by Kelex
He walked closer, his mouth open.
“I guess I forgot to tell you that my brother Jason is my twin,” one of the Jax’s said. This one had Golden at his side.
“Yeah, you did,” Zach murmured, not quite trusting his voice. Suddenly finding out there was a carbon copy of the man he’d been lusting after was a bit of a shock. He tilted his stare back to the Jax clone and couldn’t help but notice the blatant need in the man’s eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” Jason said, lifting a hand to him.
The voice… was close, yet different. Just slightly deeper. He took Jason’s hand and felt the warmth rushing over him from that spot. “Nice to… meet you, too.”
He held Jason’s gaze, struggling to hold back the desire building in his gut.
Another Jax.
Another chance…
He lowered his stare and searched both of Jason’s hands. No ring… but a lot of men in construction didn’t wear rings, even if they were married. Too many opportunities for that ring to cause damage to errant fingers. Was he taken, too? It would be my luck.
“…so if you’re ready? Zach?”
Zach turned to Jax, realizing the man had asked him a question. “Sorry… what?”
“If you’re ready to go see where Jason is in the project?” Jax asked.
“Sure, yeah. Whenever you are,” Zach answered.
“Follow me,” Jason said before zipping past and heading for the door.
After drawing in the scent of clean man and aftershave that smelled too damned good, Zach trailed after the man, his legs feeling a bit wobbly. Once he made it outside, he saw Jason hanging back, waiting for him.
Them. Not me, them. But then he met Jason’s stare again and wondered how true that was. The man was rubbing his hands together, watching Zach, before his gaze lifted to the others. When they were all outside, he tilted his head and urged everyone on. They walked to the first corner marked Main Street, hung a right, and walked one more block. Jason fell into step beside him on the way.
Jason cast a glance his way. “How much has Jax told you about this project?”
“Not a lot, just that the company needed to push it forward. I know he said there were multiple projects, but I thought he said they were on Kent Street.” Zach looked back over his shoulder and saw Golden and Jax were a half block back. Enough distance that he and Jason were almost alone.
“We call it the Kent Street project as that’s what spurred it on. I’m sure you saw all the construction and businesses—it’s been a major revitalization project the Kent Street Commission has been working on for some time. All of the businesses are LGBT friendly, so it’s a safe space here.”
“And where there’s new growth in business, they need homes,” Zach said.
Jason smiled. “Exactly. I encouraged my brother and his partners to invest in the area. Most of the houses were empty through this area… folks had moved on to the suburbs. We came in and bought all of the properties along the next two parallel streets—Cooper and Rosewood—from 12th Street through 15th.”
“That’s a huge project,” Zach said, wide-eyed.
“We’ve already completed about a dozen single family homes,” Jason said.
They paused on the corner of Cooper and Main. From his standpoint, he saw a row of brownstone townhouses backing up behind the businesses of Kent. Across the street, there were individual homes.
“I’ve been focusing on the single family homes along this street first and then we were going to jump into the brownstones,” Jason said. “Before moving on to Rosewood.”
“How many single family homes do you have left on this street?” Zach asked.
“My demo crew is on the next to last tomorrow,” Jason answered. “I’ve got them working in waves. Demo works in one and moves on to the next. The structural team comes in to stabilize any issues before plumbing and electrical arrives… and then my general construction team goes in after.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a good system going,” Zach said. “I hope my team doesn’t throw a wrench in that. We’ve focused on one project at a time.”
“Yeah, I do things a little differently than JLC,” Jason said.
“I thought this was a JLC project?”
Jason stiffened a little. “Yeah. It is.”
“What my brother isn’t telling you,” Jax interrupted as he strolled up behind them, “is that he owns his own construction company and this was supposed to be their project.”
Jason looked almost embarrassed. “I don’t have a Damien with deep pockets like these guys have.”
“Fat lot of good it did us,” Jax muttered.
“Without Damien, we wouldn’t have been able to tackle this project,” Golden added, pinning a glance on Jax before turning to Zach. “Damien’s been a great asset in growing JLC into a larger company.”
Zach sensed he was missing something. He noticed how uncomfortable Jax and Jason were. The gnawing in his gut was back, the worry along with it. Jax had told him not to worry… but he was worried nonetheless.
Both Jax and Jason remained quiet a moment after Golden’s comment.
“I think it might be best to have your guys start on the row of brownstones,” Jason said. “We’re nearly done with the opposite side of the street, and that way, we wouldn’t be on top of each other.”
I wouldn’t mind him being on top of me. “Sure,” Zach said, feeling his face flame over his wayward thought. He’s my boss. But then, that didn’t stop me from having a hard-on for Jax, either.
“I can show you inside one and give you a quick walk-through as to what we want changed,” Jason said. He turned toward Jax and Golden. “You guys want the tour?”
“Seen it,” Jax said looking around. “I haven’t been here in a while… I want to go check those three you’ve got in progress and see where we stand.”
“You’ve got the code for the locks?” Jason asked his brother.
“Yeah,” Jax said tossing an arm around Golden and spurring his husband along. “See you in a few,” he called over his shoulder.
“Seems it’s just you and me,” Jason said to Zach before urging him to follow. Jason met his stare for a brief moment, a smile crossing his lips. Zach felt a tingling moving through him at the prospect of being alone with the man. He returned the smile, trying not to look like a complete idiot.
Jason climbed up a few steps and pulled his cell from a pocket before entering some code into it. The lock-box around the doorknob opened, and he withdrew the key. Moments later, the door was open and the stench of dead animal wafted out. Zach lifted his hand to cover his nose and mouth.
“Great,” Jason said before lifting the edge of his shirt over his nose. He went into the townhouse and began searching the rooms, Zach following.
Zach kicked a pile of tarps and underneath was the source of the torture. “Found it.”
Jason attempted to slide open the back slider—which had a huge spiderweb of broken glass. When he had it a few inches, he used the edge of his workboot to move the carcass across the space and outside. Carefully, he slid the door closed before pointing to the front door.
Once they were outside again and could breathe, they both started laughing.
“That was vile,” Jason said.
“You can say that again.”
Jason grinned. “You have that to look forward to.”
“Awesome.”
Jason locked the house up and returned the key. “Why don’t we try next door?”
“Is it any better?”
“Hopefully.” Jason raced down the steps and back up the next set and worked his magic over the lock. They were inside moments later. He took a breath before turning to Zach. “I’ll take musty over dead any day of the week.”
Zach chuckled and followed the man inside. The house wasn’t in much better shape, but he hadn’t expected much.
“Most of these houses had been empty. Between the squatters, the addicts, and the hooligans coming in to tag stuff,
it’s been an adventure trying to keep these places cleared. It was bad at first, but now that more folks are buying and moving in—plus the local police have been spending more time in the area, as well—so it’s gotten much, much better,” Jason said before walking up to a cluster of empty liquor bottles and some spray paint cans. The inside was tagged up, and bad. “But there are still reminders of how bad it was, so there’s no telling what you might find in some of these houses.”
“I see.”
“When your guys start demo, I might free up some of my guys to help with the first couple… they know how to get rid of some of the more unique items properly.”
“Unique?”
“We’ve found a lot of used needles. This place was junkie heaven before we came in.”
“What about the neighborhoods just outside of these two streets? Will folks coming in be safe?” Zach asked. Maybe they were having trouble selling the houses because of the danger.
“Another couple of contractors followed our lead and bought up some of the properties along the two streets behind ours and on the other side of Kent. They’re working on flipping those. Past that, the homes are older, but most are well kept and the neighborhoods fairly quiet. With the increased police presence in the area, we’ve seen a dramatic drop in trouble.”
“Nothing to slow sales?”
“We can barely list them before a bidding war begins,” Jason said. “Most have sold well over list price within days of going on the market. I’ve even had folks come in and make offers before the paint was even dry on the walls.”
Zach frowned. If they were selling so fast, then money shouldn’t be an issue. But then, maybe that was the problem. They were selling so fast, they needed to keep up with demand. That was a good kind of problem to have, he supposed, but then—why did Jax seem upset?
He pushed all that from his mind and focused on Jason.
“Have you got blueprints made up?” Zach asked.
“I’ve got an extra set in my truck,” Jason answered before sighing. “Which is parked out front of the bakery. I should’ve grabbed them on the way. I can show you when we head back over.”
“Mind if I take a peek around before we go?” Zach asked.
“Be my guest.”
Zach started making mental notes as he moved room to room, getting a feel for the space. After all the years he’d worked construction, he was pretty good at seeing the bare bones under a space and how to reconfigure things. He paused before a wall in the kitchen, eyeing it. “Is this a structural wall?”
“No.”
Zach stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room behind it. “Are the new plans for an open floor plan?”
“Everyone wants open floor plan nowadays.”
“Not everyone,” Zach said with a smile. “You occasionally get a few holdouts.” He turned to look at the large living space. “These are bigger inside than they looked on the outside.”
“Surprisingly so.” Jason walked a little closer. “But then, it’s hard to really see how large it is until it’s been gutted and you can see the bones.”
“Oh, I see them,” Zach said, his voice low. “These are a good two thousand square feet, aren’t they?” he asked as he approached the stairs to the second floor.
“They are indeed,” Jason said. “Good eye.”
“How old are they?”
“Late Victorian,” Jason said.
“I’ve never seen townhouses this large from the period,” Zach said as he climbed the wide stairs. Everything about the place spoke of old wealth, though it had fallen to shambles in the years past.
“Which is why we were so excited to pick them up. Most brownstones from the period are much narrower and barely half the square feet these are.”
He cleared the top of the stairs with Jason right behind him. “I’m excited to peal back the years and see what they’ll look like once they’re finished,” he said, noting the wainscoting up the stairs. It looked original and in great shape, except where a panel had been kicked through. “Wainscoting will be easy enough to find, I’m sure, but some of the other architectural details might be more difficult, especially since there are so many of these homes to renovate. I hope that doesn’t cause an issue.”
“With the newfound rush, we might need to be less focused to rehabbing what’s here and replace with new.”
Zach frowned, wondering if he could get a better answer to his gnawing question. “What is the deal with this sudden rush?”
Jason shrugged. “Seems someone needed to sell their stake in this project in a hurry and paying him off left the guys tight. The sooner they can sell these places, the more comfortable they’ll be.”
That made more sense than the ideas swirling in Zach’s brain. Proceeding with his tour, he felt more at ease. After checking out the second floor, he saw much of the same. Potential. And it excited him.
He turned and saw Jason staring… in the way he’d always wanted Jax to stare at him. Capturing that gaze, he felt a wave of heat burning through him. Silence fell between them for a few seconds.
Zach finally looked away, shocked by how attracted he was to Jason.
Or was it the crush he’d had on Jax manifesting on the man’s twin? Zach frowned, not liking the thought of that.
“Let’s go grab those plans and take a peek,” Jason murmured softly. He then led them down the stairs and on out through the front door. “Maybe we can grab some lunch while we look them over?”
“Sure,” Zach said, excited by the prospect of spending more time with the man.
“You have the time?” Jason asked as he closed up the lockbox. “I suppose today’s technically your day off.”
“No, I’m good,” Zach said, smiling. “And famished. I didn’t have breakfast this morning. Feed me and I’m yours.”
Jason tilted his gaze and captured Zach’s as they ambled down the front stoop to the sidewalk. Another blast of heat filled his veins before he had to drag his gaze away.
“We can head back to the bakery and grab some lunch,” Jason said with a sly grin. “I know the owner.”
“I saw you wearing an apron,” Zach said. “Are you working there?”
“I’m a silent partner,” Jason said as he walked alongside Zach down Cooper Street. “But they’ve been super busy since opening and begged for some help this morning with a huge special order.”
As they turned the corner on Main, Zach saw a crowd of people lined up. “What’s going on?”
Jason frowned. “I don’t know.” He quickened his pace slightly.
Zach followed the man to the corner. As they turned onto Kent, Zach saw a line stretching out from the Blueberry Éclair’s front door.
“Jesus,” Jason whispered. He turned to Zach. “Maybe we grab that lunch another day. I can’t leave them like this.”
“I can help, too,” Zach said.
Jason eyed him. “That can’t be how you want to spend your day off.”
“If the food’s that good that they’re lining up… I want to try it. I’ll work for my dinner.”
Jason chuckled. “From the looks of that line, it might be that long before you end up fed.”
Zach didn’t want to leave. He was enjoying Jason’s company too much. “Meh. Might be fun.”
“Come on, then,” Jason said with a smile before leading the way.
Chapter Six
Four hours later, the lunch rush was finally over and the place was quiet. Jason flipped the open sign to closed and locked the front door. “Thank heavens,” he said as he spun to face everyone.
He met Zach’s stare and felt his body tensing… he couldn’t remember feeling this attracted to another person in a long, long time. Zach’s held his stare, the same burning need reflecting back at him. He felt the need to cross the space and kiss the man. Before he embarrassed himself, he turned to Henri. “You’ve got two more customers before you close completely.”
Henri leaned on the counter. “Anything the two of you wan
t. Anything. I can’t thank you enough for the help.”
“All I did was wash a few tables,” Zach said, shrugging.
“That was a huge deal,” Henri said. “I saw you whizzing around keeping seats open for our customers.”
“He’s right,” Jason said. “We’re in your debt.”
“No biggie,” Zach said.
Jason eyed the man, appreciating his easygoing nature. He was also pretty damned easy on the eyes. He dragged his gaze away from the blond and turned back to a grinning Henri. “I knew this was going to be a good investment,” Jason said, sidling up to the counter. “But if we don’t get the right help in here, we’re going to lose the momentum.”
Henri and his boyfriend Tate both had outstanding reputations in the culinary world and the Kent Street area. It had seemed like a no-brainer to invest in their bakery café and help bring their dream to life. Henri’s pastries were heavenly. Tate, who’d trained under Michelin-starred chefs, could cook his ass off. The pair working together was utter serendipity.
“Totally agreed,” Henri said before glancing over his shoulder as their cook and server worked to clean up after the chaos. In the back, Jason could hear their poor dishwasher at work, too. “I was afraid to hire too many in the beginning. We’re a new business. New businesses fail every day so I didn’t want to overdo things and kill the budget. Had I done otherwise and we weren’t busy… We’ll get that fixed soon.” He pulled out an order pad. “So what can I get for you?”
“Do you have any food left at this point?” Zach asked with a grin.
“Not much,” Henri said.
Tate searched through the kitchen. “Any foods you’re allergic to… or hate?”
“No shellfish,” Zach said. “Otherwise, I’m good.”
“I could eat a hunk of wood at this point,” Jason said.
“Grab some coffee… a croissant or whatever’s left of Henri’s pastries while you wait… and I’ll cook you something that’ll knock your socks off,” Tate said.
“Sounds perfect,” Jason said, taking his apron off. He turned to Zach. “You’ve got to be famished.”
“I’ll take that offer of a croissant,” Zach said. “I’m about to gnaw my own hand off.”