Quinn looked around the kitchen, then downed the rest of the lemonade. “I should get back to work.”
Before Aiden could argue, Quinn got up from his seat and headed out of the kitchen. Aiden sat there for a moment and told himself to be careful. He couldn’t push Quinn too much or all his careful planning would be for nothing.
7
Quinn
Was the alpha hitting on him? Quinn was pretty sure that was what it was. Unless he was imagining it.
Are you that lonely you’re projecting on your boss?Quinn shook his head at himself.
He ignored the voice that whispered those words while he’d been talking to Aiden. His past hadn’t been on his mind, but of course, when the alpha mentioned about being a single parent, Quinn was forced back to reality. The possibility of someone like Aiden wanting him with all his kids?Get real, Parker.
Quinn went back to work and told his mind to focus back on the task at hand and forget about the imaginary connection he thought he felt with Aiden. He shook it off and carried on cleaning. The sooner he got done, the better.
He must have gotten lost in thought because he didn’t hear Aiden until the alpha cleared his throat.
Quinn turned around from putting the knickknacks back on the now-shining fireplace mantle in the main living room. “Do you need something?” he asked.
“Just checking to make sure you’re alright,” Aiden replied.
Quinn frowned.Alright?“I think so...”
“I’m afraid I might have gotten too inquisitive. Sometimes it happens, but I don’t want anything to make things awkward between us. That’s not my intention by any means.” Aiden rubbed the back of his neck.
Quinn hadn’t expected that, not even a little. It had that warm feeling returning. “It’s alright. I just never… talking about Barry isn’t something I do often, especially with a stranger.”
The stories he told his kids didn’t count. Those were cute anecdotes so they knew who Barry was. Maybe when they were older, he would go into detail…. Till then, Barry lived in his memories.
Aiden nodded. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.” He smiled before turning to leave.
“Thank you.” Quinn’s voice was low, but loud enough so Aiden heard him.
Truth was that Quinn did appreciate it. There were moments when he longed for adult conversation, where he could bare his heart to someone and feel like they cared enough to listen. When he wanted someone to just hold him and tell him everything would be fine.
Maybe that could be Aiden, but Quinn didn’t want to make it out to be more than it was. The man was probably just being polite since he was in his house so much.
He was just getting done with the kitchen when he felt Aiden’s presence before the man even spoke. Quinn looked up to see the alpha had on tight-fitting jogging pants that hugged his well-defined calves and thighs. His eyes trailed up slowly from there, trying and failing to avoid the very evident bulge, till he got to Aiden’s hand that swung his earbuds around.
From there, he then tracked over Aiden’s washboard abs, which showed through the thin, skintight runner’s shirt that left little to the imagination, and then he paused briefly on the sculpted pecs.Wow. I can make out his nipples through that t-shirt.
Once they finally made eye contact, he almost swallowed his tongue. Holy crap. This was the first time he actually took in the alpha’s face in a non-business manner. He noticed that the thick, but well-kept beard and mustache were a darker shade of auburn than Aiden’s shoulder-length, wavy hair. There was also a light smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose and under those piercing hazel eyes. Every muscle was on display—among other… things—and his eyes couldn’t stop taking it all in.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be here?” Aiden’s voice had him focusing back on the alpha’s face.
“Did you need something else? I’m going to be heading... heading—” Quinn licked his lips. Fuck, this man was distracting. He’d never had a problem with losing his thoughts before. Maybe around his children, but never about another man.
Aiden shook his head. “Nope. I just was checking. I thought I’d head out for a run and didn’t know if you’d still be around when I got back.”
Quinn looked over his outfit again and nodded, and when he got back to the alpha’s face, it was to find Aiden watching him. Quinn looked away and went back to wiping down the kitchen counter. “You’re a runner?” he asked.
Aiden laughed. “Well, I’m more like a half jogger, half runner. Consider me a runner in training.” The alpha laughing lit his face up. “In my past life, it was an hour at the gym and then back to work. I’m trying for more balance.” He spread his arms out and Quinn’s eye latched on his defined limbs. “As you can see, I’m still a work in progress.” Aiden nodded at Quinn. “Do you run?”
Quinn nodded. “My hu…” He hesitated, before he continued, “I don’t do it as often as I used to,” he said, vaguely finishing off the statement instead of, as he initially planned, by talking about how Barry and he used to run all the time together.
“Well… perhaps you and I could run together sometime,” Aiden offered. “Just remember that I’m a newbie, so you may have to give me a chance to catch up.” He laughed as he put in one earbud.
Quinn didn’t know he would say yes until he did. There was no harm in running together; it didn’t mean anything. “That’d be nice!”
