When hair stylist Jai Hathaway decided to open his own salon, he knew he would sacrifice some of his personal time to run the business. But long hours working late have him feeling lonely, and he just doesn't seem to connect with the few men he dates. His business partner Kiki suggests what he needs is to find a different type of guy, someone who isn't in the salon business, but not only does Jai not know how to find a guy like that, he isn't even sure where to look.<br><br>On a particularly cold morning in January, the salon's hot water goes out and Jai scrambles to find a plumber on short notice. Enter Duane Schneider, sexy and confident, and interested in getting more than just Jai's hot water boiling. But he's so outside Jai's comfort zone that, at first, the stylist isn't sure how to react. When it becomes obvious Duane wants to continue things outside of business hours, though, Jai agrees to a date, if only to see where the evening might lead.<br><br>Is Kiki right when she said Jai needed to find someone different? Or will Duane turn out to be just his style after all?

Just My Style

“Don’t get me wrong, the beach is fine,” he says at one point. They’re downstairs again, and Duane leans over to gather up his tools and toss them indiscriminately into his toolbox as Jai watches from the steps. “But I’m a river rat, if anything. Give me a cold beer and a fishing rod, and a few lazy hours down by the James, and I’m good to go.”


The closest Jai has ever gotten to the James River that runs just south of Richmond is Brown’s Island, where the Virginia Pride event is held every September. Secretly, he doesn’t think they have all that much in common—he doesn’t like beer, and the thought of sitting in a folding chair on a sandy bank waiting for fish to bite bores him to tears. He’ll take Lady Gaga over Lady Antebellum any day.


But God, the way those jeans hug Duane’s thighs and ass! Like a second skin! Jai bites the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning with desire.


Chapter 16