Winning Love's Lottery (Kiwi Guys Book 1)

by Zoe Piper

  "Milk and a couple of sugars will see me right," Jase responded opening the fridge. "Go and shower and get ready. The quicker we go, the quicker we can come back again.” Kyle laughed as Jase waggled his eyebrows suggestively at him.

  "Okay, I can take a hint. I'll be ten minutes. Make yourself at home. There's not much in the way of breakfast stuff, but help yourself to whatever you find.”

  True to his word, ten minutes later he was grabbing his keys and wallet from the small table where he had left them the night before. His phone in his jeans pocket, he turned to find Jase watching him with an inscrutable expression.

  "What's wrong? Is my shirt dirty?" he looked down at the plain, navy blue t-shirt he had on. His jeans were old favourites, but clean and not too worn.

  "Nope, the only thing wrong with your shirt is that you are wearing it. I really would prefer to see you not wearing it." Jase drawled. "Come on, if we don't leave now, we'll never get out of here. I've ordered an Uber and it should be downstairs any minute."

  'I thought we were taking your car?" Kyle queried as he locked the door and they walked towards the elevator.

  "We are, but my car is at my place. I didn't drive into work yesterday. I knew I'd probably be having a few drinks, so it was easier to leave it at home,” Jase explained.

  The morning air was cool, and the sky overcast, and it was anyone's guess if rain was going to eventuate or not. Kyle pulled on his old college leather jacket and followed Jase to the car waiting for them.

  Fifteen minutes later they were pulling up in front of a small single storey house two streets back from the beach at Mission Bay. Kyle knew this was a popular area, being so close to the central city, yet right on the beach as well. He also knew it wasn't a cheap area to live in, even in a modest place like Jase appeared to have. Not for the first time, he wondered how Jase lived when he couldn't be earning that much working part-time for a non-profit organisation. Deciding it wasn't really his business, he followed Jase up the small path and into the house.

  Much like Jase had done the night before, he took in the surroundings of the home. Although not large, he was standing in a decent sized living area that had a comfortable looking couch, a couple of recliners and a cabinet housing a gaming console tucked tidily away under the television. Photographs and a couple of small paintings hung on the walls.

  Towards the back of the house there was a small, well-appointed kitchen with a breakfast bar and a couple of high stools and to the left of that, a small dining area with French doors opening out onto a courtyard area.

  Jase dropped his keys onto the kitchen counter and plugged his phone into the charger there. He turned to Kyle, "Make yourself at home. I'll just grab a quick shower and change and we can be out of here."

  Kyle watched Jase disappear down a hallway off the kitchen and then heard a door close. A few minutes later he heard running water and he sat down on the couch and checked his messages and email on his phone while he waited. There was a short message from his sister, reminding him there was going to be a family Skype call in the morning, New Zealand time. He set a calendar alarm on his phone and was typing a quick acknowledgement back to her when he heard Jase come into the room.

  The Kiwi was dressed similarly in jeans paired with a dark grey, long-sleeved t-shirt with the sleeves pushed up, showing off the strong forearms. His hair was damp and pushed back off his face. He plopped down onto one of the recliners and started putting on a pair of worn sneakers. The scent of clean male tantalised Kyle's nostrils and he found himself leaning forward to get closer. Clear green eyes stared knowingly into his and Jase pressed a small kiss to his mouth. "Later," he murmured, then pulled away and stood up.

  "Come on then. Do you have the address of where we’re meeting this guy?"

  Kyle stood up and slipped his phone into his jacket pocket. "The company is called Auto Lease and they have an office on the corner of Market Road in Greenlane."

  "I know them.” Jase replied, checking the front door was locked before continuing down the hallway, "This way. We can get into the garage down here."

  Kyle followed him down the hallway, noticing a couple of bedroom doors and a small bathroom. At the end was a door which Jase opened into the garage area. Not huge, just big enough for a laundry utility area, some shelving units and Jase's blue Nissan Skyline. It was about ten years old, but well looked after and clean, inside and out. They got into the car and Jase used a remote to open the garage door, then carefully reversed out. He paused, watching the door close again and then pressed another button on the remote. He heard a faint chirping sound and looked at Jase in askance.

  "Burglar alarm. I have it linked to the remote, so I can have the garage and house covered and not have to worry about trying to get in and out when it's set." He explained.

  "Good idea. How long have you lived here?" He asked as Jase manoeuvred them out of the driveway and onto the street.

  Jase's forehead creased in concentration. "About five years. When I came home from my OE, I stayed with my brother Matt but, as much as we love each other, we can't live together, so after I got my position at the Foundation, I moved in here."

  "What's an OE?" Kyle asked, unfamiliar with the term.

  "Oh, that's an overseas experience. A lot of Kiwi's and Aussies take off into the big wide world in their late teens, early twenties, usually after finishing their education. Take some time to experience what’s on offer out there. Being at the bottom of the world, we’re quite isolated so it's a popular way to see how the other half live.” Jase grinned as he explained.

  "Where did you go?" He asked, slightly jealous that Jase had travelled more than he had.

  "Well, most use London as a base and from there I did trips into Europe. Did a few weeks down to the Mediterranean, Greece, Spain, and Italy. As France was so close there were lots of long weekends in Paris, and Belgium."

  Impressed, he asked, "Why did you come home?”

  "Visa ran out and also, you get to a point where you start missing the simple things from home, like family, friends, certain foods, the weather." Jase huffed out a laugh. "I discovered I'm not a huge fan of snow and the cold. The odd weekend or week away skiing is fine, but not for months on end."

  Kyle laughed too. "We don't get much snow at all in Houston, but it does get a bit cold at this time of year. It's going to be strange having Christmas in the summer."

  "Yeah, I missed that too.” Jase negotiated his way around a large, busy roundabout. "Christmas in winter was fun and had a lot of appeal, but I missed lazing around in shorts at the beach after eating too much."

  Jase slowed the car and indicated to pull into a small driveway. Kyle had been so busy watching Jase while he talked he hadn't noticed where they were. He looked out of the windshield at a small, cabin-like building. "Are you sure this is it?" He asked, even though he could see a sign with the company name on the door. "Looks a bit small for a leasing company."

  Jase parked the car and switched it off. He unclipped his seatbelt and turned to look at Kyle. "This is probably just a satellite office. Easier for them to meet clients on-site here than have to trek across the city, especially in the traffic.” He turned back and opened his door. Kyle undid his seat belt and did the same. As they climbed out of the car the door to the office opened and a dark-haired woman came out, smiling in greeting at them both.

  "Hi, Kyle Foster?" she queried, looking between the two of them as Kyle came around back of the car to stand next to Jase. Kyle reached his hand forward, nodding his head. "Yes, that's me and this is my associate, Jase MacKenzie.” Jase looked at him, with a slight quirk of his eyebrow at the introduction. Kyle smirked back at him, then turned his attention back to the woman introducing herself.

  "Lovely to meet you, I'm Trisha Moore." She gave them both an appreciative glance. She continued speaking, "I understand you are looking for a vehicle for work. You've indicated you want a mid-range size. Are there any particular brands you prefer?"

  Kyle rubbed a
hand through his hair. "I prefer American made, but I understand that’s a little harder to get here. What would be comparable?"

  "Come into the office and I can show you what we have available. We work with most of the importers and a lot of the major ones have their flagship dealerships here along Great South Road." She indicated with her hand back down behind the office. "There are many good European brands if you wanted something a bit more robust.” The three of them stepped into the cabin. It was bigger than Kyle expected, with ample room for the two work desks and a couple of visitor chairs. An instant coffee machine and water cooler were tucked into the back corner.

  Trisha pulled a pile of glossy brochures towards her and spread them out on the desk as Kyle and Jase sat down. "There are also the Japanese and Korean brands, and a few places are bringing in the American brands like Dodge and Jeep. We can certainly work a deal out if you wanted one of those."

  Kyle turned to Jase. "What do you think? You know the roads here better than I do."

  Jase thought for a moment. "Well, you’re mainly going to be in the city during the week. Are you going to venture out during the weekends?"

  "Probably. I do want to explore and get out of Auckland, and there will be times when I am out of the office at various sites."

  "What did you drive back at home?" Jase asked as he turned the pages in one of the glossy leaflets.

  Kyle grinned. "In my college days, I had an old 1969 Mustang and then when I had to become a semi-responsible adult I had a Porsche Carrera for a while. But before I left I had a Jeep Cherokee."

  "More and more people are driving the mid-size SUV's here. I think you could get another Jeep and be fine." Interjected Trish. "Why don't we head down to a couple of the dealerships and try maybe a Hyundai SUV and maybe even a Porsche as they now have an SUV model."

  Kyle looked to Jase for his reaction. Jase just shrugged. "You're the one going to be driving it."

  Kyle gave him an exasperated look, then turned back to the young woman waiting for his response. "I'll try the Hyundai but not the Porsche.” She nodded her agreement and picked up her phone.

  "I'll just ring down and ask them to get one ready for you. I have all your other details here, but I do need to quickly sight your driver's license.”

  Kyle stood and reached for his wallet out of his back pocket. He noticed Jase's eyes tracked the movement and lingered on his ass for a moment too long. As he took his new Kiwi driver's license out of his wallet, he slightly turned and angled his body away from Jase so that the other man had a clear view of his jeans-clad backside. He casually leaned forward to hand over the card, knowing his jeans were stretching tight. He hid a grin as he heard Jase give a small cough, as though clearing his throat, and noticed him shift slightly in his chair.

  "That seems to be all in order," Trish said handing him back his license. "If you want to make your way down to the dealership, they’re about a five-minute walk. It will be easier and safer to leave your car here and then when you've finished you can come back and sort out the paperwork."

  Kyle thanked her and turned towards the door. Jase stood and together they made their way out of the office.

  "Don't think I didn't notice what you did there, Mr Foster," Jase said as they walked out of the parking lot and headed towards the dealership.

  "Hmm, I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr MacKenzie," Kyle replied with a smirk.

  "Well, I'm sure it will all come back to you later when I own that fine arse of yours." With a wink, Jase increased his pace as Kyle's own slowed at the implied words.

  ✽✽✽

  Jase unlocked his car and climbed in as he waited for Kyle to finish up with the leasing agent. He thought back over the last eighteen or so hours and admitted to himself he was liking Kyle more and more. They certainly had chemistry and he was planning on repeating last night's activities as soon as he could, but now he was hungry. After not having anything to eat since the finger food at the retirement farewell last night and only a coffee a lot earlier that morning, he knew he needed to eat soon.

  Kyle opened the door and slipped into his seat. He reached behind him to put on his seatbelt and paused when he caught Jase staring at him. He raised his eyebrow in askance.

  "Hungry?" asked Jase.

  "Starving. Is there somewhere near we can go? I need coffee."

  Jase started the car. "There's a great cafe just up in Cornwall Park. We'll go there.” He turned the car and they drove out of the driveway, turning the opposite way from which they had come. A few minutes later they were pulling through a big stone archway, flanked by old wrought iron gates.

  "This is Cornwall Park," Jase explained. He drove slowly along the road that wound round large mature oak trees. There were sheep grazing on the side of a small hill, lambs bounding around the slopes. The park was popular and even with though it was a cloudy day, people of all ages were out walking and jogging. Dogs on leashes snuffled along the grass verges and a group of children chased a ball around in an unorganised game of soccer.

  "This is amazing to have all this green space in the city,” Kyle said, a note of wonder in his voice.

  Jase slowed down and pulled into a car park. He pointed to a long, single-story building. Its white walls shone in the weak sunlight. "The Cafe has a good menu and decent coffee.” Together they got out of the car and headed across a well-trimmed lawn. Entering the building, they were met with warm, coffee-scented air and a cacophony of noise from people chattering and the coffee machine steaming and hissing.

  They quickly found a table with two seats by the window and picked up their menus. After deciding on his order, Jase leaned back in his chair to observe the man sitting opposite him. The spring sun highlighted dark copper strands in Kyle's thick hair that Jase had failed to notice before. He liked the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he frowned in concentration and watched as the tip of Kyle's tongue swiped across his bottom lip.

  He wanted to know more about this man. He hoped this easy, comfortable feeling lasted and that maybe Kyle felt the same way. He was brought out of his musings by the waitress coming to take their order. After the waitress left, he asked, “So, why didn’t you want to drive the Porsche?” He had been curious when Kyle had dismissed the high-end vehicle offered earlier.

  Kyle picked up the salt shaker and began to turn it slowly through his fingers, as though uncomfortable.

  "I prefer not to display my wealth like that.” Kyle glanced quickly at Jase, then broke eye contact. "There was an... incident a few years ago that made me review how I lived my life and how I was perceived by others."

  Jase was surprised by the answer. It certainly wasn't what he expected Kyle to say and it partly explained his small apartment. He wanted to ask more, but before he could, their orders arrived. Thanking the waitress, Jase grabbed a couple of sugar packets and doctored his coffee to his liking. Taking a grateful sip, he met the amused glance of Kyle over the rim of the large bowl-like coffee cup.

  Placing his cup back on the table he raised his eyebrow, "What are you smirking at?"

  Kyle just shook his head. "Nothing. Just observing the way you take your coffee. Are two sugars enough?" he teased.

  Jase picked up his cutlery and as he cut into the bacon on his plate, retorted "I used to take six, but I never stirred it." He took a mouthful of food and winked at Kyle who tried not to choke on his own mouthful of coffee.

  With stomachs full and takeaway coffees in hand, they left the cafe. There had been a brief argument at the till over who was paying, but Kyle had shoved his card at the poor worker and Jase had to quietly grump next to him. "You can get the next one," Kyle said, "and besides, you bought lunch the other day."

  Jase scoffed at that. "One chicken sandwich does not equal a full breakfast.” He took a sip of his coffee and asked, "What do you want to do now?"

  Kyle shrugged and stared back at him. "You said you had stuff to do today, so you can drop me home and then get on with your day."

&
nbsp; They had reached the car and Jase stepped into Kyle and made him lean his back against the door. In a low voice, he said, "I also told you I'd be owning that fine arse of yours later. If you want to go home now, alone, I will drop you off, but if you want to spend the rest of the day together, I am sure my laundry can cope with not being done until tomorrow. Your choice."

  He watched Kyle swallow and the blue gaze darken, dropping to Jase's mouth. Jase waited. With a nod, Kyle replied huskily, "I want to spend the rest of the day with you, and the night, if that's what you want too.” Jase smiled, leaned forward and took Kyle's mouth in a soft kiss.

  "That wasn't hard was it?" He asked, pulling back. He felt Kyle move a hand between them and adjust himself.

  "No, but something else certainly is," Kyle smirked. "So, home or...?" With a quirk of his eyebrow, his voice tapered off.

  Jase stepped away with a grin. "Definitely 'or'.” He laughed out loud at the disappointed look on Kyle’s face. He unlocked the car and said, "Oh, we'll get home eventually, but first let's do some sightseeing."

  Kyle sighed and climbed into the car. "Okay. Where are we going?"

  Balancing his coffee in the centre console cup holder he started the car. "Not far. We're going to drive around the park and then go up One Tree Hill which is in the centre. Great views of the city up there."

  A few minutes later Kyle had been taken around the sprawling park and the car began to climb up a steep road. Jase pulled the car into a parking bay below the summit and they got out. The wind was stronger up here and a lot colder than it had been down in the sheltered park. Jase reached into the back of his car and grabbed his windbreaker as Kyle zipped his leather jacket against the chill.

  He nodded up the hill. "Come on, we'll walk off some of that meal.” Side by side, they began the walk up to the summit.

  "Why is it called 'One Tree Hill'?" Asked Kyle as they trudged up the steep incline, the wind snatching their breath away.

  "There used to be a lone pine tree up here, next to the memorial obelisk. An activist attacked it years ago and it slowly decayed and died and had to be cut down for safety reasons.” Jase paused his climb to let a car coming down from the top carpark pass by. "A couple of years ago some new trees were planted, but it will be a while before they mature. Come on, nearly there. You can see most of Auckland from the top."