One Week Later
Justin stood in Zack’s office, arms crossed and frustration on full display. He’d been at this project for under two weeks and he was ready to pack up his few belongings and move back to Vancouver with his tail between his legs. Really, it shouldn’t be this difficult to arrange for the renovation of a single apartment.
The current thorn that had been shoved deep into his side was the need to rewire the entire place, including the installation of an upgraded electrical panel. He wasn’t an electrician, and had very little interest in what the tradespeople needed to do beyond getting their jobs completed on time and under budget.
Nolan sat behind the desk, staring intently at an Excel spreadsheet, while said electrician sat opposite him. “Okay, so we need a panel surge protector?”
“If you have anyone in there with high-end electronics, you want to make sure their stuff is protected. Especially if they’re renting from you. It’s something I recommend for most home owners and all renters.”
Nolan somehow leaned even closer to the screen. “That wasn’t in your initial estimate.”
“No, but given what I saw upstairs, I would recommend it for each apartment unit. Trust me, it’s cheaper than the insurance costs if you have to cover damage.”
The contractor had refused to listen to Justin’s concerns about the cost, and requested a meeting with either Zack or Nolan to confirm some of the finer details. Since Justin wasn’t in charge of the final budget, there wasn’t a lot he could do, so here he stood, keeping his opinions to himself.
He looked out at the gym. Even after only a couple of weeks, he was already in sync with the ebbs and flows of Ringside. He recognized most of the regulars, knew when the after-school programs started so he could avoid them, and could identify the little cliques that had formed. The loudest and most obvious was that of Leo Hayes, resident heartthrob and current obsession of Finn.
Justin considered himself a good judge of character, and there was something about Leo that he didn’t like. He was too loud, too brash, and far too cocky for his own good. He was the last person Justin would have guessed Finn would be interested in.
And it was Finn’s desire to win Leo’s heart that had stumped Justin from day one. No two people were less alike than Finn and Leo. Why there was any attraction there at all was beyond him. From the bit Justin had observed, Leo was self-centered, only paying attention to people who were able to do something for him. What Finn possessed that Leo could possibly want was still a mystery to Justin. One that he was determined to get to the bottom of.
“Okay, well, I’ll leave the schedule details to Justin, seeing as he’s the one living in the apartment.” Nolan stood up. “But I think we can swing the extra outlets, upgraded panel, and the surge protector.”
Justin turned his attention back to Nolan. “The sooner the better. I’m terrified my coffee maker will cause an explosion.”
That elicited the smile and soft chuckle from the other men that he’d planned for. The electrician glanced at his phone. “I can fit you in next Wednesday. You’ll be offline for most of the day, maybe longer depending on what we run into when we open up the walls.”
Justin nodded, squashing his annoyance at the glacial pace things were progressing at. “Thank you.”
He stayed back while Nolan walked the man out, and immediately focused back on Leo, who was currently holding court along the back wall close to the door that led to the change rooms and showers. He had his two cronies with him—whose names Justin had yet to learn—and a few newcomers. They were all looking at Leo as he told some sort of story, leaning in. Justin might not like the man, but he was impressed by Leo’s ability to captivate an audience.
One moment the group was laughing at something Leo had said, and the next everyone’s attention had shifted to the boxing ring. Leo stepped to the front of the group, his hands flexing at his sides.
Eli had climbed into the ring bare-chested and free of shoes, and stood in the center. Leo watched every move Eli made, no doubt trying to size him up. Interesting. It took Justin a moment to realize that the other person in the ring was Finn.
Justin froze, surprised as Finn also pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor alongside the ring. He had to be lying about being an IT guy. In Justin’s experience, men who worked in front of computers did not look like that. Sure, standing next to Eli, Finn wasn’t as impressive—not that many men could be, given how much the man worked out—and yet, there was something inherently more appealing to Finn in Justin’s eyes.
He was muscular without being overwhelmingly huge. His muscles were leaner, fitting his frame and making him sexually attractive. When Justin added Finn’s intellect, it made for a pleasingly complete package.
Not for him, but certainly for some appropriate man.
And the more Justin learned about Leo, the more he’d begun to question whether Leo was that man.
The Ringside members normally didn’t stop and stare when someone got into the ring, not even when it was Eli. And yet more than a few had stopped their workouts and conversations to watch Eli and Finn spar. Justin was also riveted as the two of them circled one another. He’d missed talking with Finn, but seeing this side of him was also fascinating.
It had been nearly a week since the speed dating event and his one and only lesson with Finn. He hadn’t been entirely surprised when Finn hadn’t reached out to him to arrange for another meeting, but part of him had been disappointed. No doubt, Finn had already gone on his date with Leo, taking the brief lesson Justin had given him and run with it. And yes, Justin was certainly curious to know how Finn had made out, but Finn’s lack of contact had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in Justin being involved.
So, Justin hadn’t emailed Finn, hadn’t chased him at the gym, nor had he done anything to scare Leo off. Justin was going to keep his nose out of someone else’s business and let him live his life.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to watch Finn in the ring.
Finn was far too pleasant to look at for him to do that.
Eli was currently circling Finn as he adjusted his head guard. “Today I want you to work on your roundhouse kicks. I want you to land at least three while we spar.”
Finn nodded as he flexed his fingers.
Eli’s grin gave Justin shivers. “Let’s do this.”
Justin didn’t know how MMA fighting worked, hadn’t ever seen a match. Honestly, he’d never seen the appeal of watching two men beat the shit out of one another, while frantic crowds cheered them on. But when Eli lunged toward Finn, forcing him to roll out of the way, Justin became drawn to the action and stepped out of the office.
Justin drifted into the main ring area just as Finn suddenly twisted his body around and landed a kick to the side of Eli’s arm. The air Justin had been pulling into his lungs got caught somewhere deep in the back of his throat. Finn’s expression had been so intense, Justin wouldn’t have recognized him as the man who’d been so nervous and gentle at his apartment. A tingle marched down Justin’s spine, slowly enough that he thought ants had taken up residence beneath his skin. His dress shirt felt tight as he tried to pull in enough oxygen to stop his head from spinning.
Eli continued to circle Finn, taking a few swings at him before lunging once more, this time wrapping Finn up and sending him crashing to the mat. The crowd cheered him on, as Finn struggled to break free of the hold.
“Come on, Finn,” Justin muttered as he moved closer still to the ring.
Finn flipped Eli onto his back and landed a punch to the side of his head. The head guard absorbed most of the blow, but even from this angle, Justin could see that it had caught Eli off guard.
But what little momentum Finn had gained was lost just as fast. Eli used his legs to kick Finn off, jumped to his feet, and landed a kick to the middle of Finn’s chest. He went flying and landed hard, flat-backed on the canvas. The crowd lost their minds. Justin forced himself not to check on Finn.
He was fine.
He didn’t need Justin.
Another few minutes of Eli having his way with Finn and the sparring was finally done. The whole thing had only lasted about ten minutes, but it had been long enough that Justin felt exhausted. Why the hell did people do that to their bodies?
Leo started clapping and was by Eli’s side when he climbed out of the ring. “You’re a fucking beast, man. That thing you did to put him on his back was awesome.”
Eli nodded at Leo, but quickly turned back to Finn once he’d gotten out of the ring. “The first roundhouse was a solid kick. The last two you telegraphed too much. We’ll have to work on your punch combo next time.”
Finn opened his mouth, but when his gaze landed on Leo, he simply nodded instead.
“I have to shower and leave. I need to pick Matthew up from the sitter.” Eli gave Finn’s shoulder a squeeze before heading toward the locker room, pausing as he reached Justin. “Hey.”
Justin nodded. “That was quite the show.”
“He’s really getting good.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Daily, but he doesn’t seem to believe me.” He smiled before making a beeline to the showers.
Leo watched Eli’s every move until he was out of sight. “I need to get in the ring with him again.” He turned to face Finn. “That move you made to get him off you worked well. I’m going to steal that.”
Finn’s face flushed as his gaze dropped to the floor. “Sure.”
Leo grinned. “Hey, you’re the speed dating guy. You never called me.”
If Finn’s eyes grew any wider, they would pop out of his head. Justin waited all of three seconds to make sure he wasn’t going to cut Finn off from stuttering out something, before he stepped up. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Leo barely cast a glance at Justin. “Then don’t.”
How quaint. He thinks he has claws. “But I must. Finn, I know you’re in the middle of your workout, but we’re having problems with the network cable again. Mind stepping into the office to take a look?”
Justin might not have known Finn well, but his relief was obvious. “Sure.”
Finn grabbed his shirt from the floor and marched over to the office; Justin quickly fell into step behind him. The moment he was through the door, he closed it behind them. “Sit and breathe.”
Finn fell into the chair where the electrician had been sitting only a short time earlier. “Thanks. I . . .” He shook his head. “I hate this.”
Justin hated having an eyeful of half-naked Finn. Well, maybe not hated, but it certainly was a distraction he couldn’t afford at the moment. Finn had muscles in places Justin would very much like to touch, explore in a far more intimate manner. The smell of sweat and the remnants of cologne filled Justin’s head, making it hard to concentrate. Yeah, this wasn’t going to work. “You’re distracting half-naked.”
Finn blushed. “Pardon?”
“Mind putting your shirt on?” Justin was on the verge of having to adjust his cock.
“Shit. Sorry.”
Justin shouldn’t enjoy Finn’s nervous ticks, but he was starting to appreciate them. They softened his edges and helped Justin relax. That was a feat unto itself. “Don’t apologize for being attractive. Never for that.”
Finn’s frown was almost as cute as his blush. “You think I’m attractive?”
Justin rolled his eyes, hoping Finn wouldn’t notice his arousal. “Don’t get cocky. Now, what happened out there?”
“I choked, the way I always do.” Finn settled back into his chair.
Leaning against the closed door, Justin refocused on Finn. “I assumed when I hadn’t heard from you that you didn’t want another lesson and went on your date.”
Finn laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Right. I couldn’t even call him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I dialed his number and hung up the second I heard him answer.” Finn dropped his head into his hands. “I should have called you. I’m never going to manage to go on a date if I can’t open my mouth without freaking out.”
“You’re not freaking out right now.” Justin cocked his head. “What’s different?”
“I’m not trying to impress you.” Finn groaned and shifting back in his seat. “I’m going to die alone.”
“I’ve been told I’m intimidating. If you can talk to me, you can talk to anyone.”
Finn glanced up. “You’re not intimidating.”
Justin waved him away. “I want you to do this. I can’t stand to see you following him around the gym with your puppy eyes any longer.”
“I don’t—”
Justin snorted. “He’s going to be here until Eli leaves, then he’ll lift weights for twenty minutes. Once Eli walks past, I want you to go out there and arrange your date.”
Justin didn’t like the part of his brain that was shouting at him about how terrible an idea this was; it could shut up because this wasn’t about him or what he wanted. He’d decided Finn was going to be a pet project, so he would make damn sure to do everything in his power to make this a success.
For his part, Finn looked ready to bolt. “I can’t just go out there and ask him out.”
“You’re not doing that at all. You’re confirming your plans.” There had to be a better way to do this. “Stand up.”
Finn did as he was told, and Justin was once again struck by the size of him. He had to swallow down his own sudden rush of nerves. “I want you to go out there and say this. Repeat after me: Hi, Leo.”
Finn nodded. “Hi, Leo.”
“Sorry about that. I had to get them fixed up.”
“Sorry about that. I had to get them fixed up.” Finn’s shoulders began to relax.
Justin kept their gazes locked and did his best to ignore the annoying tingle that had returned. “I wanted to find out when you might be free for that date.”
“I wanted to find out . . . when you might be free for that date.”
Justin nodded. “Excellent.” He spun Finn around and gave his firm shoulders a little squeeze before shoving him gently toward the door. “Go get him.”
Finn nearly tripped as he reached for the door and opened it up in a less than stellar transition. Still, he didn’t stop until he got to Leo. Justin watched, doing his best to interpret Finn’s body language to get a sense how things were going. It only took a few minutes before Leo turned away and Finn strode back to the office.
The smile on his face was all Justin needed to see. “When’s the date?”
“Ah, a week Friday. That gives me some time to practice.” The way Finn looked at Justin, his chin lowered and his eyes wide—a child couldn’t have done a better job. “That is, if I can still take you up on your offer to help me?”
This will not end well. “Of course. Though I’d suggest we practice at the location you’ll be having your date. It’ll help you feel comfortable.”
Justin tended to be honest with himself, even if he kept certain truths from the rest of the world. Deep down, he knew going out on a pretend date with Finn had very little to do with Finn’s need to practice social interaction, and more to do with the overwhelming loneliness he himself had been feeling since he’d moved to Toronto. Despite working for Zack and Nolan, and the offers to come spend time with Grady and Max, Justin had been mostly on his own. He’d had opportunities, but it was his constant role as the third wheel that had worn him down. At least with Finn, he had someone who not only didn’t judge him for his past actions, but seemed to want to spend time with him.
Even if he was only using Justin for his skills.
Finn had been quiet for over a minute, making the silence fill the room like a weight. Finn finally looked up. There was something in his smile that set Justin off guard. “I invited him over to my place. I told him that I don’t do well in groups, and he agreed to come over. So, I guess that means I’m treating you to supper.”