Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Then put me to work. I can be an instructor or fill in however you need,” Greer said. He placed his plate next to Dallas’s and reached for the silverware and napkins. “I can feel you looking at me like I lost my mind. It’s not a crazy idea. I have the equipment here.”
“You’re a busy man,” Dallas said, trying hard to go with the idea without laughing straight in Greer’s face.
“I am, but I work out every day. Remember, I beat your butt. I’m kind of a star on BikeBro right now.”
He rolled his eyes and plucked the fork out of Greer’s hand. Dallas didn’t think Greer would ever tire of claiming his win. He scooped up a healthy portion of the eggs and took his first bite. The spicy flavor exploded in his mouth.
“You won because you got in my head. It’s not a fair win. We should go again.” Dallas liked that idea a lot, nodding his approval. Greer no longer held that control over his thoughts. He’d kick his ass this time.
“No way, I’m not that dumb,” Greer said, taking a bite of the bacon, turning on the stool to face Dallas. “I can’t believe I beat you to begin with. Tell Ducky I volunteered to run a class. That’s the excuse why you come over here this afternoon. Seems reasonable.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug as if that resolved everything.
Dallas gave him the side-eye, considering the bad idea that might have potential to be a spectacular evening. They could use more classes. Greer could be a special trainer, leading the class as a prize for winning.
“Okay. Let me talk to Ducky and Donny.”
Greer’s brows dropped in a mock glare. “You caved too quickly. Should I trust it?”
“Not caved necessarily. Our members will like you teaching a class. The women especially.”
Greer barked out a laugh, knocking him in the arm with his elbow. He acted like he didn’t know that he was always the best-looking man in any room.
“That was a good one. Eat. We’ll work it out.” Greer turned away, concentrating on his plate of food.
Surreal might be the only way to describe Dallas’s life in that moment. He didn’t dwell on that, though. Instead, he twisted the top off the bottle of orange juice and grinned. They did have an ease between them that he genuinely liked.
Chapter 21
With a shift of the gears, Greer slowed his sports car as they reached the back gate to Dallas’s apartment complex. In a day of firsts, Greer held Dallas’s hand for the entire length of the ride. The weight and fit of Dallas’s palm resting with his, those long fingers fitting with his perfectly, seemed proof of their fate. They fit together very well. Something so simple as holding his hand shouldn’t have validated a long-term commitment, but for Greer, it did. He never wanted to let go.
On the flip side, from the second they’d left the solitude and security of his home, Dallas’s body had become tense. With each passing mile, his body grew more taut, those expressive eyes now serious and weary as reservations clearly crept in. The easy smile that transformed Dallas’s handsome face into a thing of pure beauty, a look Greer seemed ripe and ready to write long meaningful sonnets about, the joyfulness he had worked painstakingly hard to coerce from Dallas, was nowhere to be found. The chatty, friendly guy had withdrawn, only answering questions with one- or two-word responses.
Greer didn’t know how to relieve Dallas’s burdens. They surely felt like insurmountable boulders on his trainer’s shoulders. So, Greer filled in the conversational gaps with nothing but mindless chatter. He talked endlessly about nothing, wanting to offer comfort over something he didn’t understand at all.
“Confirming the plan. I’m going to Central Market. You’re going in for your class and a shower. I’ll be back here in an hour and a half to pick you up.” Greer pulled his car into a parking space in the very back parking lot. He shifted into neutral and pressed on the brake, lifting the steering wheel. His body angled toward Dallas who stared straight ahead out the front windshield at the trees lining the fencing.
“I can drive to your place.” Dallas gave Greer’s hand a gentle squeeze. Those green orbs stayed focused straight ahead. Dallas’s jaw firming in front of Greer’s eyes.
“But will you, is the better question? Your anxiety’s rolling off you like a steam engine puffing up a hill.”
Dallas gave him an anxiety-filled side-eye but otherwise made no effort to relax. “No one can know what I’ve done. My family won’t accept this.”
Greer assumed it was something along those lines, but it made no sense with the glorious praise Dallas used in describing the members of his family. “The way you’ve spoken of them, what I’ve seen of your brothers, I can’t imagine—”