by Megan Slayer
“Nice,” Kevin said. “Do you have to help with it? Man a table or something?”
“I’ve been asked to run it and wear a shirt with the paper’s logo on it,” Shaun said. “I planned to run it anyway.”
“Good. Those are fun.”
He hesitated. “Are you going to do it?”
“The race?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s past the time to sign up or I would. I wanted to make sure we didn’t have a game that day and I forgot to register.”
“Are you serious? Do you really want to run it?” Shaun asked.
“I do, and I’d like to run it with you.”
“I can get you signed up.” He’d pull strings with Remy and have it done by the end of the day.
“Thanks. That’d be awesome,” Kevin said. “I appreciate it. We need to get to practicing or we’ll be rusty—I will anyway. I haven’t gone for a run in five days.”
“Run with you? Oh darn. Gotta spend time together and run.” Shaun laughed. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me, too,” Kevin said. “I should go. It’s getting crazy here again and Nedra just waved at me. The team is losing, and when they’re not playing so well, we tend to sell more food.”
Shaun leaned back in his seat and propped his feet on his desk. “Ah, the fans. I never got a chance to ask about your work. Bad Shaun. I hope it evens out and you get to have another break.”
“Me, too.” Kevin laughed and the line crackled. “Will you be available to run tomorrow? Like maybe you could take a break around ten-ish in the morning?”
He probably could take time off. He didn’t need to spend every second at the office and getting out would be a great excuse to go to the shelter afterward. “I’m available.”
“Good. I can meet you at the office.”
“I’d like that.” He crossed his ankles. “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
“In those shorty shorts,” Kevin said. “I’ll bet you’re hot in yours.”
“I’ll bet you are, too.”
“I try.”
Kevin was opening up, and just thinking about that made Shaun smile. He liked Kevin’s growing ease. “Text me when you’re done.”
“I will.” Kevin sighed. “I don’t know if you feel it, but I like where we’re at. It’s a good place.”
“It is.” He’d never been this happy before. “You’re a great guy and I got lucky.”
“You’re silly, but you’re a great guy, too,” Kevin said. “Shit. Gotta go. I’m being paged. Talk to you later.”
“You bet.” He hung up and thought about Remy’s question. Was he happy in Cedarwood?
Very, and things would only get better.
* * * *
Kevin woke Tuesday morning with his muscles still tense from the night before. Damn. He wished the tension in his body was from good sex, but no. Work sucked and he was still carrying the stress. He’d forgotten to text Shaun, which annoyed him, and he’d had to work the beer counter…again. Either the ballclub needed to hire more concessions staff, or something. He needed more personnel, because his people were stretched too thin and it was only two-thirds of the way through the season.
He needed help.
Sex wouldn’t be bad, either.
He rubbed his forehead, then swatted the bed for Leo. The cat had curled up beside him—good for stress reduction, since he could pet Leo, but bad for having someone sleep over. Leo didn’t like to share the bed.
He checked the clock as he petted Leo. At this rate, he had enough time to get himself hydrated and dressed before he’d told Shaun they’d meet up. If he didn’t get moving, he’d end up being late. He poured a glass of water, and while he checked the messages on his work phone, he hydrated. His new personal phone would be in later that afternoon, but he’d have to wait until the ballgame concluded before he could pick it up.
Excitement filled his brain. He couldn’t wait to see Shaun and run off some of his blossoming energy. That said, he should eat something or he’d run out of steam halfway through the run.
He grabbed a granola bar and plopped a scoop of Leo’s dry food into his dish. Afterward, he read through his emails while he continued to drink his water. He couldn’t recall being this happy and relaxed…ever. Unlike most men he knew, Shaun didn’t need to be impressed—he liked Kevin, despite his awkwardness. Plus, they had things in common. The date, running, loving too much and too fast… He’d found a real partner in Shaun and they hadn’t been a couple that long.
He paced the length of the living room and finished his granola bar. The protein should be coursing through his body by the time he headed out for the run.
His phone buzzed with a new email. He checked the sender’s name.
Kyle.
Damn it.
Leo skittered across the floor and hopped onto the cat tree. He settled at the top and peered at Kevin.
“Sorry.” Kevin opened the email. It could be something for work, but he rather doubted it.
K,
Heard you and Mr. Fallows are an item. You must really like him. Hope it works out.
K
Kevin frowned. The tone of the email was so unlike Kyle. He’d never been this positive. Sure, he could be turning over a new leaf, but Kyle liked his ways. He wondered what Kyle meant or if he’d even written it. He closed the email and shook his head. For all he knew, Kyle was just trying to psych him out.
He deleted the message and vowed not to let Kyle annoy him. This was the time to move forward.
He retrieved the muscle tape from the drawer. Once he cut pieces of the tape to affix to his calf muscles, he smoothed everything into place. The tension on his calf helped during the run to keep his muscle from getting too sore and kept the blood flowing better. He donned his running shoes, then grabbed his work phone, keys and wallet. With Shaun coming along, he didn’t need to carry his ID and could keep that and his phone in the car.
Kevin petted Leo’s head. “I’ll be back later, then I have to work. Don’t get angry with me. Either I work and provide kitty food or I don’t and you go hungry.”
Leo batted at him, then curled up on the cat tree.
“Whatever, brat.” Kevin locked up and headed downstairs to his vehicle. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He gazed across the lot and swore he saw Kyle’s car, but that couldn’t be. Kyle should be at work.
He ignored the strange car and slid behind the wheel of his own, then left the lot to head over to the newspaper offices. He listened to the radio. The pop music station wasn’t his thing, but the songs buoyed his mood. His excitement increased. He couldn’t wait to get running. He loved the fresh air in his lungs, the burn in his muscles and the feel of the asphalt and dirt under his feet. Running felt like he was making progress.
He parked next to Shaun in the newspaper lot and half expected to see Shaun stretched across his hood again. God, the vision of Shaun that way was so sexy and a great surprise. He replayed the memory of it over and over. Everyone wanted to know who’d been waiting for him. Nedra teased him, saying she was both jealous and thrilled for him.
Kevin entered the newspaper offices and strode up to Cara’s desk in the foyer. She waved.
“Hi. I’m waiting on Shaun Fallows,” he said. “I don’t have an appointment.”
“I’ll bet not—you’re dressed for a workout, not a business meeting.” She tapped her tablet. “He’s on his way. I hear you’re his new squeeze.”
“I am.” He liked the way that sounded.
“You know, when he started here, I hoped he was straight. I mean, he’s cute.” Her eyes flashed. “Since he’s not and you’re just as cute, I’m glad he’s with you.”
“Thanks.” He hadn’t talked to Cara much, but he’d seen her around town and at the stadium a few times. She seemed nice enough.
“He should be right up.” She folded her hands. “Think the team will get themselves back on track and start a winning streak? I thought they had
a shot at the playoffs, but at this rate, they’ll be lucky to finish at .500.”
“They might.” He wasn’t good at discussing the team because he didn’t pay any attention. He simply looked at the score. If they were winning, he wasn’t terribly busy. If they were losing, then all hell broke loose at the concession stands. “They’re trying.”
“I hope so.” She sighed. “We need something to cheer about in this town. It’s so boring these days. Nothing’s happening.”
“I heard the Baker brothers are getting a street fair organized in conjunction with the 5k race. The ballclub is considering doing a satellite shop in town during the race and if there’s a festival.” He kept expecting a nudge to find a way to sell food at the presumed festivities. He knew nothing about food trucks and thought the town should showcase the restaurants before the stadium concessions.
“Now that’s a good idea. People forget they can get merch for the team,” she said. “We should have merch for the paper. Even if it’s just stuff to give away.”
“Tell your boss.” Her idea wasn’t bad, but might cost more money than Remy would want to pay. “I hear the paper is a sponsor of the race, so the name will be on those shirts.”
“You’re right.” She grinned. “But I’m going to tell Mr. Nicholas. Who knows, we might have other shirts or something we can use for promotion.” She nodded. “Here comes Shaun.”
Shaun strolled down the corridor and his smile widened as he opened his arms. “Hi.” He’d dressed in mid-thigh length shorts and a loose T-shirt.
“Hi.” He hugged Shaun, not caring who saw them together. “Ready?”
“Very. It’s been hectic this morning and I need a break.” He kept his arm around Kevin, but spoke to Cara. “I told Remy I’ll be back just after lunch. See you.”
Kevin walked along with Shaun, not sure if he should tell Cara bye or not. “You’re allowed to be away for that long?” Kevin asked. “I’m impressed. If I go over my allotted time, someone hunts me down.”
“They might, but I’m not answering.” Shaun stopped outside at the bench in front of the building. “I need to stretch, to run and to not think about how the fucking advertisements were screwed up between my final approval and the paper printing.”
“Ouch.” Kevin ran through his battery of stretches. If Shaun wanted to talk, he’d listen, but he wouldn’t push him to divulge the details.
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if so much hadn’t gone haywire. The printer put page five in the lifestyle section twice, so that had to be re-run because, of course, we did the early edition run before it was checked. We started a longer run after it got caught, but I’ve had to scour the remaining pages to be sure they’re not messed up. I already scoured them and now I’ll end up doing it again. It’s maddening.”
“I bet.” He didn’t know there were multiple editions of the paper. “Is it finally sorted out?”
“For now.” Shaun double-knotted his shoes, then sat on the concrete. “It wouldn’t have been so bad, but I had to field phone calls from the baseball team reps.”
Kevin frowned. “Why?”
“We decided to do a special mini-paper that features the team. It’ll be at the stadium and free for everyone, but will include advertising for the services at the facility, spotlights on the team members and so forth. It was approved on our end and by the team, but I got static from their ad people. They seemed to think we’re overstepping.” He grabbed his toes as he stretched. “It’s not overstepping if it’s essentially free promo and eighty percent about the damn team.”
“The promo department is touchy,” Kevin said. “They get funny when I try to promote the food deals.” He finished his stretches. “I don’t know, but don’t let it bother you. They love static and to be a pain in the ass. It’s not personal.”
“But we’re helping them.”
“I know.” He bowed his head. Kyle ran the promo department with the team and probably wanted to piss Shaun off. “You’re dealing with a somewhat unreasonable person. That’s why he’s giving you trouble—that and it’s Kyle.”
Shaun sat up. “Really? He’s that petty?”
“Maybe more.” Kevin tucked his car key into his zipped pocket and ensured he’d locked his vehicle. “I’m ready when you are. I forgot to bring my tunes, so I’m ready.”
“I’m ready.” Shaun stood. “And I’m tired of thinking about the paper. I need to get this frustration out.”
“We could have sex,” Kevin said. The words tumbled out before he could stop them, but he didn’t regret it.
Shaun stared at him. His smile returned. “I would love that, but we don’t have time.”
At least he hadn’t balked. “We’ll put it on the list.” He wouldn’t mind a good masturbation session or oral sex right now, even if he did want to run. All three would be a great stress relief.
“Let’s go before I change my mind and drag you into my office for a quickie.” Shaun swatted Kevin’s ass. “We’ll discuss the terms of my surrender to you when we’re done.”
“Surrender?”
“Yes.” Shaun inched closer. “The moment I give you my ass and let you do every naughty thing you want to do.”
Kevin shivered. He liked the sound of that. “Shaun.”
“I know. It’s the wrong time.” Shaun laughed. “Wednesday?”
“Yes.” Kevin allowed himself to breathe. “Ready?” He tapped his watch, setting the timepiece and GPS. “Let’s go.”
Shaun darted off first, leaving Kevin in the dust.
“Brat.” Kevin hurried to catch up to him, then fell into the steady cadence of Shaun’s steps. He wasn’t much of a talker when he ran. He preferred to focus on the run and how his body reacted. Chatting just got in the way.
“Do you have a distance you want to go?” Shaun asked. “I sort of have a course for five miles.”
“Good,” Kevin said and measured his breaths. “I’m following you.” He didn’t care where they ran as long as they got the miles in. He liked Shaun’s pace—not too fast, but steady. As they continued along, perspiration sprouted on his body and his shirt stuck to his chest. He wanted to strip his shirt off, but hesitated. Too soon?
Shaun grabbed the hem of his own shirt and wrangled the garment over his head. He tucked part of the shirt into the waistband of his shorts and continued on.
Kevin nearly swallowed his tongue. He’d thought Shaun was sexy with his clothes in place, but sans shirt? Holy hell. Kevin held back a couple steps to admire Shaun’s body. He spied a bit of ink on Shaun’s shoulder blade. “You have a tattoo.”
“I do.”
Kevin caught up to him. “Did it hurt?”
“Falling from heaven because I’m an angel?” Shaun asked and laughed. “I’ll tell you about my ink when we’re done. It’s not that exciting.”
Oh, he wouldn’t agree. He wanted to run his fingers over the tattoo and everywhere else on Shaun’s body.
Shaun held up his hand. “That’s two miles. If we turn back, we’ll have four. If we go twice around the square, that’ll add the extra mile.”
“Do it.” Kevin lost himself in the run, logging steps and fighting the urge to stare at Shaun. Nothing else mattered right now—just being with his man. He navigated around the town square twice, then kept up with Shaun as they ran back to the newspaper office. By the time they reached their destination, Kevin needed a water break. His muscles ached in a good way and he needed to catch his breath, but he’d loved every second of the run.
“You’re not too bad.” Shaun settled on the grass in front of the building and propped his feet on the back of the bench. “Gotta elevate.”
“Recuperation is good.” Kevin joined him on the ground and propped his legs on the bench. “I’m told we don’t have to do this. If we simply recline in the grass, we’re good.”
“I read that, too, but we always did this after cross country events, so it’s just part of my post-run activities.” Shaun tucked one arm behind his head and reste
d his free hand on Kevin’s belly. “But we used to do a lot of things back then that I wouldn’t do now.”
“Like?”
“Let stupid stuff bother me.” Shaun tipped his head and grinned. “Like eat an entire pizza by myself.” He shrugged. “Or let my dick run my life.”
“We’ve all done that at one time or another.” Kevin rested his hand on Shaun’s and sighed. “I’m coming to realize there’s no point in looking back unless you’re learning from it. You know?”
“I do.”
A shadow darkened over Kevin and he turned his attention to the invader. He shielded his eyes. “Remy?”
“Hi.” Remy knelt on the bench. “I see two runners prepping for the race. Good. We need stout runners to represent the paper.”
Shaun groaned. “I haven’t asked him about being a participant on behalf of the paper.”
Kevin propped himself up on his elbows. “Wait. What?”
“I’m supposed to ask you if you’d like to wear a Tribune shirt when you run.” Shaun covered his face with both arms. “It’s not required.”
“No, but I’d appreciate it if you would,” Remy said. “I’m pushing and I shouldn’t, but this would be a great time to promote the paper and show we’re involved in the community.”
Kevin sighed. Shaun had said he’d signed him up for the race, but he wasn’t sure if he could represent the paper. Kevin would probably be expected to wear something advertising the baseball team. Or, they might not care. “I’ll consider it.”
“That’s the best I can ask for. Thanks.” Remy left the bench. “You’re going to the shelter, right?”
“It’s next on the hit parade,” Shaun said. “After lunch.”
“Get a sandwich from the food truck and get moving.” Remy walked away, leaving Kevin alone with Shaun.
“I’m sorry. He’s determined and pushy sometimes.” Shaun planted his feet on the ground and sat up. “He’s been pestering me to ask you about the race.”
“It’s okay.” Kevin folded his legs up, then stretched his back. “It might be a problem if I wear any promotion for anything, but I’ll see.” He didn’t care what the team said. He wasn’t actually part of the ballclub—he worked in the food service department. If the race wasn’t sponsored by the team, then they didn’t have a say.