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Jay never thought attraction would get him into so much trouble. First an explosion, now a spy agency. This man had better be worth it.
Jay is a thief with a past he’s trying to forget. He just wants to relax, have fun and flirt with attractive men. He has spent the last few weeks on his favorite moon doing just that with the handsome waiter who works at the local diner. Bryce has shown clear interest in him but has suddenly changed his tune. Jay wants to know why.
He doesn’t expect that his persistence will find him witnessing a kidnapping and escaping the burning diner before it explodes.
Fleeing the moon to avoid being killed wasn’t in Jay’s plan. Neither was being caught by a spy agency and thrown in a cell. Things are going from bad to worse and Jay is soon forced to face his past to protect his future.
And to place the cherry on the cake, he finally finds out why Bryce stopped flirting with him.
As if he needed any more surprises.
Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, kidnapping and mentions of PTSD and survivor's guilt.
General Release Date: 28th July 2020
Jaybird was an outlaw. His mugshot showed a wink and a smirk, and he was never seen without his beat-up old hat. Jay found his way out of trouble with charm and flirtation. He was a nuisance, not a thug. He lounged lazily at bars and chatted up any pretty person who walked by. Jay stole treasures as often as he stole hearts, and while he’d traveled through much of the galaxy, it was the moons of Asam that he enjoyed the most.
Asam’s moons were known for many things. They were the last place in the universe where a person could get a good martini, the best place in the galaxy to end up in a brawl and the one place in the quadrant that ignored universal laws. A rich Qui named Hezon Taziv owned the moons. He applied his own rules and it allowed the rocks to be neutral territory. It was the perfect place for Jay to relax after a successful heist.
He’d been spending his time on the moon Vicente these last few weeks. It had a nice diner that employed a handsome waiter who Jay was attempting to get to know better. The waiter’s name was Bryce, and he was as confusing as he was attractive. He’d flirted with Jay for almost three weeks, leaning against the counter, bantering playfully. Bryce would push them just shy of a kiss but Jay had been waiting for him to give in. Yet, a week ago, he’d stopped all conversation. It had taken a day for Bryce to go from nearly falling into Jay’s lap to ignoring his existence. It made little sense. Jay rarely met someone who puzzled him. People were typically cut-and-dried, with obvious motivations and desires. Bryce wasn’t so simple, and Jay wanted to work the man out. No one had intrigued him like that for a long time.
Jay normally hopped between planets, indulging in attractive bodies while letting his latest arrest warrant lose its heat. He never stuck around. He never formed attachments. Adventure, lust and curiosity were his main motivators. People weren’t meant to factor into his decisions, yet Bryce had stolen his attention. He’d never said no, and he’d never told Jay to back off. He’d just changed without a word.
Jay couldn’t leave Vicente without discovering the reason why.
If they were somewhere else, he might have believed Bryce had learned he was a thief and had been repulsed—but Bryce lived and worked on Vicente. Asam’s moons were overflowing with opportunistic criminals. Bryce would have known what he was the first time Jay had walked into the diner. He’d never hidden it. Jay took pride in his roguish appearance. A lot of people wanted to bed a ‘bad boy’, and Jay was happy to fulfil their desires.
He’d thought Bryce was the same, given the way he’d flirted. Bryce seemed to want someone to shake him out of the working-class haze, maybe to get him a little dirty. The waiter was always pristine, with no hairs out of place. His uniform was a form-fitting sky blue that matched his eyes, and he wore a white apron that was always belted around his waist. Bryce had soft, almost feminine features that were highlighted by short, wavy black hair falling to just below his ears. He looked deceptively delicate, but Jay suspected that was a lie. Bryce wanted someone to take him on a wild ride that would leave him gasping.
He’d offered to take Bryce home the first night and give him exactly what he craved. Bryce had grinned and looked interested but had declined with a shake of his head. Jay hadn’t been discouraged. The challenge of the chase kept Jay coming back.
The second night, Bryce had given back as many innuendos as Jay had offered and flirted with a competitive glint in his eyes. Jay had even invited Bryce back to his ship. The waiter had apologetically said no.
The pattern had never changed as the weeks had passed.
At first, Bryce had been too delectable to leave unravished, but soon, Jay looked forward to each evening. Bryce’s personality was full of fire and his body was obviously gorgeous underneath that uniform. Jay had been certain it was only a matter of time until he would pin the waiter to the sheets.
But then everything had changed and Jay was still trying to get his bearings.
He’d been in the diner every night for the last week, but Bryce continued to ignore him. He’d stayed three hours on this occasion, and it was almost time for the restaurant to close. If Bryce was expecting him to leave along with everyone else, he was mistaken. There was nowhere Jay had to be. He could stay at the diner until morning.
Sprawled in a booth with his back to the wall, Jay’s ankles were crossed and he rested them on top of the table’s edge. There were a dozen other diners tonight—weary workmen from Asam, a few small-time thieves, the usual. Most of the waiters were chatting and leaning against the bar, but not Bryce. He moved around the diner with purpose and awareness—dropping nothing, cleaning counters and never forgetting an order. He cut an impressive figure as he weaved between the tables. Bryce’s gaze flicked around the room, shining with an intelligence rarely seen in backwater diners. It was one more curious part of him.
Why does he work here when he could do so much better?
Jay watched it all from beneath the brim of his hat. He’d clasped his hands loosely and they rested over the buckle of his belt. He was pretending to be asleep and most of the employees believed it, but the sharp looks Bryce had been shooting him for the past hour showed exasperation. Jay had nearly smiled twice and given himself away.
The diner was slow to clear, but Jay was patient. When it was empty, Bryce would come over to rouse him and he would have the waiter’s full attention. He might be able to get an answer out of the guy.
Jay was devising the best way to entice Bryce into a conversation. A compliment? A flirtation? An upfront question to ask what the hell had changed his mind?
A hard whack to his feet jolted Jay from his thoughts and caused his legs to tumble off the table and hit the cushioning of the booth. Jay jerked into a seated position. He pushed his hat back up on his head so he could look at the person who’d hit him. Bryce held a serving tray in his hand and looked unimpressed. The waiter had snuck up on him.
How did he do that?
Jay tried to recover his composure and charm.
“It’s rude to wake the sleeping,” he said.
“It’s rude to sleep in a diner,” Bryce answered. “And you weren’t sleeping.”
“Are you sure you know me well enough to tell the difference?” he asked, layering his words with flirtation.
The man didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he tapped his fingers against the tray.
“The diner is closed.” Bryce made a gesture toward the door. “Please vacate the premises.”
“‘Vacate the premises’? I don’t think I’ve been so politely thrown out of an establishment in years.”
Yet, rather than do as requested, Jay relaxed back against the booth. Bryce narrowed his eyes.
“You should continue getting ready to close,” Jay said. “I’m sure I won’t bother anyone if I stay a little longer.”
Jay anticipated an argument and already had a comeback prepared, but Bryce heaved a frustrated breath before turning on his heel. He started clearing dishes from the other tables and Jay watched on with surprise.
Will he ever act the way I expect him to?
More amused than suspicious, Jay settled in to watch the tight fit of Bryce’s pants. There was something about Bryce that Jay couldn’t put his finger on, but he wasn’t worried. If his finely tuned survival instincts weren’t concerned about Bryce, then he had nothing to fear. Jay had a gun, a nearby ship and a history of being in far worse scrapes than being ambushed by a waiter in a diner. It wouldn’t even be the first time he’d turned a confrontation into a vigorous sexual marathon. Jay glanced at the counter. He’d had a few fantasies about a quickie in the diner.
Maybe I’ll get lucky tonight?
The other waiters and waitresses shot Jay odd looks but they left him alone. Jay made a show of making himself more comfortable. It took ten minutes for the diner staff to leave but Jay barely noticed. He was far more interested in Bryce. The waiter busied himself with tasks until only his car remained in the lot. When he flipped off the lights, it left the diner with nothing but the energy lanterns outside for illumination. It gave the place an eerie, greenish-yellow hue and made the white of Bryce’s apron glow. It was crumpled in one of Bryce’s hands while a set of keys for a hovercraft was in the other.
Bryce stopped in front of him. Jay raised his eyebrows and let his gaze roam over Bryce’s powerful thighs and thin waist. He was gorgeous. Jay wanted to strip him of every layer and explore what lay beneath.
“Will you leave now?” Bryce asked, annoyance in his voice.
Jay missed his former easy humor and flirtation.
“I could be convinced,” Jay replied, “if I was leaving with you.”
Bryce’s cheek twitched—yet despite the weeks spent flirting with him, Jay still couldn’t tell if it was a quelled smile or a pained grimace.
“I’m not leaving with you,” Bryce stated.
“I’m good at changing people’s intentions,” Jay answered, undeterred. He added a smile full of promise and persuasion. “I can promise it would be worth your while.”
Bryce rolled his eyes, but Jay glimpsed a spark of amusement.
“I have somewhere to be and someone to meet,” Bryce said. He pointed at the door. “You need to leave.”
Jay didn’t move. He watched Bryce closely. “If you have somewhere to be, why are you still here with me?”
“The diner must be empty of all customers before employees can leave,” Bryce said, stressing the ‘all’.
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