“I’ll pick you up in an hour, yeah?” Josh cast Tyler a worried glance. “Sure you don’t want company?”

Tyler reminded himself to play it cool. If he got his way, he was gonna be Alec’s last appointment of the day for good reason. “I’ll text you. Might have a meeting after this.”

God bless him, Josh never asked. He just smirked at Tyler. “Mmhmm. Meeting. Get your ass out of here.”

Tyler waved and stumbled out of the car, making his slow way toward the front door of the physiotherapy clinic. He was determined to look better than he felt.

By the time he made it to the waiting room, Rosie had already pushed the button to swing the door open for him.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Tyler said. He winked to cover up the impulse to frown from the ache in his bones. “And good afternoon!”

“Hi again, Tyler. Water?”

Tyler shook his head. “I’m fine, thanks.” Before he could ease himself into a chair, she showed him to an examination room.

“All right. Alec will be in to see you in a couple minutes.” She wasn’t fussing, which he appreciated. He might have been busted up, but the last thing he needed was a reminder.

“Thanks, Rosie.” He flashed her his trademark smile, but she didn’t blush or giggle—just grinned back at him and closed the door on her way out.

Huh. Was she immune to the charming Ty grin? That was a new one. Tyler was used to getting his way with it.

Before he could read much into it, the door opened again and he glanced up, expecting to see Rosie.

It was Alec, looking breathtaking in a crisp, pressed shirt and billowing white jacket. That roguish half-smile was back as he nodded in greeting, and Tyler’s eyes couldn’t seem to find anything but those plump lips.

The sight wiped Ty’s brain of thoughts, clean as a fresh air filter. Still didn’t stop him saying the first thing that came out of his mouth. “I’m back. Uh. Obviously.” So much for filters. He flushed and clamped his mouth shut before he could say anything else dumb.

“Hi. Good to see you again,” Alec answered, his eyes twinkling. He was clearly being considerate by not commenting on Tyler’s sudden inability to form sentences.

“Hi,” Tyler answered, since he’d forgotten to say it before. Oh, God. This was going to be a hell of an hour if this was the way it was starting. “Unfortunately, I’m still a current patient. I aim to change that, though.”

“Let me guess. You want to recover and get back behind the wheel in three seconds,” Alec said, his lips quirking into a smile. “Sure haven’t heard that before.”

Tyler snorted. “Nah. Just aiming to avoid your, what is it… ethics clause.” The quizzical look Alec shot him made him add, “You might have lots of patients, but I don’t have a lot of patience.”

Alec finally cracked a grin, gesturing for him to sit on the table. “Oh, we’re picking up where we left off?”

“You bet. It was just getting good.” Tyler winced, then bit his lip to keep his face straight as he lay back on the table.

It was all he could do to keep all of him lying flat, especially when Alec started manipulating his joints. Only the sharp sparks and waves of pain that coursed through him, making his hair stand on end and breath catch in his chest, kept him from reacting more physically to the warm hands on his bare skin.

If Alec noticed the swell in Tyler’s pants, he didn’t comment. “You’re healing, but you want to avoid muscle atrophy in the meantime. We’ll start you with some gentle exercises. Those ribs are going to be the worst part. How are your abs?”

“Killing me,” Tyler admitted, grinning. “I won’t be on my hands and knees for a while.”

Alec murmured, almost too quietly to hear, “That’s a shame. Strictly sleeping on your back, hm?”

Tyler caught his breath. Was Alec finally flirting back? Please, please be flirting. It was too painful to watch a guy who was exactly his type keep his distance. Alec might just be one more trophy on Tyler’s mantel, but boy, would he be worth the effort to catch.

“Oho,” Tyler murmured, smirking. “I just need to find guys with rock-hard thighs and make them do all the work.”

“Core strength isn’t to be underestimated.” Alec was biting back a laugh as he gently moved Tyler’s arm up as far as he could go before Tyler started wincing.

Tyler hissed as white heat shot through his rib, making it hard to breathe in.

Alec quickly but steadily lowered his arm again. “Okay. That’s not ideal. You can’t reach up at all, hm?”

I can grab your ass instead of your head when we kiss. Tyler bit back the retort, but his gaze was fixed on Alec’s lips again. The chemistry between them was dizzying, and it was only getting worse the longer Alec touched him non-sexually.

The strictly professional touches were starting to drive him fucking crazy. It was way too easy to imagine those long, delicate fingers wrapping around his shoulders while Alec’s legs wrapped around his back, breathed whimpers becoming a soundtrack of pleasure.

Oh, God, what he wouldn’t give to heal faster. In this shape, he was gonna be stuck watching Alec ride him.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, he reminded himself quickly.

He wasn’t going to count his twinks before they hatched. But this twink would look great riding him, jerking himself off, head thrown back in pleasure.

Oops. He was getting hard now, unable to pull his thoughts away from those sexy mental images.

“Ty,” Alec tapped his shoulder, grinning at him. “I need you to focus, even if the painkillers are making everything fuzzy.”

“I’m not on any.”

Alec stared at him, clearly taken aback as those pretty lips opened and closed once. Then, he frowned. Even that disapproving expression was fucking hot. “Don’t tell me you’re going all macho on me.”

“No. But you wouldn’t let me hit on you when I was drugged up.” Tyler gave him a grin that might have been a bit more woozy than he intended from the dull ache coursing through his body.

The way Alec laughed was suddenly warm and rich, not professional and polite. Alec’s dimples appeared. God. Tyler desperately wanted to lean up, grab his lapels, haul him in for a kiss…

“I’m flattered,” Alec murmured.

Tyler’s stomach lurched, and he instinctively prepared himself for the speech: I’m flattered, but I’m taken. Or maybe I’m flattered, but I’m straight. Or I’m just not into your type.

But Alec didn’t say any of those things. Instead, hesitation written on his face, Alec paused. He gently rested a hand on Ty’s shoulder. “We shouldn’t do anything while you’re in a vulnerable position. While you’re in treatment.”

“It’s not like you’re my shrink, man.” Ty squinted, trying to catch Alec’s gaze. Suddenly, Alec seemed to look anywhere but him. “But yeah,” he added, not wanting to reel him in too fast and lose the catch. “I see your position. How about I take you for a drink? I could use the company.”

Alec looked surprised. “No strings attached?”

“Just a couple guys being buddies, swapping sports stories.” Tyler smirked. “If we happen to hit it off and fuck all night, it’s nothing to do with your workplace then.”

Pink crept from Alec’s neck up to his cheeks, and then he surprised Tyler by laughing and nodding. “Fine. As long as there’s no expectations.”

Tyler caught himself before he could say really? and give away his excitement. Instead, he grinned, his confidence carrying him through. “Great. Tonight work?” He carefully pushed himself upright, and Alec was there, helping him sit up again, his hands firm and warm and tempting.

I really gotta get laid. Preferably with him.

Tyler drew a quick breath, winced at the pain that instinctive reaction caused, then nodded his thanks.

“I’m free tonight,” Alec said, his tone cautious.

Tyler didn’t want to give him a chance to think harder about the decision. He gave Alec a trademark charming grin, and unlike Rosie, it seemed to work on him. Alec’s dimples reappeared. “Perfect. Seven? Here’s my card.” He dug it out of his wallet and handed it over.

Alec skimmed the card, then pocketed it and nodded. “I’ll text after work.”

“Can’t wait. I could really use a drink.” Tyler grinned.

He was on his best behavior for the rest of the appointment, listening to the exercises he was given, but his mind was six hours in the future.

Does this count as a date? Is this the first date I’ve had in years?

No, he reminded himself. Not a date. Just hanging out and trying to charm his way into Alec’s pants. He looked like he was worth the challenge.

And without a challenge, he was gonna go out of his mind.

* * *

“I can’t believe you.” Josh’s hand covered his face, but his shoulders were shaking with laughter. “Only you could score a date while bashed and bandaged up, looking like crap.”

Tyler pretended to be offended. “Looking like crap? Thanks, man.” His movements to unbuckle were slow and calculated. The ibuprofen didn’t do much for the ache throughout his whole torso. Overcompensating for his ribcage had taken its toll on his abs, as Alec had suspected. “That’s not what he thought, if he said yes.”

“You can’t even brush your hair!”

Tyler winked. “Good thing I don’t have much of it.” He raised a hand slightly and waved. “I’ll get a cab back, don’t worry about me.”

“I hope he’s worth it.” Josh grinned at him and pretended to slap his knee—his bad leg. Tyler instinctively flinched away before Josh snickered. “See? How are you even gonna—you know, I don’t want to know, actually.”

“Oh, I’ve thought it through. I have a plan. Wanna hear?”

“Keep it to yourself and get out of my car, you sex pest.” Josh pretended to shove Tyler out of the car.

Tyler laughed as he eased himself onto his feet, leaning heavily on the good leg. He did his best to look stable and pain-free. Last thing he needed was Josh cock-blocking him. “Fuck off, Mr. Green Eyes of Jealousy.”

Josh rolled his eyes and flipped him off. “Ain’t jealousy, just facts. Have fun.”

Tyler blew a kiss and limped away from the car, straight into the bar where he’d told Alec to meet him.

Despite his banter, there was a weird emotion running through him. The assortment of aches and pains that stabbed through him kept him from putting his finger on it until his hand slid on the cool metal of the door handle. His palms were damp.

I’m… nervous.

Okay, that was weird. Sure, he had the same adrenaline rush before a race as anyone else, but that quickly faded. He didn’t have the concentration to spare to being nervous in the middle of a race—even a few hours or hundreds of laps in.

And picking guys up was never a big deal. There was always another discreet, sexy guy in the wings. He carefully kept himself from showing off guys in front of any media, but afterparties were another story.

It wasn’t just fans—a surprising number of drivers were more flexible than they’d admit after a few drinks. Plus, every team had more than just the drivers. Between owners, pit crew, engineers, PR people, and everyone else involved in the industry, there was no shortage of guys out there, and a few of them were always willing to give him a second look.

Why get nervous about this one particular guy?

He strode in—or as close to striding as he could manage in his state, which was more of an undignified hobble.

“Over here.” That was Alec’s voice.

Tyler turned carefully and found Alec leaning out and waving at him from a corner booth of the bar. He was staying out of sight of the doorway. A private little spot. Perfect.

Alec nodded and headed over at a slow amble, pretending not to be in a rush even if he couldn’t have possibly gone faster.

“Jesus. You’re in a state.” Alec’s brows were pinched with concern. “I shouldn’t have made you come out…”

Ty winked. “You ain’t making me come out ’til the good night kiss. But I don’t mind coming down here tonight, either.”

Alec snorted with amusement and pushed a beer across the table to him. “Here.” He covered the glass before Tyler could take it. “As long as you aren’t on anything.”

“Nothing much,” Tyler grinned. “Thanks, man.” He carefully picked up the beer with his good hand, and then toasted Alec. “To blossoming friendship.”

Alec clinked, sipped, set down his glass, and folded his arms, his gaze steady. “Friendship,” he repeated firmly. “You know I can’t violate my patient-physiotherapist code of ethics, however charmingly you bat your eyelids.”

“Can’t or shouldn’t?”

“Shouldn’t… and can’t.” Alec’s dimples reappeared. “I admire the persistence, though.”

Tyler took it as a compliment and grinned. “Thanks. We’re stubborn little assholes, aren’t we?”

“You can say that again.” Alec laughed, but he was relaxing slightly, having said his piece.

Tyler nodded slowly. “I get it. You don’t want to get in trouble, and I don’t, either. I mean… professionally, I’m in a kind of tight place.” When Alec raised his eyebrows, he sighed. “I’m closeted at work, technically. There’s never been a big-name out gay driver. Ever. It’s one of the few sports where we’re still invisible.”

Alec nodded. “And I told myself I wouldn’t date anyone closeted. Or, you know, pick up.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m closeted, though.” Tyler shook his head. “I’m pretty damn out in the rest of my life, so I’ve been waiting for years for it to bite me in the ass.” Why the hell was he saying this? He’d only just sat down.

Alec didn’t push him, though. He just nodded slightly. “I get it. It must be hard. I take it you’re not seeing anyone, then.”

Tyler sighed and shook his head slightly.

“But… you’d like to? In the future?”

He’s getting straight to the point. I like it. Tyler wasn’t used to running into guys who didn’t dance in circles, afraid to say what they meant or ask questions. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m really good at fucking. I’m a hopeless flirt. I’m always on the road. Guys tend to have problems with one of those things.”

“Why is the first one a problem?” Alec asked, laughing.

“It’s what I’m not good at,” Tyler said. He fidgeted, sipping a few times as he tried to figure out how to say it without making Alec run the other way. “You know. Feelings.”

“The relationship stuff,” Alec said.

“Yeah. That.”

Alec nodded, those sexy lips pursing around the rim of his glass as he drank. When he set his glass down, he answered, “So you’re putting your career on the line to… pick up guys?”

“Despite appearances, I’m pretty careful,” Tyler said. He laughed. “You just flagged up my gaydar.”

Alec frowned. “Did I? Shit.”

Tyler realized he hadn’t returned the questions, and he wanted to know why Alec had reacted that way. “You’re not out?”

“No. My line of work…”

Coming from the background he did, Tyler instantly understood. As much as fellow drivers would get uncomfortable around a gay guy changing an engine next to them, they’d be worse having one feel them up. “Yeah. I get it,” he quickly assured Alec.

“But you still find it’s worth the… the risk?” Alec asked slowly.

“Don’t you? I mean, I don’t want to assume every gay guy in the world hooks up as much as me…” Tyler snorted.

Alec chuckled. “I try. But most of the guys I know are former patients, so they’re all… well…”

Closeted, like me. Tyler sighed and nodded slightly. “Fuck all that bullshit,” he murmured, holding his glass up.

Alec clinked it to toast the sentiment and smiled. “I was reading up on you. You’ve got a name for yourself.”

Tyler wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to brag. “Oh, yeah. Why?”

“Well…” Alec hummed, propping his chin on his fist. “It’s not often I run into guys who have maybe even more to lose than me. So why take the risk on me?”

Tyler had a few smooth lines to choose from: he could compliment Alec for being hot, or say he was just following instinct.

But what was true, really?

“You’re the first guy who hasn’t just wanted to come back to my place and screw when I gave them the Ty grin.”

Alec’s eyebrows shot up. “The Ty grin?”

That did sound a little egotistic, Tyler had to admit, but it wasn’t out of character for him. Largely because he didn’t pick up women left, right, and center, he’d been typecast as a southern gentleman in the driving world. Polite and chivalrous, but confident in who he was and what he was capable of doing. Like winning.

“It’s part of my brand.” Tyler flashed that grin. “Charms the panties off the ladies.”

Alec laughed. “That’s unfortunate.”

Tyler burst out laughing, his hand instinctively pressing to his rib to make it hurt less. “Right? It works on men, too, though.”

Alec licked his lips and sipped quickly, a blush rising to his cheeks again as he looked down at the table.

Now was a good time to press him. “Is it working on you?” Tyler asked. “Enough to get you to bend the rules a bit?” He dialed up the charm and propped his chin on his fist.

“Maybe,” Alec murmured, his eyes still on his beer. “If we did screw, it can’t get out. Ever.”

“I’m asking you, you’re not picking me up.”

Alec sighed patiently as he looked up at him. “That doesn’t matter to licensing boards. Especially if you’re a guy. They would care less if you were a woman.”

“Fuckers,” Tyler muttered under his breath. “Well, you’re right. I have more to lose than you. And I trust you.” He wasn’t sure why, but Alec had a hell of a trustworthy face.

Alec nodded slightly, his gaze finally rising to meet Tyler’s. “I told myself not to fuck on first dates anymore.”

Is he looking for a relationship first? Tyler looked back, not daring to break the gaze. “But?”

“Take me on a date,” Alec told him, tipping his chin up in a challenge. “And give me a chance to decide how stupid I want to be.”

“It’s a date.” Tyler glanced around, then reached over the table to brush his fingers along the back of Alec’s hand. He straightened up again and winked. “I’ll give you a chance. We have weeks of treatment ahead, right?”

“Oh, you’re a handful.”

“Two, actually. Unless you have real big hands.”

Alec’s cheeks turned bright red, and he choked on his beer.

Tyler grinned wickedly. “Sorry.”

“Liar.”

“Yeah. Not sorry. You’re cute when you blush,” Tyler told Alec. He swigged his beer, smirking when Alec tried to drown himself in his beer.

Maybe this was a longer game than he’d thought, but it was gonna be worth it. With weeks of frustration lying ahead of him, Alec could be the perfect distraction.

Josh and the other guys will flip their shit when I tell them I’ve seen the same guy more than once. It was almost worth it for that alone.

That was decided, then. Now that he had Alec’s tacit permission to date him and try to get into his pants before treatment was over, Tyler was going to have fun with it.