ADAM’S gym shoes slapped against the mechanical belt of his treadmill, his thoughts spinning and twisting nearly as fast as the gears powering the machine beneath him.
What the hell had he been thinking? Since when did he want to get his GED? Since never, that’s when. Especially not now. His training camp for the title defense fight that would determine his future in the UFC was only a few months away. He needed to focus on getting his body ready, not wasting precious hours studying for some damn piece of paper that didn’t mean shit to him or his career.
But he’d sensed the yearning in Bo. That paper meant something to him. Over the past week, Adam had learned enough about Bo to guess it wouldn’t be a simple task to offer him a gift. Even if the gift were as minimal as the cost and time it would take to study and prepare for the GED.
So he’d stretched the truth a bit and asked Bo to help him chase a dream that wasn’t his own. The way those brilliant green eyes had lit up when he finally agreed was all the payment Adam needed.
Plus, the endeavor might harbor a few additional benefits. It would give Adam some guaranteed time with Bo where they wouldn’t be acting as boss and employee. After their conversation that morning solidifying the impossibility of a physical relationship, he didn’t want to risk losing the chance at friendship.
If he couldn’t have Bo in his bed, he’d damn well make sure he could at least have him as a friend. There was something about the man. He drove Adam to distraction. Even now, with a runner’s high that usually kept his attention focused on pushing his physical limits, Adam couldn’t keep his mind on the task at hand.
All he could think about was Bo’s sweet smile and that spark of passion when he spoke about his sister and his dreams to finish his education. How hard had that been to lose his father at such a young age? And with a little sister to look after and support through the traumatic aftermath, no less.
Bo had been the only person standing between Lulu and the terrifying foster care system. And yet he’d been a kid himself, hadn’t he? Still in high school. Forced to give up his childhood to enter the workforce so he could take care of his sister. But when he talked about it all, there was nothing but love holding up his words.
He had the kindest soul and purest heart Adam had ever known. Bo was as courageous as he was brilliant and loving. Was it such a shock Adam wanted more than a business relationship with him?
“I thought Sundays were your day of rest.”
The tenor of Bo’s voice rose above the EDM track blaring over the gym speakers. Adam startled at the unexpected interruption but couldn’t stop his grin. He slammed the heel of his palm on the Stop button and hopped to the side rails as the belt jerked to a halt.
“You didn’t have to quit running. I’m sorry.” Bo stood inside the door to Adam’s home gym. He clutched a notebook, his eyes bugging behind his glasses. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
The irrational joy at seeing Bo should have worried Adam. They’d only left each other a few short hours before. But it didn’t. He was too old and too experienced to fight the inevitable. He’d settle for friendship because that was all they could have, but his feelings for Bo weren’t going away anytime soon. Plus, friends could have the total hots for each other as long as they didn’t act on it.
When Adam caught Bo’s eyes wandering over his shirtless torso and settling on the bulge at the front of his gym shorts, his grin spread even wider. At least he wasn’t suffering alone.
“You aren’t bothering me at all.” Adam snatched his towel off the handrail of the treadmill and ran it over his sweat-drenched chest. Bo licked his lips, swallowed, and darted his gaze away. Adam’s shoulders drew back on a ridiculous swell of pride. He worked damn hard to keep his body in shape and was used to others appreciating his physique as part of the public-image package. But there was something special about Bo’s reaction. Whether they could act on it or not, there was a comfort in knowing the attraction went both ways.
Adam threw the towel over his shoulder and sauntered over to where Bo stood frozen by the door. “Whatcha got there?”
When Bo blinked up at him with those big, beautiful eyes, Adam’s knees went weak. Had to be his age. Maybe he was getting too old for this shit.
But no, it was more than that. Bo’s lips tilted into a crooked smile, and Adam’s stomach dropped to share space with his wobbly knees. Yeah, it had to do with a lot more than his age.
Beauregard Wilkins would be the death of him far before age took its toll.
“I, ah, did some research on the GED.” Bo bit his lip as he held the notebook out for Adam to see. Scribbled notes covered the page in the big, looping penmanship Adam already associated with Bo. “They offer testing every other weekend. There are classes we could take if you want, or we could self-teach. They have loads of materials available. And if we go that route, it’s estimated we should be ready within a couple of months. As long as we spend a few evenings a week studying.”
A few evenings a week. Adam inwardly cringed but kept his face neutral. He still had a little over two months until training camp started. He could skip a couple two-a-days for Bo’s sake. He’d spend a few more hours on his evening workouts the rest of the week to make up for it. Totally doable.
“Let’s do it. Get us whatever we need, and we can start tomorrow.” Adam ran the towel over his damp neck. He tilted his chin when Bo bobbed his head in agreement but didn’t disappear as he’d expected. “Something else on your mind?”
Bo’s gaze snapped to Adam’s, and an adorable pink blushed his cheeks. “Ah, no.”
“You sure?” Adam scratched his thumb over an eyebrow. “You aren’t bothering me in the least. If you need or want something, I’m here. I can take a break or even call it for the night. No biggie.”
Bo worked his pursed lips side to side before dropping them into a pout. “Would it be okay if I maybe came in here every so often? I promise I won’t get under your feet while you’re using it, and I won’t shirk my duties—”
“Dude, of course.” Adam laughed. He’d love nothing more than to have Bo share this space with him. “You won’t be ‘under my feet.’ Why don’t you join me in the evenings? I hate working out alone. You’d be doing me a favor.”
The narrow-eyed skepticism pinching Bo’s face was downright adorable. He folded his arms over his notebook and plumped out one of those kissably delicious lips. “I haven’t been in a gym since junior year. I have no clue what I’m doing. Trust me, I’ll get in your way.”
A thrill raced up Adam’s spine. He loved a good challenge, and one of his favorite things to do before his fame had gotten in the way of his regular life had been to help others train. There was something satisfying about guiding someone through the routines his own body craved, especially when he got to stick around long enough to see the other person grow to love the activities as much as he did.
“Tell you what, how about we work out together? As in, I’ll spot you, you spot me, and I can teach you as we go. I kinda get off on training people. Probably has something to do with a subconscious boost to my ego or some shit, but you’ll be exactly opposite of getting in my way. Having a partner can be motivating. It’s also a whole helluva lot easier.”
Bo rocked on his heels and nibbled on his lip in much the same way Adam had imagined doing. Repeatedly.
“I’m a string bean, and you’re… well, you’re a beast.” Bo snorted out an awkward laugh. The pink in his cheeks turned crimson. “You could probably bench press me with one arm, all while I’m holding the heaviest weights I can manage to lift two-handed. I’ll hold you back.”
A challenge indeed. Adam pointed to a table near the door that held bottled water and a basket with clean, folded towels Bo himself kept laundered and stocked. “Leave your notebook there, and give me a chance to show you what I mean. I promise, if you’re ‘getting in the way,’ I’ll let you know.”
Bo didn’t look convinced, but he swallowed and did as Adam asked. He glanced at his jeans, T-shirt, and worn gym shoes, then knit his brow. “Should I change first?”
The temptation to suggest Bo strip to his underwear nearly won over Adam’s good senses. The mental image it produced had him shifting on his feet and sending down, boy vibes to his cock.
“We won’t do anything too exciting this go-round. I was getting close to wrapping for the evening, anyway. Next time, you can come prepared.”
“Okay.” Bo licked his lips. “So, ah, where do you want me?”
No amount of internal scolding could contain Adam’s response to those words. He turned his hips to hide the growing proof of his filthy-minded attraction and pretended his movement had been altruistic by pointing to the treadmill. “Since it’s your first time getting active in a while, let’s start with a warm-up walk.”
Bo scampered to the machine and hopped on. The excitement radiating off him was near-palpable. He stood on the belt and stared at the electronic console with a puzzled scrunch of his brow. “How the heck does this thing work?”
When Bo pressed the quick-start button before Adam could tell him not to, the belt jerked to life and he tumbled face-first into the cup holder. A bout of contagious laughter rolled through the room rather than the cry of pain Adam had feared.
After adjusting his shorts to camouflage his erection, Adam climbed onto the elliptical beside Bo. He walked him through setting up an easy warm-up routine, then swallowed a groan when Bo shot him a toothy grin and puffed out his chest.
This would be a challenge, all right. A challenge to keep his dick under control.
Tomorrow he’d wear a pair of compression shorts under his baggier pair. It wouldn’t solve all his problems, but at least it would help. Somewhat.
Bo shifted his walk to a swagger. He sashayed his hips and tossed a wink over his shoulder.
Fuck.
Or maybe it wouldn’t do shit.