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CHAPTER NINE

The surprises just kept coming.

Earlier at work, before Frank called, Ryden had wondered how long it would take Jay to talk to him after what happened at the wedding.

That’s when he wasn’t thinking about Jay’s tongue in his mouth.

Then Frank’s call sent his thoughts into a tailspin, forcing him to fight images of worst-case scenarios as he hopped into his truck, only to have Jay end up in his arms minutes later. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster.

Jay had clung to Ryden like he had no intention of letting him go, and Ryden still hadn’t wrapped his head around it.

He’d even promised Joshua that he’d look after Jay, though he hadn’t thought much about what that might entail.

He was on his way to his house with Jay and had no idea how things would go.

The two of them were rarely alone together, and when they were, like at the wedding, things didn’t turn out so well.

“Thank you,” Jay said, startling Ryden out of his thoughts.

“For what?”

“For letting me stay with you tonight, and for being on your way to help me, especially after...” Jay’s brows drew together, his frown deep.

“The way I acted at the wedding.” His bottom lip jutted out slightly.

He was adorable when he pouted. “It’s been brought to my attention that I might have overreacted. ”

Ryden held back a smile. Might have? That had definitely been Joshua’s doing, though Ryden would bet his next paycheck that there had been no “might-haves” in that conversation. “Do ya wanna talk about it?”

“Not tonight,” Jay replied quietly, his gaze fixed outside his window.

Did that mean Jay planned on talking to him about it at some point? His words confirmed Mason’s suspicions that Jay had been through something painful that Ryden had a bad habit of triggering. An ex-boyfriend, maybe?

“You’re probably wondering how I got away from those guys.”

Ryden shrugged. “I figured you used whatever techniques the Kings taught you.”

This time, Jay moved his gaze away from the window. He studied Ryden. “How do you know they taught me anything?”

“Come on now, Jay. I ain’t just another pretty face,” Ryden teased, making Jay shake his head with a soft laugh. “There’s no way the Kings wouldn’t have insisted on some trainin’ or self-defense. Not with how much they care about you.”

“You’re right. They all helped in their way, but King was the one who insisted.”

Not surprising. It hadn’t taken long for Ryden to see that King and Jay had a special relationship, one that was different from the others, which made sense considering Jay was King’s executive assistant. A rather disturbing thought occurred to him. “You two, um, you’ve never?—”

“Oh God, no! Why would you even? Ugh.” Jay shuddered. “King is like the big brother I should have had.”

“Should have had?” Wait, did Jay have a brother? He’d never mentioned one.

“I’m not talking about it,” Jay murmured, his attention returning to the passing scenery outside his window.

“Okay, yeah. No problem.”

If Jay did have a brother, was he the one who was the asshole? Ryden didn’t like the idea that he had something in common with someone who was enough of a dick for Jay not to want to talk about him. It wasn’t like Ryden was being an asshole on purpose.

Jay had a way of getting under his skin, the same as he seemed to do for Jay. It drove Ryden up the wall. Maybe he needed to learn to have more patience, or at least figure out what he was doing to upset Jay.

The rest of the car ride was quiet but not uncomfortable.

Jay seemed lost in his thoughts, but he also looked exhausted.

Even with the training or self-defense the Kings had taught Jay, he had to be shaken up over what happened tonight.

Was he putting on a brave front? Pretending he was fine?

Jay might work for the Kings, but not in the same capacity as the rest of the security agents.

He was kept far from the danger. Maybe Jay just needed a little time.

Any time Ryden thought he’d figured out what was happening between them, Jay proved him wrong. The moment Ryden thought Jay was letting his guard down, something he said or did would set Jay off, and then Ryden would get annoyed and feel the need to poke at Jay even more. It wasn’t pretty.

Ryden turned onto his street and was immediately at ease.

He never got tired of his neighborhood. It was so painfully Floridian.

Rows of pastel-colored houses with white trim and gray shingle roofs, manicured lawns, pretty palms, and colorful gardens occupied by stone animals, terracotta pots, and cheerful gnomes.

It was peaceful and quiet, populated mostly by retirees, snowbirds, and a few military vets. It was Ryden’s sanctuary.

“You live here?” Jay asked, surprised.

“Yep.” Ryden turned into his driveway, chuckling at Jay’s stunned expression.

“I bought this place a little over three and a half years ago. Well, I’m still payin’ off the mortgage, but I plan to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

Plus, I got a great deal on it. The poor thing needed some TLC after being damaged in one of the hurricanes.

The previous owners were snowbirds from up north who couldn’t travel anymore due to health reasons.

They put off sellin’ it for years.” Ryden studied Jay. “What were you expectin’?”

Jay shrugged. “I assumed you lived in an apartment or a condo.”

“A bachelor pad?”

“Maybe?”

Ryden exited the car and waited for Jay to close his door before setting the alarm.

“Nah. Once I settled in at Four Kings Security, I started savin’ for my own place.

Apartment livin’ ain’t for me. I like the quiet, but I also like to keep busy.

I’m always workin’ on some little project, messin’ around in the garage or the yard, tendin’ to the lawn or the gardens. ”

Jay peered at him. “ You garden?”

“Yeah. Why’s that so hard to believe?” Ryden rounded the front of the truck and led the way to the front door. “I grew up on ranches. Lots of fresh air, nature, and animals.”

“I know. I just never took you for a gardener.”

Ryden snickered. “I’ll bet there are lots of things you never took me for.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

So defensive . Ryden turned and gently caught Jay’s wrist, tugging him into his arms, his heart annoyingly happy when Jay didn’t pull away.

It was a start. “Now, don’t go gettin’ your feathers ruffled.

I didn’t mean nothin’ by it. I’m just sayin’ we don’t know all that much about each other’s private lives.

Who knows what kind of Martha Stewart qualities I might be hidin’? ”

Jay relaxed, his smile growing wicked. “Like your collection of pipe cleaner animals?”

Ryden let out a mock gasp, a hand going to his heart.

“How dare you. I’ll have you know it’s an underrated art form.

” He playfully booped the tip of Jay’s nose before turning to unlock his front door.

Since he’d left the living room lights on, he moved to one side so Jay could step in.

Jay’s expression told Ryden that he was surprising him at every turn.

What exactly had Jay been expecting? That he’d walk into a living room littered with empty beer cans, dirty clothes strewn all over the floor, and empty food containers on the coffee tables?

“What surprises you more, my abode or how tidy it is?”

Jay’s cheeks turned a lovely pink. “I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.”

Ryden shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around, trying to take it all in from Jay’s perspective.

It wasn’t exactly minimalistic, but it was simple and clean.

His walls were pale gray with white skirting boards and crown molding.

Rich blue accent pieces and furniture, along with the throw pillows on his plush gray recliner sectional, added a pop of color to his kitchen, dining room, and living room.

“I’ll admit, Fitz helped me with the decoratin’.

He was a little horrified by my lack of throw pillows when I first moved in.

The guy has a thing about throw pillows.

And candles. As you can see, this is the living room.

There’s the kitchen and dining room. The door to the yard is in the laundry room just off to the right of the kitchen.

That room to the right is the main bedroom.

The guest room and connecting bathroom are down the hall. Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll grab you some clothes to sleep in.

There’s a new spare toothbrush in the cabinet over the bathroom sink.

” Ryden said, walking into his bedroom. He searched his dresser drawer for something that might fit Jay.

The T-shirt wouldn’t be a problem, but his pants would be too long.

Not much he could do. He grabbed a soft navy T-shirt and a pair of soft charcoal pants that Jay could at least roll up.

Did Jay need socks? He was about to grab a pair from his drawer when he heard Jay’s loud gasp.

“Oh my God.”

Ryden darted out of his room. “What— Shit . That’s not the guest room.” He hurried over just as Jay switched on the lights in the spare bedroom across from the guest room. “I can explain.” There was a reason he hadn’t told Jay about this room. The guy probably thought Ryden was nuts.

Before Ryden could utter another word, Jay ran into the room and straight across to the wall, his eyes huge. He spun to face Ryden, throwing an arm out, pointing at the wall.

“Where did you get those shelves?”

Ryden opened his mouth and then closed it. “Um, what?” Had Jay not seen the many cans of fruits and vegetables in the shelving unit? Not to mention the rest of the floor-to-ceiling shelves lining the room filled with food, water, and emergency supplies.

“The shelves. Where did you get them?”

“I made them.”