Chapter 27 #3
He stops at the water fountain a little ways away, back turned to us as he fills his bottle.
He must be at least six-six, possibly taller, broad enough that he seems to block out part of the room just standing there.
Sculpted shoulders, which is obvious even through his sweatshirt.
Arms thicker than my thighs. Buzz cut. The kind of build that makes everyone else at the gym look smaller by comparison.
Then he turns slightly, taking a sip.
A startled gasp escapes me before I can stop it.
The entire right side of his face is scarred. Deep, jagged lines cut across his skin, crossed over by finer marks. Some of the scars are ridged, others sunken slightly, leaving uneven dents through his cheek and jaw like something sharp exploded into his face. Maybe he’s ex-military?
One thick scar cuts through his brow and over his eye, pulling the lid tighter into a narrower slit. Another scar reaches the corner of his mouth, leaving one side of his lip crooked and downturned.
It’s the kind of damage that makes you want to ask questions which you know shouldn’t be asked.
“He doesn’t look happy,” Tyler points out.
“He never does.” Blake grunts, shuffling slightly behind him and using him as a shield. It’s not hard—Tyler’s frame is pretty broad, though he has nothing on the mountain guy.
“Makes you wonder why he would ask you to be his spotter. He probably benches three of you.”
“Exactly!”
“Maybe he wants a friend,” I suggest.
It can’t be easy to connect with people when there’s something so prominent about you. Blake’s and my reactions just prove how much people judge you by your looks.
What if…I went over and introduced myself?
Blake scoffs. “Yeah, right— Shit! He’s looking at us!”
It’s true. He is. Not just in the ‘I’ve been scanning my surroundings and paused to look at something’ way, but in the ‘I’m staring at something with intent’ way.
Seth heaves a sigh. “Me. He’s looking at me. He’s been doing that since he started coming here.”
I’m instantly alert. “A bigot?” So much for going over and introducing myself.
“Wouldn’t be the first. Or last.” Seth shrugs, chewing his lip ring aggressively.
I make up my mind. While I’m not ready to claim Seth as my BFF, I’ll be damned if I look the other way when another queer person is possibly being threatened.
“Tyler? How about you go with Blake? I’m sure Seth can show me the exercises.” With a speck of humor, I add, “He’s probably watched you enough to know what to do.”
Seth doesn’t deny it. He looks surprised by my suggestion, but makes a sound of agreement.
Tyler glances between us. “I’m not sure that’s—”
“Sounds good to me!” Blake grabs him by the collar and drags him somewhere on the other side of the gym. He is a drama queen.
I turn to Seth, who suddenly doesn’t seem as intense as before. He seems a little anxious, and dare I say grateful.
I check if the guy is still staring, but he’s moved on, currently in the middle of doing pull-ups.
“Has he ever cornered you?”
Seth shakes his head. “No, nothing like that. He just stares. Well, glares.” He waves a hand. “It’s fine. The only way to deal with assholes like that is by ignoring them. To show that you’re not afraid of them.”
He says that, but… “Are you? Afraid.”
“Pfft, no.” He clears his throat and clasps his hands together. “So, benchpress, was it?” He sits on the bench, but doesn’t reach for the weights. “Before we start, I have a very important question to ask.”
I lift my brows.
“How big is Tyler’s dick?”
“W-what?!” I don’t know why I’m surprised. Should’ve seen that coming from miles away.
“Come on, I need to knooow.” He drums his feet. “I’ve been trying to sneak a peek in the changing rooms, but no such luck.”
Now I’m annoyed at myself for worrying about him. He’s clearly fine.
“That’s private.”
He gives me a very unimpressed look. “Don’t be coy. I bet you’re a total slut for that cock.”
Blood instantly floods my face.
Seth grins victoriously. “Bingo! Come on, share the tea.”
I shift my weight, staring at my feet. It’s weird—I’m embarrassed as hell, but hearing Seth ask these questions so blatantly makes me feel like he’s the last person I should feel embarrassed around. And…I do kinda want to brag about my sexy boyfriend.
“Um…” I hold my forefingers what I believe is an accurate distance apart. “About this long? Thicker, though.”
Seth perks up, like a kid who’s been given candy and is asking for more. “Specifics, please.”
I make a circle with my fingers. “My thumb and middle finger touch, but not my index finger.”
Tipping his head towards the ceiling, Seth lets out a groan. “Fuuuck. You’re so lucky.”
That I am, but it’s not just because of Tyler’s package. It’s because he’s the whole package.
“He give a good dicking?”
Well, Seth is definitely only interested in one particular package.
“Yes.” Why lie? I have no dignity left whatsoever.
“Best you’ve had?”
“Yes. He's…passionate. I’m usually a wreck after.”
Seth flops onto his back, looking funny with arms and legs hanging off the bench. “God, I need to get laid. As in—can’t walk the next day.”
Wow. I wish I could be this unapologetic about the things I want.
“Is that your kink? Rough sex?”
He looks at me upside down. “I wouldn’t call it a kink. And not necessarily. It can be good even if it’s not rough. That is, if the guy knows what he’s doing. Not many do.” He grumbles the last part, then pushes himself up. “Okay, let’s do it.”
He guides me through my first round with the dumbbells, which isn’t as difficult as I worried, then asks, “Do you wanna try the bar?”
“Sorry?”
“The bar instead of the dumbbells.”
“Oh. If you can lift it up in case I can’t, then yes.”
“You’ll be fine.”
I’m not fine. I manage five press ups, my arms and chest already burning from the previous round, and give up half-way through the sixth.
“Nope. I can’t. No more,” I gasp.
“Is that what you say to Tyler when he gets going?”
He helps me put the bar back on the rack and hands me my water bottle, which I gratefully accept.
“No. I can take everything he gives me.”
He chuckles. “I bet you can. I bet he praises you too. He seems the type.”
Swallowing a few mouthfuls, I study him curiously. “Is this normal for you? Talking about what happens in another couple’s bedroom?”
“Oh yeah. I live vicariously through other people’s sex lives.”
Okay, I give up—Seth is growing on me. I wouldn’t mind having him as a friend.
“My turn!” He shoos me off the bench and, to my surprise, adds a ten-pound plate to each side of the bar.
“Uh, I don’t think I’ll be able to help with that.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to. I can lift that easily.”
I have my doubts, but he proves me wrong. Seth does eight press ups without an issue, then adds ten pounds to the total weight for the next round. I’m very impressed when he only struggles with the last two.
“Let’s add ten more.”
He must be joking.
“Seth, that’s eighty-five pounds. That’s your body weight.”
“That’d be a hundred-and-twenty. I’ll be fine.” His lips curl in a mischievous smile. “You should know better than anyone that the human body can handle the impossible.”
Famous last words, I think to myself as I watch him fight through the third press up, red-faced and sweating.
“Are you okay?”
“Yup,” he grunts through clenched teeth.
“I don’t think you are.”
“I got this. I— Gah!”
His muscles give out, all that weight crashing onto his chest.
“Seth!” I scramble to get a grip on the bar. “Hold on, let me…” Fuck, it’s heavy, really fucking heavy.
What do I do? There’s no way I can lift it all the way up. I need to call for Tyler. He must be nearby—
A sudden shadow falls over us, and then a hand reaches past me, closing around the bar.
The weight lifts off Seth’s chest in one smooth movement, the relief forcing a gasp out of him.
My hands, still holding onto the piece of metal, move with it.
A sharp clang rings out when it’s racked up, and only then do I let go.
I’m breathing hard as if I was the one nearly crushed to death, so it takes me a few seconds to turn and see who we have to thank.
I find myself staring at a broad chest, and when my gaze travels up, I freeze on the spot.
It’s the huge, scarred guy, towering over me like a skyscraper.
He completely ignores me, dropping into a crouch by the bench.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
I don’t know what shocks me more; the concern in his voice, or how pleasantly deep and smooth it is. Not at all threatening, like I imagined.