Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
His heart had jumped from his body and landed squarely in Colt’s hands. Colt seemed to know. He dropped down in the sand next to Jace, took his face between his strong palms, and captured his mouth in a devastatingly tender kiss. He couldn’t forget the way Colt made the sweetest love to him right there on the beach.
Today, Jace remained completely disgusted with himself. He thought all these feelings were buried and gone, never to return. Fuck, Colt had taken and stomped all over his heart. He should be completely done. Instead, even after all these years, the deep hurt and deep love still remained. Jace was that schoolboy wishing his crush would have picked him. Nothing had changed. Not in ten long years had his feelings lessened for Colt, and the revelation totally pissed him off. Why couldn’t he let Colt go?
Last night, when Jace couldn’t sleep, he got up and broke several of his long standing rules. Jace allowed himself to give in to curiosity and Googled images of Colt and his beautiful bride-to-be. He sat there for what must have been hours looking at picture after picture of the happy, beautiful couple, until his heart couldn’t take another minute. It finally broke in two, and Jace cried while berating his stupid computer.
“Hey, you! What time did you get here? It’s almost seven in the morning, did you oversleep?” Haley came through the workout room door carrying a venti Starbucks coffee in her hand.
“It’s seven?” Jace pulled his earbuds free so he could hear Haley better. His legs finally gave out. Punching the treadmill’s off button, he slid off the back of the belt, landing in a thump against the wall behind the machine. The last time he looked at the digital read out on the top of the machine, it read mile five. Now he was at mile eleven. Jace lost track of six miles thinking over how hot Colt looked these days. Yeah, wasn’t that just pathetic? Years later and he couldn’t let it go, Colt was getting married and Jace couldn’t move on. Wasn't that pathetic? Running his hand over his face, he finally responded to Haley. “Damn, I lost track of time.”
“And I don’t even understand how you do that working out. Every other person on the planet watches the clock all throughout their workout, begging the minutes to pass faster, but not you. You lose yourself. I think that’s called weird,” Haley said, grabbing a towel from a stack on her way over.
“We have a day. I need to shower. Then, let’s go over the entry forms. We also need to make sure the music for the competition is complete and ready to go. I want extra CDs this time. Do we have any uniform issues? Also what about the coaches meeting? I don’t remember seeing it on the schedule this morning.” Jace leaned against the back wall as he spoke. His legs were shaking, and he tried to catch his breath from the full out run. He ran the towel over his face and through his dripping hair.
“Whoa, slow down there, mister! Jace, I know I’m your employee, but I like to think we’re also friends. I’m worried about you, something isn’t right. I’m here if you need to talk.” Haley stood in front of him, staring at him with deep concern. Jace did appreciate the thought and did consider them friends, but no way would he let her in on what was currently going on inside his head. After all, what could he really say that wouldn’t make him come off as a complete freak?
“I appreciate it very much, but I’m fine. And we are friends. I’m just looking forward to my vacation, that’s it.” Jace pushed away from the wall, relieved he remained upright on both feet. He pulled his wet T-shirt over his head and his shorts hung low on his waist as he walked toward the men’s locker room.
“I know that’s a lie, but I’m a girl enough to be distracted watching you walk away. And since we’re friends, I’m gonna go ahead and say those wet shorts don’t leave much to the imagination,” Haley called out after him.
“You’re a lesbian, Haley. You don’t like boys.” Jace chuckled, tossing his T-shirt and the towel into the laundry bin by the door.
“I think you just turned me bi,” Haley added, causing them both to laugh.
“I’m going to shower. Meet me in my office in twenty minutes. Let’s get started. I also wanna hear all about your date last night. I hope at least one of us is having some kind of life outside of this place.” With a look over his shoulder and a wink, he pushed open the locker room door, and disappeared inside.
Chapter 16
Tossing his drunk, passed out bride-to-be down on the bed, Colt glared at her for a couple of long minutes, completely disgusted. Nothing could be worth enduring any length of a marriage to her.
“Why the fuck am I doing this again? Oh yeah, you’re the nosey little bitch who found my pictures of Jace. The ones I had buried away in the back of my closet in the farthest shoebox in the row with other boxes stacked on top of them. And then you threatened to expose us in a web of fucking lies. Who does that? I fucking hate you,” Colt said through clenched teeth. His voice had slowly risen with each word, and he lowered himself until their faces were only about an inch or so apart. It didn’t matter, she didn’t wake or move. That was what eight shots of tequila, four cosmos, and a couple of bars of something, probably Xanax, did for you.
He stood and stuck a finger in his knotted tie, pulling the silk material free. Colt was tired of this game. Tired of the cameras following him everywhere he went and way past tired of his life.
Leaving the blackmailing little bitch on the bed, Colt walked to his closet. The expensive tie dropped carelessly on his brand new, grossly overpriced, handpicked by his awful fiancée, dresser. Colt flung his suit jacket in the general direction of the armoire and toed his shoes off. A gnawing feeling ate at him.