looking over the plans on the drawing table. "I recognize this. It's on the East Side of town. A historical restoration, isn't it?"
    James stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Yeah, a huge one. The Becker Estate. The architectural firm I work for was asked to design and oversee the work." James sighed and shook his head. "I thought for sure I'd be given the project. That era is my area of expertise. I love it. I've been working on these plans, on my own time, for six months.
    Ever since I heard it was a possibility." He leaned against the kitchen door jab then pushed abruptly off it. "They gave it to a senior architect on Friday." James turned and walked back out of the room. "I need a drink of . . . something."
    Bram studied the layers of technical drawings more closely. He called out over his shoulder as he thumbed through the pile. "Did they see these? Before they made the decision who to give it to?"
    "No." James wandered back into the living, hands still empty. "I was all ready to present them to my boss, then Art Wheeler told me he'd been 'saddled' with it. He's one of the senior architects I mentioned. Didn't seem to be any point in showing them to anyone after that."
    "It's a shame for all this work to go to waste, Jamie. It's brilliant. You should show them to someone anyway. It couldn't hurt."
    "Maybe." Frowning, James made a helpless gesture with his hands in the air. "I'll make us some coffee. I could use coffee. Yeah, I'll make . . .coffee." James shrugged off his jacket then put it back on, rubbing his arms. "Kinda cold in here." He gave a dry, embarrassed chuckle and disappeared into the kitchen again. He popped back out to ask,
    "Do you want coffee?"
    "Sure, unless you've got something stronger." Slipping off his long, Western style leather overcoat and tossing it on a chair, Bram sat down and watched the younger man's increasingly frantic movements.
    James knelt down by an old oak cabinet. "I think I have a bottle of brandy in here.
    Christmas present from the boss, Mr. Dunn. Good brandy, too. Except I don't drink much. And never alone. Drinking's kind of a purely social thing for me. Loosens me up to A Bit of Rough - 26
    talk. And if there's no one to talk to, what's the point of drinking in the first place, you know?"
    James pulled a bottle from the back of the cabinet and started to stand. A wave of dizziness washed over him. James felt the room tilt and grow dim, then black.
    After the room had righted itself, James found himself cradled against Bram, both of them lying on the couch. James was draped over Bram and Bram's leather coat was draped over James, the big man's arms holding him securely in place.
    Looking up into the pale blue eyes studying him intently, James blushed, suddenly feeling like a fainting damsel in distress from a corny soap opera.
    "God, I'm so sorry about all this." James pushed himself up on trembling arms and Bram helped him to sit up. James missed the warmth immediately. Shivers raced down his spine.
    Bram smiled his lopsided, playful grin. "I don't know. It hasn't been a total loss. I still got the chance to feel you tremble again."
    James snorted a panic-tinged laugh. "I liked the reasons for it better last night." He puffed out two breathes in rapid succession to calm himself. "I don't want to ever go through what happened in the hallway again."
    He suddenly needed space between himself and the huge man hovering beside him. He jumped up and fled to the other side of the room, taking refuge behind the drafting table, relieved when Bram made no move to follow.
    James gave Bram an