[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]on Asa s pant leg.
Evidently, she was finally able to get his lover s attention away from Jay long enough to
listen to her, because a second later, the pretty little girl was in Asa s arms. Mario was
surprised at the ease Asa showed handling the child.
I ll talk to you guys later, he said to the group of men. He strolled over to the
children s table and came up behind Asa, kissing his man on the neck.
Hey, you trying to steal my boyfriend? he asked Gracie.
Nope. Just borrowing him, Gracie stated in a matter of fact tone.
Mario laughed. It was obvious Gracie had been around grown-ups. You sound like
your Dad.
Asa leaned back against Mario. Pretty little thing, isn t she?
Mario reached out and pinched the end of Gracie s nose. Yeah, and I ve a feeling she
knows it, don t ya?
Well, Daddy says women are supposed to pretend they don t know how beautiful
they are, but then he calls me beautiful all the time, so how am I not supposed to know?
Mario laughed again. You ve got a point.
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Gracie spotted someone else she thought looked like fun and squirmed out of Asa s
arms. See ya, she called as she sprinted off towards Ryan.
Nuzzling Asa s ear, Mario whispered. Are your legs holding up okay?
Asa turned his head and kissed Mario. I could probably use a rest.
Mario pulled out two chairs beside Jay. Have a seat. Mario took the one between Asa
and Jay and sat down.
How re you doing? he asked Jay.
Good, he answered as Joey bounced around on his lap.
It wasn t the first time Mario noticed how comfortable Jay was around kids. As a matter
of fact, Jay seemed to prefer their company to other adults. He wondered why that was.
From what he knew, Jay didn t have younger siblings, but then, maybe Jay simply didn t talk
about them.
Has Erico eased up on you?
How d you know? Jay s jaw dropped. You didn t yell at him, did you?
Let s just say we had a little chat.
Was he mad?
Mario wondered why he seemed to care so much how Erico reacted. Mad? No.
Then what? Jay continued to prod for answers.
Interesting. Mario decided to be honest with Jay, but not in front of the kids. You got a
moment?
Jay seemed surprised, but eventually nodded and passed Joey to Asa. Do you mind?
Not at all. Asa turned the baby around to face him. We ll make funny faces at each
other while you re gone.
Mario led Jay into the hostess area of the restaurant. He noticed Jay was down and
decided to question him about it. Something wrong?
Jay shook his head, his long hair covering his face from Mario s sight. Mario couldn t
get over how much Jay resembled a child who expected to be scolded. Hey, he said, tilting
Jay s chin up. I just wanted to talk to you away from the kids.
You re not mad?
Why the hell would I be mad?
Jay shrugged. I know Erico s your friend.
Yeah, and so are you.
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Thanks.
They d gotten so far off the subject, Mario wasn t sure how to get back on track. Erico s
a good guy, despite what some people think, but I don t know that he s the right man for
you.
Jay immediately began to deny he had thoughts of Erico, firming Mario s suspicion to
the contrary. I m not interested in Erico. I m not interested in anyone.
Well, just keep in mind what I said. He started to walk off, but a hand to his arm
stopped him. Mario knew how rare it was for Jay to initiate contact. He turned, noticing the
sadness in the big brown eyes that stared back at him.
I lied.
Mario nodded but kept his mouth shut, hoping Jay would confide in him.
Why do I always feel attracted to bad people?
I told you, Erico isn t bad. He hated that Erico was misunderstood by most people.
He couldn t blame them, it took him a long time to see Erico s true colours, and his friend
didn t give anyone the chance to get close enough.
He s strong.
Mario thought of Erico s size. Although he was fit, Erico wasn t nearly as muscled as
the majority of the men in town. I guess so.
Jay nodded. That s what I thought.
What would it be like to live in fear? Jay had suffered more than anyone should at the
hands of other people. He wondered how he could help the small, seemingly fragile, man.
Have you ever considered learning to box, or one of the martial arts? As a matter of fact,
martial arts may be perfect for you. It requires skill rather than size or strength.
Of which I have neither, Jay sighed. I hate this. I m so tired of being afraid to date
again. Ethan s been wonderful to have around, but he s more a brother. Jay s face flushed. I
get& lonely.
Perfectly understandable. How about I make you a deal? You come to Asa s house on
your nights off. I ll start training you, and you ll pay me back by cooking us dinner.
Jay s big brown eyes lit up. Are you serious? You really think I could learn that stuff?
I m positive. Do we have a deal? Mario stuck out his hand.
After a brief pause, Jay reached out and shook it. Mario couldn t get over how small-
boned the man s hands were. He started to rethink his promise, but decided teaching Jay a
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little self-defence couldn t hurt. If nothing else, Mario hoped it would give Jay more
confidence.
Okay. Um. My next day off is Sunday. Is that too soon?
No. Sunday should be fine. If the weather gets too bad, we can do it at The Gym instead
of having you drive out to Asa s house.
The light in Jay s eyes faded. I forgot. I& uh& don t have a car.
Shit. Mario hadn t thought of that. Don t worry. We ll work something out.
Do you think I could invite Ethan? You know, he could use some training, too. And I
bet he even has the money to pay.
Mario also knew about the guy who d been threatening Ethan in DC. Sure. But don t
mention the money thing. We ll figure out something for him to do in trade.
Thanks. I m going to go tell him if that s okay?
Sure. Mario watched Jay walk away with a spring in his step that Mario hadn t seen
before. The car situation might be a problem unless he could talk Rio into just letting him use
The Gym for the classes. Well? There s only one way to find out.
He found Rio helping Erico wrap up leftovers in individual containers. You got a
second?
Rio glanced up and grinned. I dunno. Will it get me out of leftover duty?
No, Erico said, butting into the conversation.
I need your permission to teach Jay and Ethan some self-defence techniques at The
Gym after-hours.
Shouldn t be a problem, but I need to check with Ryan. He s the one who deals with all
the insurance issues. Hold on. I ll go find him. Feel free to continue on in my place.
Mario chuckled and started adding cranberry sauce to the foam containers. I knew
he d figure out a way to get out of work.
Is there something going on between Jay and Ethan? Erico asked.
No. They re friends, but they both need to learn to defend themselves.
Why?
Why? Because they re both tired of being afraid all the time. Finished with the
cranberry sauce, Mario started on stuffing.
But what s Jay afraid of?
Being abused again. You can t blame the kid after what he s been through.
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