Friday night came too slow yet too fast for Daniel’s peace of mind. It was a week down and one more to go. He couldn’t decide if he was looking at the glass half empty or half full. One full week in Isaac’s company, and it had been the most amazing week of his life. Unfortunately, it marked the loss of a week in Isaac’s company. Soon, he’d be on the road again. All of this would be a memory. He couldn’t stop staring at the jeans stretching across Isaac’s sexy ass. They were too baggy in the waist, but the man’s thighs were so massive, he couldn’t possibly wear a smaller size. It was incredibly fucking hot.

“Aden and Remy are supposed to meet us out front in ten minutes.”

Daniel tore his gaze away from Isaac’s ass and forced himself to meet the man’s stare. “I guess we should head down, then,” Daniel suggested. He considered pushing himself from the couch and heading for the door. The intense way Isaac watched his every move had Daniel frozen in place and wishing they hadn’t agreed to go to Miami. He had one week left with Isaac. It wasn’t anywhere near enough time. As Daniel looked on, Isaac crossed the room. Daniel couldn’t tear his gaze away. His breathing deepened. His dick hardened. How one person could control his body with only a look was a complete mystery to Daniel.

“We’ll go in a minute. Let me do this first,” Isaac said, leaning down and capturing Daniel’s lips. He straddled Daniel’s hips, pinning him to the couch. Their tongues entwined. Daniel was ready to head for the bedroom. Fuck going to Miami. It would still be there next Friday night. Without a second thought, Daniel kneaded Isaac’s cock through his jeans, hoping to tempt him to stay. One day soon, Daniel would be back in New York. All this would be over. He needed some memories to take to bed with him at night. Isaac’s pants vibrated.

Daniel pulled away. He dropped his gaze to Isaac’s crotch. “That’s new.”

With a chuckle, Isaac shifted positions and pulled his phone from inside his pocket. “Text message,” he said, flashing Daniel a smile. Isaac checked his messages. He rolled his eyes, and Daniel made an odd discovery—even the man’s childish gesture was sexy as fuck. He tossed the phone aside and met Daniel’s stare. “I get the feeling we’ve been set up.”

Daniel massaged Isaac’s thighs, unrealistically content having the man straddling his lap. “How so?”

“That was Remy, saying they wouldn’t be able to make it tonight, but we should go on without them.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose. “Matchmaking?”

Isaac smiled. “That’s my guess.”

As if his hands had a mind of their own, they slid higher up Isaac’s thighs before circling his body and massaging his ass. “If they only knew what we were doing right now.”

“I think we have to go to the matches or we’ll have to tell them why we didn’t.”

Daniel thought it over. He was happier here with Isaac than he’d been in a long time, but he wasn’t ready to share this with anyone. It would taint it somehow—like he’d have to share Isaac. Right now, he felt like they were alone in the world. Isolated. As things stood, either of them could walk away without having to offer explanations. They were something only for themselves. “I guess you’re right.”

“But we don’t have to leave right this second.” The hopeful note to Isaac’s voice almost tempted him to stay.

Instead, Daniel sat forward. “Yes, we do. Once I get started, I don’t want to stop. Let’s see your match and then you’ll be mine.”

With a sigh that sounded a lot like regret, Isaac slid from Daniel’s lap. “I’m holding you to that.”

“You’re on,” Daniel said, not hesitating in his agreement. Isaac was a rare find—sexy, strong, and obedient in bed. He was the kind of man Daniel could play with forever.

It should’ve only taken an hour to get to the arena where the fights were being held. Miami traffic dragged things out to closer to two. They made it to their seats just in time to see the main fighters for the evening, climbing into the ring.

Isaac nodded toward the man in the center of the ring. “Aden says this guy is who I have to beat if I want to challenge Winston Raines for the Super Middleweight title.”

Daniel eyed the mocha-skinned chiseled-jawed man in red shorts. He danced around the ring, pumping up the crowd with his charisma. In fact, the man’s upbeat personality was one of the reasons Jericho Williams had such a huge following. Isaac needed to do more than beat Jericho. He needed to find a way to match the man’s following. “Beating him might be the easy part.”

Isaac glanced over. Daniel forgot what they were talking about the instant their gazes met. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Daniel searched his mind, digging out their conversation and getting back on track. “If you want people to chant your name, you have to give them a reason other than winning. See how he interacts with the crowd?” Isaac focused on the ring while Daniel kept his gaze locked on Isaac. “He makes people want to cheer for him—bet on him.”

A wince crossed Isaac’s features. “I’m not very likable. I’m more of a show-up-and-get-my-job-done sort of guy.”

He could see that. Isaac was straightforward and genuine. Those were qualities Daniel adored. Most people couldn’t give two shits about honesty. The vast majority of people craved drama, and fake people brought a lot of that bullshit to the table. Jericho was the perfect example. In reality, the man was as boring as watching golf on TV. He had no sense of humor to speak of. The dude chatted stats and talked about his meal planning like most people talked about their kids—with a hint of pride and love. It was freaky.

“You don’t need his fake charisma,” Daniel reassured him. “You just need to give them an excuse to root for you. It’ll happen.” At his claim, Isaac glanced over once more. Something stirred in Daniel’s chest. He couldn’t stop himself from adding, “After all, I’d cheer for you over anyone else.”

Isaac’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something but Daniel had confused the fuck out of him. Daniel couldn’t look away. He wished he could hear Isaac’s thoughts. The bell rang. A disappointed sigh reverberated off the walls of Daniel’s mind. He expected the moment to end. Isaac didn’t look away. Daniel couldn’t either. “I’ll miss you when you go back to New York.”

It was Daniel’s turn to be shocked speechless. He’d never expected Isaac to say anything remotely caring. Not because Isaac wasn’t the type, but because Daniel wasn’t worth it. One day soon, Isaac would figure that out. Daniel dreaded that moment. Until then, he intended to soak up as much goodness as he could. Life rarely threw people like Isaac his way.

* * *

Spending the evening with Daniel had been even better than Isaac could’ve imagined. At the arena, Daniel was in his element. He knew everything about everything. He’d spent the whole night, speaking against Isaac’s ear, giving him tips and stats. It was a lesson he might’ve gotten from Aden—if the man had shown up, but it was better coming from Daniel. From him, it didn’t feel like he’d been learning. They were almost back to Isaac’s apartment. The dark and silence tricked Isaac’s brain into thinking they were the only two people in the world. Each passing minute in Daniel’s company brought Isaac closer to him.

“I have to be honest, I don’t know how you stand living here, especially coming from Vegas,” Daniel said, breaking the silence.

It didn’t surprise Isaac that someone like Daniel would find the slow pace of the upper Keys boring. “It has its perks,” Isaac said on a laugh.

Daniel was quiet long enough that Isaac cast a quick glance his way. He was turned sideways in his seat, watching Isaac drive. “You’re here, so it’s not a total loss,” Daniel said, as if he’d been waiting for Isaac to look his way.

“There’s also the ocean,” Isaac reminded him while trying not to sound as pleased as he was by Daniel’s words.

Daniel snorted. “There’re sharks in the ocean. I’ll pass.”

“You don’t have to get in it,” Isaac said, trying to win Daniel to his side. “It’s peaceful to look at. Here,” he said, pulling to the side of the road before backing his way in closer to the edge of the water. “Let me give you the personal experience.” Without waiting for Daniel’s agreement, he hopped from the SUV. After circling the vehicle, he popped the hatch and climbed inside before lowering the back seats to give them as much room as possible.

Daniel was a little slower to follow. Finally, he appeared at the opening. “What are you doing?”

Isaac waved him inside. “Come on. I’m forcing the slow life on you.” While openly wearing a puzzled expression, Daniel crawled into the back with Isaac. Isaac dug around until he came out with a stack of blankets. “The upside to not getting all my shit moved in yet is this,” he said, stacking the covers to make a comfortable place for them to relax. He settled in and motioned for Daniel to join him. Daniel moved closer and settled into Isaac’s arms. Isaac released a contented sigh. “See? It’s not as boring as you think.”

“Your tactics might be considered cheating, since most people aren’t getting this experience.” Despite his continued arguing, Daniel’s body relaxed against Isaac’s. He felt the tension drain from Daniel. Silence fell between them. It was comfortable—like they were meant for this moment. Daniel’s hands landed on Isaac’s arms around his waist. His fingers trailed from Isaac’s wrist to his elbow and back again, threatening to put Isaac to sleep.

The sky was beautiful with its explosion of stars. In Vegas, he’d never seen a sky like this. It confused him—made the moment seem more intimate than it likely was. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“I love secrets.” The smile in Daniel’s voice had Isaac smiling as well.

“I gave up everything to come here. All my family is in Vegas. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. My mom works as a blackjack dealer at one of the casinos. My dad is a cop and my older brother works security at the same casino as my mom. I just walked away, leaving it all behind, and the truth is—I don’t even care if I win a title.”

“Then why did you give up everything and come here?”

Daniel’s fingers continued trailing down Isaac’s arm, making him feel like they were alone in the world. Their imagined familiarity in that moment had him confessing more than he should. “I don’t want my life to be pointless.”

Daniel shifted until he could meet Isaac’s gaze. “Why would you think that it is?”

With a shrug, Isaac grabbed Daniel’s hand and brought it to his lips. He held it there, kissing him while he thought of a way to explain something he never had before. “I was never all that great at MMA.”

“Drew thought so.”

A chuckle escaped Isaac at Daniel’s observation. “Drew can be pretty biased when he likes someone. I mean, I won more matches than I lost, but I would’ve never held a title. I’m better at this. There’s a real possibility people might know my name one day. I just don’t have anything else, I guess.”

“How do you mean?”

Isaac shrugged again. “I don’t know how to explain it. Most people live mediocre lives, and it doesn’t matter to them, because they go home every night to people who make them feel extraordinary. I don’t have that. When I die, my life will have been pointless.”

“We’re a lot alike,” Daniel said, sounding more like the comment had been meant for himself than Isaac.

Isaac scoffed. “That’s not true. You’re a roaring success at what you do. In Vegas, I never really got off the ground. Here, I’m living off Aden and Remy’s charity while hoping for a miracle.”

Daniel made a humming noise that sounded suspiciously like disbelief. “Actually, I meant we both obsess over things that are mostly all in our heads. You don’t know Aden very well if you think he’s a charitable person, and Drew—while he might be biased—doesn’t like having his time wasted. Neither man would fuck with you at all if they didn’t believe in you. I’m not downplaying your feelings, but—for what it’s worth—I think you’re better than you give yourself credit for being. I doubt you’ve ever had a mediocre moment in your life.” There was so much passion in Daniel’s voice—like he believed every word he said. Isaac was speechless. Coming up on his knees, Isaac leaned in, giving Daniel time to reject him. “Things aren’t feeling the least bit unexceptional right now,” Isaac admitted before touching his lips to Daniel’s. For a moment, they simply shared each other’s air as Isaac maneuvered Daniel onto his back and covered the man’s body with his. As soon as he had Daniel pinned beneath him, Isaac deepened their kiss.

If Isaac knew one thing, it was that he shouldn’t fool himself into thinking he was special to Daniel. The problem was—he already had. Sometimes, Daniel said the most amazing things, making Isaac feel like he mattered. He could never let the man find out. This was a temporary slice out of time. Daniel’s world was everywhere but here. Isaac would never be the anchor, holding him back.