Eli sat with his bare feet up on the railing of his balcony, breathing in the ocean air. His condo was situated next to a man-made lake that drained into the Atlantic Ocean. The balcony faced the lake, but he also had a peek-a-boo view of the ocean. Eli held his breath, closed his eyes, and listened to the waves crashing. It was part of the reason he moved to Brighton Pier. The other reason being the large LGBTQ community. Could he leave all this? Leave Brighton Pier? Would it be easier to distance himself from Jake altogether?
He reached in his pocket for his phone, pulling up his contact list. As the phone rang, he took a pull from his beer bottle.
“Elijah? What’s wrong?” his brother asked, and the panic in his voice had Eli glancing at his phone screen.
It’s after midnight. Shit.
“Nothing’s wrong. Can’t a guy call his brother?” He tried to keep a steady voice, but if there was anyone he didn’t need to hide his emotions from, it was Jonah.
“You can call me whenever you want; you know that.”
He did know that. The problem was saying what was on his mind. Getting the words out would make his thoughts all too real. He took a deep, steadying breath and admitted, “I’m thinking of moving back home. I need…a change.”
“Leave Jersey? I thought you loved it there…your job, your condo, your friends?” Jonah sounded completely shocked, and rightfully so.
“I do. I just… Fuck, I don’t know.”
“Is it because of Jake?” Eli didn’t know how to answer that. The fact of the matter was, all too often, it was because of Jake. “You know you’re welcome here anytime.”
“Thanks, man.” Eli rubbed the back of his head then dropped his hand to his lap and softly admitted, “I’m fucking doing it to myself, and I know I am. I don’t know how to stop.”
“Does he know?”
“He knows.” Eli sighed into the phone. There was no way in hell Jake didn’t know. “How do I stop, Jonah? If it were up to him, we’d keep going the way we are, but I can’t stop myself from wanting more. How do I do that?”
Jonah was silent on the other end, until finally he said, “I wish I knew.”
And hell, the fact that Jonah didn’t have an answer poured salt on the wound. Because if his brother couldn’t find the light at the end of the tunnel, how the fuck was Eli supposed to?
“I’m sorry I called so late. I’m gonna let you go.” Eli stood up, grabbing the empty bottle from the small table, and slid the screen door open. He closed and locked the glass door and crossed the room to toss the bottle in the bin.
“I’m always here for you, Elijah. We all are. Remember that, okay?” Eli didn’t doubt it for a second. Jonah and the rest of the family would always be there. Maybe that was his light at the end of the tunnel. He had a family he could count on and could always turn to. What he had to decide was, what was actually on the other side of the tunnel? Move back to New York? Start over in a tattoo shop up there? Or stay in Brighton Pier and find the strength to somehow move on? Either way, it seemed his future on the other side of that tunnel presented the same problem:
Neither would include Jake.
Jake sat on a bench on the pier, coffee mug in hand. There was no way in hell he was standing in line at the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street with a bunch of loudmouth out-of-towners. It was bad enough they invaded his town all summer long. No…this was definitely the way to go. He made his coffee every morning, in his own damn mug, and came down here to think…or not think. It was early enough that the tourists wouldn’t flood the boardwalk or beach for another hour.
Brighton Pier had been his home for over seven years, although it had only found its way onto people’s radar the last few. The city had dumped a lot of money into clean-up and redevelopment, especially after Hurricane Sandy had wiped out the beaches and boardwalks along the Jersey shore. He’d bought his condo at just the right time a couple years back. Now, it was probably worth double what he’d paid. The same went for Eli and his condo in the same building.
Eli.
What the fuck was he going to do about Eli? It had been a week since the last time he’d gone to Eli to relieve—hell, he didn’t even know what. He just knew he needed it…him. Things between them were definitely becoming strained. Well, not becoming strained. They were tense as fuck, and Jake knew why, but it wasn’t something he was willing to pick apart anytime soon.
Jake’s phone vibrated in his pocket with a text notification. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen, and laughed. It was a picture of his nephew, Nick, with some kind of nasty green shit in his teeth. The message attached read: Do I have anything in my teeth?
Jake barked out a laugh. Nope. You’re good.
The second picture that came through was of his other nephew, Dylan. He had a big, goofy smile, the same green teeth, and his eyes were crossed. Jake had his fingers on the keyboard ready to respond when a FaceTime call came through. He answered and laughed, seeing both of his nephews on the screen, crossing their eyes, tongues sticking out.
“Why are you up this early? It’s summer.”
“One more week of school,” Dylan said while Nick grumbled, “Stupid snow days.” Then Dylan asked, “Can we come hang out with you, Uncle J?”
“When? Now?”
Just then, Jake’s older brother, Kevin, walked behind the boys, leaning down until he could be seen on screen as he buttoned the sleeves of his shirt. “No, not now. Hey,” he said to Jake before saying to his kids, “I thought I told you to wait until later to call Uncle J?”
Both boys rolled their eyes. Dylan completely ignored his dad. “So, can we?”
“I love how they listen to me,” Kevin said to Jake, shaking his head as he stood up and walked away. Jake could hear Kevin yell in the background, “Maggie, your kids don’t listen.”
“You promised you’d teach us to surf,” Dylan reminded Jake.
“He said he’d teach us to boogie board, buttface. You can’t surf. You’re only ten.” Nick had his older-brother attitude down to a T just like his dad. Hell, when they were younger, Jake and Kevin were always at each other’s throats, until—
“Shut up. You’re only two years older than me, jerk.” Dylan scowled at Nick, his arms crossed. Yeah, these two were definitely like Jake and Kevin had been…even down to the two-year age difference.
Nick opened his mouth, ready to fight when Jake asked, “Do you wanna come here or not?”
“Yes!” they both shouted, and quickly scowls were replaced with big, happy grins.
It wasn’t as if he never saw them. They only lived across the highway, but even with that short distance, he didn’t see them as often as he probably should. He and Kevin lived different lives. Aside from their dark hair, dark eyes, and above-average height, they were complete opposites. Kevin was married to a great woman who was one of the top real estate agents in the county, had two awesome kids, and had a really successful job as a lawyer making more money than Jake would ever see in a lifetime. Jake, on the other hand… Well, he owned a tattoo shop, and that pretty much summed it up, didn’t it?
“Hey, Jake.” Maggie leaned down, looking at the phone as she pulled her long, blonde hair back. “Hate to cut this short, but I have to get these guys to the bus stop.” She smiled warmly, and the crazy thing was, it was completely genuine. She’d never treated Jake like he was beneath her even though, without a doubt in his mind, he was.
“Hey, Maggie. Yeah, no problem. I have to get ready to open the shop soon anyway.” He shifted his gaze back to the boys. “If your parents say it’s okay, you guys can come hang out on Sunday.”
Both boys seemed happy with that response, if their cheesy dancing was anything to go by. Jake laughed and disconnected the call. He took another deep, cleansing breath of ocean air before getting up and walking back to his condo.
By ten o’clock, the shop was open and Kenz and Eli already had clients in their chairs. Fridays were busy anywhere in the summer months but having a shop near the beach intensified that.
Ryder came out of his area three hours later after finishing his third small tattoo of the day. “Man, if I don’t get something bigger soon, I’m gonna lose it.”
“That’s what he said,” Kenz responded. The guy behind her, with the newly pierced eyebrow, laughed.
Jake had managed to finish a tattoo of a koi fish on one guy’s calf and a small memorial tattoo of some woman’s dog. Now he only hoped he could get the inventory done before his next client showed up. He had to do a cover-up of someone else’s shitty work on some guy’s side. He’d seen it time and time again: if you want cheap, don’t expect quality.
Eli was the only one who had yet to come up for air. The guy was on his third hour of a back piece on a new client. Even though Jake knew that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Eli was avoiding him.
Jake looked up when the bells above the door chimed. “Hey, man. Got a new piece for me?” Parker had been displaying his art in Inkubus for a few years. He’d originally come in for a tattoo by Eli but felt like part of the crew almost immediately.
“Yeah. I was thinking of taking that one down,” he pointed to a painting on the wall behind the register, “and putting this one up.” He held up a dark canvas and Jake just stared for a second.
“Holy shit, man. That’s amazing.” Jake stared at it in awe. The demon looked not only dangerous but sexy as fuck. It was from the waist up with a wide-muscled torso and immense bulging arms. The menacing look on his face, and searing black eyes looking out under incredibly arched brows, brought out the wickedness in his sexy smirk. Black horns adorned his head, shoulders, and the crest of the crimson, dragon-like wings behind him. Inkubus was tattooed across his chest. It was incredible.
Jake narrowed his eyes at Parker. “What do you want?”
Parker laughed, feigning shock. “Why would you think I want something? Can’t I do something nice for my friend?” Jake continued his skeptical stare, and Parker sighed. “Okay, fine. I wouldn’t be opposed to some new ink.” Parker smiled slyly at Jake, and both Kenz and Ryder snickered.
Jake barked out a laugh. “Asshole. You’re lucky that painting is badass enough for me to say yes.”
“I don’t paint anything that’s not badass,” Parker corrected then leaned the painting against the wall and headed to the back of the shop where the ladder was kept. Fifteen minutes later the painting was up and fuck if it didn’t change the whole feel of the shop. The guy was definitely talented.
Parker made himself at home in a chair against the wall and started messing around on his phone. Aside from the artwork, Parker designed websites which pretty much let him work from home. Whenever he got bored, he ended up at the shop.
“What’s going on this weekend?” Ryder shook the Snapple in his hand, hit the bottom a couple of times, and then popped it open. “You guys want to go out on Saturday night?”
“I’m game,” Kenz replied, looking in one of the mirrors on the wall while she messed with her hair. Jake had no clue what she was going for because it always looked the same when she was done.
Parker looked up from his phone. “I’ve got nothing going on.”
Jake grabbed the inventory log sheet that listed all the stuff he’d already counted and sat in front of the computer. “Yeah, I’ll go out Saturday. My nephews are gonna come hang out on Sunday.”
“Like…you have to watch them and shit?” Ryder looked horrified. He didn’t have much family, and the family he did have wasn’t worth the air they breathed.
“They’re twelve and ten, not in diapers, dumbass.”
“Still, you have to feed ‘em right?”
“Jesus, Ryder, you make them sound like dogs.” Kenz laughed then sat down at a small table and started a design; most likely the Japanese dragon she’d discussed with someone that morning.
“I just give them food, and they eat it. Craziest fucking thing.” Jake began inputting the counts in the computer. It was the worst part of the job. One day he’d hire a shop manager and make them do it.
“Fuck you. You know what I mean. Don’t lie; you gotta be happy you get to send ‘em back home after a few hours. Dude, you’d never be able to nail it and bail it if you had kids.”
“Hell yeah. I mean, I love ‘em, don’t get me wrong, but none of that relationship or family shit is for me. I like my freedom.” Jake turned his stool around to fist bump Ryder—and froze.
He didn’t know how long Eli had been standing there, but from the look on his face—a mix of disgust and pain clouding those green eyes—Jake knew he’d heard enough.
Ryder turned his head in confusion, looking at Eli and then back at Jake. The tension in the air was so fucking thick, he was sure everyone in the room felt it. Including the new client standing entirely too close to Eli.
The bells above the door rang, and Ryder released a breath. “Perfect timing,” he mumbled, glancing one more time at Eli then back to Jake. “Shit just got weird in here. Come on back, Hank,” he told the client who had just walked in. Ryder turned to head back to his stall, but not before giving Kenz and Parker a what-the-fuck-just-happened look. Kenz shrugged her shoulders, picked up the drawing she’d started, and headed back to her station. Parker shook his head and went back to looking at his phone. None of them had any idea about Jake and Eli…until possibly right now.
Eli seemed to snap out of it when the guy next to him touched his arm. Fucking touched his arm. “So, I’ll see you in two weeks? Unless you want to take me up on that offer.” Then the douchebag smiled…and fuck if he didn’t get a smile in return from Eli. What the fuck is going on?
“I’ll think about it. Thanks, Chris.” Eli walked the guy to the door and said goodbye…and then just stood there, staring out the glass at the street.
“What was that guy talking about? What offer?” A job? A fucking date? Which would be worse? Jake’s heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his ears.
Finally, after a heavy silence…and more staring out that fucking door…Eli turned around, but this time those green eyes were like ice. “None of your damn business, Novak.” Well, shit…
Eli started past Jake to his station when Jake grabbed his arm—and fuck the threatening look in Eli’s eyes because Jake wasn’t letting go until he got a fucking answer. “What’d he mean?”
Eli shrugged his shoulder. “He asked me out for a drink.”
Jake couldn’t hold back the laugh. This had to be a fucking joke, right? “You’re not gonna go out with that douche, are you?” When Eli not only didn’t laugh, but didn’t even attempt a smile, Jake repeated the question. “Are you?”
Eli coldly yanked his arm out of Jake’s hold. “I don’t know, but ain’t that the great thing about being single? Just think of all that fucking freedom."
Jake just sat there, dumbfounded and confused, as he watched Eli head down the hall and into his station.
“Did you see that, Uncle J? I went so far that time!” Dylan pushed his wet, blond hair back from his face, his blue eyes wide.
“Yeah, kid. You did good.” They’d been at the beach for a few hours. Now all three of them were full of junk food and covered in sand, sunscreen, and salt water.
The boys flopped down on the Star Wars beach towels they’d laid out next to Jake’s. “Can we get ice cream?” Nick buried his hand in a bag of Cheetos, coming back up with a handful.
“How can you still be hungry after everything we ate today?”
“Uncle J, we’re growing boys.” Nick patted his stomach then shoved a few Cheetos in his mouth.
“Yeah and Mom won’t let us eat like this so we gotta do it with you.” Dylan gave a big, grin, his lips and fingers covered in orange, powdered cheese.
Jake barked out a laugh and snatched the bag from them, getting a handful for himself. “Nice. So you’re using me for junk food.”
Dylan wiped his hands on his towel, leaving orange marks everywhere. “Nah. We like hanging out with you…but it’s even better with ice cream.”
Jake pointed to the ocean. “Go wash your hands off in the water, and we’ll pack up and go to Scoops.”
“Yes!” both boys yelled out and ran down to the water’s edge. Jake stood up, shaking the sand out of his towel and folding it. Then he did the same with theirs, shoving them all in a backpack.
They made their way across the sand to the outdoor shower, rinsing off before climbing the stairs to the boardwalk. They’d eaten their ice cream and made it back to his place right before Maggie came to pick them up. Jake flopped down onto his couch, determined not to move for the rest of the day.
“What’s the matter, Uncle J?” Maggie laughed. “Too much for you?”
“I’m exhausted and broke,” he grumbled, leaning his head back on the couch and closing his eyes.
“Welcome to my world,” she teased. “Okay, guys, I think Uncle J has had enough today. Did you both thank him?”
Jake whipped his head up with a resounding ompf as Dylan fell on him mid-hug. “Thanks, Uncle J.”
Jake hugged the boy back and chuckled. “Anytime, kid.” Nick stood in front of them and brushed his light brown hair off his forehead. Jake remembered that age all too well. Stuck somewhere between still wanting to be a kid and being too cool to show it. Jake yanked on Nick’s arm. “Get over here.” Nick immediately hugged him back as he laughed and thanked him.
They left in a flurry of excited, rushed voices and laughter as they played back the day for their mom...including all the shit they’d eaten. Damn kids ratted me out.
But then, all too quickly, there was silence. It was a little unsettling after a day with them, but damn was he tired. A few minutes ago, he was craving some peace and quiet; now, he was getting restless. “Shower,” he said to himself, pushing up off the couch and dragging his tired ass to the bathroom.
Hours later, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. With a huff, he got up, yanking on a pair of sweats, and continued across the room. He didn’t bother to put on shoes as he opened the door. He felt the cool, hardwood floor switch to Berber carpet beneath his feet as he headed down the hallway and up a flight of stairs. Before he knew it, his hand was raised as he waited with baited breath. This was either an incredibly stupid idea or…
The door opened with a very sleep-rumpled Eli on the other side. Man the guy was sexy in nothing but a pair of blue boxer briefs. His black hair stuck up on one side, and his eyes were half-lidded—making him more mouthwatering than anyone had a right to be. Every tattoo was on display on his tan skin. Tattoos that Jake knew as well as he knew his own. Hell, he knew the taste of them. They stared at each other for a torturously long minute, and for maybe the first time, anxiety coursed through him at the possibility of being rejected. Eli ran a hand over his five o’clock shadow then silently took a step back, opening the door wider. With a sense of relief, Jake walked into Eli’s place and toward his bedroom, hearing the front door close behind them.