What Ithinkis that he’s trying to get me to the gym because I had another bad dream last night, and he knows the exercise will help.
He’s not wrong. The comedown always includes a lot of guilt from my past, and the sleep paralysis lasted a little longer than it usually does. Exercise helps to shake out a lot of that. Equally as helpful is the fact that Anders was right there for me, his kind eyes patient as my body released its hold on me.
I apologized for waking him up, but he wouldn’t have any of it. “Just because you healed quickly doesn’t mean your brain has caught up,”
Blinking back to the present, I think about all of the times I avoided going to the gym, knowing he would be there, and then I think about what it will be like to watch him do his thing, sweat glistening off of his golden, perfect body…
“Yeah, I do wanna go. Let’s go get our sweat on.”
He smiles like sunshine and pulls me close, giving me one of his incredible kisses.
It’s the sweetness that knocks me over every time. Maybe one day I’ll stop being surprised that the gay-escort-flyer guy is the sweetest piece of confection out there, but that day is not this day.
We get to the gym, and it’s a goddamn candy store of beautiful people working out. Anders’ eyes catch on a voluptuous woman running on the stair stepper, and then trip over Nick working out in Thane’s CrossFit area of the gym, the Corner of Heavy Things. Nick has chains hanging from his neck and sweat dripping down every inch of visible skin—can’t exactly blame the guy for looking.
“Hey, eyes here, mister,” he says, elbowing me. It’s possible that I may have also found a few folks to ogle.
It is gray sweatpants season after all.
“Whatever, Mr. Bountiful Jugs Make Me Stupid,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. I love bouncy women and ripped men, and if you ever wanted to put me between you and a delicious slice of curvaceous perfection, I’d be all kinds of down.”
I let out a short, sharp laugh. “If you think I’m sharing you with anyone else…”
His eyes get that soft quality I just can’t get over, and he grips my hip with a gentle hand. “I kind of like this jealous side of you, not going to lie.”
He’s been anxious about PDA, knowing I’m not overly affectionate in public. But realizing the team already knows so much about me made me feel less self-conscious. Besides, the people here pretty much all know about us, and I’m glad he feels comfortable touching me when we’re surrounded by friends.
Odd has beaten us here and already started on the weight bench. Anders squeezes my hand, letting it linger before he walks over to join his brother.
I decide that Nick has the right idea and walk up to Thane. “Hey, brother. Had a rough night,” I say, gesturing to my head. “Mind if I join you?”
Thane smiles, somewhat distracted. “Sure. We’re about to flip tires,” he says, his eyes drifting to the climbing wall.
My eyes follow his, and I’m surprised to see Ronan up on the wall, climbing next to a guy with only one arm. We all voted to have him join the team, though Thane abstained. I lean in and ask, “He’s here, so…does that mean he’s official?”
Thane snaps his focus to the tires in front of us and answers in a low tone. “Yep. He knows where all of the assholes are hiding out.”
“So…are we actually going after people in witness protection?”
Thane shakes his head. “No, this last op was the exception. If they’re still problematic once they’re out of the program, then they become our business.”
We refocus on the tires, and in short order, I am a sweaty, wrung-out mess. Nick, a quiet guy like me, fist-bumps me and then goes over to his boyfriend, Elijah, kissing his forehead and patting his ass before walking up to the counter and greeting a new client.
My eyes drift over to Anders, and he is giving me straight up fuck-me eyes in the middle of the gym. So goddamn inappropriate. I return the favor with a wink and tilt my head toward the dressing room.
I start to head over and am immediately intercepted by Roly. He, Rafi, and I have an interesting history with a rocky road to where we are now: genuine friends. And the more I hang around him, the more affection I have for him.
Putting his hand on his hip, he waves his finger at me. “No. Rafi told me all about you two, and just…no. Too many of you assholes are having sex in the shower, and I’m tired of it.”
I pull on my best stern face. “Didn’t they just catch you and Heath last month?”
His openmouthed, chest-clutching look is all kinds of adorable. “That’s different. I have partial ownership, and that was after hours. Besides, it was Nick and Elijah trying to get it on, and I’ll tell you what I told them,” he says, shoving a key into my hand. “The apartment is empty for the next twenty minutes. Make good use of it.”
I pocket the key and give him an awkward half hug. “You’re a good man, Roly. I’ll make sure to wipe the jizz off the ceiling.”
Roly’s jaw hits the floor, and his hand goes back to his hip. “Ohnoooo. He’s rubbing off on you.”
