Headlines (Prime Time #3) - Ella Frank Page 0,15

over to him, making him back up until he was against the side of the vehicle—“you ran and I caught you. That means I won.”

Xander bit down on his lower lip, and my cock twitched. “That was the whole point of this new running program, was it not?”

“It was at the beginning.” I couldn’t help my smug grin. “Now I just fall behind to watch your ass in those running shorts.”

Xander laughed and pushed me away from him, then started to back down the drive.

“So now you’re trying to tell me you let me run ahead so you can watch me?” He shook his head. “Okay, then, detective. Come get me.”

Without another word, Xander turned and took off on the route we’d mapped out over the weekend. We’d decided morning runs were the best for us, since Xander was an early bird and I headed out to work not too long after we got back.

Plus, during August, the only time to exercise outside and not die from heatstroke was either before the sun came up or after it went down, and I liked to get that shit over and done with ASAP.

As Xander headed down the usual streets, I followed at a good clip, enjoying the sight of him up ahead, as I always did. At first, I really had suggested we work out to get my fitness level back up to par. But after one session watching his powerful legs eat up the pavement like it was no trouble at all, falling back so I could watch his form had become something of a guilty pleasure. One that often left me as aroused as it did tired.

My feet slapped against the pavement as I kept a steady pace, my eyes locked on the fluid form of the man up ahead. I could see his shoulder blades through the tight stretch of his shirt as his arms swung with just the right momentum. He was a thing of beauty to watch. Sheer masculine beauty, which I’d never even noticed before. But something about the flexing of his calf muscles, the tight curve of his ass and trim waist, made my heart pound almost as hard from lust as it did from the exertion of running.

Xander made this look easy and effortless, and as he rounded one of the street corners to come up on a long straight stretch, I picked up my pace until I was beside him.

“What was that you were saying about beating me?” I flashed a shit-eating grin and then took off, my legs pumping, my chest heaving as I powered up the road.

I could hear Xander’s footfalls directly behind me, his pace never faltering, and as we turned on to my street, the race to the finish line was on. The adrenaline took over and my competitive side asserted itself, and I reached deep down for those final vestiges of endurance to bring it on home.

So, apparently, did Xander.

About halfway up my street, he zipped by me like it was no effort at all, his discipline earlier clearly helping him out here on the final stretch, as he cranked it up a gear and really let loose.

I dug deep, searching for some kind of final gear that I might have hidden away, but there was no catching him. Xander was fucking fast, and the challenge of chasing his sexy ass was making me stronger every day, which was the real reason we were out here to begin with.

As he reached the top of my drive, Xander stopped and put his hands behind his head as he watched me come to a standstill. His breathing was coming in hard pants now.

When it was finally under control, he aimed a smirk my way. “Beat you.”

He looked pretty damned pleased with himself. “Nah, I was taking it easy on you.”

“You wish. I kicked your ass. You can admit it.”

I eyed him as he ran a hand through his hair, the damp strands neatly falling into a sexy style that looked preplanned as opposed to post workout chic.

“I already told you, I let you run ahead so I can watch…”

Xander chuckled and headed toward the front door, his shirt and shorts molding to his body now in a way that left little to the imagination, and when it came to Xander, my imagination was impressive.

I took out my key, and when he held his hand out, I shook my head and kept walking until his back was up against the