“Awesome. You need some downtime too, right?”
“Right.” Amusement shaded her voice.
“I’ll come pick you up. How about four o’clock?”
“Sounds good.”
Marc had already left to go see Lovey, so Duncan threw in a load of laundry, did some weights, and then changed into running clothes. The sky was overcast with snow threatening, so they’d need to dress warmly. As he was about to leave, he eyed the kitchen. As usual, he’d left his dishes in the sink and the remnants of his late breakfast on the counter. If he brought Amber back, he didn’t want to gross her out.
He quickly loaded the dishwasher and swept garbage into the trash bin, then wiped down the counters. There. All good. Ruby’d been at the condo Friday while they were gone, so the place was actually pretty clean.
He found himself impatient to get to Amber’s, driving faster than he usually did, annoyed with slow-moving traffic in his way. Finally he was there, being buzzed in, riding the elevator to the fifth floor, and knocking on her door.
She answered and he stood and looked at her for a moment. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was dressed in black tights, a long-sleeved shirt of some kind of bright pink silky tech fabric, and a pair of running shoes. Fuck, she was beautiful.
“Hey, sexy girl.” Should he kiss her? He wanted to. He’d missed her all week.
“Hi, farm boy.” Her own smile held a hint of shyness and uncertainty, which for some strange reason eased his own. So he moved closer, bent his head, and lightly kissed her mouth.
Her soft sigh and the way her lips moved against his had his body heating immediately.
He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. “Missed you.”
“Oh yeah?” She stepped back, but her cheeks had colored and her mouth curved up.
“Yeah. So. You look ready.”
“Where are we going to run?”
“Lincoln Park. Do you have a change of clothes for after? I was thinking we could pick up food and go back to my place.”
“Oh. Okay. I can do that. Come in while I get some stuff together.”
He followed her into the apartment. Her roommate, Easton, sat on the couch next to another guy.
“Hey, hockey dude,” Easton said.
Duncan grinned. “Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good. Jamie, this is Duncan Armstrong.”
Jamie rose and approached to shake his hand. “Good to meet you in person. We’ve been watching you on TV all week.”
Duncan lifted his eyebrows. “Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah.” Easton rolled his eyes. “Amber seems to have developed a fascination with hockey.”
Heh. Duncan liked that. Or was he being a cocky asshole thinking it was because of him?
She’d said she didn’t like sports. Had to be because of him. His chest swelled a little.
Amber emerged with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She paused and eyed him. “Why are you looking like that?”
“Like what?” He made his expression innocent.
“Like you just scored ten goals.”
He laughed. “Ha. If I’d scored ten goals in a game I’d be…well, I’d probably be drunk.”
Everyone laughed.
“See you guys later.” Amber headed to the door.
“What time will you be home, young lady?” Easton called.
“Tomorrow,” Duncan answered for her.
She gave him a look but didn’t correct him. This was also good.
He drove to the park and parked his truck near the zoo. They started out at a slow jog to warm up.
“Do you run here a lot?” she asked.
“Never. When I run I usually just do a route from my condo. But this was close to your place.”
“How far do you usually go?”
“About five miles.”
“Ack. I don’t know if I can do that.”
“No problem. Even if we only do a few miles, at least it’s something.”
“Feels good.”
They picked up the pace. He didn’t go his usual speed, but he didn’t have to slow down much for her. She had long legs and was in better shape than she let on. They didn’t talk as much as breathing got harder, running side by side mostly in silence for the next thirty minutes or so. They did a loop and were nearly back where he’d parked when he said, “Let’s race.”
She eyed him, her cheeks rosy and eyes shiny. “No.”
“Come on. Sprint. You can’t beat me, but give it a shot.”
Her eyes flashed. “I can so beat you.” She took off and his eyes widened as she left him in the dust. He laughed but caught up to her without much effort. Their feet were pounding on the pavement and then he actually had to fight hard to beat her. As he passed her she gave a little squeal of excitement and frustration that was so damn cute.
Admiration rose in him when they reached his truck. They slowed to a walk, panting.
“I almost had you,” she said. “Damn.”