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AFTER A COMPLICATED evening and unsettling sleep, Grayson woke up early needing to run it off.
He stepped into the private gym, only accessible to the penthouse suite guests. The room sparkled, whether it was the reflection of the machines or the chrome ceiling above, he wasn’t quite sure. The equipment overlooked the gorgeous water through the encased windows, enhancing any workout.
Grayson was ready to work up a sweat.
Walking along the geometric blue and silver floor, he spotted Emma on a treadmill. His body liked her presence, but his head didn’t agree.
Grayson climbed on the treadmill beside her. He should have picked the machine furthest away, but apparently, dreams of her disrupting his night, weren’t enough torture for him.
He started up the machine, increasing the speed into a jog, and worked his way into a run.
Grayson noticed Emma’s ear-buds and her thick hair pulled into a ponytail. Her jog had bounce to it. Grayson left his buds hanging around his neck, breaking into a quicker speed.
When Emma glanced over, wearing a casual smile, it quickly dropped as she recognized him.
She pulled out her ear-buds. “Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
“I didn’t think anyone would be here this early.”
He shrugged. “Me neither.”
“I’m an early riser.” That was something he didn’t know about her. There were plenty of things he didn’t know about her. For example, what made Emma purr? Stop it.
They ran for five minutes in complete and utterly awkward silence. Well, Grayson ran, fast and hard while Emma maintained a fast walking pace which made her look ridiculous, but also made her tight, round buttocks look amazing.
Thank you to whoever invented yoga wear.
Feeling the perspiration start, Grayson tore off his t-shirt and hung it over the machine’s arm, keeping his steady pace. He would have to hit the weights, too. His workout time was lacking the last couple of days and he would have to make up for it.
Emma turned off her machine, but she kept walking until it stopped completely.
“Finished already?” he asked her.
“I just got here,” she admitted.
Grayson turned off his machine, catching her discomfort. He stood facing her. “Why are you leaving?”
“I don’t know. It’s complicated now, and I don’t know what to say to you.”
He could relate. He’d hoped they could quietly ignore and forget the last couple days and move past this. It was how he always dealt with the few explosions between him and his family: ignore and smile. Couldn’t it be that easy with Emma, too?
Grayson sent her a charming smile, even though he knew she hated his smiles. “What was the first thing that came into your mind today that you wanted to say to me?”
Emma bit her lower lip and shook her head. “No,” she said.
He couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Come on. It can’t be worse than anything you’ve already said to me.”
Her cheeks darkened, a shade redder than her workout had made them.
“Grayson, I don’t think this is a good idea...”
He chuckled. “So there was something?”
Emma sighed, rolling her eyes. “The word ‘really’ kind of popped into my head first,” Emma admitted.
“Really? Really what?”
Emma glanced down at his bare chest, and he had to do everything in his power not to laugh.
He cleared his throat and said, “Then I would have said, it’s nice to see you, too.”
A shy smile crossed her lips. “And I would have said, I’m seeing too much of you.”
Yes, that sounded like a remark she’d say.
“I would have acted offended, although, I would be enjoying your banter, probably wiggled my eyebrows at you. Something like this...” He waggled his eyebrows and her smile widened. “...and finished with my killer troublemaking smirk...” he smirked.
“Yes, that looks about right.”
“Then, I probably would have said something along the line of, that’s not a complaint I get from most women.”
Emma’s smile vanished and so did the lightness between them. “I’m gonna go.”
He met her at the back of her treadmill. “Why?”
Emma took a deep breath. “Because, Grayson, last night I insulted you and your dad. Thank you for not telling Brock. Yes, I was worried about the merger, but for the first time, I also saw how much you didn’t like it. Even if you’re trying to shrug it off now, I can’t just let it go. I can’t pretend that what I said doesn’t hurt you and I can’t go back to the way we were, when I know it does.”
Grayson was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected her to...care...and he wasn’t sure what to do with that information. What was with this new word?
He decided replying with his best defense of avoidance, diversion and a joke was in order.
“Darlin’, you don’t have to worry about hurting me. I’m thick-skinned.”
“It was so much easier hating you and then you go and show me your sorrow−”
“I don’t have sorrow.” Was she going to break out in a song? Expecting to have a heart-to-heart with him? He was appalled at the possibility.
“And your kindness...”
Oh for crying out loud, this was a bad family sitcom and he’d put himself smack dab in the middle.
Shut this down.
“You caught me on an off night.”
Emma folded her arms over her chest. She grinned. “You’re uncomfortable.”
“Woman, if I was uncomfortable, it would only be because you are wearing yoga shorts that do things to your ass that makes me want to spank you.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “And, he’s back.”
“Let’s not even talk about your backside.”
“This whole defense mechanism thing you’re doing is juvenile,” Emma told him.
“The only defense I have is blaming the duck walk thing you were doing. Why do you do it? And what is it actually called?”
“It’s called running away from your feelings and hiding behind a mask of crap,” she said, raising her voice.
“And, she’s back. Wouldn’t it be just as efficient, or more, to run or jog? Or can’t you jog?” he asked, walking back to his treadmill.
Emma eyed him up skeptically. “This is how you want to do it?”
“We only see each other around a dozen times a year, why ruin a good thing?”
“You mean why discuss your feelings, your emotions, your sadness...”
Exactly. He’d had a heavy dose of that with Linda yesterday, and he wasn’t about to jump in for round two.
He pointed at her treadmill. “The duck walk,” he said. “And I ask for the second time, can’t you jog?”