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Deciding to stop with the drooling, I make my way over to him and will my racing pulse to calm down, as I haven’t even started running yet.
“It’s not too late to back out, ya know?” I chirp, stopping a few feet away.
“In your dreams,” he says with a lopsided smirk. I watch his eyes unexpectedly smolder as he takes in my appearance.
I look like I always do when running. No makeup, my long hair secured in a high ponytail, and my clothes hardly flattering, but there’s no denying that he’s blatantly checking me out. Maybe hedoeslike me.
My insides warm at the idea, but squashing down my immature fantasies, I quickly say, “So you ready to get your ass whipped?”
Dixon grins and, thankfully, his eyes return to their normal beautiful blue. “Give it your best shot.” His cockiness titillates me.
“So what are the rules?” I ask, lunging forward into a hamstring stretch.
Dixon programs his fancy watch. “I’d say the zoo is roughly two miles from here.”
I nod in agreement.
“Well, the first person to reach the zoo is the winner. Oh, and we have to run the same route,” he adds with a smirk, just in case I thought about taking a shortcut.
“That’s it?” I ask, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
“That’s it,” Dixon confirms with a smile.
He stands by my side and looks over, grinning. “Just a word of warning, I don’t like to lose,” he confesses as he eyes me up and down.
“Well, isn’t that funny, ’cause neither do I. See you on the other side…loser.” I take off in a quick sprint, leaving Dixon at our makeshift start line.
I hear him following in quick pursuit, and his chase only has me increasing my speed to an even pace. The first few yards are always the hardest for me, but once I find my rhythm, I can run for miles. I guess you could say I started running to escape my demons, but no matter how hard I ran, they were always biting at my heels.
“Just so you know,” Dixon huffs, catching up to me. “I let you have a head start.”
We both keep a steady pace, our breaths the only thing sounding between us, and that’s good because if we spoke, I would lose myself in his deep, rough voice. I focus on the waymy body feels alive, the blood pumping through my veins and animating my every move.
We jog in silence, side by side for a few minutes, until Dixon pushes forward, taking the lead. I stay back, as I’ll save my energy and pull out the big guns on the last half a mile. And besides, back here, I can totally check out Dixon’s muscular legs and taut butt. He is a work of art, and I can’t help but feel slightly curious to know what that tight butt would feel like in the flesh.
“Tired already?” Dixon teases as he turns around and begins running backward, watching amusingly as I flip him off.
“I’m just being generous. I don’t want to show you up too early. That would be kinda embarrassing,” I say, puffing.
Dixon laughs and turns back around, thankfully watching where he’s going. I decide to catch up to him, as he’s gaining a steady lead because I’m lagging behind, distracted by his hot ass.
“So” Dixon pants, his eyes focused ahead. “How long you been running?”
“About nine years,” I confess, leaving out why.
“You’re quite good,” he admits. I turn toward him with a smirk.
“And you’re surprised?”
Dixon shakes his head. “Not at all. My mother taught me never to assume anything when it came to women.”
I can’t stop the laugh that breaks free from my winded chest. “Your mother sounds like a smart lady.”
“She was,” Dixon says, and I don’t fail to pick up on his use of the past tense. “She passed,” he explains. “Six months ago, to breast cancer.”
“Oh, Dixon. I’m really sorry.” I frown, as the thought of losing my mother tears a big hole in my chest.
“Thank you,” he says with a sad smile.
