“How’d it go?” Aiden asked, looking up when he heard Quinn shuffle his feet on the tiled floor.
“It’s all set,” he said. “I have a few hours to kill.”
“Excellent.” He was ready to run with Quinn and get to know the omega even more. “I guess it’s a date.”
* * *
“We can leaveyour car here and just take mine.” Aiden stopped on the front stairs and looked back at Quinn who was biting his lips. Because he wanted to spend time with Quinn in the car, he added, “I thought we could go to the park, so there’s no need for us to use separate cars. But if you would rather, we can just take both. I thought we would save on gas and stuff, you know?”
“Makes sense.” But Aiden swore he saw Quinn’s lips twitch. “Sounds like a good idea.”
They went out to Aiden’s vehicle, and Quinn slid into the passenger side as Aiden got into the driver’s seat. When Aiden started the vehicle, he looked over at Quinn to see that he had his hands in his lap, wringing them. Clearly, the man was nervous, but Aiden wasn’t sure why. He didn’t bite. At least not unless he was asked to.
He thought about what he could say to alleviate whatever was worrying Quinn, but nothing came to mind, so he kept quiet. Instead, he backed out of the driveway.
“It’s a nice day for a run, don’t you think?” Aiden couldn’t come up with a better question and almost kicked himself for thinking about the weather once the words were out of his mouth.
“Yeah.” Quinn glanced his way, but quickly looked away. “I bet I’m going to sweat my ass off. I’m not exactly in workout attire, but yeah, it’s a nice day out.”
“I did offer you an outfit to change into,” Aiden pointed out, his lips curving as he recalled Quinn’s vehementno.
“I know, and thank you. But look at me and then look at you.” Quinn’s eyes trailed up his body, and Aiden felt it like a caress across his skin. Quinn’s voice cut out, leaving the last statement hanging in the air between them.
Aiden thought maybe he should leave it alone. He didn’t want to stress the omega out any more than he already appeared to be. He also needed a minute to get his heart rate back to normal because he knew it wasn’t his imagination. Quinn had been checking him out.
The park he chose was only ten minutes from his house, but the ride made it seem like longer by the time Aiden finally turned into the parking lot and pulled into the first space he came to. Quinn got out of the car so quickly Aiden swore the man was trying to get away from him, and he couldn’t figure out why.
They headed over to the far side of the lot, and once on the main trail, they started off at a light jog. He was surprised that Quinn was able to jog at all considering the man had on cargo pants and a cotton shirt with sneakers. He guessed that was technically exercise gear… to some. But it just didn’t look comfortable to him.
It was nice to have someone next to him even though Quinn didn’t seem to want to speak, so Aiden took it upon himself to start a conversation. He needed to get the ball rolling somehow.
“You can control the speed we go.” His voice was teasing. “After all, you’re more of the professional runner.”
He heard Quinn chuckle beside him and then increase his speed. Aiden picked up his pace to match Quinn’s, easily keeping in time with the omega thanks to his longer legs. Quinn was by no means waifish or petit, but he was definitely a lot smaller than Aiden’s six-feet-four height by at least six inches.
Aiden sped forward, going slightly faster than Quinn and wanting to see the omega’s reaction, and Quinn immediately caught up. Aiden snickered, unable to hide his smile.
“Wanna race?” Aiden teased, trying to steady his voice through his heavy breathing.
Quinn laughed loudly. “Feeling more confident I see.”
Aiden shrugged. “You never know what you’re capable of unless you try.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.” Quinn nodded. “One complete circuit around the park. May the best man win.”
Aiden nodded. “Loser buys lunch. Ready… set…” Before he could get“Go”out, Quinn took off. Aiden’s jaw dropped as he watched Quinn bolt away before he was even ready.
The little cheater.
Aiden quickly burst into a run, catching up to him, not only to his surprise but to Quinn’s as well. Quinn shot him a look out of the corner of his eye, and his lips quirked up in a smile, and they both just ran. Aiden felt free. This was one of the best days he’d had in a while.
He stopped running and leaned against the tree. “My ankle, my ankle.” He grabbed his ankle and didn’t have to wait long for Quinn to run back to him.
“Are you alright?” he asked. His breathing was heavy, and he knelt next to Aiden, ready to grab onto his ankle.
The concern on his face was something that Aiden didn’t think he’d ever see directed toward him. Aiden almost felt guilty for putting on the show, but it was too late to turn back now. He suddenly sprinted away from Quinn and didn’t stop until he reached the next large tree further down the path. He turned around and saw Quinn coming up, but he wasn’t running nearly as fast as he had been. He was laughing, which brought a smile to Aiden’s face.
“I deserved that, didn’t I?” he panted. He stopped running when he met up with Aiden at the tree, leaning heavily against it.
