Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“I didn’t know you could lift this heavy,” Santino says as I grip the bar.
“I’ve lifted heavier than that,” Henry says without a hint of irony in his voice. The man is a long way away from lifting this heavy with his beer gut and all that extra weight he’s carrying. Being married has made him soft.
Emmanuel snorts out a laugh. “Give me a break, Henry. You couldn’t even lift that bar if those weights were made of foam.”
“Guys,” Cara snaps. “Let the boss concentrate.”
Everyone watches as I lift the bar with a grunt. It bends under the tremendous weight, but it doesn’t break as I slowly raise it up and down.
My muscles are screaming. My heart is pounding. I just grit my teeth and focus on pushing this bar. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down.
“Holy shit,” Santino whispers as he watches.
I was up all night. I don’t think I slept a wink.
That girl…
She did something to me.
Something I don’t quite understand. I’ve gone through five decades of life and met all kinds of girls. Every size, shape, and personality possible and I’ve never even been tempted. Not once.
But this girl… This angel… She’s imprinted herself on me. She’s under my skin and in my heart. She’s taken over every thought I have.
I’m… obsessed with her.
My Ellie.
“Nine,” Cara counts as I lift the bar up and down. “Ten. Eleven.”
I have so much adrenaline coursing through me, I have to get it out somehow. I tried jerking off last night, but that just made it worse. After the third time, thinking of her, I realized it was pointless. It just made me feel more lonely. It just reminded me that she wasn’t there. That I’ll never be complete without her.
I do two more reps and then slam the bar down on the rack. The whole thing shakes as my squad erupts in cheers and exclaims of disbelief.
“Not bad for an old man,” Henry says, slapping my shoulder as I sit up.
Normally, I wouldn’t even think twice about a comment like that, but today, it stings. Old man.
Damn. Am I too old for her?
What was she? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight?
I’m fifty-two. We might have twenty-five years between us. Is that too much?
Does age even matter when two adults have a connection?
I know that if she was twenty-five years older than me, I’d still want her. Nothing would quench my thirst for this girl. Nothing.
“Is that a personal record?” Cara asks, counting the plates on the bar.
“Doubt it,” I say with a shrug of my jacked shoulders. “I used to be a beast in my twenties.”
“He used to be,” Emmanuel says with a laugh. “Sheriff, I think you are still very much a beast.”
“Watch this,” I say as I grab some more weight and slide it onto the bar. If these guys want a show, I’ll give them one. I’ll show them what an ‘old man’ can do.
“What the fuck?” Santino whispers as I lay down and start lifting.
“Seriously, Sheriff,” Cara says, watching in awe. “Did you get bitten by a radioactive spider or something?”
I just ignore them all, staring at the ceiling, but only seeing her, as I lift up and down, up and down, up and down.
I looked her up last night. There were a few stunning pictures of her on the Angelic Divine website. I must have stared at them for hours.
My arms start to shake as gravity begins to win out. Emmanuel grabs one end of the bar and Santino grabs the other. They both grunt as the three of us lift up the bar and place it on the rack.
Everyone stares at me in awe as I stand up and take a sip of water. I roll my shoulders and shake out my arms. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and damn, I do look jacked. My muscles are pumped to the max and I’m bursting out of this sleeveless workout shirt.
I try to imagine myself through the eyes of a twenty-eight year woman. I’m tall and muscular with tattoos that I think are pretty cool. Maybe my hair is too gray. There’s a lot of black in it, but maybe too much gray? When the hell did that happen? Damn, is there like a dye or something I can fix it with?
I sigh as I run my hand through it. I’m not into the whole beauty scene. I’ve never stepped foot into a salon and I wouldn’t know what to do if I did. I’ve had the same barber—Ron—for the past thirty years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dye someone’s hair.
Cara is on the treadmill, so I wander over and hang out beside her while she jogs.
“That was so impressive,” she says. “I can’t wait to tell Graham how much you lifted.”
I grin, knowing that’s going to bother the hell out of my arch nemesis. Let the fire chief try to lift that without tearing something.