Page 24 of Love at First Rep

“I see why you like this gym so much,” Rafe muttered to Garrett, drawing the tiniest grin from him.

“So how do you guys know each other?” Josh asked.

“We were in the Navy together,” Garrett said.

“That’s so cool! You must have the best stories.”

Rafe blew out a breath. “Too many to count.”

“Let’s go to the diner after class so we can hear some!” Josh shouted. He shouted most things.

“Aw man, why do I have to have a job?” Cole whined.

“What do you do?” Rafe asked.

“I’m a high school English teacher.”

Rafe’s brows rose. “That… is not what I expected.”

“I know, right? I also think I should have been a swimsuit model, but I didn’t like the inconsistent hours.”

“Don’t pay attention to Cole,” Riley said. “Half the things he says are complete bullshit.”

“Your face is complete bullshit,” Cole said.

“Ooh, good one.”

“Enough chit chat,” Tobias barked, making a couple of the guys flinch. “Spread out for our warmup so we can get started.”

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There were multiple reasons Garrett didn’t want Rafe tagging along with him to the gym. For one, he wasn’t sure if Rafe was serious about sticking around, and he didn’t want his friends to get attached just for Rafe to disappoint them too. They were a tough group, but they were also a bunch of saps, whether they would admit it or not

Second, Rafe said he had a contract on his head thanks to his actions in Russia. Was it safe for him to be out and about like this? Were Garrett’s friends in danger?

Garrett’s gaze drifted across the gym to the guys he’d come to see as his friends. He might be putting them at risk by letting Rafe into their lives. Hunter and Tobias were big, muscular guys, so they could probably handle themselves in a fight if they had to. But Riley and Josh? Carson and Cole? They could always use their speed to run away. If someone came at any of them with a weapon, though, they’d all be shit out of luck.

Maybe he could convince Tobias to let him teach a self-defense class with some basic moves they could use to get out of danger. Yeah, that would make him feel better about the situation.

Those were good reasons to be wary of Rafe joining him at the gym, but they still weren’t the most critical one. Garrett didn’t want to think about watching Rafe work out. He’d have to see his body moving, his muscles working, his skin sheened with sweat.

It reminded him too much of the first time he met Rafe at Sea Cadets training. Seeing his smile as he beat everyone else in a foot race. Meeting Garrett pushup for pushup. It started as a competitive drive, pushing Garrett to go harder, faster. It didn’t take long for competitiveness to turn into friendship, and then into infatuation.

Now, he watched Rafe drop into a deep squat with a barbell settled across his shoulders, and saw his plump ass move through rep after rep.

When Rafe grunted on his last rep, Garrett was in danger of someone spotting his growing erection. He would never live it down if someone caught him, especially Rafe, and he thanked himself for wearing compression shorts under his workout pants that morning.

Garrett had to take a minute before his turn at the rack to settle his eager dick. He thought about the last murder he solved and the vicious crime scene the killer had left behind. That was enough to get the blood rushing back to the rest of his body.

“Yeah, Garrett,” Rafe said behind him as he did his first squat. “Drop it like it’s hot.”

Garrett snorted as he rose with the weight slung across his shoulders. He didn’t know if Rafe was checking out his ass too or if he was trying to motivate him, but it worked. And if he went a little deeper and flexed a little more, at least Rafe would enjoy the show.

It was still so weird to have Rafe back in his life. Weird, incredible, impossible. There were too many ways to describe it. But the thought of Rafe leaving or someone he loved getting hurt terrified him. Everything he ever wanted was so close and he didn’t want to lose it.

When it was Rafe’s turn again, Garrett did his best to avert his eyes from the temptation in front of him. That way lay devastation.

After the weight lifting, they completed a HIIT workout with burpees and more squats. His legs were on fire, and he predicted he’d hurt from this workout tomorrow, but it was easier to ignore with Rafe working out next to him.