“Have you listened to yourself when we’re in that gym?”
She pinched his arm. “That’s enthusiasm. And to answer your question, my dad is the reason I became a fitness consultant.” The light in her eyes dimmed. “Although he would probably have a heart attack if I told him that.”
They moved to the side to avoid a group of teenagers who were all looking down at their phones.
“Why would knowing he’s the inspiration behind your career give your dad a heart attack?”
“Because the Colonel thinks I should go to college, earn my degree, and get a real job.”
“So being a trainer isn’t a real job?”
She shook her head. “Not to my family.”
“I’ve got about a dozen trainers I’ve worked with in the past who would beg to differ.”
“You totally freak me out when you talk that way. My mom is the only other person I know who uses that phrase. She ‘begs to differ’ all the time.”
And that was the last time she would hear him say it. He sure as hell didn’t want her thinking about her mom when she was with him.
“Anyway,” Taylor continued. “Maybe if I owned my own gym, my family would take my career seriously. As it now stands, I’m wasting my time with this ‘little fitness thing.’ ”
“Ouch.” Jamar winced.
“I know, right? Holidays are a blast in the Powell household.” She scooped up more ice cream, but the spoon didn’t find its way to her mouth. “The funny thing is, I only became interested in fitness because I was so fascinated by all the soldiers doing PT every morning. I used to love watching them, the way they all moved in unison as they performed jumping jacks and push-ups and doing that two-mile run around the base.”
There were cones blocking the sidewalk at Sixth and Guadalupe, so they changed direction, walking down toward Lady Bird Lake. When they came upon Republic Square, Jamar suggested they grab a seat on a bench so they could finish their ice cream.
He wanted to ask more about her family but didn’t know how without it seeming as if he was prying. Fact is, hewasprying. He was intrigued by that hint of vulnerability he’d heard in her voice as she talked about her dad. He wanted to know what was behind it, and why someone who exuded so much confidence would allow her family to reduce her business to a “little” fitness thing. It didn’t gel with the fierce, self-assured woman who barked out orders like a drill sergeant.
“Hey.” He waited for her to look up from her ice cream. “Don’t let them get to you,” Jamar said. “Your family,” he clarified. “You’re good at what you do. Don’t let anyone make you feel as if you’re wasting your time.”
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes softening with a look of genuine gratitude. “I won’t.”
His eyes dropped to her lips.
“Don’t,” she said.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t look at me like you want to kiss me.”
“It’s hard not to look at you like I want to kiss you,” he admitted. “Especially if we’re supposed to convince people that we’re really a couple. In fact,” he said, brushing back two of her braids, “kissing you should be part of the playbook, shouldn’t it? Is the public really supposed to believe I would spend an evening like this with you andnotkiss you?”
“I guess you’re right,” she said. The low, raspy tone of her voice resonated like a tuning fork through his body. She leaned toward him, then pulled back. “Don’t lose your head here, Twenty-Three. This is all for show. Remember that.”
He caught her chin in his hand and pulled her closer. “Just because it’s pretend doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it.”
The first brush of her lips against his felt exactly how Jamar expected it would feel. Like heaven.
it’s pretend it’s pretend it’s pretend
The mantra scrolled across his brain, but with each subtle give of her pliant mouth, his ability to decipher fact from fiction dissipated. He grazed her bottom lip, a faint testing of his tongue, challenging how far she would let him go.
He needed more from her. One clue. The barest indication. He silently pleaded for a sign that she was into this. That this wasn’t just an act. That the sensation of their lips coming together, the restrained yet hungry caress, affected her too.
Just as her mouth finally opened for him, a flurry of nearby giggles broke the spell that had woven around them.
Taylor’s head snapped back and they both looked toward the snickers. A half-dozen teens held their phones pointed toward Taylor and Jamar.
