Page 4 of Running Back

Chapter Three

For a while, Jakkchilled in his room, trying his best to keep the house quiet. He wanted Rocky to have as much time to sleep in as he liked. When thirst won, he headed for the kitchen and spotted the door to the guest room standing open. In the kitchen, he found Rocky. Not only was he shirtless and in nothing but workout shorts, he was also completely covered in sweat. With his back to the hallway, he obviously didn’t know Jakk was there. He chugged a glass of water at the sink while Jakk enjoyed the show. He was perfect. His entire tall body was all sinewy muscle. He was built for speed. Jakk had spent more time than he would admit reading about him online before finally falling asleep. Everything about him was impressive. The guy was in his forties and looked more like late twenties. Jakk’s entire body responded to everything about him. Then Rockyturned and spotted him. A smile stretched his lips. Jakk’s heart skipped a beat.

“Good morning. I hope I didn’t bother you going out and coming back in. I had to get my run in before I lost my will.” He chuckled. It was hot.

Jakk forced his tongue to work. “No. I didn’t even hear you leave. In fact, I was just kind of chilling in my room, trying to let you sleep.”

They shared a smile.

Rocky checked his watch.

Jakk had a minor panic attack at the thought of Rocky getting away. “What are your plans for the weekend? This is a bye week.”

“I have a thing in Pickering. There’s a weekend-long birthday celebration that happens every year for a very well-connected man in import-export. I’ve been invited and I can’t say no. It’s too good of an opportunity to network.” He eyed Jakk for a moment. “I get a plus one. You should come.” Rocky’s smile returned. “In fact, it would be perfect for you. Considering who the man is, there’s zero chance any press will get within miles of the place. No one there knows you. You’ll be in a whole other country and free of all the drama. Plus, there’ll also be tons of free food and alcohol. It might be fun.”

Rocky had him at joining him for the weekend. But he was doubly in at the no press thing. Still, he didn’t want to seem too desperate. “Who is this big wig?”

For a moment, Rocky looked slightly nervous. “Um. Well. It’s Len Cattaneo’s party. He’s sort of the head of the Irish mafia. But,” Rocky said, emphasizing the word. “That’s exactly why you’ll be safe from prying eyes, and he has several legitimate businesses that have been known to sponsor athletes in the past. Mainly his family, but I’m the agent of those family members. This could be good for your career.”

Again, Rocky hadn’t needed to convince him. The mafia thing was fucking wild, but he was still in. Jakk shrugged. “Sure. Sounds fun. Where is Pickering anyhow?”

The loud bark of laughter that burst from Rocky had Jakk’s cheeks hurting from smiling. “Ontario.” Rocky checked his watch again. “I’m supposed to catch a private flight in three hours. Can you pull that off?”

“Sure.” Jakk was used to nonstop travel. “Just let me know how I should dress for this thing, and I’ll grab my passport.”

The smile Rocky wore matched the way Jakk felt. He knew Rocky was just his soon-to-be agent, but he was quickly beginning to feel like more. Jakk prayed it wasn’t one-sided.

“If you want, I’ll grab a quick shower and then help you pick out your clothes.”

“That’s perfect.”

Rocky nodded and set his glass in the sink. “For the most part, it’ll be casual, but there’ll be a few things where you’ll need to dress the way you would when you’re getting filmed arriving at stadiums.”

Jakk nodded. He had plenty of high-dollar outlandish suits. “I’m pretty comfortable in all situations.”

“I can see that about you.” The serious note to Rocky’s voice warmed his chest. Jakk honestly didn’t understand what it was about the guy. He got to Jakk. Maybe it was only because he had shown up when everyone else walked out. Possibly, his sexiness tempted Jakk. Likely, it was everything about him. All Jakk knew was he needed to check himself. Rocky was a professional. Jakk had been out of a long-term relationship for literally a day. They were not only a bad idea, but probably completely one-sided. Rocky saw him as a client. Nothing more. Jakk let the way Rocky had been vulnerable with him affect him too much. He needed to match Rocky’s professionalism from here on out. Jakk was his client. That was all he would ever be.

Rocky hated how much he liked Jakk. He recognized the thin ice he skated. Soon enough, Jakk would sign on the dotted line to be his client, and Rocky could not go where he wanted with Jakk. This was a professional relationship. Nothing more. But goddamn, he smelled good and looked even more delicious. He dressed the part of upper crust party guest to perfection. While Jakk shook hands at the door of where they would stay for three whole days, Rocky watched him with hunger. More than once, he forced himself to rearrange his features. There was no chance he didn’t look as thirsty as he felt.

“I’ll show you to your room so you can drop your bags.”

Even as Rocky followed his longtime client and friend, Lennox Tremblay, it didn’t occur to him Lennox had said “room.” Singular. Then he stood in the middle of a bedroom, staring at one bed, and the reality of how this invitation must look to Jakk hit him. He knew what it felt like to be used. Rocky didn’t want Jakk to feel like his contract hung on sex. He would never want anyone to feel that way. It sucked.

His gaze slid Jakk’s way.

Jakk looked completely unbothered. He rolled his suitcase out of the way and hung his dress bags in the closet.

Rocky swallowed. “I swear I didn’t know we’d be sharing a room.”

Jakk glanced his way. His gaze slid toward the bed for a moment before returning to hold Rocky’s stare. “It’s no big deal. I can sleep on the floor or something if you’re uncomfortable.”

Rocky realized he was the only one making a big deal out of what was obviously nothing. He was stupid for not recognizing his attraction was one-sided and Jakk didn’t even know his thoughts. This honestly wasn’t a big deal when he looked at things from Jakk’s perspective. Jakk wasn’t attracted to him. They were adults and only guests in someone else’s house. Likely, only one room was available and Rocky hadn’t exactly RSVP’d his plus one. He couldn’t expect more.

Rocky made a dismissive gesture. “That’s not necessary. There’s no reason we can’t share.” Except holy fuck. He would share a bed with Jakk tonight. That sounded like torture. It had been too long since anyone had touched him. Fuck his life. This had been a terrible idea.

“Lennox said something about dinner in ten. Are we dressed appropriately for that?”

Rocky shook himself from his inner panic. “Yeah. I guess we’d better head down.” He could do this. Maybe. With copious amounts of alcohol.

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