Unarm (Hooked Book 5) Read online

  “Hey.”

  Jimmy didn’t smile. He gave a jerky nod. “Hey.”

  “What brings you by?” Tyler asked, trying to keep from sounding as surprised as he felt.

  “Eli made me.” Before Tyler had time to get his feelings hurt, Jimmy sighed and added, “That’s not entirely true.”

  “Okay.” Tyler dragged the word out, not bothering to hide his confusion.

  Jimmy shifted from one foot to the other. His gaze bounced around the room, looking everywhere but at Tyler. He looked cagey as hell. Tyler would’ve shaken him if he wasn’t one hundred percent certain Jimmy could and would hand his ass to him. “Um.” Jimmy pulled his hair up into a bun. It was a nervous gesture he’d seen the man do a thousand times. Tyler held on to his patience. Dealing with Jimmy always took every ounce of his training. “Here’s the thing,” Jimmy said, finally meeting Tyler’s stare. “You’re all the family I’ve got, and Eli doesn’t have anyone. We’re asking a lot, because we decided to get married in Miami, on the beach, before flying out the next day for our honeymoon. I get that it’s super-inconvenient, but you know how Eli is with crowds, and a regular wedding just won’t be comfortable for him with everyone staring at him. So a beach wedding is definitely the way to go.”

  “That’s awesome,” Tyler said, wondering where this was headed.

  Jimmy nodded. “We were wondering if you’d like to stand up with us, like giving us away or being our witness or some shit. You know, it’s okay if you can’t. It’s short notice and not a big deal at all.”

  Tyler couldn’t believe his ears. He didn’t know if he was more shocked by Jimmy’s question or his rambling. “It is a big deal. When is this thing happening?”

  “Two weeks from tomorrow.”

  Jimmy chewed his bottom lip while Tyler thought things over. It was short notice, but he had some vacation time plus seniority. He could swing it. “I’m there. Just get me the details, so I can get my trip booked.” Another thought hit. “I realize it may be awkward, since Jace is your ex and all, but is it okay if he comes with me?”

  A smile exploded across Jimmy’s face, taking Tyler aback. It was the first time he’d seen Jimmy smile when Eli wasn’t around. Not the first time in a long time. The first time ever. When it came to him, Jimmy didn’t smile. Tyler got it. He reminded Jimmy of something ugly—something he wanted to forget. Still, Tyler’s throat swelled at the sight. For a moment, Tyler felt as if he’d accomplished something. He hadn’t completely failed Jimmy in this life. He hadn’t failed every child he’d tried to help.

  “Eli’s at Jace’s work as we speak, hoping to enlist him in stealing you away for that weekend if you turned me down.”

  Even as a smile pulled at the corners of Tyler’s mouth, Jimmy’s words stung a bit. “Did you really think I’d turn you down?”

  Jimmy shrugged. His smile slipped away. “It’s not like you owe me anything. I’m just some kid you took in because no one else could be bothered.”

  The swelling in Tyler’s throat increased. “That’s not true, Jimmy. You’ve always been more than that to me.”

  Jimmy’s gaze bounced away again. He cleared his throat. “So I can tell Eli you said yes?”

  Tyler recognized he’d gotten all he’d get from Jimmy today. He slapped the man across the shoulder. “Hell yeah. I’m there. Someone’s tying you down? I’m not missing that for the world.” His phone buzzed in his front pocket. “Excuse me,” Tyler said, digging out his phone.

  Jace: Are you going?

  “It’s Jace,” he explained without looking up. “Guess Eli has already spoken with him.”

  “Is he going?”

  Tyler sent Jace a message while he answered Jimmy. “Hold on. I’ll find out.”

  Tyler: Are you going with me?

  Jace: I feel weird about it.

  “He says he feels weird about it.”

  Jimmy sighed. “Call him.”

  Tyler knew that tone. He smiled as he dialed Jace’s number. When Jace answered, Tyler didn’t bother saying hello. “Jimmy wants to talk to you.” He passed the phone Jimmy’s way and held his breath, hoping Jace didn’t hang up on him.

  Jimmy pressed the device to his ear. “Quit being a pussy,” Jimmy said, not bothering to sugarcoat anything. “Tyler wants you there. As far as I know, he’s never let anyone else into his life to the level he has with you, so man the fuck up and pack a bag.”

  Although Tyler couldn’t make out what Jace was saying, he heard the man talking a mile a minute, letting him know Jace was giving Jimmy hell. To his surprise, Jimmy smiled as he listened. “For real, I think Tyler loves you,” Jimmy said when Jace took a breath. Tyler blinked. Surely he hadn’t heard Jimmy right. No sound came from the phone. Either Jace had dropped his voice, or he was every bit as speechless as Tyler. “Is Eli still there? Put my baby on the phone.”

  Tyler shook off his shock. “Wait. No phone sex on my phone.”

  Jimmy’s expression turned sullen. “Fine. Tell my baby to get out of sight and answer his phone. I have some things I need to tell him.” Tyler’s eyebrows hit his hairline at the sex dripping from Jimmy’s words. Wow. He’d definitely never seen this side of the man.

  “Don’t hang up,” Tyler said before Jimmy did just that. “I want to talk to my baby too,” he added with a wink.

  Jimmy nodded. “Here’s Tyler.” He handed the phone back to Tyler. “I’ll text you all the details,” Jimmy said before turning to walk away. “See you in Miami,” he called over his shoulder.

  With a shake of his head, Tyler pressed the device to his ear. “You still there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Has Eli left yet?”

  “Yeah, he left as soon as I told him Jimmy was about to call him.”

  Tyler’s smile grew with every word. Jace sounded flustered. That meant Tyler had him right where he wanted him. “So you going with?”

  “Seems so—not that I needed Jimmy’s lecture. I’d already gotten one hell of a guilt trip from Eli before you called.”

  “Cool. I plan to add to it.”

  “That’s not nice,” Jace grumbled.

  Tyler talked over the top of him. “I was thinking—I haven’t had a real vacation in years. How do you feel about heading to Miami a few days early and relaxing on the beach?”

  The line went quiet. For a moment, Tyler wondered if Jace had hung up on him before he spoke again. “It depends. I’ll have to either clear my appointments or call in another hygienist from a different location. If I can pull it off, then I’d love to.”

  Tyler was smiling like an idiot. There was no calling it under control. “Let me know. I’ll go ahead and put in for a vacation. If you can’t get free those days, I’ll just dog your heels instead.”

  “Fantastic.”

  He got the impression Jace meant to be sarcastic, but the word came out sounding breathless instead. “You should come over tonight and let me make you dinner.”

  “I have a fight scheduled.”

  Jace’s tone was full of regret, but Tyler couldn’t have been more thrilled. “Seriously? Can I watch?”

  A nervous-sounding chuckle rang through the line. “I suppose. It’s at Smith Brothers at eight. The place gets kind of crowded pretty fast. You can go with me, but I have to be there by six or you can show up about half-an-hour early and circle the block until you can get a parking space.”

  “Hmmm,” Tyler said, making as if he needed to think it over. “Let’s see. So my choices are either I can spend more time with you or I can drive around all night hunting for a parking space. Damn. Guess I’m stuck with you for a couple of extra hours. The sacrifices I make for this relationship.”

  “I know,” Jace said. His voice had gone husky. “Maybe if I don’t get my ass handed to me too badly, I can make it up to you later.”

  Tyler glanced around, looking for a place to hide before everyone in the front lobby saw him go hard. Checking his pocket, he ensured he had his keys before heading for the car. “How man
y people are looking at you right now?”

  “None. I hid in the supply closet the minute Eli left,” Jace said on a low laugh.

  Tyler waited until he was alone inside his car—out of sight and earshot of anyone—before responding. “Damn. Now you’ve got me wondering what I can convince you to do.”

  “Uh, nothing,” Jace said immediately. “I said I was hiding, but I should’ve added ‘out of hearing range.’ People are in and out of here all day. I’m not getting fired and having ‘got caught jacking-off at work’ stamped on my employment record for the rest of my life.”

  At the heavy laughter in Jace’s voice, Tyler relaxed in his seat. He could easily talk to Jace all day. Tyler loved the sound of his voice. “No. I’m not trying to get you fired. How about you tell me about your day?”

  “If you’d like.”

  “I would,” Tyler said, leaning his head back against the headrest.

  “Okay. After I left your house, I got stuck in traffic on Broad. No idea why. Somehow, I made it to work on time, even though I didn’t try.” The laughter in Jace’s every word had a stupid grin stretching Tyler’s lips. He wanted every piece of Jace. “I’ve already seen seven patients this morning, and it hasn’t slowed. Paige keeps trying to corner me to talk about this guy she met online. Scary thought there, but wow. My life sounds way more drab when I say it out loud.”

  “I’m not the least bit bored. Want to hear about my day so far?”

  “Absolutely,” Jace said, doing nothing to dim Tyler’s smile.

  “I’ve filled out reports. All day long. So many fucking reports, it’s all just running together in my head. Now that’s the most mundane shit ever, but that’s okay. My job is only exciting when bad things happen. I’ll happily accept dull over that. Is it stupid I want to leave work right now and come sit with you while you work?”

  “Is that your way of saying you miss me?”

  Tyler had no shame when it came to Jace. “So much.”

  He could hear the smile in Jace’s voice when he responded. “Then no, it’s not stupid at all. I miss you too.”

  An idea hit. “What time do you go to lunch?”

  “I have one more patient before then, so maybe thirty minutes.”

  Tyler checked his watch. “Would you like to have lunch with me?”

  “Sounds great.”

  His happiness level was off the charts when it came to Jace. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up in half an hour.”

  “Okay. See ya then.”

  “Yeah. See ya.” Tyler hung up before he made an idiot of himself. He also wanted Jace to get that last patient out of the way since he had no intention of heading back inside. Instead, he called in his break and headed Jace’s way. He was ridiculously excited to see a man he’d seen less than five hours earlier. Tyler was so fucked. He’d never had it this bad.

  *

  Jace tried his best not to rush through the next cleaning. Paige kept shooting him dirty looks. She’d hoped he would join her for lunch so she could tell him all about her new man. He’d been forced to promise to buy her lunch tomorrow to keep from enduring her wrath. Tyler was worth it. Jace couldn’t explain the way he felt. He’d never missed anyone after only a few short hours. Jace had also never had anyone long to be with him the way Tyler did. It was addicting.

  Paige tried for one last dig before Jace left. “All you care about is Tyler these days. He gets you all the time. It’s almost like he’s trying to separate you from your friends.”

  “Wow, Paige. It’s one lunch. I get seven of those a week.” Despite the humor in his voice, Jace was a step beyond irritated. He never said things like that to Paige. If the shoe was on the other foot, he’d be happy for her.

  “It’s just one lunch today,” Paige muttered under her breath as she walked away.

  By the time Tyler’s lips were brushing his, Jace felt like three hours had passed since their phone call rather than half an hour. The time they spent apart felt much longer than the moments they were together. Jace stared at Tyler’s profile as he drove them to lunch. He didn’t want to go back to work. In fact, Jace had never wanted to skip out on everything in his life that had meaning, like he had since meeting Tyler. All Jace cared to do any longer was crawl into the man’s arms and try burrowing under his skin.

  “How’s Adam enjoying New York?”

  Jace shrugged, even though Tyler was watching the road and not him. “He’s getting to do what he loves, but I don’t think it’s as glamorous as he hoped.”

  “How so?”

  “I gather his boss is a handful,” Jace said, letting his humor over the matter slip through. “He’s a harsh taskmaster, and as much as I love Adam, I can freely admit I also spoiled him. It seems this guy isn’t as willing to give in to Adam’s every whim.”

  A dimple appeared in Tyler’s cheek. “Ah, life lessons. What about you? Has the empty-nest depression set in yet?”

  Instead of answering, Jace chose to deflect. “Did you get like that after Jimmy left?”

  “Of course,” Tyler said without missing a beat and surprising Jace. “My job keeps me busy, and as you’ve seen, puts me in black, obsessive moods. All those things haven’t exactly made me husband material. But I always wanted a real home with kids and someone who loves me,” Tyler said, flashing Jace a quick smile. “I know I sound ridiculous, but that’s what I’ve always wanted, and it didn’t happen for me. Jimmy is what I got instead. So when he left, yeah, it made my house seem too empty.”

  “You could still have those things,” Jace said, pointing out the facts.

  Tyler scoffed. “I’m too old for all that now. Imagine my kid graduating from high school on the same day I file for social security.”

  Jace slapped his arm. “Don’t say that. It makes me feel like I’m too old to have those things, and I’ve always hoped for them too.”

  “Hey,” Tyler said, glancing over with his eyebrows raised. “Maybe Jimmy and Eli will adopt and we could spoil grandkids instead?”

  Jace’s stomach tied in knots at Tyler’s words—like they had a real future together. Greed punched Jace in the gut. He craved the picture Tyler painted. “Let’s hope not right away,” Jace heard himself say. “I’m only thirty-three. That’s too young to have anyone calling me grandpa.”

  “Huh,” Tyler said as he pulled into The Sub Shoppe.

  Jace had to know. “What’s that ‘huh’ about?”

  “It’s just that I never expected to find anyone talking about being a grandpa hot. Say something else an old man would say and let’s see if it was a fluke.”

  Jace’s lips snapped into a smile. “In my day, we had to walk to school. Uphill both ways. In the snow.”

  “Holy fuck. That was hot,” Tyler said, unsnapping his seatbelt and closing the distance between them. His mouth covered Jace’s. Jace’s laughter died in his throat as Tyler’s tongue brushed his.

  Jace spoke against his lips. “Get off my lawn.”

  “So hard right now,” Tyler said, coming at Jace from a different direction.

  Jace shook with laughter, even as Tyler’s teeth sank into Jace’s bottom lip. “I can remember when gas was twenty-five cents.” The words came out muffled around Tyler’s kiss.

  For a second, Tyler simply sucked on Jace’s bottom lip. Jace’s heart squeezed in his chest. Tyler was doing something to him. On the inside where no one could see. He was changing Jace, tying him in knots. Jace already didn’t want to imagine a future without Tyler in it.

  Tyler pulled away. His fingertips brushed Jace’s jaw as he held his stare. “I love this.”

  “What?” The question came out in a whisper. Jace was scared to break the spell.

  “Being with you,” Tyler said, causing Jace to lose his breath. “This happiness and laughter. I love it.” Without another word, Tyler jumped from the car and circled around to Jace’s side to help him from the car. Jace had no words. He loved it too.

  Chapter 6

  The weather was perfect in Miami�
��sunshine and warm breezes. The moment they were checked into their room, they wasted no time changing into their swim trunks and going on a tour of the resort. The first place they checked out was the spot where Jimmy and Eli would be married on Saturday. It was amazing. If it had been Eli’s hope to have a peaceful ceremony, his wishes would soon come true. The spot was secluded from the rest of the property and had one hell of a view. Of course, Tyler had to concede part of the beach’s charm for him might’ve been that Jace was standing on it.

  He couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself. “No one should be allowed to look as good as you do. Seriously, I’m afraid I might have to fight someone before the end of the weekend. All eyes follow you everywhere you go.”

  Jace scoffed. “Whatever. They’re all drunk off the free drinks the resort is handing out.” Before Tyler had time to argue, Jace pointed out a three-sided tent made up to look like a hut in the sand. “Hey, I think that’s the relaxing spot to get a massage the concierge mentioned. We should check it out.”

  “If that’s what you want,” Tyler said, biting back the lecture he wanted to spew. It drove him bat-shit, trying to decide if Jace honestly didn’t see himself the way Tyler did or if he didn’t want to seem conceited. Either way, he made Tyler want to spank him.

  As they approached the tent, a woman wearing a hotel uniform stepped out. She spotted them heading her way. “Are you coming in for a massage?”

  “We’re undecided,” Jace answered for both of them.

  Her brown hair shook as she tossed it over one shoulder. Her dark-brown gaze slid down Jace’s body, confirming every one of Tyler’s earlier claims. He bit back his I-told-you-so. The middle-aged woman chewed her bottom lip, as if by doing so her thoughts would stay locked behind her teeth. Unfortunately, her eyes said everything she didn’t allow her tongue.

  “I have to get some supplies from the hotel. If you’d like, you can hang out inside until I return. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. I’m worth the wait.”