by Royal Blue
Suddenly, I stiffen. Someone moves behind me. My gut tells me it’s not Andres.
Beau
I guess I subconsciously knew I’d end up here. After unlocking the doors, I push inside and turn the alarm off. My brows draw; a few things are off.
Some of the lights have been left on in the back of the gym. The locker room is illuminated, and light is shining out from the staff break room. Andres should’ve turned out all of the lights when he locked up this evening.
As I move farther into the gym, there are blankets and pillow in the center of the ring. My fists ball at my sides, and every muscle coils for a fight. It’s clear someone’s camping out here inside of my gym.
Yet the alarm was on from the inside. That doesn’t make sense. My mind shifts through a million scenarios as I move toward the back of the gym.
The sound of one of the showers running pulls my attention, causing me to head into the locker room first. I step inside the shower stalls and freeze. There’s a guy standing beneath the spray with water crusading down his back. His head is bent and pressed to the wall as long locks of dark hair fall in sheets around his shoulders.
At first glance I would have called out Andres’s name, but I pause as the water slides down over the intricate tattoo on this guy’s back. The man standing before me is a Marine. The eagle, globe, and anchor tattoo that spreads across his shoulders, down to the center of his back, tells me that much.
I’ve seen Andres shirtless in the gym a million times. He doesn’t have a tat on his back. Yet this guy has Andres’s build, long thick hair, and the same red-clay-colored skin.
As if sensing me behind him, he turns abruptly. His stance screams that he’s ready for a fight. I, on the other hand, stumble back in shock. Now that he’s facing me, I’m stunned. I know this is not my employee, Andres, but he looks just like him.
“Fuck,” he blows out, reaching for a towel to wrap his waist.
Once covered, he throws his head back and pushes a hand through his hair as if he’s in prayer. I shake off the shock and fold my arms across my chest. When he looks back at me with those whiskey-colored eyes, identical to his brother’s, something shifts in the air. I ignore the feeling and get right to the point.
“Get dressed and call your brother. He has some explaining to do.”
Chapter 4
Family
Beau
Ten minutes ago Andres stormed through the front doors, looking as if he just rolled out of bed. I stood in front of his brother with my arms folded over my chest. His brother who has dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and perched his big body on the side of the ring. For almost thirty minutes we waited in a tense silence for Andres to arrive.
“I’m so sorry, man,” Andres says for the millionth time since his arrival five minutes ago.
I still can’t get over how much these two look alike, down to the dimples in their cheeks. I’m six three, Andres has to be an inch shorter than me, but his brother, on the other hand, meets me eye to eye. If I look closer, I can see other little differences. Mostly in their demeanor. There’s something intriguing about Angel.
Angel.
He sure does look like an angel. If you think of angels as gorgeous, brooding avengers. At least that’s what comes to mind when I look at this one. Those long, dark, thick lashes frame his mysterious eyes, completing his handsome face.
“Listen, this isn’t on Andres. I’m having a hard time, and he’s trying to help me out,” he says.
“Explain this to me. Why are you living inside my gym?”
Angel runs a hand through his damp locks and blows out a breath. So many emotions run across his face, causing me to wonder if he’ll answer. Andres seems to look like he’s not going to be the one to furnish me with an answer. He looks to his twin with sorrow in his eyes.
“I’m a vet. My last mission left me a little fucked-up in the head. I have a hard time remaining in tight spaces for too long. Andres’s place is too… I can’t be confined there. Work has been hard to come by because of my episodes,” Angel says after a beat.
“He’s been living on the streets, man. This is my brother. I know I should’ve said something, but this was the first time in two years I’ve seen him look so rested. It was working. He’s been sleeping,” Andres adds.
“Yeah, until tonight,” Angel mutters to himself. Then he raises his voice for us to clearly hear him again. “I’ve felt safe enough in my own skin to sleep for a few hours. This was only temporary until I could figure my shit out and get my head together. Listen, don’t punish my brother for this—”
I hold up my hand to cut him off. My jaw works. I know what it’s like to just need a break from your own mind. Listening to Angel, something tugs on the inside of me.
It’s as if I want to help him because I don’t know how to help myself. Selfishly, I want to offer him a reprieve to somehow redeem myself and get the peace I need to get rest. Or at least, that’s what I try to tell myself as my thoughts drive me to make a couple of swift decisions.
Decisions that are so unlike me. I don’t trust people easily, but as my gaze sweeps over Angel, something tells me to have faith that he’ll be as honorable as his brother has been up until now. I should be pissed at Andres, but I’m not. I would’ve done the same for Kyle or Emma, no matter the cost. I know they’d do the same for me.
“Family is important. You should’ve come to me. I thought I made it clear that you’re family around here,” I say.
“Yeah, you have always treated me like family. I just didn’t know what to say,” Andres replies.
“I’ll get my things and head out,” Angel says.
“Now hold on a minute. I didn’t say you had to go.”
Angel
That voice and drawl. The hairs have been standing up on the back of my neck since he found me in the shower and told me to call my brother. Beau is a fine-ass man. Those gray eyes and that dark hair are just the tip of the iceberg.
He’s paler than my usual type, but it compliments his eyes and dark hair. A low beard highlights his full lips. The T-shirt he has on stretches across taut muscles, revealing a fit body beneath. His running shorts showcase long legs with a slight bow to his right one.
This dude is a fucking collision begging to happen. I’ve tried not to think about that. Especially given the circumstances. Something in the way his gaze has lingered on me makes me question if he might swing for the same team.
I shove those thoughts back to focus on the words he just drawled out. I cock a brow. Surely he didn’t just offer for me to stay here.
“I’m not following,” I say.
“Andres is family. That makes you family. You said you need some time to figure things out. Now that the shock of finding you here has worn off, I want to find solutions,” he replies.
“I don’t want to be a burden, man.”
“You won’t be. You’ll work for your keep,” he replies. “You’re Marine?”
“I am,” I nod and narrow my eyes.
He nods, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. My body is tense with apprehension. I’m not going to make any assumptions, and I’m too frustrated with the situation to get my hopes up.
“I’ve been looking for a replacement for the self-defense class. Kimberly’s pregnant. She let me know a few weeks ago that she’ll be leaving.”
“I noticed she hasn’t been as hands-on in her classes,” Andres muses.
“Yeah, I had a feeling it was coming sooner rather than later after her wedding,” Beau says and shrugs. “The classes are three times a week. If you want to take over for her, the job is yours.”
“You’re giving me a job?” I ask with my brows furrowed.
“That I am. There’s also a loft upstairs. We used to use it as a private training room. You can check it out and see if it’s open enough for you,” he replies. “Not sure if it will offer what you need, but the space is pretty open. If not, you do what you need.”
He leaves his st
atement open as if to say I have the run of the place if I need it. I’m blown away. I was sure he was going to fire Andres and call the cops on me for trespassing or something.
“That’s a great idea,” Andres says to Beau before I can react. He turns to me. “Maybe this is the break you needed. This place is so laid-back.”
“I need time to think about it,” I blurt out to stop my brother before he gets ahead of himself.
“Think about it? He’s offering you a place and a job. What do you need to think about?”
I give him a sharp look. He knows me better than this. I don’t know this guy, and he has no reason to help me out like this.
“It’s okay, Andres. Teaching self-defense can be challenging. If he’s not up for it….” Beau says. There’s a taunting note to his voice. He’s setting a challenge for me as if he knows me well enough to know I’ll take it. Something about the sparkle in is gray eyes has my mouth moving before my brain can catch up.
“I’ll do it.”
A ghost of a smile turns up Beau’s lips as Andres slaps me on the shoulder. I ignore my brother as I tilt my head in curiosity. I’m even more fascinated by this dude.
However, that all takes a back seat when it hits me. I have a job, and I get to stay in the one place that has offered me some sense of peace for the first time in longer than I want to remember. This is where the real fight begins.
I have a shot to make this right. Now it’s up to me.
Chapter 5
Chemistry
Angel
“Hey, Hernández.”
I turn to one of the other guards as I stand outside of Club Refuge.
“Javi wants to see you inside.”
I nod and start into the club, wondering why someone didn’t just relay the message through my earpiece. I look around the place as I move to the private area my boss is supposed to be in tonight. I still can’t believe that within a week I got two jobs, not just one.
Over the last month, I’ve continued to question why Beau has gone out of his way to help me. The self-defense classes and the chance to stay at the gym were just the beginning. Not that those were such small offerings.
Beau informed me and my brother that we would have to keep things quiet about my living arrangements until he could get a certificate of occupancy for the second level at the gym. The gym is zoned to be a commercial space. To convert the second level would change the upper floor into a residential space, which requires new certificates and zoning.
Not that I stay up there much. There’s something about sleeping in the center of the boxing ring on the main level that soothes my soul. I haven’t had trouble sleeping as much as that one night. After finding out that I’d lost comfort in the gym because of the shift in the setup, Beau had it all returned to the way it had been when I first started staying there.
Yet Beau still has had a contractor come in to add a bathroom and kitchenette to the second level. He has also applied for the permits for me to legally occupy the space. I mean, I don’t even know how long I plan to stay, but he has insisted that this is something he had already planned to do.
I call bullshit.
I’ve been observing Beau Dalton closely. He works hard and cares about the people who come into his gym. When he talks to you, he gives you his full attention. I always get the sense that he’s looking through to the core of me, not at me. Not just with me. I’ve seen him do the same with so many others.
Which is why I shouldn’t have been shocked when he handed me a card and told me to go see his friend. I didn’t put two and two together until I stood in front of Javier Salvado. Javier Salvado, the baseball player.
Man, that was the shock of my life. I had to fight not to fan out. My family is as big on baseball as we are on boxing.
Turns out Javier needed a few new guys for security at his club. Several things about this job offer have surprised me. The first one being the extensive background check and amount of paperwork I had to sign.
I seriously think I signed an NDA for each level of the interview and hiring process. Call me crazy, but four NDAs seemed extreme to me. Once I started my first day of work, I began to understand why. While I mostly work the front door, I’ve seen enough to observe the fact that this isn’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill club.
“Hey, Angel,” a guy dressed in pink chaps and a corset purrs.
Reaching out he slips something in my pocket as I pass. It’s not the first time someone has done this. At the end the night I’ve found tips, lube packets, and condoms in my suit jackets. This guy usually gives me the latter two.
“How you doing?” I nod and keep it moving.
“I’d be better if I spent the rest of the night with you, gorgeous,” he calls after me.
I grin but don’t turn to entertain the comment. He’s a decent-looking guy, but not my type. Besides, I’m working. I’m not here for pleasure.
It’s funny how everyone seems to already know me by name. At first I thought this place was just a sex club. By my second night, I realized it’s a queer country club with extras—yeah, sex club. My suspicions were confirmed on my fourth night of work.
This place is a private getaway for the elite of the elite that just might not want the world to know their secrets. My gaydar has always been pretty stellar. I guess in my case, I know my reflection.
I haven’t been surprised by a single guest I’ve come across here. I smile as I walk past a famous black actress and her voluptuous Latina dance partner that looks awfully familiar to me. Two gorgeous women. Neither here for the men. Not that they’d get much male attention here anyway. Most nights there are only guys here. Tonight seems to be a special night, though, from the guests I’ve seen arrive and the size of the crowd.
I can’t help but smile when Javier comes into view, sitting in a small group at his private booth. He’s a real down-to-earth guy. Everything about him has been genuine. He makes me feel like family just as much as they do at the gym.
“Here he is,” Javier croons, causing me to come to a dead stop.
My gaze lands on Beau and I’m slammed with surprise. When it comes to Beau, I’ve been telling myself that I’m not catching the vibes. That I’ve only been wishful thinking.
Seeing him here, in the middle of this club could change everything, because if I’m honest, I have a thing for my other boss. He’s at the top of my list for reasons why I enjoy my day job. That drawl is something I look forward to hearing each day.
My stomach coils with heat as his gray eyes land on me. It’s as if everyone else disappears from the club. His gaze is heavy with appraisal.
He looks good tonight. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in something other than workout clothes. The gray suit and black dress shirt cause his eyes to look sharper, more striking. His easy aura fills the space and draws me in.
That is until another guy at their table leans in and whispers something in his ear. He’s an old, nice-looking guy. With a frown I don’t bother to suppress, I turn to Javier. I force my feet to continue moving in his direction.
“You need me for something?”
“Beau here was asking after you,” Javier says with a grin on his lips.
I become hyperaware of Beau’s presence. Not like before when our eyes locked. No, this time when I face him it’s as if we’re having a silent conversation.
Still, I don’t understand our dialect just yet. I think I’m still in denial. Or it could be that I don’t want to be wrong. From the way our eyes are trained on each other, I know I’ve been right about Beau from the start. I never miss, and this hasn’t been the exception I’ve tried to convince myself of.
“I just wanted to make sure things were working out for you. I didn’t mean for Javi to disturb your night,” Beau finally says.
“It’s cool. It’s been pretty quiet out front,” I reply.
I pause in thought once the words are out. I’ve been on the door since we opened for the night. Of all of the A-listers and guests that ca
me through, Beau didn’t pass me. I look around at Javi’s table, and none of the men sitting here did. They had to arrive before opening, or they came through some other entrance I’m unaware of.
“Take a load off for a few,” Javier offers.
“I should probably get back,” I say, jiggling my work keys in my pocket.
I’m starting to feel a bit cagey as I stand here. I’d rather be out front. There are too many rooms, too many unknowns within this place. The sweat on the back of my neck proves I’m overstaying my welcome as it is.
“Nonsense—”
“Leave him be.” Beau glances at Javier. “This place isn’t for everyone.”
I feel a surge of jealousy as I think of why Beau is here tonight. His words feel like salt in my open wounds. Not wanting to dig too deeply into those feelings, I shove them back, fisting my hands on my pockets.
“I’ll get out of your hair. You all have a good night,” I say more tightly than I mean to.
Beau
“I think he’s gay,” Javier says as Angel moves back toward the front of the club.
He looks damn good in that suit. He’s dressed in all black like the rest of the security staff, but Angel pulls it off like a model on the cover of a magazine. My fingers itch to pull the band from his hair to watch it tumble over his shoulders.
Not happening, Dalton.
I haven’t dated in six years. I don’t plan to start now. I try to push my newest obsession from my mind, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes from his retreating form.
“I know he is, and if he isn’t, I’m pretty damn sure he would be for Beau,” Darwin says at my side.
“I told you both, I don’t care if he’s gay. I’m not interested,” I mumble.
“Bullshit,” Javier says. “I just watched you eye fuck him in front of all of us. Or did you forget we were here?”