But here…Here he felt freer. A little lighter. When he was with Faith, he forgot about Alex, Mick and that Faith was his only viable link to Samuels.
His body screamed, and he realized he’d pressed to a full run. The muscles in his injured leg quivered and rolled. He forced himself to slow, and then he came to a stop, his chest burning like he’d just sucked on a blowtorch.
He put his hands on his knees and bent over, drawing deep mouthfuls of air into his aching lungs. Punishing himself wouldn’t help. It might make him feel a little better, because in his mind, he deserved it, but it still wouldn’t change anything.
He picked up the towel he’d discarded earlier and draped it around his neck. With one of the ends, he mopped his sweaty brow as he walked toward the locker room.
After a quick shower, he changed into jeans and a T-shirt then slid his cell phone into his pocket. He hadn’t even gotten to the door when his pocket pulsed and vibrated against his leg. He sighed in exasperation and dug it out again.
He flipped it open and put it to his ear. “Montgomery here.”
“Hi, Gray. It’s Faith.”
Her soft voice whispered through his veins, and his shoulders relaxed as the tension uncoiled and loosened.
“Hey,” he said, irritated at the catch in his voice.
“I just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling.”
Gray felt a twinge of guilt. He was supposed to be at home sick, and instead, he was working out in a gym in plain sight. Not entirely smart.
He shielded the mouthpiece of the phone as he stepped out of the club and into the parking lot. He hurried over to his truck and got in so Faith wouldn’t hear the noise of the city around him.
“I’m good, thanks to your cooking,” he said.
She laughed softly, the sound sending a little spasm of pleasure through his chest. “I thought I’d stop by a little later and bring you some supper.”
He paused and shook his head at the giddy rush he got over the idea of seeing her again. He was acting like a lovesick fool.
“Unless you’re resting,” she added in a rush. “I don’t want to disturb you.”
“No, not at all,” he hurried to say. “I’ve been up and around all afternoon.”
“Okay then, I’ll come by around five thirty if you’re sure I won’t be a bother.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Gray said truthfully.
He hung up the phone and checked his watch. Plenty of time to get back to the apartment before Faith and the others got home from work.
It was becoming a habit of hers, standing on Gray’s doorstep, nervous about going in. Which was ridiculous when she thought about it. He was just a man. Okay, well maybe not just anything. But still, she could do without the quivery knees every time she came into contact with him.
She knocked and waited, determined to be confident and composed. When he opened the door, she donned her brightest smile and held out the casserole dish to him.
“Sausage and potato casserole. Guaranteed to cure what ails you. It’s great comfort food.”
He smiled and took the still-warm container from her. “Come in, please.”
Their fingers brushed as she relinquished the casserole to him, and she acknowledged the latent pull between them. It was there even when it wasn’t. If that made any sense.
He set the dish down on his bar and walked around to the fridge. “I just made some fresh tea. You want some?”
She nodded and took a seat on a nearby barstool, watching as he collected ice in glasses. He poured the tea, and the ice crackled and popped, clinking against the glass as it moved around.
When he set her glass in front of her, she took a long sip, savoring the sweet flavor on her tongue.
“Any good?” he asked, nodding his head at her glass.
“Mmmm delicious,” she said as she ran her tongue over her lips to collect the droplets.
He grinned. “It’s my grandma’s recipe. Sun tea. When I was a kid, she’d brew a whole gallon on a post in her garden. She’d let it sit out the entire day in the sun. Always swore there wasn’t anything better.”
“I think I agree,” Faith said as she savored another long swallow.
After draining the glass, she set it back down on the bar and let her gaze wander lazily over Gray. “You look like you feel much better,” she observed.
“Yes, much. Thanks to your TLC.”
She blushed and ducked her head, and he chuckled as if he knew it was how she’d respond.
“Will you be back at work tomorrow?” she asked as she peeked back up at him from underneath her lashes.
“Count on it,” he said.
She put her hand down on the bar and pushed herself up off the stool. “Then I’ll see you in the morning.”