I spun around to find Eric staring down at me. That same acute gaze drinking me in. My mouth suddenly felt dry.
“Shouldn’t you be with them?” I looked down the length of his body to see he’d removed the tutu, leaving him in a workout T-shirt and a pair of shorts that stopped an inch above his knees.
His eyes flitted up to the entrance where I surmised the men were still being berated, before falling back to me.
“I’m right where I need to be.”
My mouth went dry and I cursed myself for leaving my water bottle in my gym locker. A silence fell between us, which was so unlike me. Often, I could keep up an entire conversation on just my end alone, but my words seemed to get all jumbled up in Eric’s presence. I felt like a deer in headlights, or like the prey in the crosshairs again, when his eyes lingered on me.
“Did you enjoy class?” I finally managed to get out.
“I did.”
“Good. Good.” I clapped my hands for some reason. “That’s my goal. Make sure everyone has fun and burns lots of calories, of course.”
“Goal accomplished. Do you have another class to teach?”
“No.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he offered.
“Uh, I have to go get my bag from the locker room.”
“I’ll wait.”
A giddy feeling filled my stomach, and I nodded, hurrying off to grab my duffle bag. Checking my hair in the mirror, I sighed. After such a sweaty class, my curls were limp, weighed down by sweat. I made do and fluffed the sides of my hair as much as possible, grateful that I just got my cut trimmed and purple streaks refreshed over the weekend. Wiping my face of the sweat with a facial wipe I kept in my bag, I then coated my lips in a clear gloss I had on hand before going back out. A smile touched my lips when I saw Eric still waiting for me.
“Do you teach here every Tuesday?” he asked as we proceeded to the door.
“Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at ten a.m.”
His head tilted as if he was storing the information away for the future.
“We also have kickboxing classes, step aerobics, and of course a full weight room and cardio machines like most gyms. But we’ve got specialized personal trainers who’ve worked with some of the most famous people in the entertainment industry. That’s the spiel they tell us to give everyone,” I laughed as if it was an inside joke. “The gym has been open for less than a year, but I like the atmosphere. I’ve taught spin at other gyms in the city, but this place is by far my favorite.” I clamped my lips shut to keep from rambling on anymore. It seemed I found my ability to talk in his presence, and I mentally kicked myself for it.
“I’m over here.” I pointed to my car.
“And I’m right there.” He nodded to the car next to mine.
“Fire engine red. Fitting color for a firefighter,” I joked.
“I guess so.” Again the smile that reminded me of the sun came out, and I lowered my gaze, wishing I had my sunglasses with me.
“I like the pool. At the gym,” Eric added. “I divide my cardio between swimming and running to give my knees a break.”
“Yeah, I’ve had a few participants in my cycling class say they needed to switch because of knee or hip issues from running. You know, they say running on pavement for long periods of time does it. I read that orthopedic doctors are finding they have to do two hip or knee replacements on older patients because those things only hold up for like ten to fifteen years, maybe twenty. And…” I trailed off when I noticed his amused expression. “Sorry, I tend to ramble. It gets worse when I’m nervous.”
His head shot back. “I make you nervous?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh come on, don’t pretend like you don’t have the whole sexy, brooding firefighter thing going on.”
When he threw his head back and laughed, I had to squeeze my thighs together.
“You’ve never been told that?”
“No, I don’t think I have.”
I gave him a sideways look. “I think you’re being modest.”
