After three pages his eyes glazed over. So many women. Christ. Each one seemed perfect for him. But then again, he’d thought Jackie was perfect too, although if he’d looked closer, maybe he would’ve seen the warning signs his family and friends tried to point out. Hindsight was easy after the fact. What a waste. Yeah, the sex had been okay, but he couldn’t forgive himself for being so easily duped. Guess he wasn’t as great a judge of character as he thought. Either that or she was a damn good actress when she wanted something, which was more likely the truth.
He wanted to prove to them all—his sister and his friends—that he could make his own decisions about his life without the need for their well-meaning intervention, or, in the case of Jordan, his arrogant opinions.
Jackie had made no secret from the moment they’d met at the rooftop bar of the Tribeca Grand that she wanted him. Badly. If he were the type of guy to score on the first date, he could’ve had her in his bed that night. And she was more than willing, he realized as he recalled her attempts in the cab they’d shared, to get him to come home with her. Maybe that was his problem. He took sex seriously and couldn’t understand people like Jackie and Asher Davis, who threw it around like it meant nothing at all.
No more thinking about the past. Lucky for him, he’d extricated himself quickly and painlessly, with nothing more than a bruised but not broken heart. Luckily, Jackie hadn’t gotten pregnant. She didn’t want to have any children, and he’d always expressed a desire to adopt. He didn’t need to have his own children, and after learning about the tragedy of the foster care system, maybe he would think about becoming a single dad in the near future.
The oven timer dinged, and he returned to the kitchen to pull the cookies out of the oven. They smelled wonderful as he set the pans on the counter to cool. Domino sniffed at his toes and swatted his ankles.
Looks like someone wants a treat
. Drew took out one of the bowls he kept on the counter specifically for that purpose and bent down to feed and pet the purring cat.
A beep sounded from the living room. “Come on, kitty. Let’s go and see who wants what from me.” He plopped down on the sofa and peered at the slightly blurry computer screen. Damn. Maybe he did need to start wearing those glasses the ophthalmologist said he needed. Until then, he’d make do with squinting.
Oh wow. Turned out he had an IM from a woman. That was quicker than he’d expected.
Hi. I’m Alyssa. How are you?
Hmm. A little strange to do it this way, but he shrugged. Technology was the way of the world now, so here went nothing.
I’m good, thanks. How are you?
Great. I saw your profile, and I live near you and wondered if you’d want to get together for a coffee or a drink this week.
Just then the downstairs buzzer rang. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Domino jumped off the couch and ran into the bedroom.
Hold on for a few? My doorbell rang.
Sure. Not a problem.
He spoke into the little speaker box. “Who is it?”
“Hey, Drew. It’s Ash. May I come up?”
Funny, he’d never noticed the slight Southern drawl in Ash’s voice. An unexpected shiver raced through him. “Sure,” he said and pushed the button to release the door lock.
Within seconds, footsteps pounded up the stairs, and he opened the door to watch Ash climbing the last few steps. Ash pushed his hair off his forehead, then met Drew’s gaze and grinned. “Damn. You couldn’t live on the first floor?”
An image chased in his mind and out just as quickly, of Ash bending over him on the couch. Since that made no sense, he blinked one or two times to clear his mind and held the door open wide. “Come on in. Are you going somewhere?”
Ash cocked his brow and followed him into the apartment. “No, why?”
Drew gestured with his chin. “I dunno; you’re kinda dressed up for a Sunday morning.” His gaze raked over the man who was in a white button-down shirt and black pants. “I’m like a slob compared to you.” He laughed and rubbed his chin.
Like a breath being held, an anticipatory waiting for something to drop and cause havoc and mayhem, a heavy silence hung in the air. Ash’s glittering eyes scrutinized him, traveling with slow precision up his body. Though he stood several feet away, it was as if Drew could feel the press of Ash’s fingers on his back and the hush of Ash’s breath on his skin. His skin prickled with the heat rising in his face. He never could control his blushing. It drove him crazy.
“Don’t be a fool. You’re perfect.”
Drew let out a self-conscious laugh. “Ah, yes. Must be why the women are beating down my doors.”
Ash’s face shuttered, closed and dark. “Perhaps you’re looking for the wrong person.”
Their eyes met, and once again the silent air fairly vibrated with tension. Drew licked his lips. “Um, go ahead and sit down. You want some iced coffee or a beer or something?”
“The coffee sounds great, thanks.” Ash strolled into the living room while Drew fixed the coffee. He brought the cups in, but there was nowhere for both of them to sit, as the blanket still lay on the sofa.
Ash placed his cup on the table, took the blanket, and folded it. “Here, why don’t you let me put that back in the bedroom?”
Puzzled, Drew looked from the blanket to Ash’s face. “How did you know where it came from?”
Ash froze at the entrance to Drew’s bedroom, a guilty expression coloring his face red. “I, uh…” He looked up, down, and everywhere but at Drew’s face.
“You came back here, didn’t you? I thought I was going crazy with the thoughts in my head.” Drew pressed the heel of his palm hard into his eyes. “Shit. I really have no recollection of what happened. I’m no drinker.”
“Yeah, that was obvious.”
He tried to look affronted, but Ash huffed out a laugh. “Come on, Drew, you were trashed.”
Finally he broke out in a grin. “Yeah, I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to booze.” He licked his lips, nerves skittering inside him at the question he was about to ask. “Um, so what happened when you were here?”
Ash returned to the couch and sat next to him. His soft voice, the drawl a little more apparent, sparked a confusing, heated response in Drew’s blood. “What makes you think somethin’ happened?”
If a fire truck plowed into his apartment right now, it couldn’t have pulled his attention away from Ash’s strong jaw and firm lips. Or that little wedge of skin, so soft looking even with the dark curl of chest hair peeking through. The man smelled like warm sunshine and coffee. Heaven and desire.
“I, um, I had some weird dreams,” Drew choked out, embarrassed now that Ash sat before him. But the man wasn’t smiling. In fact, he looked terrifyingly serious.
“Did you now?” It didn’t seem strange at all for Ash to reach over and brush back the curls that insisted on falling into his eyes. “Why don’t you tell me about them?”
He shook his head, unsure where to begin, afraid he might reveal too much of the confusion inside.
A ding from the computer broke the mesmerizing spell between them. “Shit. I forgot about her.” With reluctance, he turned his attention to the computer and the series of chat messages with the woman he’d been talking to. What was her name again? Alyssa, right. Wow she had a lot to say.
Hello, hello?
Are you still there?
I guess you aren’t that interested.
A warm breath teased his ear, sending chills rippling down his spine. “Are you? Interested in her?”
Drew found it hard to swallow. Ash’s lips, his mouth were a mere breath away from touching his hair. Much as his mind sought to ignore it, his body responded. With supreme strength, he wrenched away from the magnetic pull of the man and shut the laptop, effectively ending the conversation with poor Alyssa.
“I, um, don’t know. It’s only the first time I’ve done that.” For the life of him he didn’t know why he sounded so defensive. It wasn’t as if he owed Ash an explanation. And speaking of explanations…
“You never did say why you came by yesterday after the party.”
Ash frowned, staring off into the distance. “To pick up my sunglasses, of course.”
On inspiration, Drew blurted out, “Do you want to come with me to my grandmother’s today? I have to bring her the cookies I baked…” His voice trailed off as Ash cast him a look of disbelief. “Oh, sorry. That was stupid of me. I’m sure you have better things to do than hang around with my family all day long.”
But to his utter shock and surprise, a wide smile brightened Ash’s face. It was as if a switch had been flicked on from inside of him. “I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my Sunday than to see Esther again.” His smile faded for a moment. “Are you sure she wouldn’t mind me butting in?”
“Mind? You remember what she said. She’ll be thrilled. Someone new to flirt with.” He punched Ash on the shoulder. “Help me wrap them up, and we can take off. I usually get there by one o’clock. First I have to stop at the deli and pick her up a corned beef sandwich.”
Ash’s eyes lit up. “Nothing like a good corned beef sandwich. Mr. Frank used to bring them in whenever we worked late on a case.” And as quickly as his face had flushed with happiness, it drained of joy.
“You miss him, don’t you?” The bleak expression on Ash’s face hurt Drew’s heart. It was obvious the man had meant the world to Ash.
”Every fucking day.” The pain in Ash’s voice was pitiful to hear.
Drew gave Ash’s arm a sympathetic squeeze. “Then spending a day with my grandmother will help.” He patted Ash on his back, noting the flex and play of muscle under the fine cotton of his shirt. Why, all of a sudden did he notice these little, intimate details about Ash’s body?
Ash stilled under his touch, and Drew found he couldn’t pull away. Their gazes locked. Drew stepped back quickly, withdrawing his hand. Disconcerted, he frowned to himself. What the hell was happening here? “Uh. Let’s get going.” They wrapped up the cooled-down cookies and left the apartment. Ash had his car so he drove, and the silence between them spoke louder than any words could.
Chapter Seven
One month later, after getting out of a cab, Ash stood on the sidewalk outside the clinic, surveying the activity. Teenagers entered and left the building. It was good to see those who left, more often than not, had a relaxed, hopeful look about them, as if they’d found the secret answer to the problem troubling them. With any luck, the clinic had done its job.
He sipped his coffee, and as they had done so very often in the past month, his thoughts wandered to the founder of the clinic, Drew Klein. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what the attraction was. The man was good-looking, with his dark curls, light green eyes, and sweet smile, but Ash had never lacked for good-looking men in his bed. Drew had the slender, slightly smaller physique Ash favored in a lover. The sight of the man’s tight ass, encased in those faded jeans, his lean runner’s legs showcasing the muscles of his thighs under the thin fabric of the jeans was enough to give Ash a hard-on every single time.
It was more than that, though. Ash was the first to admit he was shallow in his choice of bedmates, often only caring that the man had visual appeal. But when it came to Drew, it was something more than his outward appearance. Drew’s innate goodness and the dedication he showed to these kids only added to his attractiveness. Ash had never known anyone quite so damn nice before. The man’s heart was as wide open as the sky.
Ash pushed open the glass front door, absently greeting Marly—the teenager with so many facial piercings it hurt to look at her. He slipped a small bakery bag on her desk. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Mr. Davis.” Her gaze landed on the bag. “What did you bring me today?” A gleam in her pale blue eyes indicated she already knew it would be something she would like.
Ash leaned over the top of the counter and ruffled her hair. “I know you’re going to want to taste it.” His eyes held hers, willing her to agree. Sixteen-year-old Marly had been with them from the beginning, coming to them half-starved and sexually abused. Without saying a word, Ash had taken it upon himself to make sure he did everything legally possible to put her father behind bars for a long time. The case was still wending its way through the system. Thank God they had gotten her out of her abusive household and in with a wonderful foster care family.
Still somewhat mistrustful of strangers, she’d taken, oddly enough, to him. No one in the clinic could understand the unusual friendship between him and the frightened, bedraggled teenager, but it wasn’t any of their goddamn business. He had his reasons, and one of them was the way her lips now curved in a smile and her pale eyes shone with laughter, not fear, as she peered inside the bag to see her double fudge cupcake.
Fear was a companion he’d grown up with, lived with each night of his life until he’d turned eighteen and left his foster home. He’d made sure he got away. He could only hope his foster brothers—the boys he’d left behind who were too young and scared to leave with him—had made it out as well. He’d never stopped trying to find them, but the private investigator he had on their trail for years kept running up against dead ends.
“Oooh, Mr. Davis, you shouldn’t have.” But her finger sank into the two-inch topping of fudge and came away with a big glob to stick in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head with undisguised ecstasy. “Yumm. It’s so good. Thank you.”
“Make sure you finish it, and don’t let anyone sneak a bite.” He jerked his head at Javier, the other teenager manning the reception desk. The teenage boy snorted, shaking his head.
“Man, I’m not gonna steal her food. Especially when her nasty finger’s already touched it.”
Outraged, Marly took a huge bite, leaving a glob of frosting on her nose. “My hands are clean, buddy boy. As opposed to yours, which were probably down some guy’s pants this morning.”
Javier’s face flamed. “Not true. Marquez and I broke up.”
Instantly, Marly turned from teaser to comforter, and Ash enjoyed seeing how the two formerly wary, friendless teens had bonded as she consoled him. “Bastard. You’ll find someone better than him; don’t worry, baby.”