Page 20

Dakota’s stomach churned as he rode the elevator up to Gavin’s condo.

After his chat with Violet, he’d gotten a somewhat odd message from Gavin, saying he could come over whenever he wanted, and to use the key to let himself in. It had been strangely terse, not friendly and flirty the way the rest of their texts had been lately.

Since Violet knew about him and Gavin anyway, Dakota had asked Violet and Jeff to drop him off at Gavin’s place before returning to Quincy with the kids. There had been a leaden weight in Dakota’s stomach the whole time and the closer they’d gotten to his condo, the more sure Dakota became that he had to end their hookups.

Violet was right. It was ridiculous for them to keep this up. He’d already screwed up his life once over a guy. Why would he do it again ?

Now, in the elevator, Dakota kept repeating that to himself over and over, trying to drill it into his stupid brain. Arriving on Gavin’s floor, he sent him a message letting him know he was nearly there.

Gavin hadn’t answered the message by the time Dakota fitted the key in the lock, so he called out his name as he stepped into the condo.

“In here!” Gavin called, sounding out of breath.

“I don’t know where ‘here’ is,” Dakota called back.

“Workout room.”

Dakota walked down the hall toward the primary bedroom. But rather than turn right, he turned left.

Gavin was jogging on the treadmill, red-faced and dripping sweat. “Almost done,” he said, pushing the touchscreen and allowing it to slow. “Just need to do a quick cool down.”

Dakota frowned, perching on the weight bench nearby. “It’s fine. Actually, um, I think we should talk.”

Gavin glanced over at him, lifting the hem of his muscle shirt to wipe at his brow. “About what?” He still sounded out of breath.

Damn, Gavin was pushing himself today. Dakota couldn’t deny how good he looked though, damp clothing clinging to his muscular body. “Uhh. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Gavin was the one to frown now. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seem like you’re going really hard,” Dakota pointed out.

Gavin lowered his speed again. “No, I’m fine. Just a little sweaty. Hope you don’t mind.” He winked, but something about it seemed … off.

Dakota smiled tightly, not knowing what else to say.

But despite the prickling unease in the back of Dakota’s mind, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Gavin. Couldn’t stop his gaze from lingering on the width of Gavin’s biceps and the solid curve of his ass and strong thighs.

Gavin finished his workout a few moments later, pulling off his shirt as he stepped off the treadmill. Dakota’s breath caught at the sight of his sharply defined muscles, glistening with sweat. He was … he was going to miss this.

Miss Gavin.

Because Dakota could tell himself all he wanted it was casual, but the truth was, he was starting to care about him. No, it wasn’t love. They’d only been doing this for a few weeks, but he did care about Gavin and his relationship with his brother and his family and if that wasn’t a sign Dakota was getting in over his head, he didn’t know what was.

Dakota rose to his feet, trying to summon up the courage to tell Gavin that Violet knew about them, but the look in Gavin’s eyes made him freeze. It was heated and hungry, filled with need, and Gavin stalked toward him, his gaze roving over Dakota’s body.

“Fuck, I want you,” he rasped as he slid his arms around Dakota’s waist. Dakota opened his mouth to protest but Gavin slanted his mouth over Dakota’s. He kissed Dakota deeply, sliding his tongue past Dakota’s lips in a heated twine that left him dizzy and wanting more.

Dakota’s nose filled with the scent of clean sweat and man and … fuck , Gavin’s dick was already hardening against his hip. Dakota clutched at his shoulders, head whirling. He was getting hard too, torn between what he wanted and what he knew was right.

The problem was, he could never think clearly when Gavin was around. He hadn’t been able to since the beginning. He’d let himself get distracted by Gavin’s considerable appeal, letting lust take over and ignoring his common sense.

“Gavin …” he said with a gasp, meaning to push him away but his head felt dizzy with need, affected by Gavin’s touch already. Gavin pulled him closer, rocking their hips together, sending blazing sparks across his skin.

“I took something earlier to make me hard and God, I want to bend you over that bench so bad.” Gavin pressed hot, needy kisses down his neck, biting at him. “Want to work you open and fuck you until you can’t take another?—”

“Shit, slow down, Gavin,” Dakota said breathlessly, pressing his hand to Gavin’s chest. Gavin’s heart raced against his palm and he wondered exactly what he’d taken. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Working out gets me fired up,” Gavin mumbled against his skin. “Makes me want to fuck.”

He cupped Dakota’s ass and squeezed, kneading at the muscle, his touch eager and demanding.

Unease skittered over Dakota. Something still seemed off . And it wasn’t the fact that they shouldn’t be doing this at all. It wasn’t the fact that Dakota had come here to end things.

Gavin nipped at Dakota’s neck again, scraping his teeth across his skin and making him shudder.

And this was why, because his head got clouded and he let himself get distracted from what he actually wanted. Gavin somehow managed to push all of his buttons at once, leaving him confused and wanting more.

“Gavin, I think …”

His words dissolved into a moan as Gavin got his hands under his leggings and tried to push them down.

“Yeah. I’m gonna bend you over and open you up with my tongue before I?—”

“Stop it,” Dakota snapped, pushing him away, the dirty talk hitting like a bucket of cold water and clearing the haze in his head. “What the fuck? You need to chill with the big dick energy, dude.”

Gavin scowled, crossing his arms. “God, I get your ex did a number on you, but I’m not him , Dakota.”

“Well, you’re kinda acting like it,” Dakota shot back. “And I told you, we need to talk.”

“And now you sound like Rory,” Gavin sneered.

“Look, I seriously don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Dakota fired back, “but I’m not your ex. And I thought we were upfront about what this was, but I think you’re starting to forget.”

Gavin froze, pressing a hand to his chest, his face going pale. “What the fuck?” he whispered.

“Gavin?” Dakota said, taking his elbow, concerned, but for a very different reason now. “What’s wrong?”

“My—my chest. It feels all weird. Like my heart is racing.” He glanced at his smart watch for a moment, frowning at the display. “Yeah, look at this. This is way faster than it should be.”

Dakota squinted at the upside-down screen. He didn’t know what Gavin’s baseline was, and yeah, they had been making out and then arguing, but that did seem really high, even if he factored those in.

“It does seem like it should have come down more by now,” Dakota agreed. “Even if we were, uh, doing other things to get it up.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gavin frowned. “But what’s even weirder is that it felt like it skipped or something.”

“Well, that’s not uncommon. Especially with younger athletes, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not exactly young,” Gavin snapped.

“Okay, fair enough. But it’s possible you’re a little dehydrated or something,” Dakota offered. “That can also trigger heart irregularities.”

“Yeah.” Gavin sat on the weight bench, still a little pale-looking, his skin clammy. “Maybe.”

There was a mini fridge nearby so Dakota opened it and found electrolyte replacement drinks inside. He handed one to Gavin, who took it and cracked it open.

After Gavin had swigged down a couple of large gulps, he set it aside.

Dakota reached out and took his arm, pressing two fingers to the inside of his wrist. “Look, I only have basic level first aid certification,” he said slowly. “But let me check your pulse manually. Even the best fitness trackers aren’t completely accurate.”

He pulled out his phone, pulling up his clock app and counting as he watched the seconds tick away. “It’s definitely fast,” he agreed when the minute was up. “Probably faster than it should be for someone who’s as fit and active as you are. But I didn’t feel it skip?—”

He broke off because he could feel it suddenly, an odd stutter-step in Gavin’s pulse.

“You felt that, right?” Gavin rasped, his palm pressed against his chest once again.

“Yeah, I did,” Dakota said slowly. “What exactly did you take? Is there any chance it’s messing with your heart?”

“Uhh.” Gavin suddenly looked uneasy as he glanced down at his lap. “I took a Viagra. I—I’ve taken it in the past without any issues though.”

“When we’ve been together previously?” Dakota asked.

“No! Not since … not since Rory,” Gavin admitted.

“Well, it can sometimes be an issue for people with high blood pressure,” Dakota said slowly. “Do you—do you have a family history of heart problems?”

“My grandfather died of a massive heart attack,” Gavin said, glancing up at him. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve tried to stay so active since I quit hockey.”

Dakota nodded. “Well, you’re not having any symptoms of a heart attack, right? No shooting pains or tightness or?—”

But Gavin looked up at him, eyes filled with worry. “No, but—but Thad told me today our father had heart problems last year. I don’t know what kind. What if …”

There was another odd flutter beneath Dakota’s fingertips and he heard Gavin’s sharp indrawn breath.

“Gavin,” Dakota said slowly. “I think we better get you to a hospital.”