Page 93 of Body Check

“Hey,” Dakota said when she was gone. “What’s the verdict?”

Gavin didn’t speak, just opened his arms, and Dakota went into them. Gavin gripped him tightly around the waist, his forehead pressed to Dakota’s sternum. Surprised, Dakota hesitantly reached up, sliding his hand through Gavin’s short hair until Gavin sighed sleepily, his body growing soft and lax against Dakota’s.

Clearly, he needed this—this touch or comfort or whatever it was. And maybe Dakota did too. He hadn’t expected how relieved he’d feel at the strength in Gavin’s arms, the warmth of their bodies pressed together.

Dakota ran a hand across Gavin’s broad shoulders, stroking softly, and Gavin released a shuddering sigh. It made Dakota’s throat tighten as he worried maybe this heart episode was something serious.

Clearly not urgent, not if they were releasing him, but still worrisome.

“Hey,” Dakota said again, this time more softly, sliding his hand to cup Gavin’s cheeks, then tilting his head so he could look him in the eye. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

“I’m …” Gavin’s voice was hoarse. “I’m okay.”

“What?” Dakota blinked.

“It was mostly stress and overwork.”

“So, no heart attack?” Dakota asked, relieved.

“Nope.” Gavin’s expression lightened. “I’m at really high risk for one in the future, but I didn’t have one today. They want me to see my doctor and do some additional testing. Gonna have to make some major lifestyle changes because I definitely have coronary artery disease. But I’m … I’m okay.”

“Oh shit.” Dakota was almost giddy. He smiled down at Gavin, sliding his thumbs across the coarse hair where his short beard met his sideburns, the hair more silvery there and at the temples than anywhere else. “That’sgreatnews.”

“Yeah. Scared the fuck out of me though,” Gavin admitted.

“You scared me too,” Dakota said softly.

“You were going to break up with me earlier, weren’t you?” Gavin asked, searching his face.

“Uhh. Was there anything to break up?” Dakota asked, though even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t entirely true.

Gavin gave him a lopsided little smile. “Well, end things. Whatever you want to call it.”

“I was planning on it, yeah,” Dakota admitted.

“And now?”

Dakota opened his mouth, then shrugged helplessly. “I … fuck, Gavin. I don’t … Look, what I came to tell you was that Violet knows about us. She figured it out from our body language at the arena.”

Worry flickering across his face, Gavin sat back, and Dakota let his hands fall away from Gavin’s face.

“You don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

Dakota swallowed hard. “Well, I didn’t think so, but now?—”

There was a brief rap on the door. “Mr. Racine? We’re here to go over your discharge instructions.”

“Come in.”

Dakota took a seat in a nearby chair and tried to fade into the background, but apparently, they’d assumed he was either Gavin’s partner or at the very least, close friend, because they kept addressing him too, like he’d have some part in Gavin’s future appointments.

Dakota nodded and went along with it, because he didn’t want to argue, not when he didn’t know what was happening between them or what he’d even say. How he’d explain.

It was nearly an hour later that they finally got into a car.

Gavin hadn’t wanted to take an ambulance to the hospital and Dakota hadn’t wanted to drive Gavin’s car in the ever-crazy Boston traffic, so they’d taken a car service there.

They did the same on the way back to Gavin’s place, and Dakota was grateful when the partition went up and they were left to speak in private.

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