touching the back of William’s hand.
William moved out of reach, and Harper’s eyes widened briefly.
“Sorry, I’ve been told I can be a little overly casual where touch is concerned.”
“That’s okay,” William said. “That’s my issue, not yours. And I’m not having second thoughts, exactly. It’s just that we’re very different people.”
Harper nodded readily at that. “We are. But… don’t you think maybe that’s why this will work? If I was just a reflection of you, how could I inspire you?”
He made a good point, one William hadn’t fully considered.
“If this doesn’t work, you’ll know pretty quickly, right? And we’ll end the contract; no harm, no foul.” Harper nodded encouragingly at him, looking eager for him to agree.
Well, if he was willing to give it a go, then so was William.
“You’re right. I’m in if you are.”
Harper reached out again. This time William took his hand, and they shook on it. They were really doing this.
Chapter Eight
Harper stared at his new schedule. His work shifts were outlined in yellow and his time with William in blue. One morning gym session, two evenings having dinner at William’s apartment or elsewhere, and one late breakfast out in the world.
Their first meeting was at the gym. Harper was dreading it despite suspecting that it was the best choice for his first proper session with William. With the alpha exercising, he’d be too distracted to get all worried and tense like he had over their first drink together. Of course, maybe if they’d been drinking something with a bit of a kick to it, that wouldn’t have been a problem.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, wondering if he’d look the part of a casual gym-goer. Never having set foot in one, he only had TV to go by. He refused to buy new clothes just to look like he belonged in a gym he wasn’t planning on using. Playing it safe, he’d gone for sweatpants and a T-shirt. It wasn’t his normal style, but if anyone asked, he’d lie and say he’d taken up yoga or Pilates or something. Anyone who knew him would believe that, since he’d dabbled in pretty much all of those in the past. Plus, Zac had dragged him to a class or two of some weird exercise dancing before he’d gone rogue and gotten married.
A glance at his phone confirmed that if he didn’t leave right then, he’d risk being late. The contract he’d signed was pretty clear that tardiness without a good excuse was frowned upon. He suspected William, being the kind of person he was, would feel the same way. And Harper didn’t want to make a bad impression on his first day.
He grabbed his jacket, wary of fall showers now that the weather was turning, and took off on foot toward the bus stop. It would be a miracle if his bus arrived on time, but he’d factored the city’s deplorable bus service into his travel time. Sure enough, the bus rounded the corner eight minutes later than it should have and creaked to a stop next to him. He climbed on, swiped his card, and took a seat in the middle. The front was best left to the old and the very young. And the back was exactly the wrong place to be if you were an omega; too much chance of getting hassled.
Thirty minutes later, he stepped off the bus and crossed the street to William’s gym. It was one of those chain gyms, with outlets around the city. Harper wondered idly if this was William’s normal one or if he’d chosen a different gym to lessen the chances of anyone asking them awkward questions. This might have been the one closest to his apartment, but then again, it might not.
He hovered just outside the entrance, checking his phone and zipping up his jacket to keep warm when a gust of cool wind started up. William struck him as a punctual person, but Harper’s diligent planning had gotten him there early. Just as he was starting to wonder if he had the time wrong, the alpha in question strode around the corner, gym bag slung over his shoulder.
“Great, you’re here. Shall we head in?”
William used a keycard to open the door and gestured Harper inside.
“I’ve registered you as my guest, for now. That’ll give you access to the gym for the next month, as long as I’m accompanying you.”
Without waiting for any response from Harper, the alpha moved toward the reception desk, sharing a