Ian (Unbreakable Bonds 4.5)

Well, that didn’t sound too bad.

Ian pushed away from the counter and walked to the door where Hollis waited. Snow moved with him so that Ian couldn’t get between him and the stove. Like Snow even had a clue as to what he was doing in the kitchen. The man complained about making a sandwich. This newfound interest in preparing a meal had to be the result of Jude’s influence. That man had given Snow a chance at a truly full and happy life.

Pausing in the open doorway, he turned back to look at Snow. “Turn the heat down on the noodles. You need a sharper knife to cut up those tomatoes. And you grabbed the wrong vinegar. You need the red wine vinegar.”

“Go!” Snow shouted while Hollis pulled him outside, laughing loudly.

“I’m only trying to help,” Ian said as he pulled the door shut behind him so that Sergeant—Snow and Jude’s cat—couldn’t follow them outside. Apparently, the big guy had been deemed an indoor cat after he’d snuck outside once and killed a bird stupid enough to enter his yard. Of course, he’d woken his owners by leaving the carcass at the foot of the couple’s bed.

“We know that, but you need a night off.”

Ian found himself hard-pressed to argue. Over the past few months, he’d put in regular twelve-hour days at the restaurant and then shorter five-hour days on his so-called “days off.” His absence in December had created an imbalance in the kitchen; he had a pastry chef to replace and new menus to create if he was going to keep Rialto the hit of the city. All that took time.

And then he and Lucas had been secretly whispering about opening a second restaurant—something smaller and eclectic that allowed him to experiment more—but they weren’t telling anyone about their ideas yet, though he was pretty sure Hollis suspected.

And when both he and Hollis were home—which wasn’t nearly often enough—they were working on ways to make his condo reflect both their personalities. He wanted it to be a home for Hollis too. Not just a place that he was living.

It felt like he was constantly on the go. A night off certainly didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Hollis ushered him over to a cushioned patio chair and gave him a little push on the shoulders until he dropped down. A second later, a cold beer was placed on the table in front of him before Hollis flopped into the seat to his left. A low chuckle drew Ian’s gaze from the smiling man beside him to where Jude was standing in front of a huge silver grill.

“Snow kick you out?” Jude asked, but from his tone, he already knew the answer to that question.

“I didn’t say a word.”

“You don’t need to,” Hollis said as he picked up his own beer and took a sip.

“We just want to take care of you for once,” Jude said. His gentle words helped to brush aside the tension still humming through Ian’s shoulders.

Picking up his beer, he stared out toward the Ohio River as it lazily flowed past the edge of Snow and Jude’s property. The late afternoon sun was sparkling off the waves and gilding downtown. From his seat, he could easily see the hill leading up to Eden Park, Mount Adams, and part of the pale yellow curve that made up the Big Mac Bridge. He had a feeling if he walked down to the edge of the yard before it sloped down to the river, he’d be able to see the sweeping twist of The Ascent where Lucas’s penthouse was located. Not that Lucas was there.

The billionaire was out of town for a business meeting, and Andrei had gone along as “security.” Meanwhile, Rowe and Noah had taken the dogs camping for the weekend down at Red River Gorge. Ian shuddered at the thought. That left him, Hollis, Jude, and Snow in town for a peaceful grill out on a beautiful Saturday in May.

“Do you guys have enough room to put in a pool?” Ian asked, knowing that both Jude and Snow loved to swim. Or rather, Jude loved to swim and Snow very much loved to do other things to a very wet Jude.

“We’ve considered it. Even had a company out to measure and survey,” Jude replied. He paused as he turned back to the grill to move the meat sizzling on the fire around before looking at Ian again. “We’re still weighing the expense against the amount of time we’ll actually get to use it during a season. Even if it is heated. With our hours and the crazy weather here, it’s not a lot.” He stopped and shrugged. “We are, however, putting in a hot tub over there.” With the spatula, he pointed at the open corner at the opposite end of the patio.