Page 64 of Endurance

I ended the call and stared at the blank screen, unsure how to process the turn of events. Setting the phone on the coffee table, I went back upstairs to where Kallie lay naked and waiting. Perhaps if I talked to her about it, she’d help me work through the decision. But on second thought, there was a very good possibility she wouldn’t approve—especially if racing meant I had to kill the pain with pills.

“Who was that?” she asked when I entered the bedroom.

“Milo.”

“Oh, what did he want?”

I hesitated with my answer, buying time as I shed my boxers and climbed back into bed beside her. Pulling her to my chest, I kissed the tip of her nose. I moved my lips over her cheek, across her jawline, and down to her neck. My cock hardened again, anxious to feel her slick heat once more. I shifted my weight, pulling her on top of me until she was straddling my hips.

“Why he called isn’t important,” I told her. “The only thing that matters right now is you riding me for the victory lap.”

21

Kallie

Gabby shuffled into my family room on Monday morning with a loud yawn.

“Ouch! That looks like it hurts,” she said when she spotted me standing in a triangle pose in the middle of the room. “I don’t know how you do that so early in the morning.”

“It’s after eight-thirty. It’s not early. In fact, it’s late for me,” I said with a laugh. “Yoga in the morning increases blood flow, stretches your mind, and sets the tone for the day. It’s energizing, Gabs. You should try it.”

“Mediation does a lot of that, too. Personally, I’d rather sit and meditate with a cup of coffee and let the caffeine stretch my mind—especially after staying up so late,” she joked as she pulled the bag of coffee grounds from the cabinet.

“We did get to bed late, but at least we got to make up for the lost time. I still feel horrible about Saturday,” I said guiltily, thinking about how I didn’t get home from Sloan’s house until after one in the morning. To make it up to Gabby, I’d spent all day with her on Sunday. I took her shopping in L.A., and we did the not-so-glamorous walk on Hollywood Boulevard, looking at the terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalk. We had dinner afterward at an eclectic little restaurant on the Sunset Strip, then came home and talked about everything and anything under the sun long into the night.

“Will you stop stressing about it? I’ve already assured you—I was perfectly content by the pool all day,” she repeated for what must have been the tenth time in the past twenty-four hours.

Standing up, I wiped the sweat from my brow.

“I’m going to take a shower. Your flight leaves at three-thirty, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. That gives us the morning together. I thought maybe we could head over to the Santa Monica Pier and—” I stopped short when the sound of my cell phone vibrating on the end table interrupted me. I snagged it and looked at the caller ID. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“May I speak to Kallie, please?” said a male voice on the other end of the line.

“This is she.”

“Kallie, it’s Jeremiah Lanford from Wings Halfway House.”

“Oh, hi! I didn’t recognize the number. What can I do for you?”

“Last we spoke, you said you would get back with me on when would be a good time for Sloan Atwood to come in and speak. As it turns out, I have a cancelation for this week Friday. Do you think he would be interested in filling it?”

I mentally went through Sloan’s calendar for the week. A few engagements were on the schedule with Corporate Cares, the first one being later on today, but I was reasonably certain Friday was open. Still, I remembered Sloan’s hesitation about speaking with the teens.

“I think Friday will work, but I’ll need to get with Sloan first. I’ll ask him and get back to you within the hour.”

“Excellent! I’ll look forward to your call.”

After I hung up, I immediately called Sloan. When he answered, he sounded half asleep.

“Let me guess. You need me to pose for a picture in an hour,” he said groggily.

“Not exactly.” I laughed. “Sorry to call you so early, but I just got a call from Jeremiah Lanford, the guy who runs Wings Halfway House. He wants you to speak on Friday.”

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