Silken Desires by Laci Paige Page B

door behind him.
    He didn’t want to leave her apartment, but
he needed to get out. The hallway seemed too small as he paced back
and forth. Learning more about her previous relationship was more
than he could handle emotionally. He figured she’d been with
someone in the time she was gone, hell he’d been with a lot of
“someone’s” after she left, but the way he pictured it, he saw her
in a normal vanilla relationship. He thought she ran to get away
from the lifestyle, not to become totally immersed in it.
    Needing out of the hall, Jonathan dressed in
his running gear and headed downstairs to the gym. Roy gave him a
nod as he entered. Never having worked out in a gym before, he
wandered around aimlessly looking from one complicated piece of
equipment to the next. Finally, he asked Roy how to use the
treadmill since running was his thing anyway.
    Once he got the hang of running on a
machine, he could see the lure of getting a membership to a 24 hour
gym. Running had always been therapeutic to him. Even on a bad day
when there was no desire to run, he always felt better after. Jake
had tried to get him in the gym for years, but he refused saying it
wasn’t his thing. Just as the thought of joining hit him, he saw
his buddy standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his
chest.
    “So what’s got you in here? I gave up on you
ages ago, and yet, here you are.” Jake walked around the machine
and to his side.
    Jonathan kept his gaze forward, and didn’t
look at him. “Just felt like a run,” he said, nonchalantly.
    “Now, I know that’s bullshit. When you’re
done, come see me.” Jake turned and walked away.
    About an hour later, Jonathan went to see
Jake to find out what he wanted to discuss. Pushing open the office
door, he saw Jake on his phone so he took up residence in a chair
across the desk from him. He sat back and, to kill some time, he
found a fitness magazine and paged mindlessly through it until Jake
ended his call.
    “Want to talk about it?” Jake asked.
    “About what?” He tossed aside the
magazine.
    “Why you’re running in my gym. I’ve had this
place for five years now and this is your first appearance.
Something’s up.” Jake’s narrowed gaze told him he wasn’t getting
out of there without some kind of confession. His friend knew him
well.
    “Roxi has me stressed out. I really can’t go
into what’s going on with her. That’s her business and the rest is
between the two of us. It’s hard and out of my league, but I want
to get through it for her. I love her and always will. It’s
confusing, and I don’t know if I’m coming or going with her. She’s
got some hold on me, and I just want out. It sucks.”
    “What sucks?” Jake leaned his chair back and
propped his feet on his desk.
    “All of the above. What doesn’t?” He shook
his head. “I gotta head out. I’m supposed to meet with some people
at the club. Can you check in on Roxi for me throughout the
evening?” Jonathan stood looking down at Jake wanting to say more,
but he would be crossing many boundaries in doing so.
    “Sure. Are you going out for an all-nighter?
Or will you be back tonight?” Twisting his wrist he read his
watch.
    “I’ll be back, but probably late.” Jonathan
tapped his fingers on the desk. “Thanks man.”
    As he headed out, Jake spoke to his back.
“If you need to talk and have no one else, maybe we can lift the
rules a little to get you through whatever it is you’re dealing
with. I hate seeing you like this.”
    Without turning around, he said, “Sure.
Maybe.” But he knew that would never happen, and Jake probably knew
it too, but it felt good knowing his friend had his back.
    After his shower he heard Roxi moving around
in the bedroom. The bathroom had two doors, one out into the hall
and the other to the bedroom. They never used the door in the hall,
but this time he did. Heading out with a towel wrapped around his
waist he almost ran into her in the hallway. “Sorry.