Tracked by Trouble (Bad Boys Need Love, Too #3) by Calinda B Read Free Book Online

the brains of a couple of triathlon athletes at my gym. They said it’s totally doable to get you in shape in three months.” He pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and unfolded it, spreading it next to the starter plants. A brisk wind started to lift it off the wooden slatted table and he quickly slammed his palm on it. He tapped the schedule with his fingertip. “You’ll want to work out five days a week, about four hours a week.”
    “That’s all? I thought I’d have to give up my day job, you know?” Zed rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. “Kidding. I need to work.”
    “Not hardly. With a minimum of twelve weeks we can get you into good shape. Since you’ve got fourteen weeks, you’ll be in great shape. You can do this.”
    “Okay, so what’s it look like? My new schedule, I mean.” Zed stared at Jace’s neat, artistic handwriting.
    “We’ll ease you in with some combo workouts—walk-run, walk-run intensives, followed by thirty minutes biking. You’ll do two swim workouts per week. Ten fifty-yard swims with quick rests between. We’ll pick up the pace with everything as your endurance increases. Do you have a gym membership?”
    “No, I let it lapse.”
    “Join the Y. They’ve got the right size pool, and you can do your sprints there, too. What kind of bike do you have?”
    “I’ve got a decent road bike in the garage. It’s a Trek.”
    “That’s a good one. Knobby tires or slick?”
    “Knobby.”
    “Replace ‘em with slick.”
    “Gotcha.”
    “I’ve got a list of essentials you’ll need to get for the race, but we’ll get to that.”
    Zed nodded. He felt a growing sense of comradery with Jace and his eagerness to help him train. “What about swimming in the Sound? Doesn’t it make sense to train in the water I’ll be swimming in?”
    “Totally. We’ll add those to the regime as you progress. This is going to be great. I’m stoked to be helping you prepare.”
    “I really appreciate it. This is all new for me.”
    “I know the feeling. When I started training at the muscle bar, those beefy dudes made me feel a little intimidated at first.”
    “But look at you now. You’re a beefy dude.” Zed chuckled.
    “Yeah,” Jace scoffed. “You can always tell how much stress is in my life by the size of my muscles. I’m eternally grateful to Mitch for setting me straight and turning me on to an outlet for my anger. But truth is, I actually enjoy pumping iron now. And no complaints from Zoé.” Jace smirked. “No complaints at all.” He let out a deep, rumbling laugh.
    “Rub it in. Man, I want what you have, Savage. You’ve turned your life into a good one.”
    “Yeah, well, you don’t need all the headaches I endured to get here. My life was trouble city there for a while. Brutal.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “Don’t give up on Beck. Wasn’t she dating that guy in the minors?”
    “Since I didn’t know her until a couple nights ago, how would I know?” Zed said, a sour taste growing in his mouth. Not only was his asshat brother coming to town, he now had to compete with a pro ball player for a woman’s interest.
    “Yeah, I think she was. Tyler…Danson, or Donnelly or something. A bit full of himself if I’m remembering the right guy.”
    “Maybe that’ll work in my favor,” Zed said. “I come out on top when there’s an egotistical prick in the mix… not .”
    “What’s gotten into you? You used to bed them as much as I did.”
    In his mind, he stared at a tree, heading for it at sixty-five miles per hour. “Hardly.” Zed scoffed. “I’ve always been the underdog. As a teen, my brother would saunter in the room, all smiles, good looks and charm, and there went that date. Then when you were pissed at me, I had to eat your leftovers, remember? Not that they weren’t nice women, or anything. Leftovers,” he said, shaking his head. “I always hated that term. It reads loser. It reads Waldo.”
    Jace winced. “Yeah, I remember.