7. Jace
Chapter seven
Jace
“ Y ou’ve lived there all of, what… two weeks, and you want me to move to Katah Vista?” Axel’s been in my car exactly thirty seconds, and in the same breath as he thanked me for picking him up from the airport, he sprung this bombshell on me.
“Two and a half. And I was working on this plan before I moved there, I just didn’t want to say anything until I had it mostly worked out.”
I shoot him a sideways glance as I merge onto the highway and toward the arena where we’ll spend the next few days.
“You couldn’t have waited until after the competition to say something?
I mean, I’ve only had a few weeks to digest the fact that this upcoming off season is gonna look real different than it usually does, and now you want me to relocate? ”
Using my middle finger, I scratch the side of my head, not so subtly flipping him off. His answering snort tells me he knows I’m giving him shit, even though he’s legit throwing me for a loop.
“Yeah, when you put it that way it sounds like I’m jerking you around, but I promise I’m not.
” He runs a hand through the disheveled blond hair that made him a favorite among the female fans.
“ I know switching up the schedule so I could spend more time with Lennon puts you out of a job for part of the year, so I’ve made a plan to fill that time. ”
“A plan that requires me to move to Katah Vista? I know you’re attached to me, but Lennon might think three’s a crowd.
” I’m being sort of a prick, but Axel deserves it.
He kept his interest in Lennon, a man, a secret from me for weeks when the two of us have no secrets, and while he’s entitled to come out on his own terms, he was kind of a jerk about it.
I get that he wanted to come to terms with his feelings on his own, and I’m proud of him for making the decision to focus on his personal happiness rather than his career, even if that put my professional future in limbo.
And while I appreciate that he’s still trying to look out for me, Axel and Lennon very nearly didn’t figure their shit out, so part of me worries that they need time just the two of them if they’re going to work long term.
Plus—after my encounter in Utah—I’m a little worried about how a move would be interpreted by the guy involved in said encounter.
Blake and I left things undefined, and since he’s the only one of us with a permanent address that he didn’t ask me to visit, I can’t help wondering if that’s because he wanted to limit things to a night.
Even though I’m certain we both felt something more than a hookup, he’s still completely in the closet, and he might not be ready to leave it.
That would explain the lack of an invitation to swing by if I were ever in town to see Axel, but if I’m suddenly his neighbor…
That could either be really convenient or really overwhelming for him.
“Lennon’s totally on board with my plan and with you moving there,” Axel brings my mind back to the present. “I think he believes it’s a good way to keep me from being underfoot at Murphy’s. ”
I can’t hold back my laughter. Lennon is the biggest workaholic I know—he nearly chose his restaurant over Axel—and I have no doubt he’ll support any plan that might keep Axel too busy to bother him.
“Alright, so what is this grand plan?”
Axel spends the next twenty minutes telling me about this horse barn he wants to turn into an indoor training facility.
A place where kids can learn how to do the dirt bike tricks that have made him famous.
Apparently, there’s enough space to ride and set up a foam pit to practice jumps without having to land them.
Not to mention a bunk room of sorts where people could stay if they don’t live in the area.
I never figured myself for an instructor, but I know enough to teach people how to throw tricks.
After all, I used to do it myself, which is how I first met Axel as a little kid.
The two of us trained together for years until I got more interested in filming than riding.
In theory, that would make coaching a job to consider, and for the most part it doesn’t sound like a bad gig, since it would mean working with my best friend in an industry I love.
It’s the location that has me concerned.
If I’m in Katah Vista, I know I'll want to see Blake. Putting aside the fact that we had some of the best sex I’ve had in a while, I like the guy.
It was fun to talk about biking without focusing on the technical aspects, like where to set up the camera for the best shot.
And I like how Blake listened intently when I talked about some of the places I’ve been.
The morning after, I was disappointed that I couldn’t swing another night with him.
It's a feeling I don’t get often, so the idea of seeing him again— regularly —has a lot of appeal.
I’ve never had a regular thing before, not for more than a few weeks anyway, and clearly he hasn’t either.
It doesn’t sound like the worst idea, if every night would be like the one we had together, and after years of being too nomadic to have a relationship, the idea of having someone to come home to is appealing.
I think I’d enjoy having a person of my own.
A boyfriend. But I have no idea whether Blake would want that since he’s still closeted.
True, he said he’d consider coming out if he had a reason to do it, but he also said he’s worried about how people would react to him being gay and working with kids.
Personally, I think he’s overreacting, but Katah Vista is his hometown, not mine, so I’d respect his wishes even if I didn’t understand them.
The problem is, I’m not sure I could stand to live in the same town as him and not act on my desires.
I could be setting myself up for disappointment if I jump into this venture Axel’s proposing thinking it might mean a job and a guy, only to find out the guy isn’t available.
Too bad Katah Vista’s not bigger. It wouldn’t matter if Blake and I aren’t on the same page then, we could do the secret boyfriend thing with no one the wiser.
However, in a town that size, we're likely to run into each other daily, and I could see that making him uncomfortable in the one place he’s always felt safe, which I wouldn’t want to put him through.
Still, being close to him is a tempting thought. More tempting than it should be after a single night. If there’s a chance he’d be into the idea of me living in his backyard… It couldn’t hurt to float the idea his way, right?
“I’m interested,” I tell Axel as he finishes his pitch, “but I want to check it out before I decide. If I’m going to park myself in one place, I need to get out of my trailer, and I’m not living with you and Lennon,” I cut him off before he can offer.
“Let me check out the area and this barn to see how much work it’s really gonna be. Then I’ll let you know.”
“I’ll tell Lennon you’re coming.” He grins like I’ve already said yes, and I roll my eyes to hide the fact that he’s probably right.
** *
The waiting room could use a facelift. Not only is it beige on top of beige, but the chairs look like they were made in the eighties, complete with worn fabric stretched thin between two rickety arm rests. It’s definitely not the relaxing, rejuvenating experience the sign out front promises.
A bored-looking brunette looks up from her phone when I enter. “Can I help you?”
“Jace Anderson, I have an appointment.” I step to the counter to sign in and she hands me a clipboard with some forms. When I’ve finished them, she leads me to a changing room where she instructs me to lock up my clothes and valuables and don a robe.
After I change, she escorts me to a lounge and tells me to wait here until I’m called.
The lounge at least has some windows, offering a decent view of the highest peak at the resort.
This time of year, it’s a vibrant green, thanks to a good snowfall over the winter, with patches of wildflowers dotting the slope.
I take a seat—the leather couches in here make up for the dated reception area—and flip through a magazine, some cigar thing that smells sort of woodsy.
Like cedar. At least flowers and makeup aren’t the only reading material.
Finding nothing of interest, I toss it on the coffee table as a heavy door whooshes open. Blake pauses mid-stride when his gaze settles on me, his eyes growing wide a half-second before they seem to soften, an eager smile spreading aross his face.
I know the feeling; you do the same thing to me.
“I thought I’d take you up on that massage.” I break the silence, my eyes tracking over his sculpted frame, which is evident despite the generic uniform of khaki pants and a polo with the resort logo.
Blake references the clipboard, swallowing audibly. “My chart says Anderson, not Jace.”
“Anderson is my last name. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Yeah?” His smile verges on blinding before he traps his lower lip between his teeth.
“Yeah. I wanted to see your reaction when you realized I was here.”
“Why?” He licks his lips, and my dick strains under the heavy fabric.
“To make sure you’re happy to see me.” I stand and cross the room until we’re a few feet apart, though I don’t get close enough to touch. Not yet.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” His Adam’s apple bobs on a heavy swallow, eyes growing hooded as I close the distance between us.
“We didn’t make plans. I wasn’t sure if this would be overstepping or not.” I fist my hands by my side to keep from reaching for him.
Blake takes a shaky breath. “If being here means that night was just as important to you as it was to me… you’re definitely not overstepping.”
Those words cause my heartbeat to echo in my chest, but they also confuse me. “If you wanted to see me again, why didn’t you say anything?”