Maybe…hopefully, Dallas could apologize and promise to do whatever it took to show Greer he was worthy of that beautiful man’s words of relationship and commitment. Everything else could fall however it landed.
As hard as Greer fought to bring them together, Greer deserved some sort of explanation as to why he had freaked out yesterday. Why Dallas treated everyone in his life with respect, except for the one man who had opened a side of him he’d been too afraid to explore.
What if it was too late? Greer may have reached his limit of rejection. Dallas could hardly let the thought form without an impending freak-out clawing at his gut.
At least he and Greer could move forward professionally.
Who the hell was he kidding?
The sport’s car parked at the curb in front of Greer’s house caught his attention first. Greer’s expensive vehicle was parked in the driveway. Dallas tapped his foot on the brake, slowing down. It may have only taken a second in time to pass by Greer’s house, but damn, that was the longest second of his life. His gaze landed on the two men standing on Greer’s front porch. His heart sped up. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Who was that handsome guy with Greer?
His heart cracked as he memorized everything about the guy with his arm wrapped around Greer, pushing him inside the house. From this angle, he could see the two were well-suited for each other, a pretty couple. Greer embraced the guy, his hand, sliding suggestively down the other man’s back before they both stepped inside the house.
Broken-hearted, Dallas’s gaze slid back to the road in front of him. He needed to get away. How could he have ever thought Greer—
Dallas shook his head. Stupid, he’d been so stupid. The truth settled in around him. Only autopilot had him pressing on the brake at the end of the street, stopping at the stop sign. His hands dropped from the steering wheel, landing in defeat in his lap. The blow to both his head and his heart took a moment to absorb. Dallas gave a slow, shaky exhale. He had to calm down.
Of course, someone like Greer had an arsenal of men waiting in the wings.
They had never talked exclusivity.
Dammit. Dallas couldn’t help the well of tears gathering in his eyes. What had he expected?
He had believed Greer when he spoke of wanting something long term.
Did Dallas really think someone of Greer’s caliber was at home, pining away for him? That Dallas, the established nutcase, with all his hang-ups, could capture the heart of such a fine man? Greer had made him believe so.
“You ride a bike for a living with a mountain of debt stacking up daily. What did you expect?” Speaking the words aloud didn’t help. His shoulders slumped under the weight of such a loss.
Maybe he’d been played in some rich guy’s shag-the-straight-guy fantasy?
The honk from behind him had Dallas lifting his eyes to the rearview mirror. Power was knowledge. He steeled his spine. At least he knew the truth and had made the right decision to back away. Dallas flipped on his blinker.
Lessons learned. He took the turn without looking back.
Chapter 26
Two days later
Under the cover of early morning darkness, Greer did something he hadn’t done in weeks. With more speed than necessary, he whipped his sports car into the parking lot of Elite Total Gym. It was five forty-five in the morning. A familiar figure caught his eye as his headlights illuminated the dark lot. Skye bounced through the parking lot with her ever-perky stride, her ponytail bobbing with each step. Her startled leap followed by a quick jog forward let him know he’d caught her off guard.
For a man who lived a solitary life, Greer hadn’t liked being alone this week. He needed company. Someone to help make sense of everything that had gone so painfully wrong.
He barely had the driver’s side door shut when she said from two parking spots away, “You’re here. I didn’t expect you. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“It hasn’t been that long.” Except it had.
Their normal routine of her calling him out and him countering with a flimsy excuse didn’t roll as easily off the tongue as it used to. He supposed that had more to do with his mood than any lost chemistry between them. He slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and tried for casual.
“I almost didn’t come today. I watched your class. You’re a natural instructor. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Greer walked to her, standing about a foot away. She didn’t try to move or urge them inside the building. She scrutinized him with her keen stare.
He’d seen this same concern and confusion from anyone who courageously tried to speak to him. Most of his colleagues kept a wide berth. He had no idea what they were seeing, but the gentle way they used when dealing with him implied it wasn’t good.