To some who know him, Jax -- under the name Jackson Martin -- is a reputable restorer of antiquarian books. To others, in various guises, he's a man who double-crosses thieves, relieving them of what wasn't theirs to begin with ... although he doesn't return the stolen goods to their original owners. That isn't his thing.<br><br>When he's hired by Donovan, a book collector, to restore a damaged atlas, Jax meets the young man who runs Donovan's side interest, a no-kill animal shelter. Noel is wary of Jackson for reasons he can't explain. It doesn't stop him from finding Jax interesting ... an interest Jax returns despite knowing it will go nowhere.<br><br>Then Keegan, Jax's mortal enemy, appears bent on killing him. Will Jax be able to stop him before that happens? And will what he and Noel learn about each other end their budding relationship before it can become something more?

A Man of Many Parts

“His name is Keegan,” Jax replied. “He’s been searching for me for longer than I like to think about.”


“He called you Jax. Is that you’re real name or another alias?” Noel asked.


“My real name,” Jax replied, stopping long enough to pet Andre who had jumped up to lay his head on Jax’s chest. “Jax Martel. Just Jax. It’s not a nickname, although I suppose it could be one for Jackson.”


“Do you, umm, look the same when you’re Jax as you do now as Jackson?” Noel wanted to know.


“Yes. This,” Jax swept his hand down his body, “is the real me.” He smiled wryly. “When you said you sensed two parts to me, you nailed it, although obviously I couldn’t tell you that you had.”


“Any more than I could have told you there’s more to me than you thought,” Noel replied. “Especially since Ithought you were a human.”


Jax shrugged. “True, so we both had secrets we weren’t about to reveal. I amhuman. Just…different.”


Chapter 35