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

Behind him, he hears the low purr of a zipper. Jai turns in time to see Duane shrug out of his own jacket and fold it over one arm. “Where should I put this?”


“Let me take it.” Reaching for it, Jai adds, “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll put on some coffee, get a few blankets, and be right back.”


The apartment is small—the living room and dining area are separated from the kitchen by a pass-through counter, and the single hallway leads off to the bedroom in the back. Down the hall are the coat closet, where Jai deposits both his and Duane’s jackets, and the bathroom. He ducks inside the bathroom to check his hair—it’s damp from the rain, he can feel it, and he wants to run a toothbrush over his tongue to get rid of any lingering Asian spices that might spoil the mood later, if Duane decides to kiss him again.


Chapter 22