Jackson grinned. “Maybe. But not for the reason you think.”
He turned for the door, but Elliot’s voice stopped him. “Meet you in the breakfast room?”
Jackson hesitated, hand on the handle. “Yeah, of course.”
“Save me a croissant,” Elliot called.
“Always.”
Chapter 16
Elliot
St. Moritz, Switzerland, April 4th, 4.5 Months to the Olympics
Elliot felt like he was living in a sort of blissful fog. As March had given way to April the temperature had continued to rise. Though the air was still crisp, it wasn’t as biting as when they’d arrived. There were fewer reporters floating around; a doping scandal blowing up at one of the major American training groups had sent them clamouring for the story. The reprieve was a welcome one. He even let himself sit with Jennings for meals now, less concerned that it would somehow be misinterpreted…or rather, correctly interpreted.
Time at camp had taken on a weird liminal feel. The days were both endless and flying by too fast. He’d get up, Jackson would help him tape up his ankle, they’d have breakfast together, and then meet up with Anders at the track. Train, explore the town, and then he'd end the day sneaking into Jackson’s room.
It was all very clandestine. It had to be, because he couldn’t ever make this more than it was; he had too much on the line. A bit of fun at altitude camp, though, he couldn’t deny himself that. Once they were back to the real world… Well, he’d deal with that when it came to it.
With the London Marathon now just over three weeks away, they were in their peak distance week. After this, they’d be heading back home for a sharp taper in the lead-up to the race.
Anders was acting like he was training them to survive the apocalypse, not a marathon. Elliot didn’t think he’d ever run so many miles in such a short space of time. The taping job Jackson helped him with every morning was holding his ankle together well enough, but he was grateful there wouldn’t be too many heavy workouts once they made it through this week. A good rest during his taper was exactly what he needed to get back to normal.
Elliot jogged ahead of Jackson as the trail narrowed on the long, looping route Anders had set them off on, hyperconscious of the man behind him. Sunlight filtered through the trees, dappled patterns dancing on the path, while patches of lingering snow along the trail glimmered in the glow.
“Fuck, this is a great view,” Jackson managed to huff out.
Elliot smirked. “Yeah, you like the forest that much?” he replied innocently.
“Oh, are we in a forest?” Jackson replied. “I hadn’t noticed.”
They carried on for another mile of trail. The warmth of the sun was surprising, given the altitude. He could feel it on his cheeks, melting the cold bite from the shaded areas.
“Though now that you mention it, we are pretty deep in the woods. Nobody around for miles, I’d wager,” Jackson said.
Elliot felt the weight of his gaze as they rounded the corner, heading deeper into the woods. “If you’re thinking of pushing me up against a tree and having your way with me, you need to cool it.”
“Come on, Owens. Live a little.”
“Not a chance. Anders is watching our heart rate monitors,” Elliot replied. “Besides, one of us still needs to impress him, andtaking twenty minutes longer than we should on this run isn’t going to score me any points.”
“Twenty minutes?” Jackson replied from over Elliot’s shoulder. “Not a chance you’ll last that long once I get my mouth on you.”
“I can tell you’re trying to goad me into a bet, Jennings, but it’s not happening.” He’d have been lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. His dick was stirring at the thought, but he wasn’t kidding around. Keep Anders happy was paramount. He needed the Olympics. “But if you’re good, you can come by my room later.”
“I can be good,” Jackson replied.
Elliot grinned to himself. “Prove it.” Then he picked up the pace. As much as he liked teasing Jackson, he wasn’t willing to draw this out any longer than necessary.
Jackson was hot on his heels. “Want to make this interesting?” he asked.
Elliot rolled his eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
“Just a friendly wager.”
Despite himself, Elliot found his interest piqued. “Is this a sex thing?”
