Just like before, it wasn’t enough.
He pulled into the deserted parking lot. It was nearly ten p.m., and he was sure he’d seen a sign that said the gym closed at nine, but the lights were on behind the high windows in the bay doors. The glass door leading to Open Wounds was dark, but Theo followed the lot around to the back of the building. There were only a few parking spaces back there, and two were taken up by a big pick-up truck and an old Jeep Cherokee. Both of which were parked beside a set of stairs leading to a door to what Theo could only assume was a second level. The only other vehicle in the lot was a motorcycle tucked underneath the stairs like they were a carport. Just down from the stairs on the ground level was a walk-through door he knew would lead him into the gym.
Theo parked in a space, and with a deep breath, got out of the car. Harbor might not even be here, and if he was, Theo was probably going to feel like an idiot anyway. But he wanted to see him, to talk to him. From the exclamations earlier, they’d both just been handed a chance at their dreams on a silver platter, and Theo was crawling out of his skin with an energy he didn’t know what to do with. He could go dance, he supposed, but no partner he could find at any of these clubs was going to know exactly how he felt right now, and there wasn’t anyone else he wanted to share it with.
A bug zapper light hanging to the side of the door emitted a low hum and the occasional spark as he approached. The temperature had dropped significantly as the sun went down, but he could still feel a sheen of sweat gathering on his lip and the small of his back. The bandage over his tattoo pulled a bit on one corner, and he wondered at the wisdom of getting a huge back piece when he didn’t have anyone to help him wash and moisturize it.
As he stepped through the open door that sat midway down the gym, eyes adjusting to the bright overhead lights, a figure shifting around the octagonal cage in the far corner came into view. Harbor was shirtless, wearing only a pair of dark blue fight shorts sitting low on his hips and leaving the toned expanse of his torso and that blond line of hair leading below bare.
Theo didn’t make a sound while he watched Harbor throw punches and kicks, shifting on the balls of his feet, moving his hips like he should. It was a perfect demonstration of power and technique. The colorful tattoos on his arms were a blur of animation against the black steel of the cage. Sweat glistened on his face, and he bobbed his head along with the drum beat of some rock song pouring through the gym’s sound system.
He was beautiful and standing there watching him, Theo couldn’t think of another time when he’d felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. His fingers itched to reach for his phone and record a video. The side of his mouth quirked up imagining the hashtags: #poetryinmotion #fightersdoitbetter #datass, and one he couldn’t even think about. He wouldn’t of course, because he didn’t have Harbor’s permission, but maybe this wouldn’t be his only opportunity.
Theo made his way to the main aisle bisecting the space, and Harbor’s head snapped up, blue eyes boring into him. They both froze. Feeling brave since Harbor didn’t immediately dismiss him, Theo walked to the platform surrounding the cage and hopped up unto the ledge. He was still wearing the same slick black shorts and sleeveless t-shirt from earlier. He paused beside the cage door to remove his shoes and socks. Harbor moved to the other side of the cage with his back to the wall watching every move Theo made, but didn’t say a word. Those blue eyes felt like fire scorching a line over his body as he bent to set his shoes aside. He stood again, meeting that fierce gaze head on before stripping off his own shirt, opening the door, and stepping into the cage.
I should be upset that he’s here. That thought played over and over in Harbor’s mind as he watched Theo make his way across the gym before he removed his shoes. Harbor got to watch every inch of his muscled torso ripple when he pulled the shirt over his head before stepping into the cage. But I’m not, Harbor thought as the initial jolt from discovering Theo’s presence faded to a buzz under his skin, so different from the one he’d had all day after finding out about the fight, but no less potent.
The cage shut with a clang behind Theo. They both stood motionless for a moment, then Theo lifted his hands. Yes. Harbor grinned, vicious and feral. He rolled his shoulders back, rocked up onto the balls of his feet, and lifted his own hands. Theo’s eyes were dark, glistening pools taking in every shift of Harbor’s body. Rory said that Theo was good. A trainer in his own right, and a fighter to keep an eye on. Now, Harbor would find out for himself, which was just the way he liked it. It wasn’t hard to imagine. He’d felt that body, had it slide against his own, he knew it was built for more than show. There was power living in Theo’s carefully crafted muscles. An explosive tension waiting for its moment.
Theo jabbed. Not full strength, testing. Harbor easily danced out of the way, then shifted back in with a low leg kick which Theo blocked. This was play. Neither of them would throw full-powered strikes tonight without gloves or mouth guards, and Harbor was guessing Theo was cup-less, the same as him. After a few more blocked punches, they found a rhythm, one moving in, the other moving back, fists and feet grazing until they were both smiling like loons.
Then Theo shot in, lunging deep and going for a single-leg takedown. Harbor didn’t even have to think, he just sprawled— leaning into Theo and bracing his legs out wide. No one in their gym took him down, not even Vidar. Takedown defense was his bread and butter as Theo was finding out as he moved and shifted trying to manipulate Harbor into a position he wanted. It didn’t work, and soon they were both back up on their feet, ducking and weaving.
Theo huffed a laugh, sweat dripping from his chin. “You’re going to have to teach me that.”
“No fucking way.” Harbor laughed before shooting in for a takedown of his own. Theo’s back hit the floor with a slam, and Harbor scrambled from his position between Theo’s legs to throw one leg over and move to a side mount position. But while Theo’s takedown defense wasn’t as strong, his ground game wasn’t lacking, and he locked guard, wrapping his legs around Harbor’s waist and locking his feet together before Harbor got the chance.
Harbor protected his head and planted himself on Theo’s chest. Theo shifted his hips to the side and dropped one foot flat on the mat in an attempt to flip them and gain the top position. And shit, I knew he wasn’t wearing a cup. Theo’s dick was a hard line against Harbor’s own, and the moment they came in contact, Theo grunted against him and stopped trying to shift his hips away, instead rolling them up so that his length massaged the whole of Harbor’s.
“Fuck.” Harbor growled and ground down against him before remembering himself and rolling to the side. He sprawled out on his back beside Theo.
“Problem?” Theo smirked.
“I’m not coming in my shorts like some teenager, and I’m definitely not coming inside this cage.”
“But you are willing to come?”
Harbor rolled his head to the side and met Theo’s dark eyes. He’d rolled to his side and propped himself up on his elbow, head leaning on his hand. Harbor raked his gaze over the perfect symmetry of his face and down to the tent in his shorts before zeroing in on the white tape sticking up over his shoulder. “Roll to your belly,” he said and scooted closer. Theo quirked an eyebrow but did as asked. “Shit,” Harbor said, looking at where the tape holding the gauze over Theo’s tattoo had come loose, probably when he’d taken Theo down. Thankfully, it looked like the bandage itself had held, but it had to have hurt. “I forgot about your tattoo or I wouldn’t have dropped you. This needs to be washed, especially if it came into contact with the floor. The last thing you want is an infection.”
“Guess you would know, huh?” Theo looked back over his shoulder, eyes tracing the numerous tattoos decorating Harbor’s arms and torso.
Harbor got to his feet and offered his hand once Theo had rolled over. The moment Theo’s hand was in his, Harbor felt that same bolt of electricity crackle through his veins and settle into a vibrating ball in his gut. Stepping c
lose, Theo lowered his eyes to Harbor’s mouth and ran his teeth over his bottom lip, the damn tease. Harbor stepped through the cage door and hopped down off the platform to the gym floor below before looking back at Theo. “Come on. I’ve got some unscented soap in the locker room.” What was he doing? There was no way if he got Theo naked that he was going to be able to keep his hands off him, unless Theo said no, which at this point didn’t seem likely.
Theo landed beside him with a thump, discarded shirt and shoes in one hand. “Lead the way.”
Harbor held his gaze for a moment, searching for…he wasn’t even sure what. Theo kept that jovial expression on his face, and while it reached his eyes, it was impossible to tell what he was actually thinking. Then Theo’s expression changed, softened. It was like a wall coming down and the difference had Harbor’s breath seizing in his lungs. Theo shot him a wink and Harbor couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from quirking up. Flirty bastard. He turned on his heel and marched them to the locker room.
Chapter Five
"You gonna wash my back for me?" Theo asked the moment they stepped through the locker room doors. The first thing he noticed about the room was how bright it was, and the second, how clean. He stopped just past the little hallway blocking the bulk of the room from the view of anyone walking by the door and took in the white walls, black lockers, and from the smell, freshly scrubbed floors. Benches sat in front of the two stretches of upper and lower lockers on the wall to his left, bathroom stalls, urinals, and sinks on the wall to his right. He assumed the showers were beyond the large square walk-through in the opposite wall. Practical and functional, just like the rest of the gym. And the man in front of him.
"Yes," Harbor said, before spinning the dial on a nearby locker. When he didn't say anything else, Theo walked closer, stopping only when Harbor reached into the locker and brought out a bottle of body wash, tossed it to him, and then pushed his shorts down his hips revealing a black jockstrap stretched taut with the task of containing Harbor's dick. Theo fumbled the catch, snagging the bottle the second before it hit the ground, then shot a narrowed-eyed glare at Harbor.
"So that's how it's gonna be? One-word answers and you flashing your dick at me?"
"I did not flash my dick at you."
Theo made a show of looking down at the scrap of material covering Harbor before bringing his gaze back to the ice blue eyes that remained steady on his face. Seeing the challenge there, he set his shirt, shoes and Harbor's body wash down on the other bench and shoved his own shorts down. He was in a jock as well, neon green. Harbor huffed a laugh.
"What? Something wrong with a little color?"
Closing the distance between them, Harbor reached out and pulled the bright band of Theo's jock out, then let it go to smack back against his skin. "Not at all," he said, letting his finger slip under the band again to glide under the material stretched across Theo's hip. "It's sexy as fuck."
"I thought you didn't do repeats?"
Harbor smirked. "Who said anything about repeats? I'm just going to...wash you." He pulled the material out again before letting it go, grabbing up the body wash and walking past the dividing wall. Theo's smart-ass retort died on his tongue as he took in his first real look at Harbor's tight ass and the wide, tattooed expanse of muscle above it. The man was seriously ripped.
"Shit," Theo said under his breath before he dropped his jock and followed Harbor into the showers. The space was actually divided into two sections; a large communal shower on the right and a space with a counter and mirror on the left. Harbor's jock was laying on the floor in the corner outside the large shower, and he was already inside adjusting the dial of one of the showerheads. When he caught sight of Theo, his gaze roamed from his face all the way down to his bare feet and back up again, then he stepped back out into the outer room.
"Turn around." Harbor's voice was low and muffled by the water beating on the hard floor behind them. Turning to face the mirror, Theo sucked in a breath when Harbor moved in close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off his body and the barest brush of Harbor's hard length against his ass. Harbor's eyes snapped up to meet his in the mirror before dropping back down to the bandage covering his tattoo. Warm, calloused fingers began to pull the tape away from Theo's skin and he shivered.
"Does it hurt?" Harbor asked, eyes still on his task.
Theo shrugged the opposite shoulder. "A bit, but not enough to really matter."
Harbor grunted. "You don't think all pain matters?"
"I think it's relative and so do you. We wouldn't do what we do if we couldn't handle some pain."
Harbor tilted his head. "True." A few more tugs and the bandage lifted fully from his skin, and Harbor tossed it into the trash. "It looks good." Light fingers traced along the skin around the tattoo. "Ollie does good work. He did my tiger."
Theo turned to look at the pouncing white tiger stretching from the side of Harbor's hip up to where the tail disappeared in his arm pit. It was gorgeous with piercing blue eyes and so realistic it looked like it could hop right off Harbor's side and maul him. "That's unreal." As he said the words, his eyes traced over the other tattoos and ridges of muscle. He lifted a finger and ran it along the divot between the rows of Harbor's perfectly cut abs. "You should do a guest spot on my Insta. People would be falling all over themselves for your workout advice."
"Apparently, it all comes from you."
Theo chuckled. "You looked like you wanted to punch me in the face when Rory said that."
He had the decency to blush. "Maybe. I don't do social media, so how the hell was I supposed to know?"
"This list of yours is getting pretty crazy. No repeats. No strings. No social media. What do you do, Harbor Rourke?"
"I train." And I'm about to lose my mind if you keep touching me.
Theo laughed. "That much is obvious. And you have got to be eating some kind of way to have these cuts." His fingers dipped again into the lines of Harbor's torso. "You also dance, and hook up with random men at your brother’s club?"
A shudder was trying to rip free the more Theo's fingers moved over his skin, but Harbor held it at bay. "Yeah, Magnus. We were celebrating Ollie's birthday that night."
Theo stepped closer, eyes locked on his and hand trailing around his side until it skimmed over the dimples above his ass. When he spoke, his breath fanned over Harbor's face. "Remind me to wish him a happy belated when I'm back in August."
A second before Theo's lips could land on his own, Harbor jerked his head back. "August? I thought you were in town for a couple weeks."
"I was, but with the fight, plans changed. I need to focus on my training instead of training other people or getting a tattoo."
"Where?"
"My friend, Slater, owns a gym outside Indianapolis."
Theo shifted a bit as he spoke, skin sliding against Harbor's, and he realized he'd brought his hands up to rest on Theo's hips, leaving them standing in a casual embrace. He flexed his fingers but left them where they were. The side of Theo's mouth lifted like he'd wondered when Harbor was going to notice. Just like the first time they'd come together, he found himself unnerved at the intensity in the dark eyes level with his own. They were in perfect alignment, hips resting together, pecs brushing. He marveled again at the beauty of Theo's darker skin pressed against his.
"Is that where you live? Indianapolis?"
"I have a house there." Something in Theo's tone said the subject wasn't up for further discussion. And why does that bother me? I shouldn't be playing twenty questions with him anyway.
Theo rolled his hips, dragging his semi hard length against Harbor's groin and obliterating every thought in his head. Leaning in, Theo's lips skimmed the skin of Harbor's cheek just above the line of his beard until Theo nipped at his earlobe and sucked the sensitive bit into his mouth. Harbor groaned.
Pulling off with a little pop, Theo breathed over the wet skin, sending a shiver he couldn't contain up Harbor's spine. "Don't you have some washin
g to do?" Moving from Harbor's embrace, Theo let his hand glide down over Harbor's ass as he walked into the shower.
Harbor wasted no time following, and his dick jumped at the sight of Theo facing the wall under the spray; water was sheeting down the shifting muscles of his back while his arm moved in such a way Harbor knew that he was stroking himself. He walked over until he was plastered against all that beautiful skin and could feel Theo's movement against him. Reaching to where he'd deposited the soap on the ledge running the length of the shower, he picked up the bottle and squirted some first in his hand, and then shifted them enough they were out of the direct line of the spray and squirted another glob at the top of Theo's ass where his erection was now nestled between the firm globes.
Plunking the bottle back on the ledge, he knocked Theo's hand out of the way and leaned forward to growl in his ear, "Hands on the wall." Theo shuddered, but did as he was told. Engulfing Theo's thick length in his slick fist had them both grunting their approval. Harbor squeezed, feeling the soap squish through his fingers, and Theo gasped.
"Fuck, Harbor, just like that."
Keeping that same tension, he began to pump his fist, twisting at the head and planted his other hand on Theo's hip when he started to sag. "Weak in the knees?" He teased Theo's ear before licking and sucking at the water beads clinging to his neck and shoulder, tasting the salt of his sweat and the musk that was just him. His taste lit Harbor on fire, and he began to thrust his hips in the same rhythm as his fist.
"Oh shit," Theo gasped, starting to move with urgency forward into Harbor's fist before shoving back, keeping Harbor's cock pressed tight between his cheeks. With every drag of his cock, the soap spread down Theo's crevice creating a soft, slick valley for him to rut in. Theo turned his head, searching, and Harbor sealed their mouths together. It was barely a kiss— scraping teeth, forceful tongues, and panted breath. It was savage and a perfect depiction of the storm raging inside Harbor's chest. He was so close. He dragged his teeth hard across Theo's bottom lip causing him to jerk, curses falling from his open mouth as he came all over Harbor's hand and the wall in front of them.
Open Wounds: The Boxed Set Page 14
