Loud banging had Will stumbling toward the door. Jet lag and a massive change in time zones had Will feeling like his living room floor was the bow of a ship on rough waters. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he threw open the door ready to rip someone’s head from their shoulders.

“Goddamn. What—” The words died in his throat at the sight of Josie on the other side.

Her expression went through several changes as her gaze moved over his barely dressed form. She’d gone from obviously enraged to interested before shaking her head and returning to her earlier look of fury. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Um.”

“Never mind,” Josie said, slashing her hand through the air. She shoved him aside and stormed in like a woman on a mission.

Will closed the door. “You should come in.” He didn’t bother tempering the sarcasm.

She shoved her hands in the pockets of her bright red, fake fur coat and focused on him. She was heavily painted in wild makeup that looked nothing like the elf she’d been the last time he’d seen her. “Dude, I asked you a question. I’ve made the drive here every single day for the past two weeks. Where the fuck have you been?” Her gaze swept his body again. “And for fuck’s sake, put some clothes on.”

“It’s my house,” Will grumbled even as he snagged a pair of jeans from the folded laundry on the couch. His underwear hid enough, as far as he was concerned, considering she’d been the one to burst inside his house. However, if word made it back to Austin that he’d been alone with Josie while half nude, Austin might not understand. He tugged on the jeans. “There. Now, to answer your question, I’ve been overseas. Why in the hell are you here?”

“It’s Austin.”

Will’s heart jumped into his throat. He hadn’t called while he’d been out of town. Even though he’d been too busy to breathe, he could’ve found time for a call. The thing was, he needed time away to think. Austin had gotten under his skin. Will had to decide where to go with that. “What about Austin?”

“Mr. Raney fired him right after Christmas for fraternizing with a fellow employee after he saw the two of you kissing in the parking lot.”

A red haze coated Will’s vision. “I’m not an employee.”

Josie shrugged. “That didn’t seem to matter. He fired Austin and now Austin is having to work at his dad’s sporting goods store. If you knew his father, you’d understand the dire situation you left Austin in while you were playing overseas.” She made air quotes around playing overseas as if Will had been on a world tour orgy.

“Why didn’t Austin call me right away?”

Will didn’t know how Josie avoided injury, considering how hard she rolled her eyes. “Because he’s Austin, idiot. He doesn’t consider anything bad that happens to him as unjust. In fact, he expects everything that happens will be horrible because it always is. I imagine you have been the only exception to that. Well, until you dropped off the face of the planet, that is.”

Will’s fury mixed with irritation, making him volatile. “Some of us have to work,” he snapped without thought. He took a breath. This wasn’t Josie’s fault. It was on him. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll head that way.” Because no one mistreated what belonged to him.

An evil looking smile lit Josie’s face. “He’s at his dad’s sporting goods store. Let me get you the address.”

Will nodded, plotting his next move as Josie pulled up the address. “Text it to me,” Will said, rattling off his number without thought. Hopefully, Josie wouldn’t need it again. After all, he had no intention of ever failing Austin again.

After seeing Josie out the door, he rushed through getting ready. Will broke every speed limit between Vegas and Hollow. He let up on the gas when he hit Hollow’s city limits because the town was small, and the police force was huge. Will would put money on it that every third person worked for the department. Hollow wasn’t a tiny place, but it was small enough almost everyone knew each other. They definitely knew each other’s business. This was where his grandfather had grown up. Poppa Will loved this place, but the real money was in Vegas. So, he’d moved his family closer to the bright lights, and that’s where Will had stayed. Now, Hollow possessed something Will couldn’t live without. Well, someone.

Burke’s Sporting Goods came into view. Will whipped into the parking lot, trying his damnedest to swallow his rage. The drive hadn’t cooled a thing. He was furious. Not only had Steve made a grave mistake by crossing him, Austin hadn’t called in his time of need. Even though he recognized they hadn’t known each other long, Austin had felt him. Will knew he had. They’d connected. There was no way Austin hadn’t felt it. Sometimes Will got busy, and he’d definitely been questioning if anyone could live with his faults full-time, but surely Austin knew Will wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He jumped from the truck, slamming the door harder than intended. Will knew he needed to calm down. He took a breath. Will felt his features harden as he retreated behind the mask he showed the world.

Will spotted Austin the moment he stepped through the door. An older and wider version of Austin hovered over where Austin sat sorting through a box, berating him.

“I swear to god. You’re no longer painting old biddies’ faces. It’s time for you to learn man stuff. You have to know this.”

“Yes, sir.” Austin never lifted his chin. Will’s rage was deep.

Austin’s father turned away, muttering. “If your mother hadn’t raised such a goddamn nancy boy.” He spotted Will and froze. “Holy shit, son. You’re Carter Masters.”

Austin’s chin flew up, probably at the last name. His gaze collided with Will’s. He didn’t smile. “His name is Will, actually,” Austin said. His voice sounded dead.

“My first name is William,” Will corrected. “Most people call me by middle name, Carter.”

“I can’t fucking believe it,” Austin’s dad said, seemingly oblivious to Austin and Will’s conversation. “MMA’s lightweight champion in my store. No one will believe this.”

Will cut his eyes at Austin’s dad before stepping around him. The man might treat Austin like shit, but Austin might not forgive Will if he knocked the man out the way he itched to do. Will came to stand over Austin. Austin tilted his chin up, holding Will’s stare.

“You should’ve called.”

The unhappiness etching Austin’s face never wavered. “You should’ve told me you’d rather be called Carter.”

“I wouldn’t. My grandfather calls me Will. Only people who don’t care about me call me Carter. I’d hoped that didn’t include you. You should’ve called.”

One of Austin’s shoulders lifted in a half shrug. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“You work for me. Not Steve,” Will reminded him. “No one fires you.”

Austin’s defeated expression never wavered. “He wasn’t wrong. I broke the rules. You didn’t tell me you’re the MMA lightweight champion.”

“Do you care?”

A smile finally lit Austin’s face, easing Will’s breathing. “I don’t even know what that is.”

Will couldn’t stop a smile from stretching his lips. He held out his hand to Austin. The moment Austin accepted, Will tugged him to his feet. “I’m about to say something that sounds completely nuts and I would call bullshit on it if it was anyone else. That’s because, before you, it’s never happened to me. I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Austin looked every bit as shocked as he would have if Will had tried claiming he was straight. “You disappeared. I don’t think people do that when they’re in love.”

“Wait,” Austin’s dad said behind him. “Have you been dating my son?”

Will ignored him. His gaze never wavered from Austin. “I’m a world champion. I had to defend my title in Japan. That’s where I’ve been the past two weeks. I didn’t know you’d been fired until I got home, and Josie showed up at my door.”

“Josie came to see you?” Austin sounded confused.

“Wait. Isn’t Josie that girl who had a baby at fourteen and had to quit school? Janet White’s girl? She’s a whore. Why was she at your place if you’re seeing my son?”

Will lost the battle against his temper at the man’s constant interruptions and eavesdropping. Before he had a chance to snap, Austin snapped first. His eyes flashed with rage as they focused on his dad.

“Josie is not a whore. She was fourteen and pregnant by a twenty-five-year-old man. Any sane person would realize that’s rape. If she didn’t live in this gossipy hate-filled town, people would see how amazing she is. She chose to raise a baby—alone—that most people wouldn’t have carried to term. Don’t talk about her again.”

Damn. Austin was even sexier when he was angry. Will hadn’t thought that possible. He also hadn’t known that about Josie. Now, he felt twice as guilty she’d made the forty-five-minute drive into Vegas each day to find him. Austin’s dad held up his hands in surrender and walked away.

Austin focused on Will again. The rage visibly bled from Austin. “I missed you so much.”

Will took the confession in the heart. He didn’t want to be away from Austin again. “I missed you too. Look,” he said, digging his phone from his back pocket. He pulled up his pictures from Japan. Austin moved closer until Will cradled the man against his chest and they could share his phone. He found the image he was looking for. “Here’s David’s watch at Himeji Castle.”

Austin cupped Will’s hand where he held the phone and brought the device closer. “Oh my god. That’s amazing.” The happiness and excitement in Austin’s voice soothed Will. “Wow. That’s exactly the kind of thing I hoped for when I gave it to you. Wherever David is, he’s smiling.”

“Let’s take that watch on a world tour.” The offer left him with zero input from Will’s brain.

Austin’s gaze moved to his. “What?”

Will didn’t take it back. “You don’t work at Masters anymore. No way in hell are you staying in this place to be insulted nonstop. So, leave with me right now. I’ll show you where I live, and after a few days in bed, let me take you around the world. You can trust me to take care of you.”

“I know.” There was so much trust in Austin’s eyes Will couldn’t doubt him. “It’s just... I have a life here.”

“Do you?” Will wasn’t trying to be cruel. He only wanted Austin to be completely honest with himself about what tied him to this town.

“If you don’t go, I’ll go,” Austin’s dad said, surprising Will.

Will shot the man an irritated look before going back to watching Austin struggle for a response. Austin met and held his stare. His chest expanded on a breath. “We’ll have to go by my place first, so I can grab my things.”

A happy shout escaped Will without thought. He squeezed Austin to his chest. His lips found Austin’s without a care of who watched. They were opposites in hundreds of ways, but they were also the same. They’d been lost and searching, until one night in a cold dark parking lot, an unlocked car door and a quickly disconnected battery cable gave Will the chance he’d been waiting for since the first moment Austin dodged his stare—time alone with Austin. Even still, he’d never expected the low move would lead to him finding the love of his life. It seemed, miracles happened after all.