Brawler Read Online Free Page A

done for the night?”
    I doubted he was, because he hadn’t done much in the thirty minutes since he’d arrived – at least not as far as I was concerned. Prepared for him to explain how he needed to spend another hour and a half at the gym, and for him to give a lengthy excuse on why he couldn’t take time to see me more, I waited for his response.
    “Yeah,” he said, looking toward the station where he’d been working out “I think I’m done.”
    So, you wanna fuck?
    I fought the urge to be myself and stuck with something a little less invasive to his seemingly shy personality. “So, you want to go get a coffee or something?”
    “Sure.”
    Wow. That was easy.
    “You need to shower?”
    He looked like he considered it for a nanosecond, then shook his head. “Didn’t really sweat.”
    “Grab your stuff. We can go talk or whatever.”
    I was hoping for some whatever , but was prepared to settle for getting to know him a little better. In a moment he returned with his bag and we walked to the parking lot together.
    “You want to ride with me?” he asked.
    “Sure.”
    He opened the passenger door to a truck that was parked right beside the door. I had been on several dates, and I couldn’t recall anyone ever opening the door for me, regardless of who they were. As I hoisted myself into the truck, I couldn’t help but feel like we were going out for the evening. 
    He carefully closed the door and then climbed in the other side.
    “So, where are you from?” I asked.
    “Born and raised in Texas. Grew up in Lubbock.”
    Most born and raised southern boys were extremely polite. My belief that he was shy and reserved was probably nothing but him being mannerly.
    “You don’t sound like you’re from here.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You don’t have the southern accent thing going on.”
    “My parents were originally from Chicago. They didn’t speak with an accent, and they thought if we did it would make us sound uneducated. We had to take speech classes when we were kids so we didn’t sound like idiots .”
    “Seriously?”
    “Dead serious.” He chuckled. “My father’s a hard ass.”
    I knew all there was to know about having a father who was difficult but wasn’t prepared to discuss it. At least not yet.
    “What about you?” he asked.
    “Omaha, Nebraska. I was on my way to the beach and ended up here. Been here ever since.”
    He steered the truck into the other lane, and then looked at me. One of his eyebrows raised slightly. Not much, but just enough to express his interest. “You were on your way to the beach?”
    It still thrilled me to think that one day I would see it. Feel the wet sand between my toes. Feel the waves against my skin. “Yeah. I’ve never been. So, after high school I headed that direction. But, I only got this far.”
    “The bad thing about seeing the ocean is that it’s hard to leave,” he said, his voice trailing off as if his mind was searching for fading memories. “There’s something about it…”
    My eyes went wide. “You’ve been?”
    He nodded. “When I was a kid. And then on spring break. It’s…it’s awesome.”
    “I’m going,” I said. “As soon as I can afford it.”
    I felt more comfortable with him now that we were just talking like two old friends. He was still extremely good-looking – and intimidatingly so – but his demeanor made me feel like he had no idea how handsome he really was. As he pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, my curiosity got the best of me.
    “So, are you single?”
    He parked the truck and then his eyes searched my face. After a moment, he seemed to find whatever he was searching for. “Yeah.”
    His hesitation made me feel like he was either lying or hiding something. I pressed a little further. “Are you sure?”
    “Positive. It’s just…”
    “Just what?”
    “My last relationship ended kind of...I don’t know…it just. It was kind of,” he stammered. “I wasn’t ready for it to,