“That I’m going to fuck it up. Blake had it kinda rough growing up. I try to let him know how much I care about him, but I’m not the best with words.”
“But you told him that you loved him, right?”
Damn.Noah was better than he thought at ferreting out the truth. “Uh, yeah.”
“And he said it back to you?”
Warmth bloomed through his chest. “He did.”
“So I’m thinking whatever you’re doing, keep at it. Seems to be working.”
“I don’t know if I’m doing it right.…”
“There’s no one right way to love someone. Trust yourself.”
“I wish you’d take your own advice.”
“Please…don’t.”
The darkness in Noah’s voice cut Jeremy as painfully as if he’d sliced his skin open with a sharp knife. “I know. I’m sorry.” His voice gentled. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Noah. “I’m sure when the right guy comes around, you’ll know it.” The one thing Jeremy did know was he refused to become like their mother and push his brother. His side would always be right next to Noah.
“I’ll see you Wednesday night, then.”
“Take it easy.”
They hung up, and buoyed by the good conversation, Jeremy set to tackle his to-do list, with the juice bar the number-one item. He pulled up the chart he’d made detailing the gyms in the city and whether or not they offered the perk to their members. As always, working with figures stimulated him; he loved seeing trends and markets expand. It was one of the reasons he opened his gym. He saw the need for a small, intimate gym instead of the overwhelming corporate structure of the big, nationwide chains. People who wanted to work out liked the personal touch of someone knowing their name and their routines.
A knock at the door broke his furious note-taking. “Come in.” He leaned back in the chair with a satisfied sigh.
Gino stuck his head inside, his black curls falling over his brow. “Hey, Jeremy. We wanted to make sure you were alive in here.”
“What’re you talking about?” He glanced at the computer clock, astonished to see almost an hour and a half had passed since he sat down. “Oh, uh, whoa. I had no idea I was in here for so long. Everything okay out on the floor?”
Gino nodded vigorously. “Yeah, no problems. Just, you usually come out and talk, and today you came straight in here and barely said a word.”
“Aww. You guys miss me?” He teased the man, laughing at Gino’s red face. Now that he had a steady man, a man he loved, other guys no longer held his interest, no matter how well-hung or how muscular their bodies. Only Blake held him enthralled and surprised him with an unexpected and, Jeremy suspected, a still untapped sexual appetite. One he planned on exploring at his leisure.
“Well, customers on the floor were asking if you were in too.” Gino ducked his head as if embarrassed, yet still fluttered those ridiculously long dark lashes at him. “It’s not only me.”
“I know, I’m kidding. Now that you mention it, I’ll come out and talk to some of the people working out.” He stood and stretched, frowning when he caught Gino eyeing his bare stomach where his shirt pulled up. “Hey. Didn’t we have that talk?”
Flushing a dark red, Gino shrugged. “Yeah.”
“You’re a nice kid, but—”
“I’m not a kid,” Gino interjected in a feisty voice. “I’m twenty-five.”
“And I’m thirty-seven, and more importantly, with someone.” He wished he could add,Go hang out with Benny, but he knew Benny would be mortified and justifiably angry with him. Making a shooing motion with one hand, he held the door open with the other. “Let’s go.”
What Jeremy hoped was that Gino wouldn’t continue to make fuck-me eyes, forcing Jeremy to let him go. No way would he keep someone who continually flirted with the boss. He’d seen that go up in a big ball of flames in the first gym he worked at in college and had no desire to be a part of it now.
“Blake seems nice.”
Jeremy waited until they reached the front desk to answer. “You sound surprised.”
“He kinda doesn’t seem like your type.”
Laughing now, Jeremy leaned on the desk, dying to hear Gino’s insight. “Tell me what you think my type is.”
