Chapter Ten
Jay could freely admit he had gotten too comfortable.
Everyone at the Hawaii compound knew he existed.
There was no reason to hide. Crisp had gone swimming with Foster.
That kept Foster tethered to one spot, so Jay wasn’t trapped in the bedroom.
He hadn’t thought twice about heading for the kitchen.
Jay still took back corridors meant for staff to get there.
Fabrice and Tidy sipped coffee at the island. They both smiled at his arrival.
“Hey. I see you’re feeling brave this morning with Foster here.”
Jay shrugged at Tidy’s observation. Truthfully, he liked Tidy more than most. He chose the stool next to him and sat. “Crisp is hanging out by the pool with Foster. I risked the kitchen was free. You know I can’t skip coffee with you two. Who will give me all the gossip?”
Fabrice snorted out a laugh. “Stand still long enough and Jett will find you. He’s the household herald.”
The three of them laughed. Jett was well known for telling everyone’s business. Thankfully, he only shared harmless info. When it came to keeping Jay hidden from the rest of the brothers, Jett was a master.
Fabrice slid a cup of coffee his way. “I knew you’d be here.” The cup was steaming hot from the world’s coolest countertop. It kept food and drinks warm without ever getting hot to the touch. He had no idea how it worked, but with enough money, anyone could have anything.
“Thanks.” He took a sip. No one made coffee like Fabrice. “Perfect, as always. What have I missed this morning?”
Fabrice shrugged. “So far, everything has been quiet. Security says they chased off someone attempting to trespass last night. Jett said it looked like a couple of teens. No big deal.”
Jay kept his opinions to himself. He, too, had been a teen, and he had been extremely dangerous. That age range was an often-overlooked threat.
Tidy bumped shoulders with Jay. “Are you feeling neglected with Foster here yet?”
The question confused Jay. “Is that a thing? Am I supposed to be feeling some way I’m not?”
Tidy chuckled.
Jay didn’t know why. It had been a genuine question. He never knew how he was expected to feel beyond Crisp.
Tidy flashed him a bright smile and squeezed his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Jay. Most guys wouldn’t like their partner staying up all night with someone else.”
“That’s dumb.” Jay hadn’t taken the time to think. He simply said the first thing that had come to mind. “Foster is his brother. You all grew up together and stuck together. I am the interloper. Crisp should spend time with his family.”
Tidy’s smile wavered a hair. “Well, you and I know that.”
Sometimes Tidy said things that didn’t make sense to him and didn’t match his body language. He didn’t understand the nuance behind every word. Maybe one day he would.
Clay strolled in, looking sunny as always.
He teased Fabrice into smiling the way he did every day.
The only reason he understood their dynamic was from eavesdropping on Fabrice’s private conversations with Crisp.
Clay and Fabrice had grown up together. They were friends.
If he didn’t know their connection, he would think Scout should be the angry one here.
A lightbulb moment hit. That was what Tidy meant.
Tidy still had nothing to worry about. Jay knew Crisp was totally his.
Jay made sure Crisp never needed anyone else.
In that, he was confident. He still wanted to sneak a peek at the pool activity.
Not that he was jealous or concerned or anything like that.
Jay’s heart just needed him to set eyes on Crisp, especially since it seemed Tidy believed Foster saw them as more…
possibly. He didn’t know. Foster had talked about someone else nonstop.
Surely a man looking to step over a friendship line wouldn’t do that.
He stood. “Thanks again for the coffee. I should probably get back to our room.”
Fabrice and Tidy said their goodbyes.
Clay stopped him. “Oh, by the way, Tracker just got here. I think he’s gotten caught up in fixing some security camera failings, but he’s here. You might want to keep an extra low profile.”
Jay nodded. “Thank you for the warning. I’ll keep an eye out.”
Without waiting to get held up again, Jay slipped out of the kitchen.
He stuck close to the wall and made sure no one was around before stepping into the family room.
There was a glass wall that would fold away, opening to the area by the pool.
He moved closer to the wall where he could hide behind a window treatment.
A bright smile exploded across his face as Foster sent Crisp flying through the air and into the pool.
Loud laughter rang through the air, muffled by the glass.
“Who are you?”
Jay spun. A man with shaggy, unkempt hair and intense blue eyes was sprawled across the couch. He looked pale and unwell. Jay had no clue how to handle this.
“I’m no one.”
The guy cocked his head. “If you were no one, you wouldn’t be here.” He had a haughty voice that sounded weak. His inquisitor sighed when Jay didn’t respond. “If you’re that untrusting, I’m Atticus and you are…”
Jay’s eyebrows tried shooting to his hairline at the name. Even with the guy half dead, Jay saw what had stunned Crisp into silence. Foster hadn’t lied. He was gorgeous. The expensive kind of handsome.
“I see my reputation precedes me.”
Jay had no idea why he rushed to fix things. Maybe it was the defeat in Atticus’ voice. “No. I mean, yes. I’ve heard of you, but no, I don’t know enough about you to hold an opinion.”
“Damn. Now that’s a deep accent. Yet I know you’re not part of the family.”
Despite the situation, Jay smiled. “I am a secret part of the family that only a few know about. That number doesn’t include Foster. So, I would appreciate your discretion.”
Atticus’ gaze seemed to sharpen. “Now I’m extra curious. Am I allowed into this secret? I can assure you Foster has no desire to hear anything I say. You don’t have to worry I’ll spill your secret.”
Jay weighed the risks. In the end, it wasn’t about trusting Atticus. His decision came purely from needing to stake his claim. Atticus would not be charming his Crisp. “Crisp belongs to me.”
Atticus laughed and then winced. The pain obviously won. His smile made a swift exit.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Someone tried to kill me.”
Jay nodded. That was a situation familiar to Jay. “Is this a common concern in your life?”
Atticus appeared to breathe through pain. “You could say that.”
Jay eyed him for a moment. It was obvious he was still in bad shape. “You’ve come to the right place, then. This property is impenetrable, and the care is good. I would know.” He motioned toward the ugly scars no one could miss. “Crisp made me well here.”
If Atticus had questions or thoughts, he hid them well. Jay knew then he could trust Atticus’ silence. Atticus’ gaze moved past him. “Look alive. Foster is running this way.”
Jay didn’t even check to see if Atticus spoke the truth.
He headed for the closest hidden door and slipped inside.
This house had been built as a playground for Kylo.
There were several secret passageways for him to play hide and seek.
Jay felt certain he had found each one. As he made his way to his room, Jay turned everything over inside his head.
He was more than a little curious about why Atticus was here.
Foster hadn’t brought him. Had Tracker? If so, that was odd.
Hadn’t Tracker recently married? He rarely understood what went on with this bunch.
Jay knew one thing, though. If Foster was anything like Crisp, he would rush to care for Atticus.
Atticus was as good as locked down now. Jay knew what it was like to have the undivided attention of an Agafonov.
Their focus was more than healing; their love was addictive.
Soaked and torn, Crisp headed for his bedroom.
It seemed Foster’s man had come for him.
He had looked kind of unwell, but he had come.
That had to mean he wanted more than one night.
He had better, or he shouldn’t be here. Crisp might be the clean-up guy, but he also knew how to slit a throat.
Honestly, that made him twice as dangerous.
Not only could he kill a man, no one would ever know what happened to them.
They would simply vanish. He scowled all the way to the bedroom, fretting over the situation.
When he stepped inside and found Jay waiting, everything outside their bedroom door vanished.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
Jay’s mouth lifted in one corner at the greeting. “Hey, beautiful. You’re back a lot earlier than I expected.”
Crisp shivered from the cold air in the room overcoming him. “Yeah. Foster’s man showed up, so I left him to deal with that.”
Jay was on his feet before Crisp finished his sentence. He took the towel Crisp held and rubbed him vigorously, drying his skin and warming him at the same time. “We need to get you out of this wet suit. You’re not built for the cold.”
Crisp pulled a face he didn’t really feel. “Did you just call me scrawny?”
Jay’s eyes danced with laughter, stealing Crisp’s heart again, the way Jay somehow did every day. “You know better.” He pinched Crisp’s ass. “This is sexy, warm-weather only skin. Plus, I’m always looking for a good excuse to get you out of your clothes.”
Crisp gave him a sharp nod. “That is the only acceptable response.”
Jay shook his head and laughed. A huge realization hit Crisp. It wasn’t the first time Crisp had thought about it, but this was the time the truth truly sank in. They were happy. This relationship was indestructible and amazingly perfect.
“I’m so in love with you.”
Jay’s gaze snapped to Crisp at his words. “I’m so in love with you too. Why do you sound like that?”