Verity rolled over and stretched. “I’d have believed my Dom in the first place.”
Landon exhaled a loud breath then grabbed a change of clothes and locked himself in the bathroom. Verity’s parting words had resonated deeply and their truth had stung. He stripped down and changed into gym clothes, then grabbed a bottle of water and went to the basement of the hotel where the gym was located.
He started with half an hour of cardio, then moved on to weights, working his back and shoulders—the two areas that he’d always found the most tedious. He used his own confusion and heartache as fuel to push through the burn in his muscles, increasing weight and reps until his shirt was soaked with sweat.
Landon’s body felt loose, but his muscles were sore. He downed some water and went back to the room, stripping down again and showering. He wasn’t tired, just exhausted, and Verity was still asleep when he was dry and dressed. He looked at the time; it was just after one, which meant it wasn’t even lunchtime at home.
Landon debated texting Gregory. His thumb hovered over the contact card in his phone, and he watched it tremble. What would he even say? Landon was pretty sure that anything there was to be said between them should be said in person. But he didn’t know how long he’d be in New York. Jack was supposed to take it easy at least two weeks, but was it really fair to ask Gregory to take care of Rapture for that long, when there was so much ambiguity about the state of their relationship?
Landon wiped his cheek when he felt the first tear escape. He’d been so stupid, so childish. And for the first time in his life, Landon understood Gregory was a far better man than he’d ever deserve.
31
Gregory
Gregory was tired.Landon had been gone two weeks and this was Gregory’s second weekend at Rapture. Friday had been considerably busier than the weekend before, and after a full week of work, he was dead on his feet before he even unlocked the front doors.
He trudged through the club and fiddled with the lock of the office, pushing it open and nearly tripping over himself when he saw Landon sitting at the desk. As soon as he saw Gregory, he bolted into a standing position and made a move to come around the desk closer, but saw the look on Gregory’s face and stopped himself.
“Landon,” he stuttered, feeling exhausted and worn down. Gregory leaned against the door frame and eyed Landon speculatively. He’d spent two weeks waiting for Landon to come home to him, but now that he was here, Gregory was surprised to find he wasn’t as excited as he thought he’d be. He was just sad. Tired and sad, and maybe a little bit surprised. He’d made a conscious decision to send Verity in his place to New York, but he hadn’t anticipated the cold silence from Landon would continue after Verity’s arrival. Every morning Gregory woke up to no messages or missed calls, a part of his heart chipped away.
All Gregory had wanted his entire life was to find Landon behind every door he opened, with bare skin and smile, waiting for Gregory to take him in hand, but seeing him right now at the start of a shift and after a two week separation, Gregory found himself feeling little more than bereft.
“I didn’t know if I should come here or just wait for you at the house. I thought about it on the flight and I figured home would be fine, but then I remembered I’ve spent the last two weeks treating you fucking horribly and ignoring you and I realized that when I got off the plane you may not evenwantme anymore. I think I was over Illinois or Nebraska or something when I had that thought, and then I spent the last four hours of the flight counting off all the reasons you wouldn’t want me.” Landon took a deep breath. “I’m a mess. I’m over-emotional. I’m hot-headed…”
Gregory held up his hand and Landon stopped, lips still parted, ready to continue distributing his self-perceived faults between them.
“You’re all of those things,” he admitted. “But you’re also mine.”
Landon snapped his mouth shut with such vigor his teeth clattered together.
Gregory ran a tired hand through his hair.
“You acted like a child, and you jumped to conclusions. I’m hurt by what you’ve done, and probably a little mad to be honest. You paid no mind to the dynamic we’ve been forming…” He pressed his eyes closed and searched for his next words. “But I’ve spent half my life wanting you, Landon. That isn’t going to change just because you’re an over-emotional hot-head.”
Landon’s shoulders slumped and he braced himself against the edge of his desk. He shuddered and something that sounded like a sob escaped his lips. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked up at Gregory, nodding quickly with tears in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” Landon told him.
“I know.” Gregory held his arms open and Landon stumbled forward and collapsed against his chest.
“You really bought me a collar?” Landon mumbled against his shoulder. “A ring?”
“It was stupid,” Gregory told him. “High school fantasies.”
Landon pulled away and looked up at Gregory with his puffy and tear-streaked face.
“I don’t know what happens next,” he said.
Gregory took a deep breath and pressed a kiss to Landon’s forehead. Even if there were things that needed to be discussed, Gregory had obligations tonight. He’d made a promise to Verity about Rapture and Landon appearing with his apologies didn’t negate that.
“What happens next is I need to go inventory the bar before Callum gets here,” he told Landon softly.
“I can do it.” Landon sniffled and wiped snot around his face with the back of his hand. “It’s my job.”
“You sit down. You’re in no condition, and I know how. I’ll take care of it.” He maneuvered Landon back into the chair and pressed him down by the shoulders. “We can deal with the future tomorrow.”
* * *
