“All right, all right, I get it,” I said. “Stay away from stuck-up…assholes.”
Evan chortled. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Ugh. I’m going for a run. I’ll talk to you later.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was downstairs in the lobby of the old Victorian hotel. I walked to the small breakfast dining area to grab a granola bar and a bottle of water before my run. A few people were seated at the small tables scattered around the room. Large windows on both sides of the room let in plenty of light. A food station was set up with the usual continental breakfast fare: bagels, cereal, bread for toast, fresh fruit, and, of course, coffee.
I chewed on my granola bar and opened my phone to plan my run. My mapping app told me the boardwalk went for miles north and south of the hotel, so I decided to go south. I checked my smart watch and saw the temperature was in the low sixties. A perfect morning for a run. But then my brain chose to remind me that I’d never been here before. What if there were too many people, and I started to panic? I took a calming breath and focused on eating my granola bar. My heart rate slowed as I reminded myself I ran in Central Park three or four times a week. This was nothing new.
I was tossing the wrapper when I heard a sexy voice behind me say, “Good morning.”
I grinned and turned to find Sean standing there wearing faded jeans and a black Queen T-shirt that was tight enough to show the outlines of his nipple piercings. My mouth watered as I remembered sucking his nipples and playing with those ebony barbells. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and my cock simultaneously. I cleared my throat. “Hey,” I said with a smile.
His eyes traveled up my body, the heat in them making me shiver. “You look like you’re ready to work out,” he said.
I wanted to say,“Instead of that, let’s go back upstairs and pick up where we left off last night—with condoms this time.”What I actually said was, “I’m going for a run on the boardwalk. Maybe take in the sights of the Jersey Shore.”
Sean’s brows rose. “Oh yeah? Want some company? I was up early taking a big delivery and haven’t gotten my workout in yet. I could point out some good places to go.”
“I’d love some company,” I said. I clamped down on my nerves and decided to take the plunge. “I’d like to spend more time with you.”
A huge smile lit up his face. “Me too,” he said. He flushed. “I mean, I want to spend more time with you too.” He moved closer and added softly, “I won’t forget the condoms this time.”
Yep, all my blood headed south. How the hell would I run with a hard-on? I swallowed hard. “I…uh…think that’s an excellent idea.”
His arrogant smirk should have pissed me off, but it only made my dick harder. “Awesome,” he said. “Just give me ten minutes to change. I’ll meet you out front.” He pointed to a small cottage I could see through a window that overlooked the back patio and heated outdoor pool. “That’s my place right there. I won’t be long.”
“You live here,” I murmured softly. I tilted my head slightly as a thousand possibilities rose to mind. “That’s quite…convenient.”
He grinned as if he knew what I was thinking. “Yeah. It’s a nice place. Big bed. Shower big enough for two.”
Okay, short run today. Long hot shower afterward. Very long, very hot shower. I cleared my throat. “That sounds promising.”
He stepped in so our bodies were just inches apart. I caught the faint smell of sweat from his morning exertions and the tang of salty air. “I promise to put the shower to good use.”
I closed my eyes and moaned softly. I glanced down at the outline of my increasingly hard dick. “Maybe we should skip the run.”
He chuckled and stepped back. “Think of it as an incentive.”
I rolled my eyes. “Incentive to run with a hard-on, you mean.”
“Think of the rewards,” he said with a sly grin. He headed toward a side door that led out onto the patio and let himself out. I watched him walk across the patio and into the little cottage. Okay, I totally watched his ass in those soft, snug jeans. This trip was not turning out at all like I thought it would.
NINE
SEAN
I never got changed so fast in my life. The gorgeous pianist I thought would be a stuck-up diva was, in reality, sweet, humble, and sexy as fuck. Last night was so hot I jacked off to the memory of it when I woke up. I couldn’t remember ever being this attracted to someone. It had been a long time since I’d done more than hook up at Paradise or pull off Grindr. This, whatever it was with Jeremy, was definitely more than that.
I hurried through the hotel, hoping like hell no one had an emergency they needed me to take care of.That’s what you have a manager for, remember?Jeremy was waiting for me on the big front porch. He sat on a padded, wicker chair, head back, eyes closed, headphones in. He wore the same black workout pants he’d had on last night, this time with a long-sleeved, moisture-wicking black T-shirt. The shirt clung to his fit body, showing me the outlines of the muscles I had traced with my tongue last night.
I stepped in front of him to block the sunlight so I didn’t startle him. He opened his eyes and a slow smile spread across his lips. He pulled out one of his earbuds. “That was fast,” he said.
“Incentive,” I said with a grin.
His eyes traveled up my body, and the heat in them scorched me. I wore a pair of black running shorts that went to the middle of my thigh and a light-gray T-shirt—nothing special—but the guy practically eye-fucked me right on the porch. “Incentive indeed,” he replied. He rose from his chair with the lithe grace I would have expected from a dancer rather than a pianist. He stepped in close and brushed his fingers along my cheek. “You pulled your hair back.”
I leaned into his touch, inexplicably craving it. “Yeah. The wind blows it in my face if I don’t.”
