“Cio.” Cio kept bobbing his head as he screwed two metal bars together. “Cio?” Cio let out a small whistled tune and his hips shimmied. Richard jerked his gaze back up and away from the swaying backside. He gave up on getting Cio’s attention and went to sit at his desk instead. He fished a hard caramel candy out of the top drawer and clicked through the research on the computer.

He had almost finished reading Cio’s write up on their failed model, where it went wrong and how to improve in the next generation, when Cio let out a strangled shout. Richard looked up. Cio had a hand clenched over his heart. His wide eyes stared at Richard. Richard waved at him and Cio ripped his headphones out.

“Jesus fuck, Dr. Price. Little warning, huh?” He bent down to scoop his fallen sucker off the floor. He frowned at it and tossed it in the trash.

Richard laughed. “I called out twice. Good write up. Russell approved it?”

“Yeah. Well, if ‘do what you want’ counts as approval.”

Richard snorted. “Where’s Russell at anyway?”

“Dunno. He disappeared not long after I got here.”

“Hm.” Richard swiveled back and forth in Cio’s chair. Cio leaned back against his work table. Richard asked the question that’d been bothering him for ages. “Why do you call me Dr. Price?”

Cio pulled his full lower lip between his teeth. “I didn’t want to act too familiar. I mean, it was one night two years ago and you’re my boss now. It didn’t seem proper to call you Richard.”

Richard nodded. “Fair enough. Call me Richard.”

Cio smiled at him and caused his heart to stumble. “Toss me a sucker.” Richard obliged.

“Why biomedical engineering?”

Cio shrugged. “I’ve always enjoyed building things.” He seemed to debate with himself for a second before continuing. “That and my sister had some complications with her second child. Martin was born early. Price Labs had just donated several transport incubators to a small hospital up north.” Cio paused as though debating whether or not he should say what he was about to say, then shrugged and continued. “Martin was so tiny and fragile and Amelia was distraught over her baby being taken to a different hospital.” Cio shook his head and Richard wondered if this was where Cio’s hatred of hospitals came from. “My best friend uses a wheelchair after a car accident back in high school.” The switch was abrupt, but Richard understood. Some memories were painful no matter how much time passed. Cio swirled the sucker in his mouth. Richard stared as the candy appeared and disappeared between his lips. “I wanted to do something that could help people like her.”

Richard let that information settle. “And I suppose our pay has nothing to do with it.”

“Your pay for assistants had nothing to do with it.” Cio frowned at him, but the laughter in his eyes lightened the rebuke. “Like I told you before, I received several offers from R&D labs across the country. I wanted to be here, so I came here.”

Richard took in Cio’s frown marring his handsome features and changed the subject. “All right. So, you have three weeks left until the wedding. Found a good boyfriend yet?”

It worked. Cio rolled his eyes but a slight smile played at his lips. “Ugh. Don’t remind me. I’m about five seconds from actually hiring an escort. That’s so skeevy to even think about.”

Richard laughed. Cio looked disgusted at the idea. “Skeevy, huh? You’re really making me feel my age.”

“You’re not even that old.”

“I imagine most would disagree.”

“How old are you then?”

Did Richard even want to know how old Cio thought he was? Probably not. The greying in his hair didn’t do anything good to hide his age. “Forty-four.”

Cio let out a low whistle. His eyes dropped and slid down Richard’s body. Richard leaned back in the chair, instinctively putting himself more on display. Cio’s cheeks darkened almost imperceptibly and his eyes darted back up to Richard’s face. “Well. You don’t look it.” Cio turned his back to Richard.

Richard let his gaze slide back down Cio’s body. There was no denying it. He found the younger man incredibly attractive. Which was all the more reason he needed to leave Cio alone. “Tell Russ to come find me when he gets back.”

Cio glanced back around. “Are you leaving already?”

Richard paused, standing in front of Cio’s chair. “You’re a busy man. Natalie keeps getting on to me for distracting my workers. I’m a little afraid she’s going to fire me soon.”

Cio chuckled. “Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past her. I’ll let Russell know you’re looking for him.”

Richard drummed his fingers on the desktop, then cleared his throat and left Cio behind.