Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“We can definitely talk about it if you want to.”
“I mean, we don’t have to…” Shit, now I was making it weird.
Fortunately, Ever was his same sweet, cheerful self, and he managed to smooth over my awkwardness. “I had a great time, and I’m down for round two whenever you are. Is there more to say than that?”
“No. I just…I wanted to make sure we’re still okay.” Ugh. Why couldn’t I shut up?
“We’re great. I think we work incredibly well as friends with benefits. I also think it’s smart that we’re putting a time limit on the benefits part of it. That way, there won’t be an awkward conversation or any misunderstandings waiting for us at the end of this. Once I move into my apartment, we’ll dial it back to a regular friendship, right?”
“Right.” I obviously hadn’t forgotten that, so I wasn’t sure why he was repeating it… unless he thought something might have changed for me after last night.
I was glad this awkward conversation ended when we arrived at the gym. Pete Howard was waiting for us, because he and Ever had made plans to film a short training video. The gym’s owner was a stoic Black man in his fifties, with a shaved head and what I’d started to think was a permanent scowl, but not even he was immune to Ever’s upbeat energy.
The gym was empty on the day after Thanksgiving. I could see why, since I was dragging. After I stashed my stuff in the locker room, I took a seat on one of the exercise bikes and started pedaling, as a way of easing myself into my workout.
My gaze drifted to Ever, who was at the opposite end of the gym. He and Pete were standing side by side, and Ever was holding his phone at arm’s length and talking to his followers. Pete laughed at something Ever said, and then both men turned their attention to the speed bag, so Pete could demonstrate his technique. I was glad Ever’s back was to me, so he wouldn’t see me staring at him.
I couldn’t help but grin as I thought about the night before. It had been incredibly hot—but it had been a lot more than that, too. It had made me feel safe, and cared for, and I couldn’t wait until the next time.
12
Ever
As I sat in my future office in the back corner of my building, I was supposed to be making some decisions on merchandise. Instead, I was thinking about Tracy.
Every night for the last two weeks, we’d gotten naked in the living room and enjoyed each other. The rest of the time, we were strictly hands-off.
Why the living room? Maybe because it was neutral territory, unlike his room or mine, and it didn’t lend itself to falling asleep together. We had our fun, and then we went our separate ways. By morning, we’d reset back to friends only.
It was an unusual arrangement, but it was working for us… more or less. Okay, so there were plenty of times when I wanted to grab him and kiss him and rip his clothes off, and times like now when he was all I could think of. But I had to get a grip. That wasn’t what we’d agreed to.
And really, it seemed like he was already giving me all he could. He let himself be vulnerable during our nightly romps, but he had definite limits. If we tried for more, I had a feeling it would end up scaring him away.
It startled me when a deep voice said, “Hey.” I looked up to see Tracy standing in the doorway. “You told me to drop by for a tour of your building when I finished my errands, but if this is a bad time—”
“No, I’m glad you’re here.” He’d just gotten a haircut, and I got up and hurried around the folding table I was using as a desk. “You look fantastic! I didn’t know you were going for such a big change.” His dark hair had been on the shaggy side since I’d known him, but now it was trimmed into a perfect fade.
“I’m not sure yet if I’ll actually maintain this.” His father was in town this weekend and they were having dinner tonight, which was the reason he’d gotten a haircut.
“It’s definitely flattering.” I ran my hands over the very short hair on the sides of his head, which transitioned gradually to a slightly longer length up top. Okay, so maybe touching him like that wasn’t something people who were just friends would do, but I couldn’t resist. “You look handsome either way, but this cut really complements your features.”
“Thanks.”
“How did the rest of your errands go?”
He sighed and put a small bag on the corner of the table. “They were a disaster. The stores are an overcrowded nightmare two weeks before Christmas, and I spent way too long wandering around trying to figure out what to get my father. In the end, I choked and got him a tie. That makes no sense, though. When he has to get dressed up, he wears his dress uniform, not a suit.”