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“THAT WAS THE MOST PAINFUL,” gasp “horrible,” gasp “humiliating thing that’s ever happened to me!”
Tom and I were in the back room of the gym. He’d made it a habit to rent out the entire area twice a week for ‘office employees,’ but as none of the other employees knew it was happening, that basically just meant that he and I got the entire place to ourselves. We’d come here right after work got out, and he was spotting me as I tried to do the weights—which, let me just say, were not my strong suit. My shoulder blades dug into the leather cushion as I pressed up with all my might, gasping and ranting at the same time.
“That’s good babe. You almost got up to thirty pounds.”
He took the little bar out of my hands and set it easily back on the stand. I patted my neck dry with a towel and nodded self-righteously.
“How are you not even upset right now?” I asked suddenly.
It seemed like an obvious question. Tom Larchwood didn’t take a beating from anybody. Let alone a bottle of vodka and a giant squid. Where was the fire?
He shrugged and gave me a soft smile. “She’s only trying to protect you. How can I argue with that?”
I glanced up in surprise. Really? That’s how he felt?
“Of course, if she asks my little brother if he’s had any aborted kids again, I might have to hang her by her hair...”
That was more like it.
I laughed shortly, taking a swig of my water and relishing the thought.
“But your best friend standing up for you? Against her own boss?” He sat down beside me and stroked back my hair. “No, I could never fault her for that.”
“...but you ate an octopus.”
He actually went a little green before answering. “Yeah, well, you’re worth eating an octopus for now and again.”
I smiled broadly, peppering his face in little comedic kisses. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He laughed aloud, catching my head between his hands and kissing me squarely on the lips. “This is getting out of control, you know,” he said quietly. “This little affair...”
I pulled back with raised eyebrows. “Oh, that’s what you’re calling it? An affair?”
“What would you call it?”
I finished my water as I considered. “I don’t know... But affair makes me feel like I’m either a mistress or in an Audrey Hepburn film...”
His booming laugh echoed off the mirrors lining the walls. “Well, whatever you want to call it—I’m glad it’s happening.” He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye after the holiday were over. I...honestly don’t think I could.”
A warm thrill fluttered away in my stomach, flooding every inch of me with a delighted flush. I couldn’t say goodbye either. In fact, I don’t think I could have walked away after the very first time we kissed. There was something magnetic about Tom. Something that kept drawing me closer and closer, no matter how hard I tried to resist.
“Well, I’m glad you feel that way,” I said a little shyly. “That’s how I feel too.”
He grinned and grabbed the empty bottle, diffusing the sudden, heavy emotions with another quick kiss. “I’ll get us two more. Meet you back here on the treadmills?”
I winked. “Winner gets a back massage.”
“Oh Miss Harks,” his eyes glowed in anticipation, “you’re on.”
I was still grinning to myself as he breezed through the frosted doors into the main part of the gym. Still grinning as I hopped up onto my treadmill and sneakily upped the incline level on his. In fact, I was still grinning away like an idiot when the door pushed open again.
“There you are! I hope you’re ready to give me a nice long back massage—”
Michael.
My shoe caught on the side of the moving walkway and sent me flying off backward into the wall of mirrors.
“Jenna?!”
He was kneeling beside me the next moment, his incredulous smile fading as he checked to be sure that I was alright. I blushed furiously and stumbled to my feet, half-tripping and catching onto him once again as I waited for my balance to return.
“Well hello there,” he said with a blinding smile. “That was quite the welcome.”
I winced. “I like to put on a show.”
“I can see that.”
He was having a hard time hiding the amusement in his voice, and I looked up at him with a glare. How could someone so beautiful be so perpetually annoying?
“What are you doing here, Michael?”
His face brightened up at this. “Actually, did you know that our firm rents out this room twice a week for employees?”
My face froze for a moment before I cautiously returned his grin. “Um...yeah, I heard that too. Isn’t that great?”
“It’s wonderful, only I’m not sure if anyone at the firm actually knows.” His eyes twinkled as they stared down into mine. “I’m going to have to spread the word.”
I gulped quickly, pretending to be distracted with my knee. “Absolutely...I’ll help you.”
Over his head, I saw Tom returning from down the hall, holding two water bottles in his hand. When he saw Michael standing there, along with my look of scarcely contained panic, he quickly ducked into the locker room. Michael saw me staring and followed my gaze.
“Something catch your eye?” he asked innocently.
I flushed bright red again. “Oh, um, no. I thought I might have seen someone I know.”
Michael couldn’t have been more excited. “Really? Let’s go check it out, shall we?”
I actually reached out and grabbed his sleeve as he headed for the door. “Actually,” I faked a wince of pain, “I think I might have really messed up my knee just now.”
“Oh no,” it was impossible to tell if his look of sympathy was real or staged, “well, come on over, let’s take a look.”
Before I could argue, he slipped his hands under my legs and swept me up into his arms, holding me tight against his chest as he carried me to the benches by the side of the wall. Instead of setting me down and simply sitting beside me, he swung my bare legs over his own, running his fingers gently over my knee to see where the damage was. I sucked in a quick breath and prayed to the heavens that Tom was still hiding in the locker room and wasn’t seeing this.
“Does this hurt?” Michael asked innocently, my entire leg fitting snugly between his warm hands. I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. “What about this?”
“Nope,” I pulled away in a hurry, almost falling over the back of the bench in my rush to get away. “Feels like it’s all better.”
He eyed my hasty retreat and nodded with sudden solemnity. “You’re right—that was entirely inappropriate.” His chocolate eyes locked onto mine. “What would Camden think?”
My whole body locked down when he said the word Camden. Head to toe. Complete paralysis. There were honestly a few seconds where I might have mentally blacked out.
He waited patiently while I collected myself, still staring with that same innocent little twinkle in his eyes that set my teeth on edge. Finally, when I could postpone no longer, I replied with the very quick and cunning, “Hmm?”
He pursed his lips. “You know, your boyfriend? Camden?”
“Oh, right.” I got quickly to my feet, heading back to the treadmills and hopping on in a steady jog. “I’m sure he’d understand.”
I hoped he’d understand!
Michael hopped onto the treadmill beside me, the one intended for Tom. “So what does he do—this Camden? Tell me all about him.”
I cast a sideways glance at him to see him grinning broadly.
“He’s...well, he’s...” A sudden surge of brilliance took me, and I turned up my nose in apparent disgust. “I don’t talk about my personal life with co-workers. Let alone my boss.”
For the first time, his eyes flashed. He turned up the speed on his machine and easily outpaced my quick jog. “I understand that. And normally, I would let it slide. But seeing as, thanks to your bewitching friend, you know every single thing about my personal life, I think it’s only fitting that we share.”
He had me there. I had to admit, I felt extremely sorry and more than a little responsible for the way Rosalie had treated him. With a sigh, I pushed my hair out of my face and ran on.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything!” He beamed. “Where is he from? How did you meet? How long have you two been together?” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Could I take him in a fight?”
Despite my nerves, a burst of laughter escaped my lips and I glanced at Michael out of the corner of my eye—remembering all at once how much I’d started to like him that day at his apartment.
...before he’d ruined everything by kissing me.
My grin faded, and I paced myself, taking the questions one at a time.
“He’s from Chicago, we met in business school, and we’ve been long-distance dating for the last few weeks. No big deal.”
“Business school, eh? And you went to Harvard?” He frowned, making a grand show of deep concentration. “Camden, you say? Not many Camden’s out there. What’s his last name? I’ll bet I know him.”
Each time he said the name, I felt as though my heart was going to explode. I tripped again on the treadmill, but his hand flashed out and caught me before I could fall, never breaking his own stride.
“Thanks,” I gasped, righting myself. “Um, well actually, we didn’t go to business school together—we only met on a conference I attended while there. He lives abroad. Europe,” I added knowingly. “Lots of Camden’s over there.”
He considered this for a second, before, “Well, surely not a lot who went to the same conference as you did. What did you say his last name was again?”
“I’m tired,” I said abruptly, getting down. “I think I’m going to head home.”
A sparkling smile danced in his eyes, but he, too, hopped off the treadmills. “I’m actually tired too,” he admitted. “I think the resistance is broken on these things...”
I simply laughed nervously and sped down the hall before he could say another word. I was vaguely aware of the fact that Tom was probably still hiding in the locker room, but I avoided it like the plague. The last thing I needed was for Michael to pop into there and see us together—asking more questions about my imaginary boyfriend...