Finn’s arms and legs were shaking long after he’d finished his workout. He’d pushed himself harder than he’d ever done before, mostly because of his mortification at being caught staring at Leo by the newcomer to the gym. It didn’t matter that the man hadn’t a clue who Finn was, or the sad state of his total infatuation with Leo. It was the fact that another human had witnessed Finn’s slip that had mortified him.
Jesus, he was acting like a hormone-riddled teen.
His knuckles and wrists were sore from the pounding he’d given the heavy bag. Eli had been pushing him pretty hard in recent weeks. He hadn’t realized how hard it would be having him as his personal trainer, but he should have realized that a former MMA fighter wouldn’t take things easy on anyone. As he unwound the wrap from his hands, Finn did his best to ignore the throbbing. He needed a shower, and then he’d be able to head home. King would be antsy for his walk, and Finn had some work to do afterward. The exact same things he tended to do every night.
“I swear, the little fucker sucker punched me.”
Finn froze at the sound of Leo’s voice echoing from the hallway. It was low, gravelly, as though he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. There was something primal about it that sent shivers through Finn. Leo came into the dressing room with his two friends, Ron and Lucas. Yup, he’d been stalking Leo long enough to learn who his friends were, where he worked, and that he absolutely hated losing in the ring.
Ron chuckled. “Dude, Eli doesn’t need to land a cheap shot to win. You just suck compared to him.”
Finn realized he was staring at the trio, and jerked his attention back to the task of removing his wraps.
“I know.” Leo groaned as he plopped onto the bench. “Someday I’m going to win.”
Lucas snorted. “Keep telling yourself that.”
As much as Finn might have a crush on Leo, he had to agree. Eli was a monster in the ring, and no one at Ringside was trained enough to come close to beating him in a match.
Leo leaned over and tapped the bench where Finn sat. “Hey, you work with Eli. What are his weaknesses?”
It took a count of three before Finn’s brain recognized the fact that Leo—beautiful, strong Leo—was actually speaking to him. Finn opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Lucas nodded. “See, even he can’t think of anything. You’re screwed, dude.”
The trio finished getting changed and disappeared into the shower area, leaving Finn sitting there feeling the fool. Why was he like this? If he was on the phone for work, he could talk someone’s ear off. He could troubleshoot and walk them through the decision tree without a hiccup. It was a process, a straight line of logic that he could fall back on.
But in person, the pressure of having people there listening, their expectations clear for him to see, it became too much.
And God help him if the other person was someone he was attracted to. His brain would freeze, and he wouldn’t be able to get a single sentence out.
He’d come out a lot later in life than most gay men, but it wasn’t as though he’d never dated. Well, he hadn’t dated a lot. And the last man he’d had any interest in had been Eli’s husband Devan, three years ago.
Still, this shouldn’t be that hard. He knew Leo was gay and currently single. All Finn had to do was talk to him, to stand up and introduce himself: Hi, I’m Finn and I’ve been sort of stalking you for three months now. Wanna go out? What could possibly go wrong? Worst case, Leo would say he wasn’t interested, and that would be it. That was all it would be: romantic rejection. Just because every man he’d gone out with—all three of them—had brushed him aside after one or two dates, didn’t mean there was anything wrong with him. Maybe he sucked at putting himself out there.
Or he didn’t inspire romantic love.
Yeah, no problem at all.
He couldn’t use the showers now that Leo and his friends were in there. Finn’s cock would get hard, and that would make for an awkward conversation.
Instead, he grabbed his clothing, threw it into his gym bag, and headed out. He’d barely made it into the main gym area, when Eli jogged over. “There you are. I missed seeing your last set. How did you make out?”
Finn really liked Eli as a friend, but he was so fit, so handsome, that Finn had a hard time looking him in the eyes. “Good. My hands and wrists are a bit sore from the impact.”
“I’ll have to check your stance next time. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Eli put his hands on his hips. “Devan wanted me to check in with you to see how you’re doing. He said you canceled your coffee date with him last week.”
Finn had met Eli’s husband when he’d had to do an upgrade to the Canadian Blood Services computer system in Toronto. Devan was so easygoing that Finn had found himself connecting with him in a way he didn’t normally do with others. Thankfully, Devan had been aware of Finn’s feelings, without Finn letting on, and had informed him that he wasn’t looking for a relationship. Having Devan as a friend ended up being way better for Finn in the long run. Even if he felt awkward around the happy couple.
He didn’t have the heart to tell Devan that he was overwhelmed by how happy his friend currently was. It sounded petty, made Finn feel like an asshole, and was plain wrong. “I wasn’t feeling great and didn’t want him to catch anything.”
Eli waved that away. “Matthew brings home every bug from the daycare. Devan wanted to know if you were going to the speed dating event?”
God, the speed dating fund-raiser that Ringside Gym was putting on had been the talk of the facility since Nolan had come up with the idea. “I don’t think so.”
“That’s what I figured you’d say.” Eli cocked his head “You probably know what he’d say too.”
Finn smiled. “That I’ll never find someone if I don’t keep putting myself out there.”
“He’s right. And if nothing else, you’d be supporting a good cause.”
“You’re going after my soft spots, aren’t you?”
“I don’t take prisoners.” Eli’s smirk would have made the devil blush. “I’ll make sure Nolan marks you as attending.”
“I didn’t say that I’d go.”
“But you will.” Eli gave Finn’s arm a pat. “Don’t try and hide from Devan. He’ll track you down if he thinks you’re avoiding him.”
“I’m not. I won’t.” Finn groaned. “I’ll see him for coffee next week. Promise.”
Before Finn turned to leave, he noticed the newcomer who’d caught him staring at Leo earlier coming out from the back office. With his glasses and perfectly trimmed haircut, the man would have fit in at a bank, rather than at the gym. “Who’s that?”
Eli glanced back over his shoulder. “Not sure. I see he’s with Grady though. Maybe a friend?”
“Maybe. He sure doesn’t look like a new member.”
“You didn’t either your first few visits.”
“It didn’t take long for you to whip me into shape.” Finn’s muscles hadn’t stopped aching since their first session. “Maybe you’ll get yourself another client?”
“Possibly.” Before Finn could move, Eli turned. “Grady!”
Shit. “I should get going.” Finn had only managed to take a step away when Grady came over. He couldn’t walk away now without coming across as an asshole. God, today could just end now. Please. Thank you. Clutching the strap of his gym bag with both hands, Finn wanted to fade into the background.
Grady gave them a wide grin. “Eli, this is my friend Justin McCormick. He’s new to town and has agreed to help Zack with the apartment development project.” Grady moved to the side to let Justin join the group. “Justin, this is Eli.”
Justin gave off an annoyed vibe. His brown eyes appeared sharp, assessing everyone in a nanosecond. The glasses were a sexy touch, though. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry your last fight appearance didn’t end well for you.”
“I’m not.” Eli straightened to his full height. “So, you’ve agreed to work with Zack, eh?”
If Justin was intimidated by Eli’s posturing, he didn’t let it show. “Yes. Grady seems to think my expertise will be beneficial to the project.”
“As long as we get rid of the stick up your ass, I think you’ll do just fine.” Grady’s gaze locked on to Finn. “Well, hello, handsome.” He stuck out his hand. “Grady Barnes. I’ve seen you around here.”
“Finn Miller.” Finn shook Grady’s hand, realizing a moment too late that his palm was sweaty. Wonderful.
“He’s a friend of Devan’s and one of my clients.” Eli kept his gaze on Justin as he spoke. “Are you attending the speed dating fund-raiser?”
Justin raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t even aware of it.”
Grady chuckled. “You’re going.”
“While I appreciate your help finding a job and a place to stay, I’m more than capable of finding my own dates.” There was something about the way Justin shoved his hands into his pockets that made him seem like a nervous teenager. Or maybe like Finn, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of being thrust into a social situation where he’d have to play pretend. Finn understood that.
“It’s a fund-raiser to help get our LGBTQ after-school self-defense class going.” Grady narrowed his gaze at Finn. “You’re going, right?” Before Finn could respond, Grady had turned back to Justin. “See, you’ll know at least one other person there. You have to go.”
Justin’s gaze locked on to Finn’s, and for a moment Finn could have sworn Justin was able to read his thoughts. The blush that immediately heated his face wasn’t surprising, but annoyed the hell out of him. Needing to get out of here before his embarrassment became too much, Finn smiled. “It was nice meeting you all. Eli, let Devan know that I’ll see him next week.”
A quick turn and then he made a beeline for the door. It was only after the wind hit his sweat-damp body that Finn realized he must have looked like hell. Of course, he had to be sweaty and disgusting when being introduced to two handsome men at once. That was how his life went. Which was the main reason he couldn’t go to the speed dating night. He’d spend all his time getting ready, and no doubt he’d land flat on his face—either verbally flailing, or doing something else to make himself appear a fool. His nerves would get the better of him, and he’d spend the entire thirty seconds of each date trying to sputter out a hello.
No, best to make a small donation to the cause and stay home.
Justin watched Finn leave the gym, his face turning a shade of red Justin had never seen on a person before. “You really are clueless sometimes, Grady.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” It was funny to see Grady’s wide-eyed innocence once again, even if Justin no longer believed it.
“It means that you embarrassed that man. He has no intention of coming to your stupid event, and he didn’t appreciate being cornered.”
Grady rolled his eyes. “I didn’t embarrass him. And he’ll enjoy it. All he needs is a little convincing. Isn’t that right. Eli?”
Eli was obviously not going to get involved with this conversation. “Finn is a good guy and a better friend. Just make sure you behave around him.” Without another word, Eli turned and walked back to the ring in the center of the gym.
Justin couldn’t help but watch Eli walk away. He cocked his eyebrow as he turned toward Grady. “I see there is more than one person to keep you in line.”
Grady chuckled. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“You really don’t need me anymore.”
Grady shrugged. “I haven’t for a while.”
Tension that Justin hadn’t realized he’d been holding in his shoulders bled away. “I’m glad.”
Grady gave him another small smile, before he started toward the main doors of the gym. “Where are your things right now?”
“Back at the hotel.”
“Why don’t you go get them, and then I can take you out for supper and you can stay with us tonight. We can talk about next steps and I can make sure that you have what you need to get going for the project.” Grady hesitated, before smiling. “I’ll make Max take us to a nice place for supper.”
Justin could only imagine what that would mean. “I’m at your mercy.”
And that was a new experience all unto itself.