Chapter Three
For some reason JJ couldn’t understand, he was nervous as he pulled into Leary’s driveway.
When Leary had left the club with him, JJ had driven him back to his car afterward.
While Leary drove a normal sedan, his house was a surgeon’s house.
Even though JJ spent his life surrounded by wealth these days, he had grown up in a boy’s home before running away.
After a few years on the streets, pick-pocketing, he ended up with Beau.
It wasn’t until Beau that JJ saw the opposite side of life.
Leary was more of a normal, well-off kind of guy.
His home was in the neighborhood JJ had always daydreamed about living in.
Now he was leagues above this area, and still his throat swelled at the memory of all that jealous longing.
JJ eyed the house as he strode toward the front door.
Perfectly manicured lawn. He couldn’t see Leary doing that.
Two-story stone. Privacy fence and pool.
One of those long porches with rocking chairs and flower boxes.
He was in love. Not once in all his years had JJ’s life been normal.
As wild as it would likely seem to anyone else, normal was what he dreamed of most. Peace. Stability.
When he rang the doorbell, he heard the musical chime inside. Leary pulled open the door as if he had run to answer. “Hey.” He sounded breathless. His deep green eyes shone bright with happiness.
“Hey.”
Leary took a step back. “Come in. I just need to put my shoes on.”
JJ was curious as hell. He stepped inside.
The place was beautiful. He couldn’t stop looking around.
On an oval coffee table in front of a cushy couch sat a gorgeous flower arrangement.
They looked like real flowers. JJ couldn’t stop himself.
He stroked a petal. It was real. “Wow. Your home is really nice.”
Leary glanced up from putting on his shoes. “My mom is a home decorator. I let her go crazy.”
With one statement, JJ realized something. “That’s the first time you’ve said anything about your family. I should’ve asked, but I didn’t think about it. When you don’t have a family, you kind of forget other people do.”
“You don’t have a family?”
JJ shook his head as he inspected the books on Leary’s bookcase.
“My mom lost custody of me at birth because they found drugs in both our systems. After being passed around from foster home to foster home, I ended up in a boy’s home and then on the streets.
Beau took me in and gave me a job.” He shrugged.
The confession left him feeling uncomfortable.
He got the feeling Leary’s childhood had been the polar opposite of his.
Leary looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve never thought to ask your age.”
“I’m twenty-two.”
For a moment, it looked like everything inside Leary went on lockdown.
He suddenly felt the need to fill the awkward silence. “How old are you?”
Leary cleared his throat. “Thirty-three.”
That was about what JJ figured. “That seems young for a surgeon.”
“It is. I graduated high school at fifteen and college by eighteen. Medical school and residency took the longest, but it was still at an accelerated pace.”
JJ was fascinated. “So you really are like a genius, genius, huh?”
A blush touched Leary’s cheeks. “That’s what they say.”
That blush got him every time. JJ had never been around anyone as pure. “You’re adorable.”
Once again, Leary went on lockdown for a moment. JJ almost took it back. It seemed as though he had stepped over an invisible line. Maybe he had misread the entire situation.
“You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever set eyes on.” Leary immediately turned bright red, ears and all. But if there was one thing Leary always was, it was brave. He had plopped down in JJ’s lap the first time they met. Leary hadn’t backtracked since.
JJ crossed the room to where Leary sat on the couch. He held his hand out, palm up. “Let me take you to dinner.” Even JJ heard the promise in his voice. After dinner, they would circle back to this discussion. JJ finally had Leary headed in the direction he wanted to go. He wouldn’t let up now.
JJ half expected the drive to the restaurant to be uncomfortable after he had held Leary’s hand all the way to the car. It wasn’t. For whatever reason, being together felt like the most natural thing. At least for him, anyhow. He didn’t know how Leary felt.
“So, we’ve established your mom is a decorator. What does your dad do?”
“Is this a date?”
The question sideswiped him, especially the way it burst from Leary as if he had been barely holding the inquiry in. “Yes. Why? Do you not want it to be?”
JJ swore he felt the tension leave the air. “Of course I want it to be. He’s a congressman.”
“Jesus. You’re like way out of my league, aren’t you?”
Leary huffed. “I am not. If anything, you’re out of my league.”
JJ snorted. “A street rat and a congressman’s doctor son. Who do you think people will say is reaching too high?”
“Me,” Leary said, sounding certain. “Heck, I’m eleven years older than you. Why would you even want to go on a date with me?”
That was it. JJ wouldn’t put up with this.
He knew Leary was more confident than he obviously felt around JJ.
JJ pulled to the shoulder of the road and took off his seat belt.
He didn’t wait for Leary to ask anything.
JJ kissed him. His lips touched Leary’s, then he tried backing away to let Leary make the next move.
Leary followed him, refusing to let JJ go.
The move was sexy. Heat flared inside JJ.
He took a chance and deepened their kiss.
JJ was shook. He didn’t know what he had expected.
Maybe a soft, shy kiss? No. Leary kissed him like he meant it.
JJ had to stop. He planned to take Leary on a real date.
They might not make it if they kept this up.
This time when JJ pulled away, Leary didn’t chase him.
That was almost worse. Leary’s expression screamed arousal.
JJ forced himself to settle back behind the wheel and buckle his seatbelt.
He knew he should say something. No words came to him that would describe how he felt.
He looked Leary’s way. Butterflies stirred in his gut.
Leary’s face was flushed. His eyes sparkled.
JJ’s gaze moved over his smattering of freckles, swollen lips, and the dark hair he always kept slightly messy.
Out of nowhere, JJ finally knew exactly what to say.
“I care about you. If you just want to be friends or only my doctor, say so now. I’ll keep you any way I can. But for me, we’re more.”
“You’re more for me too.” The words were spoken quietly but firmly.
JJ dipped his chin. “Let’s go to dinner.”
Leary nodded.
JJ put the car in gear and steered back into traffic. They would go to dinner and then who knew. Maybe Leary would kiss him again. A guy could hope.
The restaurant had low lighting and a romantic atmosphere.
Maybe the vibe was coming from JJ and not anything the restaurant did.
The way JJ watched him kept stealing his breath.
Truth be told, he still reeled from learning JJ’s age and that kiss.
He knew he could have looked closer at JJ’s chart to learn his age, but Leary hadn’t even thought about it until JJ stood in his home.
He had almost called off everything right then.
Then JJ had kissed him, and that age gap had vanished.
If he were honest, they were probably on the same level of life experience.
Leary’s parents had forced him to focus on nothing except his education.
He had a high IQ, and that was all anyone had seen in him once they had seen those numbers.
Leary hadn’t been a child. His life had been nose to the grindstone.
It was only recently he had decided to embrace certain aspects of himself—like the pajamas and toys.
He saw no reason he couldn’t take back the childhood he had missed.
Leary hadn’t seen JJ coming, though. Now he couldn’t see anyone else.
They talked all through dinner. There were no awkward silences. JJ was his friend first, and whatever else second. He loved getting to know him.
“What did you do for fun before you started coming to the club?” Leary wouldn’t name the place he meant where they could be overheard. At The PlayPen, no one judged him. The rest of the world would.
JJ shrugged. “I used to shoot a lot. There’s a firing range on property. I was a great shot. The guys and I would take bets on it and whatnot. Then, you know.” He lifted his arm with the missing hand.
Damn. Whoever had done this had really taken everything from JJ. “I hope they’re dead.” Leary blinked at the ferocity of his own words.
“They are.” JJ’s nonchalant answer released the vise on his chest.
For a moment, Leary wondered if he was a bad person for how happy the news made him. Apparently, he didn’t care too much about his morals because he kept going. “Good.”
A bright smile exploded across JJ’s face. “You’re so bloodthirsty. I love it.”
Leary’s face heated. He hated that he was a blusher. It was JJ. He brought something out in Leary. Leary liked it. “One of these days, I swear I won’t blush around you any longer. I can’t help it.”
JJ chuckled under his breath.
Chills ran down Leary’s spine. He was just so damn sexy. Leary couldn’t stop thinking that.
“What are you thinking right now? You should see the way you’re looking at me. You’re not shy now.”
Damn. He really wasn’t. When JJ looked at him just a certain way, as he was now, Leary became nothing but a man staring at desire. “I was thinking—”
“Here’s your check. Can I get you guys anything else before you go? Box? A to-go cup for your drinks?”
The interruption killed the moment. “No, thank you. I’m good.”
JJ nodded. “I’m good too.” He held up a finger. “Hold on a sec, though.” He dug out his wallet and pulled out a few bills. JJ passed them to her. “Keep the change.”
She smiled. “Thank you. You two have a good night.”
They stood and headed for the door. JJ touched the small of his back, steering him toward the door. His heart rate kicked up every step of the way. He didn’t know what would happen next.
Back inside the car, Leary pulled a tin of mints from his pocket and popped one in his mouth. He wasn’t taking any chances if JJ kissed him again.
“Do you want one of these?”
JJ leaned his way, mouth open as he backed from their spot.
Leary laughed as he stuck a mint in JJ’s mouth.
He really enjoyed being with JJ. A thought hit.
JJ likely hadn’t been a child either. It sounded like he’d lived a rough life.
Sometimes, he saw a playful side of JJ trying to peek out, but he always reverted to serious—like he immediately jumped behind a wall. He made Leary want to draw him out.
“Do you want to go to the park, since we didn’t make it the other night? I’ll push you on the swings.”
Leary smiled at the idea, but he had another. “What if I pushed you on the swings?”
JJ laughed.
“I’m being serious.”
JJ glanced his way for a second, then shrugged. “Okay, but I might have a hard time holding on.”
He hadn’t thought of that. “Then go down the big slide with me. Ooh. Or the merry-go-round.”
“I can do that.”
Leary happy clapped. “Yay.”
The way JJ smiled had emotions stirring. Leary wanted this. Whatever this thing was that kept getting bigger between them caused so, so much longing inside him.
Thankfully, before Leary could say anything dumb, like how he thought he might be falling for JJ, JJ pulled into the parking lot of the park closest to his house.
It was dark and no one else was there. JJ stepped out, and Leary followed.
Hand in hand, they made their way to the slide.
Leary went down first, and JJ followed. It was a little difficult for JJ to climb with one hand.
Leary ran for the swings and sat. JJ immediately moved to push him.
Leary got himself started and then JJ got him going higher.
Once he was going fast enough, JJ stepped away.
He jogged to where he could watch Leary.
Leary laughed as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes from the wind whipping across his face.
“Jump.”
A thrill ran through him at the idea. He wanted to do that, but he was scared. “I can’t get hurt. I have to do your surgery on Thursday.”
JJ’s smile never dimmed. “What if I swear you won’t get hurt?”
He really wanted to do this just to see if he could. “Okay.” He kicked out and back another time. “Are you ready?”
JJ visibly braced himself. “Yep.”
“Okay. Here I come. One. Two. Three.” He jumped.
The feeling of complete freedom only lasted a moment, but it was a rush.
Then JJ’s arms were around him, keeping him from landing too hard.
The impact rocked JJ on his feet, but he didn’t fall.
As he had promised, Leary didn’t get hurt.
They laughed like little kids. Then he realized how tightly and closely JJ held him.
He became hyperaware of every place their bodies touched.
JJ didn’t release him. They simply stared at each other.
“Will you let me walk you to the door tonight?”
At JJ’s question, Leary swallowed before he answered. “Maybe you can walk me inside.”
JJ kissed the tip of his nose. “There’s nothing I’d love more, but my shift starts at eleven.”
“Oh.” Leary hadn’t considered what hours JJ worked. Why did he never ask questions?
“Maybe I could kiss you right now.” JJ’s words stopped every thought Leary had.
“I’d like that.”
JJ’s lips touched his and things heated faster than expected. His body ached for JJ’s touch. Leary already knew he would fall asleep tonight and dream of JJ. He was everything Leary wanted and more.