“Blake?” A deep voice interrupted our stretching session. I glanced up and dismissed David with a quick smirk, the kind guys give each other when they know the other dude is jealous and can’t do shit about it.
“Oh, hey.” Blake leaned up on her elbows as I lowered her leg. “I didn’t see you there, David.”
“You look . . .” He pointed at her body and swallowed slowly, his eyes drinking her in with obvious interest.
“Exhausted,” she said. She burst out laughing and grabbed my hand. “Ian really knows how to work me.”
I nearly burst out laughing at the rage that crossed David’s face. How dare I touch his friend! Just to piss him off, I kissed her hand and winked.
“You know”—David leaned down into our space—“if you ever want any extra help . . . at the gym, you could always ask me.”
“Oh.” Blake glanced between me and David. “That’s nice of you to offer, but—”
“I think I’ve got it covered, David.” I leered suggestively.
“Well, the offer still stands.” David pushed to his feet and slowly backed away. “It was great seeing you, Blake. You look . . . really good.”
She glanced down at her tits.
Which in turn made me and every other male within a fifty-mile radius join her in mutual admiration.
“Thanks!”
I nearly groaned when she popped her shoulders, making her chest bounce a bit. My hand twitched, along with my dick.
“Uh.” Poor David looked about ready to swallow his tongue as he moved his hands to the front of his body and nodded. “Well, see ya.”
Dirty little prick was covering his junk.
He immediately went to the bench press and loaded 275 on the bar. Really, dude? He was going to be in a world of hurt if he didn’t at least warm up.
But the Jolly Green Giant was sneakier than I expected. He didn’t pretend that we weren’t watching. If anything, he knew we would be.
Sly Jolly Green Giant. I frowned as he started pumping the 275 like it wasn’t a big deal. He stood, chest puffed out, and glanced over at us as if to say, Oh, you’re still here? Watch this.
He added another thirty pounds.
He had no spot.
Had to hand it to him. He was an idiot, but he was a strong idiot.
“Wow,” Blake breathed. I glanced at her wide eyes as they bobbed up and down with the cadence of his pump. Oh, hell no.
Grinding my teeth, I nearly mauled her right then and there. Was she seriously impressed with that douche? The line between personal and professional was blurring right before my very eyes, because I wanted nothing more than to pin her against the wall and sink myself into her.
I was caught in a situation I’d never been in before. A situation where the girl and the guy doing their natural I’m man, watch me roar—oh my, look how strong you are thing actually made my chest hurt.
I told Blake if it was necessary, I would kiss her.
Suddenly, it became extremely necessary.
To stake a claim.
So, without allowing my brain to conjure up logical reasons why it was a bad idea, I tugged Blake to her feet and kissed her.
The minute our mouths met, she gasped.
I expected her to completely shut down, which would mean I’d have to turn her back to David so she didn’t give us away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck, leaning her body into mine.
And opened. Her. Mouth.
She tasted like coffee and cinnamon. Holy shit. Someone should make a gum with that combo.
I invaded her mouth, plunging, pillaging, basically planting my flag and saluting it, all the while running my hands down her back, my fingers digging into her skin, willing the heat between our bodies to singe the clothes so that I wouldn’t have to spend time ripping them from her body.
Her hands twisted in my hair as I angled my head differently, teasing her mouth. Making love to her lips.
A loud clang sounded.
We broke apart.
“Sorry,” David called from his side of the weight room. “Dropped some weight.”
Sorry, my ass.
Whatever. I didn’t care. Because I was the guy walking out with the girl.
Not that she was mine.
Or that she wouldn’t be his in a few days.
Shit.
“That was”—Blake ducked into my chest as I wrapped an arm around her—“a really great first kiss.”
Damn it! I was ruining everything. I was her first kiss? Me? The certified whore? The guy she was paying? Not the one she was in love with.
And that was the kicker.
She was saving herself for someone important, while I’d never saved myself for anyone, ever.
The thought haunted me the entire walk to my car.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Shell sat close to me while we pretended to study at the coffee shop. We exchanged a few hand grazes here, longing looks there, and a strategic pen drop, where it looked like I was staring down the front of her top.
And boom—like magic, Jealous Barista appeared. Tom. Shit, I hated Tom. Not because he was an ass, but because he refused to move past the bossy “I know what’s best for you” face. And that was seriously starting to piss me off. It was the last phase, the one where the guy stopped being protective and moved on to actually doing shit about it.
Shell didn’t deserve to be in limbo. She’d done a hell of a job, and if he couldn’t see her for the woman she was, then she and I were going to have to have a heart-to-heart, and I’d only done that with a client once in my career. I didn’t want it to start becoming a thing.