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Treating patients outside a hospital setting wasn’t something I did often. In fact, I never did what I did that night before or since. It was either help them or walk away. I was there for what they needed. I also got the medicine I needed for Dominic in a not so official way that could cost me everything.
Would I have regretted it if I’d been caught? I would have. But I wasn’t caught. I also didn’t make a habit of what I did. One and done. And having JJ as a friend was worth the risk. He was the type of friend who would be there for me no matter what, no questions asked. Those were very hard to come by.
Val was there that night. I only caught a glimpse of him, but it was enough to keep him firmly in my mind. It was months later when I saw him again in JJ’s shop. He was different than the other men I’d met. Blunt. Said what was on his mind. Some might have seen it as rude, but I thought it was refreshing. How many times was I lied to by Pia? How many of her words were false? Looking back, I questioned a lot. It also gave me a new perspective and an appreciation for how Val was.
He wasn’t the only man who caught my attention though. There was also Xaiden Dremest, who most called X. I met him the night of Dominic’s promotion party, where I tucked myself against a wall at Dexen’s club and blushed to the point I thought my face would permanently stay red. It was very nice of Dexen to give me a lifetime membership to his club for helping out the night Dominic was hurt. I wasn’t sure I’d go to Untouchable often, if ever again. I was so overwhelmed by the men there. The men who were scantily dressed. The dancers, the waiters. So many beautiful bodies. At the end of the night when I was finally home, only two men were on my mind: Val and Xaiden. They were different from each other, but no less enticing.
Would they be at the cookout today? I would imagine so, which made me more nervous to go.
After I showered and pulled on a pair of briefs, I went to my small closet and flipped through my casual clothes, looking for something to wear. Jeans were a given. This wasn’t a khakis kind of gathering. I found a short-sleeved, plain blue T-shirt to put on. That was about as casual as I got if I wasn’t home.
In the bathroom mirror, I brushed my fingers through my drying light brown hair, teetering between hating and loving the bit of gray I’d developed at my temples. It wasn’t overwhelming, more subtle. I was sure the sun would catch it this afternoon and make it stand out more. I thought it made me look distinguished. On the flip side, it made me look old. I was only forty-three.
My glasses sat a bit askew, so I fixed their tortoiseshell frame until they were straight. My face was cleanly shaven, the dimple in the center of my chin prominent. Pia used to say it was sexy. I wondered if she ever really thought I was attractive or not. For all I knew, Val and Xaiden weren’t gay or bi. Or they were taken.
“Fuck,” I bit out and braced my hands on the bathroom counter. What was I doing trying to look nice for two men I hardly knew? And what if they were interested? It wasn’t like I knew what I was doing. I had no clue how to be with a man outside of the endless amount of porn I’d watched since meeting them, since realizing I could have something I hadn’t before, even if it wasn’t with them.
I lifted my head, my eyes locking on their equal in the mirror. I was doing this for myself. I wanted to look good to feel better about who I was. At work, I was as sure as they came. I knew my job and could do it with the best of them. Outside of there, I floundered. Uncertainty bled in like poison, causing me to doubt myself.
Not today. If nothing else, I was going to have a great meal with people I enjoyed being around. Hopefully I could get to know some of them better and make more friends.
By the time I was done critiquing myself and giving an internal pep talk, it was nearing time for me to leave. I didn’t want to get there too early and seem desperate for interaction. It typically took about a half hour to drive to their home outside of the city. It was also Saturday and traffic tended to be busy with people bustling around, running errands.
Grabbing my keys, phone, and wallet, I locked my condo and went down to my truck. The development had blooming trees. The scent of spring flowers floated on the gentle breeze, which brushed my skin as I walked to my truck. A woman two doors down waved to me. Her name was Desiree, but she liked to be called Desi. She was one of the first people to welcome me when I moved in. Her interest in me wasn’t well concealed. I politely declined her offers for a home-cooked meal many times. While she was nice and very pretty, she wasn’t who I had my sights set on.
I waved to Desiree and got into my truck, avoiding a conversation with her. Getting out of the condo was wise. Getting to know a couple of men better, if they’d let me, was even wiser.
3
XAIDEN
The remodeled farmhouse my brother and his partners lived in had once belonged to our grandparents. They had left the home to Dexen when they passed, while I got a large piece of land ten minutes west of here. There had been a small home on the land, which I had torn down to replace with the one I currently lived in.
My grandparents had used it as an income property, earning money from the rental. The tenant had stayed there until he was too old to care for himself and went into an assisted living facility. I didn’t have it in me to kick him out when the title was transferred to me. Instead, I lived in West Dremest until the time came when I could start building my dream home. A home that felt more like a hideaway than the one in front of me.
Dexen’s house was warm, full of laughter, and love. It didn’t matter what the walls or floors looked like, or the furnishings inside. It was the people who made it the inviting place it was. Dexen had that with JJ and Greer.
I bypassed the front door, instead heading around the back of the house to where I could hear people talking. A big patio extended from the back door. There was a shiny, new, stainless steel grill Greer wanted sitting off to the side. JJ said it was the perfect opportunity to have everyone over. I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay but I was here. Anything for my brother.
“Xaiden,” my mom said when she saw me. She was sitting in one of the chairs on the patio, which surrounded a table with an umbrella in the center. Her white hair was cut short. She had on a pair of dark sunglasses. Pale blue pants and a matching floral top, my mom was always well put together. Even her light pink nail polish matched the hue of some of the flowers on her shirt. I was grateful I couldn’t see the sadness in her eyes when she saw me. It cut me to the quick every time. “Dexen said you were coming but I wasn’t sure.”
“I’m here, Mom. I wouldn’t miss it.” I leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.
My dad grinned and held out his hand for me to shake. It was nice when he wasn’t looking at me with the same sadness my mom did. His grip was still strong, even though he was in his late seventies. His hair had thinned over the years; he was nearly bald now. “Xaiden, how’s the gym? I keep meaning to stop by, but time gets away from me.”
“It’s good. Thriving. Now that I’ve expanded into the vacant store beside it, the indoor pool is coming along. I’ve hired a couple instructors and lifeguards so everything will be in place when it’s done.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
My parents owned the businesses on First Street in West Dremest. The only one in my name was the gym and the store, which I took over. It had once been a florist who had unfortunately gone under. Since my parents owned it, all I had to do was ask and the space was mine. I tried to pay them for it, but they wouldn’t hear of it, stating it was coming back to me anyway when they were gone, which I didn’t want to think about. I would much rather have them here, alive and well, than the properties and money I’d inherit when they passed.
I was about to grab a drink when thick arms wrapped around me from behind in a bear hug. It had to be Greer. He and Peyton sparred with me for fun. Dominic did too but he wouldn’t do this. Greer, Peyton, and I used to spar a lot more when they were being trained forever ago. Shit, it had been a long time since they were young in my ring, learning how to take a punch and how to throw one.
Spreading my legs wide, which wasn’t too easy to do in jeans, I shifted to the right and stepped my left leg behind his. In this position, I could grab the backs of his legs and lift him from the ground. He only held on to me, so I didn’t drop him on the stone pavers. I kept him in the air until he slapped my back, silently telling me I won and to put him down. It didn’t matter that Greer had two inches on me in height and more muscle. I could easily hand him his ass and he knew it.
Greer smiled when he was back on his feet. His dark hair was longer on the top and shaved on the sides, similar to mine. but I had more length on top and my hair was a copper color. “Getting the jump on you is impossible,” he said.
“If you thought you could, you would have done something more than bear hug me. You knew I’d break that.”
