Page 5 of Going the Distance

I nodded, and we headed out. The station was in the middle of downtown. For all the sprawling suburbs and rolling hills that Kamloops had, the downtown core was perfectly square blocks of brick buildings with the river running along one side. On the surface, this city was a little bit redneck. Downtown, though, there were boutiques, spas, salons, trendy coffee bars, and expensive restaurants. Small trees were planted at regular intervals along the sidewalks, draped with lights that came on as the sun went down.

We walked into the same place we always went. It was a little Irish-themed pub just down the block from the station. It was always a little too loud and a little too crowded. But the beer was cold, and we could get nachos made with waffle fries, so it was always option one when we went out. I followed behind Josh but stopped dead when I saw a hand waving at us from across the dining room. Dani. “You didn’t tell me your sister would be here.” My voice was louder than necessary, and I knew it.

Josh raised an eyebrow at me over his shoulder. “It’s just Dani; I didn’t think I had to.”

I scratched at the back of my neck and didn’t respond. She’d run out of my place pretty quickly after our last encounter. It would be damn near impossible to sit across the table from her now and act like nothing had happened. I could see redness spreading through her cheeks as we approached, and I gave an awkward wave.

Luckily, Josh took over. “Hey, champ, how’s your training going?” He sat down next to her and elbowed her shoulder. They were the kind of siblings who still fought like they were five rather than the huggy type. Dani started animatedly telling Josh about her earlier training session while I studied her. She didn’t once look in my direction, but that was probably for the best. I was sure my feelings for her were all but tattooed on my forehead at this point. The excitement level she showed when talking about fighting was infectious. She was miming the different strikes and blows with a sparkle in her eyes that I wish was aimed at me.

A waitress appeared at our table. “Are we ready to order?” Josh and I each asked for burgers, beer, and the famous cheese fries before the waitress turned her attention to Dani.

“Can I make a custom order? Grilled salmon, rice, and asparagus? No oil or sauce, please.”

The waitress popped her gum. “Let me guess; you want that with a diet water, low-calorie cup, and fat-free napkin.” The waitress giggled at herself and looked to Josh and me for approval. Josh’s jaw ticked, and I had eyes only for Dani.

Red crept up her neck, but she gave the waitress a lazy smile. “I’m training for an MMA fight. In a few months, I get to stand in front of thousands of people and attempt to knock another woman unconscious. Need the right fuel so I can get punched inthe teeth and keep on swinging. So yes, one diet water would be lovely.”

Once the waitress had scurried away to place the order, Josh burst out laughing. “Going to need a mop, Dani, you had that girl peeing herself.”

Dani fiddled with the napkin on the table but didn’t reply. The excitement she’d shown when we’d arrived had evaporated. Her cheeks were red, and her knee had started to bounce under the table. For all of her bravado, determination, and training, she wilted under the judgmental words of a total stranger.

I was still in shock. Why would anyone judge someone else’s food choice like that? Especially when that someone worked for tips. Unreal. Dani mumbled something about needing to pee and wandered off towards the back of the restaurant. I watched her go. She had on a tight pair of leggings, and I had no idea what else. My eyes locked on the muscles of her ass flexing as she walked, and that was where they stayed. I was worried about her but also fighting every instinct to follow her and pin her against the wall of the bathroom. Make her forget every shitty thing anyone had ever said to her.

When she disappeared around the corner, I shook myself out of it. I turned my attention back to Josh, who now frowned at me. “Studying something awfully hard over there, man.” His eyebrows were pinched together, and he took a sip of his beer.

“Just zoning out. Long day.” He nodded, but when Dani came back to the table, I made damn sure my eyes weren’t on her.

Chapter 7

Dani

“Lower, lower, lower. Good. Yes, that’s it!”

Brock finished his last rep and collapsed onto the couch. I’d brought him through very slow, controlled sets of squats to build strength in his quad muscles, and he’d been doing really well. Me, not so much. Logically, it made sense to do his leg workouts at his place. He needed less weight since he was rehabbing an injury, and the gym just wasn’t always available. Unfortunately, leg day was the sexiest one to watch.

So having it be just the two of us—oh, and Sarg—was not ideal. I’d been trying to keep it professional. I really had. Getting hints that this attraction wasn’t just coming from me made it harder to stick to my guns. Having him be a surprise guest at my dinner out with Josh the other night didn’t help either. The waitress had decided to be funny about my food order. The look on Brock’s face had said it all. He was pissed on my behalf. He could have laughed along or even joined in. Instead, he’d shot daggers at her with his eyes. I was used to this kind of thing. It still felt nice that both Brock and Josh let me handle it myself but didn’t jump on the make-fun-of-Dani bandwagon. I dropped onto the couch next to him. “Good work. How did that feel?”

He was breathing hard, his head leaned back against the couch, eyes closed. Fucking hell, it was so easy to imagine whathe would look like if I was straddling his lap. Riding his cock. Panting his name. I needed a time-out.

“Felt like an evil trainer was forcing me to do squats. But the pain was muscle fatigue, not the injury itself. That’s a good sign, right?” He turned his head and looked at me. His eyes always had a mischievous sparkle to them, but I swear it was different when he looked at me.

I nodded.

“Thanks, coach.” He patted my bare thigh, and I felt it right up through my core and around the other side. He left his hand where it was, and we sat in silence for a moment. I didn’t dare move a muscle. Didn’t want him to feel even the slightest flex and think I wanted him to move his hand away. “How is your fight training going, by the way?”

It was taking every ounce of mental strength I had to focus on my training when I had such a fun distraction on my client roster. But I had been doing it. I had goals. I might have taken on Brock as a client and a constant source of spank bank material, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t eating my protein, practicing my strikes, and doing my cardio. “It’s been going well. I might be living with my brother, working twenty-four-seven, and haven’t gotten laid in a year, but I have this one part of my life figured out.” It took a second for me to realize what I’d said, and the words hung heavily between us. Brock was usually a jokester and loved a good laugh. I waited, expecting him to tease me in some way, but instead, his hand flexed a little against my thigh, squeezing the muscle and causing another wave of sensation to burn through my veins.

“I, uh, I don’t live with your brother, but I can relate to the other two problems.” I fought hard not to look in his direction, but I caught how he licked his lips from the corner of my eye. “Working all the time isn’t so bad, but no sex is a problem.” His thumb slid up then down, caressing the soft skin of my innerthigh. I swear I could feel him breathing heavier through where our shoulders were pressed together. Or maybe it was me who struggled to keep my breath in my lungs.

His hand climbed a little higher, and I shifted my thighs wider apart. Not enough to throw up a banner that I wanted his fingers inside. But enough of a sign that if that was what he was aiming for, I was game. So fucking game. I always went commando under my stretchy gym shorts. More range of motion, less panty lines. It was a win-win. Now, though, I was aware of every stitch in the seam that ran over my center. Wishing it was causing less friction or more friction, but not this torturous middle ground.

His hand reached the bottom hem of my shorts, and he toyed with the edge. “I can’t imagine how stressful your training must be. You must be pretty desperate to blow off a little steam.” He turned his head to face me again, and his breath skated over my collarbones, burning hard and hot against my skin. “Or have you been taking care of yourself?” His voice had gotten lower, his mouth closer to my ear.

I shivered.

“Lying in bed at night, your hand finding its way under the blankets.” His lips grazed my shoulder, and goosebumps broke out across my chest. This was one of those moments where I had to make a clear, decisive choice. No waffling. No gray area, just black or white. Yes or no. The logical answer should be no. Right? He was my client. And my brother’s best friend. On the other hand, he was my lifelong crush. A man I’d never thought would be interested in me, but given the way the front of his shorts tented, I knew he wanted me too. “Maybe I could help you out with that?”

“Yes.” The word came out breathy and sounded strange to my ears. But my ears could fuck off. It was time for other places on my body to get some attention. His hand slid higher, and heran his thumb over the seam that had been driving me crazy since I’d walked in the door. I moaned shamelessly. Lost in a sea of sparkly, warm sensations. He did it a second time, and I turned to face him.

---