Page 28 of Feels Like Home

“Jace!”

He jumped, pulled from his thoughts at Owen’s irritating bellow.

“You’ve been cleaning that same spot for ten minutes,” Owen complained loudly while he crossed the gym. “You’re not polishing some guy’s dick. The glass only needs a few swipes, not caressed like it’s some horned-up boyfriend you’re trying to get off.”

What the fuck? Had Owen really said that? As Jace glanced around, he saw that people had stopped working out to watch the spectacle. Heat scorched his eyes and cheeks, and he quickly looked away.

“In my office, Owen.”

Jace looked in the mirror at the sound of the owner’s voice. Zeke stood behind them wearing a furious expression.

Instead of feeling relieved that Zeke had seen Owen’s behavior, Jace’s stomach dropped. A reprimand would only make Owen hate him even more.

Owen turned and walked away.

“Is that the first time he’s done that to you?” Zeke asked him.

Jace opened his mouth then closed it. Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like an eternity as he stared at the owner’s chest. He didn’t want to tell the truth. What if Zeke didn’t fire Owen? Ratting him out would only make things worse for Jace. But he couldn’t afford to quit, not when he needed the income to help take care of his family.

“I’ll assume it wasn’t, unless you tell me otherwise,” Zeke said. “I’m not trying to put you on the spot, but I want to make it clear that I do not approve of that kind of behavior and won’t stand for it.”

Jace couldn’t breathe as he watched Zeke stride toward his office.

With a mixture of frustration and fear, Jace hurried to the locker room to hide. He anxiously paced back and forth next to his cleaning cart, at a loss for what to do. He didn’t want to continue working in such a hostile environment, but he had no other job prospects at the moment.

“Shit.” Jace sank onto the bench beside him and massaged his temples, trying to ease the dull ache that was starting to throb in his head. He breathed out slowly, wishing Ian was there. The guy had magic fingers, which Jace could really use right now.

A few people entered the locker room, disrupting Jace’s solitude. He could hear the sound of a shower running and a toilet flushing. In the background, he caught snippets of a conversation about protein shakes. As a guy approached the set of lockers next to him, Jace stood up.

“Go ahead and relax,” the guy said. “Owen is still getting his ass handed to him. That was pretty messed up the way he blasted you in front of everyone in the gym. Fucking dickhead.”

The pain in Jace’s head intensified, forcing him to sit back down. He squeezed his eyes shut, the lights suddenly unbearable, and began massaging his temples once more in an attempt to drown out the noises that were only making it worse.

This was one of the bad ones that didn’t occur too often. But when they did, Jace usually found himself in the emergency room. He lay down on the bench, gritting his teeth as he curled into a fetal position.

“You okay?”

The sound of the man’s voice was like a deafening explosion inside Jace’s head. Sharp needles stabbed his brain, and all he wanted was to find a dark, quiet corner and hide there.

“Jace, what’s wrong?” Zeke asked.

He couldn’t answer. Jace couldn’t do anything other than lie there and wish to god the pain subsided.

Fingers gently eased under Jace’s, making small circles in a soothing motion. He let out a soft whimper at the touch, hoping that the pressure wouldn’t be too much. As he balled his hands against his chest, he couldn’t tell if it was Zeke or the man with the towel around his waist who was massaging his head.

Despite not wanting either of them touching him, Jace was in too much pain to stop them. The gentle fingers continued to massage his temples, but now they were also working the back of his neck.

Jace’s stomach lurched as his head was lifted, and then it was lowered onto a softer surface than the hard bench.

“Is the pain easing, kitten?”

Jace whimpered, happy that Ian was there.

“Just relax. For now, we’re alone, and the lights are low. Concentrate on breathing, babe.”

“How?”

“I came to work out,” Ian said. “When I walked into the locker room, I saw you on the bench and Zeke crouched next to you. From the look on your face, I knew what was wrong.”

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