Page 69 of Jackrabbit

Christ.

He drained his glass and set it in the sink.

“Come on, Toast,” he called as he walked toward his bedroom. “Bed.”

Toast meowed one more time, then pattered after Beau as he opened his bedroom door and dropped into sheets that still smelled faintly of Colt.

Chapter 36

Colt was outside the shop when Beau pulled up, just like he’d been every morning since that first day. He had on jeans that rode low on his hips and a pink top that felt like it had been chosen specifically to draw his eyes to those defined pecs he wanted to lick.

Hell.

“Mornin’.” Beau held out the protein smoothie he’d made. “There’s kale in it, but you shouldn’t taste it with the mango.”

Instead of taking the drink right away, Colt searched Beau’s face. How badly had Beau fucked this up?

Finally, Colt took the cup. “Thanks,” Colt told him in a considering voice.

He followed Beau into the shop without a word, his eyes burning into Beau’s back. The rest of their shift was spent in a quiet that wasn’t cold but wasn’t comfortable either.

At the end of the day, Colt followed him to the truck so they could go to the gym just like he always did. He was wearing a pair of shorts that showed more thigh than they covered, and one of those band tees he’d cut the arms out of so that all that was holding it on his body were two hems and a prayer.

Beau flexed his hands as he started the truck. Colt was wearing the shoes Beau had gotten him, too, and that was worse than the shorts because they’d come from him. He’d provided them, and he liked that Colt was wearing them even though they’d barely spoken all day.

“Bench,” Beau directed after he’d walked Colt through stretches and brief cardio for warm-up. He pointed where he wanted him. “I’ll get the harness.”

Colt nodded and sat with his legs spread, back straight, and shoulders squared. His eyes were fixed on Beau’s face for every buckle being strapped and every fit check. When Beau stepped back, Colt held his gaze for one long moment, then dragged his eyes down Beau's neck, lingering on his chest, and then moving to his stomach. Then Colt stared directly at the front of Beau’s sweats and let out the tiniest puff of air.

“What are you doing, boy?” Beau asked as heat spread up his throat.

Those eyes. Christ, it was like fingers running across his skin.

“Waiting for you to put the weights on,” Colt replied, his attention flicking back up to Beau’s face. “Well?”

“You're playing games,” Beau murmured as he grabbed the weights and brought them over.

Beau stood close to attach the weights to their chains, and Colt’s heat burned into his thighs.

Colt kept perfect form as he did his sets, his chest rising and falling beautifully as he worked, sweat sliding down his neck and disappearing into his shirt. As the work got harder, those quiet, strained noises started again. Twenty-four hours ago, they'd sounded like effort. Now they sounded exactly like the noises Colt had made grinding against his belt buckle.

“Good,” Beau said as Colt strained for a second and then righted himself. “Straighten your spine when you lean like that.”

“Can you show me?” Colt came back to starting position. “Help me feel where I should be flexing?”

Whatever game Colt was playing, Beau was losing. He stepped up behind Colt and pressed his fingertips gently into the right muscle, and when Colt moved into the set, it flexed. When Colt moved again, Beau spread his whole hand against him, Colt’s skin hot and slick through that scrap of shirt.

“Good.” Beau should damn well be keeping his mouth shut after last night, but the words kept coming anyway. “That’s right. Right there.”

Colt’s breath hitched, and Beau’s cock swelled slowly against his thigh. “Here.” He ran his palm down another muscle group and pressed harder. “You’re missing this one.”

“Okay.” Colt tried again.

“Good boy,” Beau said, which he hadn’t meant to say at all. Christ.

“Set’s over.” Colt was shaky and wrecked like he usually was before he escaped to the bathroom between exercises.

Beau unstrapped the harness from behind and lifted it off, settled it on the ground, and waited for Colt to go.