In the Fast Lane (Fast Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

he could look Jessi Pruitt in the eye. Maybe that made him less of a man, but there were some things that weren’t worth the embarrassment of rehashing.
    Eight years ago, he’d been attracted to her, but she was just a kid with a crush. He knew on sight that he would chew her poor little heart up and spit it out. Rather than leave her alone like he should have, he’d been a dick and hung out with her on couches, sat by her at dinner, kissed her in a hallway. Crap.
    He’d been devastated by his losses in the pool, but that didn’t make up for the way he’d treated Jessi. So maybe Sawyer was right. Maybe he could make up for some of that by helping her win gold now.
    As much as it pissed him off to admit it, Sawyer was right about other things, too. Dalton was going through the motions of life and always would be as long as the world saw him as nothing more than the asshole who stood next to Sawyer during the national anthem. That damn song would never play for him...but it could play because of him. Working with Jessi might just be worth it if it meant showing the world he was more than a playboy, sometimes athlete. It might also let him prove the same thing to himself.
    “I haven’t said yes. You realize that, right?”
    “Yeah, but you will. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You can’t help yourself. I’m that charming.”
    “I hate you. I want you to know that.”
    “No, you don’t. You just like to flirt.” Sawyer had a cocky grin pasted on his face that a younger Dalton would have punched off.
    Taking a deep breath and remembering his age, Dalton continued. “Fine. I’ll think about it. In the meantime, I’ve got to get these walls up by tonight, and unless you’re going to grab a nail gun—” Dalton nodded at the one in his hand then returned his gaze to Sawyer “—you’d better go get a hotel room.”
    Much to Dalton’s chagrin, Sawyer walked over to the workbench and grabbed a nail gun. “Where do you want me to start?”
    “You know how to use that?” Dalton replied dubiously.
    “Yup.”
    Of course he did. Great.
    “Fine. Start on that end. And make sure everything is square, dammit!”
     

     
    They worked in surprisingly companionable silence for the rest of the day.
    “I remember this.” Sawyer wiped sweat from his eyes and looked over at Dalton.
    “Remember what?”
    “The way we swam lanes together for hours with no one else getting in the way to mess it up. It was nice. Okay, not exactly nice , but it was good, you know?”
    “I am not going to make out with you, Sawyer Jameson, so quit asking.”
    Sawyer chuckled, and Dalton went back to pounding. He continued to think about their time as competitive swimmers. They really had worked well together, despite the rivalry. They pushed each other, made sure the other was holding his end and setting a good pace for the rest of the swimmers. They didn’t like each other, but that had been because of the competition, Dalton’s crap attitude, and Sawyer’s annoying tendency toward overall greatness.
    “All right, dude. You’ve had enough time to think. I want you to come help me train this year’s team.”
    “No.” Dalton wasn’t ready to make a commitment. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet. He wouldn’t be suckered into anything until he was.
    “Why? Do you really like what you’re doing here? This isn’t you, man.”
    “It’s quiet .” He looked at Sawyer and raised an eyebrow to emphasize the sarcasm that he’d infused in that one word. “It’s also something I’ve done on my own, and I’m proud of it. So... yes, I like it.”
    “All right. I’ll give you that. But you need to be in swimming. You are one of the best at what you do. You are the best at the butterfly.”
    Dalton started to interrupt.
    “And don’t even mention the fucking medals again. That’s your go-to, and I’m sick of it.”
    “It’s kind of a big deal, Sawyer. You know that.”
    “I sure know it’s the same old, tired,