Page 21 of Your Pace or Mine (Running for the Romance #1)
His thoughts drifted to the way Jamie had rolled his eyes at him yesterday, that little smirk tugging at his lips—it was ridiculous how much that expression stuck in Darius’s mind.
There was something about Jamie’s energy, his humour, even when he was angry, that made it impossible for Darius to look away.
Darius scrubbed his hands over his chest, the rhythm of the water a soothing counterpoint to his restless mind. Jamie was resilient, and he had this approach to life that Darius really admired, but he was clearly at least as bad at resting as Darius was.
Being around Jamie was mostly an exercise in self-control. He’d always thought he had it in spades, but somehow Jamie’s sharp tongue and magnetism had his hard-won resolve in a crumbly mess, leaving him liable to either snap back harshly or fall apart and bare his soul at any moment.
And earlier—that moment in the doorway, the softness of Jamie’s lips on his cheek.
That moment had sparked something deep in his chest, something warm and dangerous.
It wasn’t just attraction, though that was certainly part of it.
It was the way Jamie made him feel seen, like maybe he was more than his name .
Darius’s thoughts lingered on the curve of Jamie’s smile, the effortless grace in his movements, his legs in those damn neon shorts he was always wearing. The image was so vivid it made Darius’s breath hitch slightly, the heat in the shower suddenly feeling stifling.
He braced one hand against the cool tile, the other trailing absently over his stomach, his body responding as his thoughts grew more vivid.
He thought about Jamie’s hands, the curve of his neck, and the way his laughter could light up a room.
Darius bit his lip, his fingers skimming lower, as he imagined Jamie there with him.
His lips had been heaven on his cheek; what would they feel like on the rest of him?
He longed to trace those floral tattoos that covered his torso with his fingers, with his tongue.
It wasn’t exactly a revelation. Darius had been attracted to Jamie from the moment he saw him.
He wanted him, that much was obvious, and their interactions always felt charged.
He couldn’t read too much into Jamie’s actions, though.
They’d agreed to pretend to date, and that was all it was.
Darius couldn’t allow himself to let someone in any way, not now, not with so much on the line.
And no matter how much he liked Jamie, he didn’t know him. He couldn’t really trust him—could he?
He’d already trusted him with far more than he did most people. It had been a risk, revealing his sexuality, but it had felt easy with Jamie. Everything had. Letting him into his home, even trusting him to help him through this mess with Anders.
And fuck, he was stunning. The tension that had been coiling inside him came to a head, and with a soft groan, Darius let himself give in to the fantasy. If he couldn’t have Jamie for real, at least he could have this.
For the first time since they had started these sessions, Darius was last to arrive.
The group were huddled together for warmth, puffs of their breath visible in the brisk March air.
Jamie’s eyes caught his as soon as he rounded the corner, and Darius felt a lingering wave of lust creep over him. He was fucking beautiful.
“Darius, hi!” Chi waved when they spotted him.
Mark looked pointedly down at his watch, but Darius ignored him, offering no apology as he unlocked the gate and led them inside.
Jamie brushed up against him, earning a raised eyebrow from Adam that they both acknowledged with a short nod before Jamie wound his fingers through Darius’s.
And that was it, confirmation. Then it was time to train.
Claire bounced on her heels as Darius talked through the workout. They were finally going to give the much-anticipated Fartlek a go. Darius may or may not have said the name of the workout an extra few times just to watch Jamie have to repeatedly stifle his immature giggles.
As they went through their leg swings and stretches, Darius briefly outlined his recommendations for how they should manage the final few weeks of training before tapering.
Quietly, he added to Jamie, “How are you feeling today? Were you okay with taping your knee up on your own?”
“Yeah, I think I got it, looks okay, right?”
Darius glanced down at Jamie’s knee. The bright blue tape criss-crossed over his leg in the pattern Sebastien had demonstrated the day before.
“Looks good,” he agreed. “You should still take it easy, though, okay?”
The last thing Darius wanted was for Jamie’s injury to get worse. He understood now, what it would mean for Jamie’s career.
“Don’t worry about me, babe,” Jamie replied, placing a hand softly on Darius’s arm.
“Seriously, Jamie. I’m going to pick up the pace and get everyone going on the speed play, but you should keep a steady state for this session.”
Jamie looked disappointed, but he nodded his acquiescence as Darius waved everyone forward, starting their first interval.
They looped around the track, Darius setting the pace and the group following. Chat was sparse with the challenge of the speed training, and Darius kept his eyes trained on Jamie, whether watching carefully for any sign of pain or just in admiration, he couldn’t say.
After forty-five minutes, Darius brought the exercise to a close, leading the group in a stretch as Jamie completed his final lap. He joined them, face flushed from the chill and exertion and was greeted enthusiastically by Chi, Claire, and Adam. Even Mark offered him a slap on the back.
The cold was even more biting as they stood chatting, but they all seemed reluctant to disperse even after they’d donned their jackets and picked up their bags.
There was talk of coffee, but Darius didn’t want to intrude.
It was only when Claire explicitly asked if he’d join them that he realised they considered him part of this group now, too.
“I’ve got to pack up,” Darius replied. “I could meet you there?”
Claire nodded and agreed to text him the location when they found a spot.
“I’ll help you,” Jamie announced.
“I’m fine, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Jamie arched a brow at him.
Claire seemed to pick up on Jamie’s hint first. “Don’t rush on our account, boys.” She laughed as she ushered the others out the gate with whispers of giving Jamie and Darius some private time.
Suddenly, Darius was left alone with Jamie.
They made quick work of gathering the coloured cones Darius had used as markers for the intervals and packed them away in Darius’s bag.
As they walked together towards the exit, hands almost brushing, Darius felt acutely aware of every movement, of how if he shifted just a little to the left, he’d be touching Jamie.
“So,” Jamie started. “I had some ideas for getting our relationship out there.”
“Oh, of course.”
“I was thinking, if you’re up for it, we start small. Little hints worked with these guys, right?”
Darius found himself nodding along.
“And then, well, I did some research, and Anders is really involved with LGBTQ+ charities. So I thought, maybe, the centre I’m fundraising for would probably love the publicity, if that’s okay?”
“That sounds good.” It did. Nothing felt too daunting about any of those things.
Jamie shifted. “We should also probably talk about, erm, limits.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, is holding hands okay? Kissing?”
Darius nodded again. “Kissing is good.” His mouth went dry at the thought of kissing Jamie.
It felt like Darius was meant to do something, give him more of a response, but he just felt raw, exposed.
He turned to Jamie, and a cloud opened in the gloomy sky above.
Rain that they could both tell was about to become a downpour started to fall.
They darted under the awning of the clubhouse for shelter, pressing themselves up against the building. Darius fished in his jacket pocket for the keys, opening the door and ushering Jamie inside.
“I’m trying not to take that as an omen for our plan.”
Darius laughed. Something shifted between them as they stood dripping wet on the industrial blue carpet of the athletics club, and the rest of the world fell away.
Jamie strode purposefully towards him. Darius barely had enough time to register what was happening, his body moving on instinct and pure desire as he pulled Jamie into his arms, and then his senses were consumed by him.
Jamie’s lips were soft and cold from the wind outside, their movement against his insistent but not forceful.
Darius felt his hand twist in Jamie’s jacket completely of its own accord, pulling him closer still.
A soft noise escaped Jamie’s throat as his lips parted ever so slightly.
Then he was surging up, pressing himself flush against Darius so he could feel Jamie’s body heat chasing away the chill from outside as he deepened the kiss.
Jamie kissed like he did everything, with abandon.
It was all-consuming for Darius, and he found himself wondering if this was it.
If this was the feeling he’d really been chasing with every win.
He returned the kiss with enthusiasm, tongue clashing against Jamie’s with a fervour he’d never let loose before.
When they parted, Jamie looked wild-eyed and flushed, his lips slightly swollen and his breath heavy, loud in the silence of the deserted clubhouse.
Darius was both desperate and terrified to take things any further, knowing that with Jamie, it would mean something in a way that it never had before.
Knowing this was the wrong place and time.
Knowing that despite the hammering in his heart, it wasn’t real.
He hesitated, but it was Jamie who stepped back first. “Thought we should practice.”
“Of course,” Darius replied weakly. “Good practice.”
“We should go, the others are waiting,” Jamie whispered.
Darius tried not to read into the tremble in Jamie’s voice, uncertain as to whether it was from desire or something else entirely.
He nodded, though, and they peered outside.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and by silent agreement, they huddled close under the miniature umbrella Darius always carried with him as they walked towards the coffee shop Claire and the others were waiting at.
Taking each other’s hands, they pushed open the door.
The warmth of the shop and of Jamie’s hand in his tingled against Darius’s cold skin as he realised this counted as their first public outing as a couple.