Page 45 of Go Deep

Gabe’s lips turn upward. “That’s right. I remember your sweet tooth from that event. I can’t wait to find out about your other vices.”

His words make the hairs on the back of my neck spring up, the tension between us thick as the steamy air.

Only one other vice comes to mind…my filthy, crazed obsession withyou, Gabe.

But I force those words back and blurt a question instead as we walk down the quiet street. For the first time in my life, I avoid the cracks in the sidewalk. It’s a superstition I’ve never paid any attention to before but right now, I feel like I’m creeping across a tightrope. One wrong move could have me plunging into a black hole. I need all the help I can get. “So do you know the gym manager well?”

He shoots a surprised look at me. “The manager?”

“Yeah, the guy you were talking to when I came out.” I cringe at my word choice.

Gabe sweeps a hand through his still-damp hair. “Nah. It wasn’t social. I was pissed. Their security sucks.”

“Too many fans sneaking in to watch the great Gabe Kelly work up a sweat?”

I chew the inside of my lip when images of his sweaty and muscled, shirtless body loop through my mind.

“No.” He lets out a deep sigh. “My ex somehow made it into the locker room. He’s not a member.”

“He found you again? Shit. What happened?”

Gabe shakes his head. “He’s just…having a hard time, I guess. I pretty much cut him out of my life, and he’s not ready to let go.”

I cast a quick glance at his profile. His jaw tightens, eyebrows furrowed. “Bad break-up?”

“Yeah. I should have ended things a while ago, but I didn’t. We just weren’t fitting anymore. I saw the writing on the wall, and he didn’t.” He shrugs. “It’ll be fine.”

But something in his voice tells me the exact opposite.

We walk for a few more minutes in silence, every step toward his apartment taunting me with X-rated fantasies. I breathe in the woodsy scent of his cologne, dragging it in deep.It fucks with my head, having him so near and so far at the same time.

He has no idea how I feel about him, no clue how I want to find out more about this ex because if he’s threatened in some way, I will tear the bastard apart. And he definitely doesn’t know how many times I’ve ridden my own hand, imagining it was his fingers wrapped tight around my cock.

“So that guy Bob from the concert the other night.”

My spine stiffens because I know exactly what guy he’s talking about.

“I saw him talking to you at the restaurant. What happened with him? He seemed pretty angry when you walked away from him and his daughter. Left right afterward.”

“He doesn’t realize I’m not my father. He can’t controlme.”

“I respect that.” He pauses. “What does your dad think?”

I shrug. “I’m sure Bob gave him an earful. Not that I care what my father has to say about it.”

“And what does your dad think about us co-hosting the football game on Saturday? His son and an openly gay quarterback, won’t that stir shit up for his campaign?”

My head jerks in his direction. “I’m thirty-three years old. I can make my own decisions about how to live my life.”

Gabe’s eyes widen and he puts his hands up. “Whoa. Sorry if I overstepped. I was just making conversation.”

I drop my eyes to the sidewalk, my foot dangerously close to a break in the concrete. My shoulders slump as I step cleanly over it. “Sorry. It’s just been a constant thorn jabbing me in the side since my dad’s heart attack. He’s been trying to get me to come on the trail with him, guilting me into it, but I don’t want to be associated with his campaign.”

“You think it’ll mess with your business if potential clients see you as that far right?”

I rest my gaze on him. “I don’t want clients to come to mebecause of my political views. It’s my knowledge that will make them money.”

Gabe is quiet for a second. “But you agree with your father.”

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