Page 14 of Meet Me in a Mile

Fourteen

Luke

T he weight of rejection worsened like a bad breakup. That’s what Luke had discovered in the week since he’d failed to provide a business plan good enough to secure the funding for his gym. It hit him hardest in the quiet hours, right before getting out of bed, and all he wanted to do was drag the covers over his head and wallow. The only reason he was even moving right now was because it was time for one of his long weekend runs with Lydia. And if anything was going to get him out of bed, it was her. Not because he particularly felt like running this morning, but because he’d promised to get her across that finish line.

Luke’s heart skipped at the thought. Nope, don’t go twisting things. Don’t go assigning meaning where there is none. Lydia had made it clear that reescalating things between them had been a slipup—a mistake, she’d called it. Which it was, because here he was starting to catch actual feelings when clearly Lydia wasn’t. But what if? his mind kept whispering. Luke rubbed his hand down his face. He didn’t have the energy to sort through those complicated thoughts, especially not when he was still so full of wretched disappointment over his business plan. Keep it professional , he told himself as he rolled out of bed to brush his teeth and throw on some shorts before heading out the door.

Yesterday, he’d sent Lydia a text telling her to meet him at Central Park. It was only a fifteen-minute walk from his place, so Luke opted not to take the train.

Luke arrived first and found a bench, then reviewed Lydia’s training plan on his phone while he waited. Today was a big milestone—thirteen point one miles, to be exact. That was a half-marathon, which meant they’d reached the midpoint of her training. His plan was for them to run along the paved drive that circled the park. At six point one miles it was the longest loop, which meant they only needed to complete a little over two laps. That was going to be his selling point for this morning when Lydia inevitably wrinkled her nose at him. He spotted her strawberry blond ponytail swinging behind her from down the street.

“Morning,” he called as she approached. “Happy half-marathon day.”

“What?” She met his eye, curiosity flashing across her features.

“After today, you will have officially run a half-marathon.”

“Thirteen point one miles?” She smiled but it didn’t split her face the way he expected it to when she realized she was halfway to her goal. In fact, she looked sort of defeated. She’d been that way all week.

“You feeling okay?” he asked.

“Never better.”

That was clearly a lie. She followed him through a quick warm-up routine, and though she performed the actions, her mind seemed to be elsewhere, her gaze getting lost in the distance. As they started running, Luke could tell she wasn’t paying attention to her breathing or her stride, and she quickly fell out of step, with a cramp beneath her ribs.

“You want to tell me what’s up?” he asked as she bent over, clutching her knees.

Lydia moved to the edge of the path and flopped down on the grass, her arms thrown over her eyes to shield them from the sun. “I’m too bummed out to run. My head’s not in it.”

He sat down beside her, nudging her with his elbow. Compared to her usual complaints about the number of burpees in her training plan, this one he could actually sympathize with. “Rough week?”

She snorted, lowering her arms so she could look at him. “I got my proposal for the youth center back.”

“I had no idea. You never mentioned it.”

She picked at a blade of grass and tore it into tiny pieces. “Because they tossed it on my desk with a red line through it, which means thanks but no thanks.” Lydia scattered the tiny, shredded pieces of grass. “There wasn’t even one word of feedback. There never is. How am I possibly supposed to get better or know what to change?”

“I’m sorry, Lydia.” Luke felt horrible. He’d been the one to encourage her to hand the project in to the team. “I sort of feel like I pushed you to submit it with my stupid running metaphor.” Maybe she hadn’t been ready. He’d been trying to be supportive, but had he failed at this too? Had he screwed up his business plan and her proposal?

She sat up so suddenly that he almost fell over as she turned to him. “No, God. This is not on you. Please don’t think that. You were right. I was ready to submit it, I just... I found out that the entire leadership team is gunning for partner at my firm. So the assumption is that they’re rejecting everyone else’s proposals so that only theirs end up on the boss’s desk.”

Oh. He studied the pink in her cheeks and the way her nostrils flared. She was filled with frustration, and rightly so. “That’s a slap in the face.”

“It was,” she agreed.

“If it makes you feel any better, my business plan was rejected by the bank. Actually, it didn’t even make it to the point of rejection. It was so bad, it never even got submitted. So no gym for me.”

Lydia pouted, which drew his attention to her lips, and he realized for the first time how close they were. “Luke,” she said sadly, offering condolences on the death of his dream. “Why didn’t you say something before today?”

Luke shrugged. “For the same reason you didn’t.”

“When I texted you and asked how your appointment went, you didn’t say anything, so I figured you were still waiting to hear back! If I’d known it went so poorly, I would have said something before now!”

“Hey, I brought this up to make you feel better, not to get your sympathy.”

“Why would that make me feel better?”

He shrugged. “It’s a my-misfortune-is-worse-than-yours kind of thing.”

“I really wanted you to open your gym.”

“I wanted your proposal to do well.” He sighed heavily as she plucked another blade of grass and tossed it onto the path. Now they were both sitting here, miserable. That wouldn’t do. They were supposed to be training. And training was supposed to be fun and invigorating and inspiring. He climbed to his feet, reaching for her hand. “Come on.”

She threw her head back. “I don’t want to run.”

“We’re not running.”

“We’re not?” she said, immediately sounding suspicious.

“No. I’m gonna make brunch and we’re going to eat our feelings.” After that they could worry about being inspiring and getting the miles down.

That earned him a genuine smile, and Luke’s heart flip-flopped in his chest. Had she felt the sudden heat? The sparks as their hands connected? He was trying to be a good friend, dammit. He didn’t need these pesky feelings getting in the way. He would just bury them under eggs and bacon and stacks of pancakes until there was no room left for disappointment or these confusing tugs at his heartstrings.

By the time they got back to his apartment, Lydia was deep into her explanation of the inner workings of Poletti Architectural Studios.

“I never knew architects had this much drama going on.”

“That’s the problem!” Lydia said as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “Neither did I. And now I sort of feel like an idiot for spending so much time on this project. Plus, you took time out to show me around the youth center and introduce me to the kids!”

“I liked showing you around,” he said, taking eggs and bacon out of the fridge. “How do you feel about mushrooms?”

“Mushrooms are good. I just feel like the leadership team should have tempered our expectations. That’s all. And Jack...” She trailed off.

Lydia took a deep breath, like she was preparing to unleash fire.

“ Okay , I get it.” Luke recognized that look. “Jack is the villain in this story.”

“He’s not the villain,” Lydia said, though she sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that. “I just don’t know how I feel about him right now. I thought we were becoming friends.” She scoffed, her cheeks pinking a bit. “I actually thought he liked my work.”

Oh. The pieces suddenly fell together for Luke. Jack wasn’t the villain. He was her crush. This was the man who had started everything. Who had been the reason Lydia walked into his gym, looking for a trainer. Luke didn’t know what to think. He didn’t even know what to say to that. A strange coiling tension gripped his heart. Was this jealousy? Was he jealous of this faceless man who’d disappointed Lydia? That was ridiculous.

She waved her hands. “Whatever. We don’t have to talk about Jack.”

Good , Luke’s thoughts roared. “At least you have somewhere to direct your rage. I have no one to blame but my own foolishness.”

“Chasing your dream isn’t foolish,” she said.

“Tell that to my bank.” He dug through his frying pans for one that had a lid.

“I’ll march down there and demand they give you heaps of money.”

“Heaps?” He laughed as he stood up, setting a pan on the counter. “ Heaps is good. Heaps should have been in my business plan from the beginning.”

Lydia swatted his arm playfully. “At least you can take another shot at the business plan.”

“I don’t know if I’m cut out to own a business.”

“Don’t say that,” Lydia said. “You have to try again. One of us needs to succeed, and I’ve lost out on my chance.”

Luke snorted. “So all our hopes and dreams rest on me?”

“Exactly. Figure out a better business model and give it another shot. What’s that they say? Aim for the moon and land among the stars.”

“Maybe,” Luke said, wondering if he truly had it in him to try again. How could he not, when she was looking at him like that, her green eyes all wide and sincere? But... “Today I sort of just want to be grumpy.”

“That’s fine. We can be grumpy and disappointed together.”

“That’s what we are. A couple of regular old failures having brunch.”

Lydia bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing, and he watched the way it slowly slid between her teeth.

Suddenly she was leaning toward him, and Luke froze. “Lydia,” he warned. “We shouldn’t.” Lydia knew it was wrong because he was her trainer, because they’d agreed to these professional boundaries, but for him it was so much worse. The emotional lines were getting blurry. These feelings he was having... They were starting to get dangerously tangled.

“Aren’t you sick of being told what you can’t have?”

“This isn’t why I invited you back.” He wanted to make that clear before this went any further. He’d genuinely just intended to feed her and let her vent and then figure out when to reschedule the long run. But the waters were getting muddy. Was he Trainer Luke right now or just regular Luke? And who was she? His mind flashed back to the morning in the warehouse, to her palm drifting down his chest, to the warmth of her... His body responded to the memory.

“But we’re so sad,” she said, stepping closer. She stretched up on her toes and closed the distance, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “And endorphins are good.”

“They are good,” Luke agreed, standing perfectly still.

“Plus, we should probably do some sort of physical activity today.”

“Wouldn’t want to ruin your training schedule,” Luke said.

She blinked up at him, her dark lashes fluttering over those teasing green eyes. “So what are you waiting for?”

He let himself reach for her. The moment his hands wrapped around her waist, warring thoughts exploded to life in his mind, but the loudest of them called for him to hold her tighter. Pull her closer. So he did. He lowered his head, catching her lips, and something desperate surged through him. A fire that wanted to be stoked. She gasped against his mouth, humming at his eagerness. The kiss broke with a smacking sound.

Lydia’s eyes were glassy when she finally opened them, her one hand locked around the edge of the counter, her other hand clinging to him for support. Luke understood what they were doing. This was just some mutual care and comfort between friends—something they both needed after this past week. Right now he didn’t care if that’s all it was, because she was right. He was sick of being told no, of being rejected. He wanted someone to want him. And in this moment, she did. She wanted him like he wanted her, so he held her and enjoyed the heat of her body as he pressed her up against the counter.

“You should put the food back in the fridge,” she husked, her head thrown back so his lips could explore her jaw and dance across her neck.

“We can eat first if you want.” He felt kind of bad now. He had promised her food.

Lydia shook her head. “I don’t want to do the things we’re about to do on a full stomach.”

“It might be good to have some energy.”

“We’ll stop for snacks in between. Moderate in protein. High in complex carbs.”

Luke chuckled, tugging the elastic from her hair so he could sink his hand into it. “With talk like that you’re just trying to rile me up.” He lifted her into his arms.

She yelped, then giggled, her arms tightening around him as he carried her down the hall to the bedroom. She ground her pelvis against him and Luke almost ran them into the door, forcing him to put her down. He hadn’t bothered to make his bed before leaving this morning, and he might have been embarrassed now if it weren’t for how quickly Lydia was stripping out of her clothes. Any other time he’d want to undress her slowly, to savor the moment, but he didn’t have the patience for that now. His cock was straining inside his shorts, and he needed to relieve some of the aching pressure.

He pulled his shirt over his head before eagerly helping Lydia guide her shorts down her legs. He let his hands roam from her calves up to her thighs as he stood back up, enjoying the never-ending expanse of skin. Her hands darted out to his chest, exploring as his muscles flexed beneath her delicate fingers.

“Do you want me to keep going?” she asked before letting her hands drop lower.

“God, yes ,” he hissed as he shoved his shorts down his hips. Lydia’s hand wrapped around his exposed cock, and she stroked him slowly from base to tip. He threw his head back and groaned at how good she made him feel.

When he twitched in her hand, he leaned down to kiss her, nudging her gently with his hips until she’d butted up against the edge of the bed. Instead of laying her down, he kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck, tonguing at the hollow that met her sternum. He let his lips ghost between the valley of her breasts and across the softness of her belly as he got on his knees, pressing a kiss to her hip bone. His hands smoothed over her flesh as he guided them up and down her legs, squeezing her thighs gently.

Lydia’s hand fell to the top of his head, her fingers weaving into his hair, attempting to guide his lips to where she wanted him most. She squirmed, her legs trembling as he nibbled his way along her inner thigh. Her fingers tightened in his hair, and he smirked against her skin. “Did you want something?”

“Don’t make me beg.”

“I would never.” He squeezed her ass and she jerked against him, desperately looking for friction as his tongue darted out to lap at her folds.

“Oh... Oh, yes ,” she said as he found her clit. She released his hair, both hands falling to the bed as she sank down, looking for support.

Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to the very edge of the bed, giving himself room to drive her wild.

Lydia’s hips jumped as his lips and tongue danced around her clit, and her moans became a frantic, unending string of profanities as she ground herself against his face. He glanced up as he continued to lap at her, stroking that tiny bud into oblivion. Maybe it was the pressure or the rhythm or the fact that she looked down just in time to catch his eye, but she snapped her head back with a shuddering cry as she trembled through her orgasm.

When it was finished, she fell back against the bed, her breasts rising and falling like twin peaks as she caught her breath. Luke climbed to his feet, retrieving a condom from the drawer next to his bed before joining her. Lydia turned to look at him, her face a mask of contentment and bliss.

“More fun than running thirteen miles?” he asked, enjoying the way the sunlight spilled across her skin.

“Much more enjoyable.” She sat up on her elbows, eyeing his erection. “What are you waiting for?”

“Just wanted to give you a second to recover. I know that was probably pretty mind-blowing.”

Lydia smirked, rolling their bodies until she was sitting on his hips. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’ve been working out a lot lately, so I’m a lean, mean endurance machine.”

“Oh, really?”

Lydia bent forward, one hand on his chest, the other reaching between their bodies to guide him to her entrance. He groaned when she sank down on his length. “I could probably do this all day.”

He chuckled, catching her hips before she could go any further. “Let me just set some reasonable expectations here.”

Lydia laughed and that sound surged through him. These feelings he was developing...it couldn’t just be him, right? They should have waited until they were no longer working together, but if Luke stripped all that away, the fact was that Lydia was here, with him. She’d chosen to confide in him, and that had to mean something .

What about Jack? his thoughts whispered. He reached up, letting his fingers tangle in strands of her hair. Jack was old news. He was the crush who’d disappointed her. But this, what was happening between him and Lydia, felt real.

And if Jack wasn’t old news? If Lydia didn’t feel the way he did? He’d end up getting hurt if they carried on like this. He couldn’t let this happen again while they were still working together, he shouldn’t, but he also had no clue how to stop.

“Don’t worry,” Lydia was whispering in his ear. “I’ll let you break for snacks and water so you don’t embarrass yourself.”

He waited for her to lean down and kiss him. “That’s all I ask.”