Ian (Unbreakable Bonds 4.5)

Stunned and touched—though he wouldn’t admit that to them—Hollis watched the men poking around his house before regarding Ian and the way he was watching Hollis’s expression closely. Did he think he’d be angry about this? His gaze flitted down and he barked out a laugh when he saw his clothes. Ian was wearing baggy jeans and a big red T-shirt that read, My favorite beer is the next one. “There is no way those are your clothes.”

“They’re mine,” Rowe said as he sauntered back into the living room. “He showed up in cargo shorts. Shorts!”

“It’s going to be hot today and they were old shorts.” Ian scowled. “And it was an old shirt, too.”

Rowe leaned against the wall Hollis had patched just the day before. “It had a fucking collar.”

Ian just rolled his eyes. “Rowe made me put these on. Said you shouldn’t do demo in shorts.” He shrugged, looking faintly sheepish. “I hadn’t really thought of that but it makes sense.”

Hollis set the pastries onto the cooler and tugged Ian in for a quick kiss. The others were all exploring the house now, and there was a loud clatter in the kitchen. “You set this up?”

Nodding, Ian wrapped an arm around his waist. “What they lack in experience, they’ll make up in enthusiasm and we all feel this is our fault.”

That gave Hollis’s heart an unwelcome pang. “I’m the one who went undercover and pissed Jagger off.”

“Yeah, but it was because of me that you were in his life at all.”

Hollis thought of arguing that he’d been approached because of what he’d done in Georgia, but he’d honestly jumped on the job because of Ian. He’d gone into that house Dwight Gratton—Jagger’s former enforcer—had taken over because of Ian. He’d broken a few too many laws for the same reason. He hugged the man close. All worth it.

“We told him that’s not true.” Lucas walked into the room. He had his old swagger back, but it had been touch and go for a time. He’d come out of the shooting better than anyone could have hoped, had been up and around fast, but his actual recovery had taken a long time. “And we’re the ones who figured out we could get a lot done in a three-day weekend if we all pitched in.”

Gratified, Hollis looked at every man as they all returned. “Well, I won’t turn this down and I appreciate it. I’d planned to just demo the kitchen today, but there is plenty to do in all of the rooms.”

“I could tell.” Rowe grimaced. “The pastels in that bathroom look older than us all.”

Hollis grunted. “They are. I felt like I was traveling back in time in them. I’d always planned to knock everything out and start from scratch in those rooms. Jagger just made sure I had a head start.”

“I’ll grab the coffee, we’ll eat, then get started.” Ian gave Hollis a pat before going outside.

He chuckled and shook his head over the gesture, then snatched a pastry out of the basket and bit into it with relish. Soon everyone was enjoying the food, and the scent of hot coffee chased away the drywall dust. He leaned against the wall, watching the way the men interacted with each other, sure he would never get used to it. He didn’t truly feel like a part of the group, but he supposed that would change in time and if it didn’t, who cared? As long as he had Ian, he had everything he needed.

“What did you plan to use the sledgehammers on?” Jude was asking Rowe and Noah as he wiped his fingers with a paper towel.

“Cabinets? Walls? Floors?” Noah shrugged as he settled on the floor with his back to a wall. “Or anything else that needs them.”

“And you thought we’d need two?” Lucas’s lips twitched as he handed Andrei a cup of coffee.

“We couldn’t decide who got to use one, so we bought another.” Rowe handed Noah a pastry, took a huge bite of his own, and settled back against his boyfriend.

“You don’t use sledgehammers to get down cabinets,” Jude said with a scowl.

“I’ve watched that home improvement channel and seen plenty of people doing that,” Rowe responded. “Looks like fun.”

Hollis realized Jude hadn’t really looked at the kitchen. “Original cabinets.”

“Shit,” Jude muttered.

“Yep. These were screwed, glued, and probably nailed. Built right into the kitchen walls, so they’ll have to come down with sledgehammers. I’ve got another one in the basement.” He shook his head. “How about you two paint the bedrooms, though? That strikes me as a safer task.”

Noah tucked his blond-streaked hair behind one ear and gave Hollis a blatant, innocent look. “We’ll be good. Promise.” He couldn’t hold the look though—one corner of his mouth pulling up.

“Paint?” Rowe sat up. “Nobody said anything about painting. Ian promised I could break things.”