Above and Beyond Read online

  Elliott encircled Salvatore’s waist with his hands and held on tightly as they started forward. “This is great,” he said as they glided down the road, heading toward downtown briefly before turning east and picking up speed. The capitol area fell off behind them as they continued moving, the bike vibrating beneath him. Elliott held a little tighter and tried not to notice Salvatore’s hard belly or the way his scent seemed to pull him in regardless of how fast they went.

  Exhilarating. That was the only way he could describe the ride. The open air, the rush of the wind, the vibration of the engine—all of it worked its magic on him, and soon enough he realized he was hard as a rock with his cock pressed right against Salvatore’s ass, and damn, did it feel good. He backed away a little so Salvatore didn’t think he was being too forward.

  At a stoplight, Salvatore put his feet down to keep the bike upright, and when the light changed, he took off. Elliott tightened his grip and found himself once again plastered to Salvatore’s back. Not that he was complaining, and if Salvatore didn’t like it, then it was his own fault.

  After riding for about fifteen minutes, they turned into a large shopping center and drove up to the door of the gym. Salvatore parked, and Elliott got off the bike and pulled the helmet off. They got their bags and went inside, where Salvatore signed them in while Elliott looked the place over. It was clean and there were quite a few women there, which made him feel better because he would be less on display.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I guess.” Elliott had no idea what he was going to do and followed Salvatore through the club and back to the locker rooms.

  “You can take any one you like.”

  Elliott opened the nearest one that wasn’t locked and started taking off his shoes. He was determined not to look around and concentrated on changing his clothes.

  “Sal,” a deep voice said.

  Elliott turned in time to see a guy in nothing but a jockstrap standing next to Salvatore. He was huge, with an ass that could crack walnuts. Elliott looked away and swallowed hard as he finished getting dressed. Salvatore and the guy talked a few minutes, and by the time they were done, Elliott was dressed and sat down on a bench to pull on his shoes.

  He checked to see if Salvatore was ready to go and got one hell of a view, even more than he’d had with the towel. Elliott’s mouth watered at the sight of Salvatore’s tight, hard backside. He knew he should look away, but he couldn’t help it, and when Salvatore turned around, Elliott found himself at eye level with his big, thick cock. Now he had to lower his gaze.

  “Umm, I’ll meet you out there,” he stammered, hurrying out of the area, breathing deeply as he leaned against the wall outside the locker room. Jesus, he hadn’t come here to perv on anyone, but it seemed that almost everywhere he looked, eye candy abounded.

  Eventually Salvatore joined him, wearing blue shorts and a tank top that hugged every muscle of his chest. How in the hell was Elliott going to make it through any kind of workout session without popping wood and embarrassing himself all to hell?

  “Come on. We need to warm up before we start anything. We can start with some stretches and then do a few minutes of cardio. The stretches get your muscles limber, and the cardio gets your heart pumping. You should do both before you start lifting, especially since this is your first time.”

  Elliott followed Salvatore to a section of the floor covered with mats, and they sat down. Salvatore showed him how to stretch his thighs and calves, then his chest by holding something solid—in this case, Salvatore’s arm—and slowly twisting to elongate the muscle. The thing was, Elliott had no trouble at all concentrating on the hard muscle under his hand, which only made his ongoing problem all the more urgent.

  “I think we can start. Why don’t we try a stationary bike for six minutes and then we’ll go from there?”

  Elliott could ride a bike. “All right.” He took the one next to Salvatore and started pedaling, which started the machine, and Salvatore helped him set it up. “This is pretty easy.”

  “It’s supposed to be. We want to get our muscles moving and our heart beating a little faster. Gets the blood to all the places we want it. After this, we’ll lift a little.” Salvatore flashed a smile and went back to pumping his legs, which Elliott found fascinating, especially the way his legs stretched the material of his shorts. Hell, Elliott needed to admit that Salvatore was as hot a guy as he had ever seen. With that little epiphany, he turned away, because a guy like Salvatore was not going to be interested in a skinny little guy like him.

  “Hey, Sal,” a man said as he approached. They fist-bumped as Salvatore kept moving. “What have you been up to?”

  “Got a new job.”

  The guy turned to Elliott. “You training other guys now or something?”

  Salvatore shook his head. “Elliott, this is Ivan. He’s in training for a bodybuilding competition in California in a few weeks. Elliott and I are just working out together. He’s a friend.”

  Ivan fist-bumped him too. “Cool. This your first time?”

  “Does it show?” Elliott asked. “Yeah. Salvatore brought me along with him.”

  “This is a good gym. The equipment is in good shape, and there are plenty of weights and stuff.” For a second Elliott thought Ivan might be checking him out. “Are you two… together?” Ivan asked, and Salvatore shook his head.

  “Elliott is a guy from work. Be nice to him.” The last part came out like a soft growl.

  “I didn’t mean anything.” Ivan patted the display in front of him. “You’re all kinds of cute and all.” He smiled as Elliott blushed big-time.

  “Oh, for goodness sake. Go lift something and stop hitting on Elliott. I know you think you’re God’s gift to… well, everyone… but geez. Take your hotness and go charm Dennis over there. He’s been watching you the entire time you’ve been over here.” There was no heat in Salvatore’s admonition, but the look in his eyes told a different story.

  “Okay.” Ivan took a few steps and then turned back. “But I still think you’re cute.” Then he walked away, and Elliott found himself looking down at his feet to hide his smile. Not that one of his aspirations was to be thought of as cute, but he wasn’t going to turn it down.

  “Ivan flirts with everyone. Don’t give it too much thought,” Salvatore told him.

  “Oh….” Elliott pumped harder and figured it was best not to think too much about it. “So he says stuff like that to everyone.”

  “You mean the cute thing? No. That’s a new one,” Salvatore told him. “Though I have to agree with him. You are cute.” It was accompanied by a wink, and Elliott wondered if Salvatore was flirting now. Elliott liked that Salvatore thought he was cute.

  “And you’re so smoking hot, I might get burned.” Elliott had meant to be clever, but the words came out more seriously than he intended. “I mean….” Now he was blushing even more, and he turned away from Salvatore, concentrating on the lights on the display and wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Not that he hadn’t been truthful. Salvatore was as hot and sexy as any guy he had ever met, but to actually say something…. He felt like a fool. Yeah, he’d said he thought Elliott was cute, but so were bunnies and puppies. That didn’t mean he wanted to fuck them. In fact, that was really gross, and…. God, maybe he needed to go back into the locker room and just hide in one of the bathroom stalls until Salvatore was ready to leave. That was sounding like a better and better idea by the second.

  Salvatore ended his workout, sitting still on the bike. “You can stop pedaling and the machine will turn off.”

  “Okay.” Maybe Salvatore was going to just pretend he hadn’t said something stupid. “Where to next?”

  “Since this is your first time, we’re going to do a whole-body workout. I usually concentrate on one or two muscles a day, but starting out, you don’t want to overdo it.” He led the way toward one of the flat bench-press things at the back of the gym and began stripping off the weights. “We can take
it light. Just get used to the movement and the weight. I’ll spot you so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

  Elliott lay down on the bench, and Salvatore told him where to put his hands and showed him how far to lower the bar and then to bring it back up.

  “Try for ten.” Salvatore stood behind his head, his hands going up and down with the bar.

  It wasn’t too heavy, and Elliott did the ten reps pretty easily. What was hard was the way his gaze drew to Salvatore and how he looked standing behind him. Elliott clanged the bar back into the stops when he was done and sat up, smiling. “How many pounds is that?”

  “Ninety-five. You did really good.” Salvatore began adding plates to the bar and pumped out reps like it was nothing. Elliott simply watched as his shirt grew even tighter, the fabric straining against his muscles. When it was Elliott’s turn, Salvatore changed out the plates on each end of the bar, and Elliott lifted again. This time, Salvatore helped him with the last few. “That was awesome, and it’s just over a hundred pounds.”

  “So no more hundred-pound weakling,” Elliott quipped.

  Salvatore shook his head. “You’ve never done this before, and you did really well. It isn’t about how much weight you push, but that you’re making your muscles work a little, and you did that.” He lightly patted Elliott on the back and took his turn.

  They did a third set, then moved on to back exercises and then legs, shoulders, and arms.

  “Is that all?” Elliott asked when they were done. His body felt a little different, but nothing hurt. “I thought there would be pain.”

  “‘No pain, no gain’ is bullshit,” Salvatore told him. “If you feel pain, stop. That’s never good. And you shouldn’t hurt. That was a basic workout to get your muscles moving.”

  “That can’t be what you do,” Elliott said.

  “No. I work specific muscle groups hard each day. But you could do what we did every other day and you’d get stronger. You could also do some cardio.” Salvatore stopped as they were halfway to the locker room. “But you don’t have to do anything. What Ivan said is right. You are cute, and….” He swallowed and seemed uncomfortable. “You don’t need to change for anyone, certainly not for me. I just thought that if you were stronger, you might not be as afraid of your stepfather. Maybe if you want, I could work with you on self-defense or something.”

  “Do you know that sort of stuff?” Elliott liked that way Salvatore spoke to him, like he had a choice and could make his own decisions. There hadn’t been many people in his life who actually thought that. His stepfather wanted to make all the decisions for everyone near him. He was the one in control, and everyone knew it. If you didn’t, it was a lesson you learned very quickly.

  “I have a fourth-degree black belt in karate. I earned that in the service. I used to teach classes as well, but I haven’t done that in a while.” Salvatore put his hand on Elliott’s shoulder. “But it’s up to you. There’s no need to change or do this sort of thing to make me or anyone else happy. My goal is to make you feel better and more confident about yourself.”

  Elliott whistled. “Wow. I think that would be kind of cool.” The idea that he could have some control over his own body and his own destiny was rather empowering.

  “All right. Good.” Once again Salvatore smiled. “Let’s go clean up and then we can get something to eat. It isn’t going to be too long before your appetite kicks in. There’s a hot tub and a sauna. You can just wear the shorts if you want to bubble for a while. I recommend it to help relax your muscles.” He went into the changing room, and Elliott followed.

  He went to his locker and stripped down to the shorts before grabbing his towel and going through the bathroom and shower areas, finding his way to the pool and hot tub. The whirlpool was empty, and Elliott hung up his towel and then climbed into the warm water, found a seat, and leaned back to relax. He wasn’t sure if Salvatore was going to come in as well, but got his answer when Salvatore hung up his towel and descended the steps into the water wearing only a small Speedo.

  Damn, the man was gorgeous, with a ripped belly, thick arms, and a strong, plated chest. Elliott tried to keep his gaze north of the equator but failed, the bulge in the suit quite obvious. Thankfully, Salvatore sank into the water and settled a few feet away, stretching out his arms and relaxing. Elliott, on the other hand, was as tense as anything because he was just a short distance from him, and damn it all, he wanted to scoot over, plop his butt right into his lap, and hold on to him for dear life. Well, at least that was his momentary fantasy. Elliott kept his butt right where it belonged and hoped to hell he wasn’t going to have to get up any time soon.

  “You did really good.”

  “Thanks,” Elliott said roughly. “It was fun.”

  “I know there are plenty of guys out there who can be intimidating and everything. But the reason to do this is to make yourself stronger and healthier. Exercise is a good thing. Just do something that you like to do. I walk on the treadmill on cardio days. I bring a book, walk, and read most times. It keeps the mind occupied, and I’ll work out for an hour.”

  Elliott nodded. “What do you like to read?” He turned toward Salvatore. “I love adventure stories. As a kid, the Harry Potter books were a favorite. And I love the old Clive Cussler books. It was about the only thing I had in common with my stepfather. He had a set and I borrowed them. They were always so much fun. But they always got the girl, and I wanted to read stories where the hero got the boy.” He smiled a little. “I wanted a book where a guy like me could get the hero and live happily ever after.” Elliott shrugged. “Is that stupid?”

  Salvatore shook his head.

  “Anyway, then I found the Nightrunner series. It has two male protagonists who become lovers, and I read them all. They’re great books and so much fun. I also saw myself in Seregil. He was sort of like me in that he didn’t exactly fit in.” Elliott settled back in the water and figured he should give Salvatore a chance to talk. “What about you?”

  Salvatore smiled. “I love Treasure. It was my first Dirk Pitt novel, and I couldn’t put it down.”

  “Me too. They’re all pretty good, but some of them are better than others. I don’t like the ones Cussler writes with other people. They aren’t as good and often don’t have that spark that the Dirk Pitt stories did.” Elliott was getting warm, so he stood and sat on the edge of the tub, his legs dangling in the water. “It’s pretty hot.” He watched others swim laps in the pool and tried not to stare as the water bubbled around Salvatore’s chest. “I think I’m going to go get showered.” He checked the clock on the wall. “Bull is going to be expecting us soon, and I need to change and everything before I can go into work.”

  Salvatore stood and climbed out of the water, the suit hugging his muscled butt. Elliott swallowed and tried to remember the last time he had seen anyone who looked like him. Maybe in a catalog as a model, but not in real life.

  Elliott got out himself, grabbed his towel, and followed Salvatore into the showers. He hung up his towel, took an empty shower, and pulled the curtain. It didn’t take him long to clean up, and when he was done, he wrung out the shorts he’d worn as a suit, dried off, and wrapped the towel around his waist. He stepped out and nearly bumped into Ivan coming out of one of the other showers. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay, cutie,” Ivan said with a gentle smile.

  Elliott decided to ignore the comment. He headed into the locker room and changed into his clothes as quickly as he could. Salvatore wasn’t out when he was done, so Elliott left the area and carried his things to the front of the club and took a seat in one of the chairs to wait.

  Salvatore was right. His appetite had really kicked in, and his stomach growled. Thankfully he didn’t have long to wait, and the two of them went out to the bike. Salvatore didn’t say anything, and Elliott put on the helmet, stowed his bag, and got on behind him. They took off, and Salvatore drove even faster than he had getting there.

  “ARE YOU angry about som
ething?” Elliott asked when they pulled to a stop at a small restaurant a mile or so from the gym. Salvatore hadn’t said anything, and his posture was as rigid as a pole.

  “What did Ivan want?” Salvatore asked. “I heard him come on to you in the showers.”

  “I nearly bumped into him and said I was sorry.” That was all there was to it as far as Elliott was concerned. “As for anything else, I think Ivan has a high opinion of himself. Maybe he’s used to getting all the attention with his tan skin, big muscles, and intense eyes.” He smiled. “But there’s someone else I think I like more.” Elliott was almost afraid to look at him. “He has these huge brown eyes and is really hot, and he’s nice, and….” He tightened his hold on Salvatore’s waist, even though they were standing still. Elliott leaned against Salvatore and held him a little tighter.

  “Oh….”

  “Were you jealous?” Elliott teased.

  Salvatore sighed. “Maybe a little. I saw the way he kept looking at you the entire time we were in the gym. Like you were the main course at an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

  Elliot released Salvatore and climbed off the bike. “Ivan is probably a nice guy, but I get the feeling he’s a ‘wham, bam, bye’ kind of guy. Once he gets what he wants, he moves on.” That wasn’t what Elliott wanted. “Let’s go in and eat. I’m starved.” He took off the helmet and waited for Salvatore to join him, and then they went inside.

  “Was Ivan really watching me?” Elliott had been completely oblivious because his attention had been on what he was doing or on Salvatore.

  “Yeah,” Salvatore growled.

  “That’s so funny. I never even noticed.” Elliott shrugged. They took a table in the café and opened one of the menus from the table. “Do they have good sandwiches?”

  “The best. Their prime rib sandwich is really good, and it comes with this horseradish sauce that I love.”