Page 17 of The Grumpy Vet
Ryde huffs as he thrusts the dumbbell into Dario's chest. I grin, enjoying how oblivious he is to our teasing, taking it all way too seriously. It feels good messing around like this.
Even Dario is softening up. That edge he had when he first got here has been replaced by a softer tone, jokes, and smiles.
Maybe I misread him. Maybe he's like me and needs some time before he feels comfortable around people. Maybe I mistook his nerves for an edge, when it wasn't that at all.
I get exposed to a lot of bantering and messing around at work, but I'm usually too in my head to take part in it, worrying about an animal or how I'm going to pay the staff or any of the other never-ending bills at the end of the month, and now there's the situation with Dad. It all just flies around me. I'm there in the room, but I'm notin it.
Right now, with these guys, I'm in it… And it's nice.
The next thirty minutes are, unfortunately, a lot less nice. I'm not sure if it's because I haven't worked out for the past two months or if this is Ryde's way of getting back at us for teasing him about being a taskmaster, but by the time Dario and I are doing our cooldown stretches on the floor, my muscles are burning, my lungs are on fire, and I am drenched in sweat.
Dario is lying down next to me. He taps my leg, smiling even though he's breathing just as heavily as I am. "Ryde told me you have a nice cock."
I hear a loud gasp from Ryde who's standing over us, and I let out a surprised cough. "Excuse me?"
Dario's smile grows. "Prize winning, I heard."
Oh, right.
"You heard correctly." I grin as I switch legs then feel a sudden twinge all the way down my quad. I inhale with a sharp hiss.
"You okay, Linus?" Ryde asks.
"Fine," I reply, looking up at him. "It's an old injury. Bit of a niggle in my thigh. It's all good."
"You sure?" Dario checks.
I nod, massaging my leg. "Positive."
"In that case, getting back to your rooster," Dario says. "Would it be okay to see it? Just quickly, and then we'll get out of your hair."
"Sure," I say.
We get up, and I take a cautious step to test out my leg. It's a little sore, but I don't think it's anything serious.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Ryde asks as we leave the carport and he lowers the roller door behind us.
"I'm fine, really." I take a few steps to prove it to him. "See?"
He looks at me but doesn't say anything. I lead the guys to the large, open-air enclosure where I keep my babies when a sudden jolt of pain shoots through my quad, and I stumble. Luckily, Dario and Ryde are close by, and before I know it, they're supporting me, keeping me on my feet, one on each side.
"Let's get you inside," Dario says.
I manage a nod, and so together, the three of us turn around, and they help me stumble back to my house.
5
Ryde
With Linus's hand heavy on my shoulder, his other on Dario's, the three of us carefully climb the few steps to Linus's back porch one at a time.
"I'm okay. Really," Linus says when we reach the top.
Dario and I lean back, and I nod. Yep. We're on the same page. Neither one of us is buying it. Linus may not be used to people fussing over him, but too bad. He's in for a world of fussing because despite what he says, I can read the pain on his face. He almost collapsed, and he can't walk on his own. No way are we leaving him.
Unfortunately, Linus Stevenson is one very stubborn man. He lifts his arms, leaving Dario and me no choice but to watch as he limps through his back door, clutching the frame, and into his house.
We follow close on his heels as he hobbles across the kitchen, gripping the counter and then the tops of the chairs at the table on his way to the living room. Holding on to the wall, he turns, tries—and fails—to hide his wince, and attempts to convince us yet again that he's okay. "I'm home. I'm safe. I'm good."
