ONE
______
CONNOR
Pain burned through every nerve ending as I fought against the crushing weight of the bar. Balanced precariously across my chest, it promised to bring an agonising end to my short and ignominious life. This was it. I was going to die a virgin.
“Come on, Connor. Don’t you dare give up on me now.”
My eyes snapped open and I glared at the upside-down face above me. Lawrence Miller stood at the head of the bench with crossed arms and a feral grin. “You know you can do this, mate,” he added, his confidence absolute. “So stop fucking around.”
I took a few short, panting breaths, and began to push against the heavy bar. My teeth clenched and I strangled the urge to groan. Law hated it when guys made grunting noises while working out.The louder the grunting, the smaller the penis,he’d once told me, laughing at his own joke. I wasn’t sure how I stacked up in the size department, but I would die before I made a sound.
Fresh sweat beaded on my forehead and my arms shook from the effort. Ignoring it all, I focused on raising the bar one centimetre at a time until, finally, my arms were straight.
“Yes!” Law crowed as his palms slipped under the barbell to help guide it back to the cradle. “Another personal best. Good work.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, I sat up. Sweat rolled down the back of my neck and my arms felt like jelly. “You know, when you offered to let me train with you, you never told me the workouts would hurt more than the bruises ever did.”
“Hey, I promised to make you strong enough to defend yourself against those arseholes at school. That’s it. I never said anything about it being easy.” He threw me a towel. I tried to raise a hand to catch it, but my exhausted muscles refused to respond, and it hit me in the head before falling into my lap. “At least this way you get to choose your pain, and the stupid grin on your face tells me lifting heavy shit is way more satisfying than being smacked around.”
“You might have a point there,” I admitted, my cheeks stretching further. Dragging myself up off the bench, I reached for my water bottle. After a long drink of the tepid liquid, I took a step back to survey my progress in the full-length mirror leaning against the wall of the converted garage. My body had filled out in the six months I’d been working out with Law. Subtle curves showed off my biceps and my legs were bulkier, my shoulders broader. An extra growth spurt around the time I turned seventeen hadn’t hurt either. All the lifting had made a noticeable difference—on the outside at least. On the inside, I still felt like a target.
With a quiet sigh, I let my gaze drift sideways to Law’s reflection. His own gaze travelled the length of me in one long, appreciative glance. By the time his dark eyes rose again to meet mine, there was an intensity in him that had become familiar over the past couple of months. I’d decided to interpret it as professional satisfaction. As a newly certified Personal Trainer, my gains were a sign of his success. Any other interpretations were off limits.
Turning abruptly, he began returning the free weights we’d used earlier to the racks. “How are things going at school?” he asked. “Is Pete still giving you trouble?”
“Not currently.” I grabbed the towel from the bench and wiped my face before tossing it over towards my bag. “He did come after me with a couple of his friends on the way out of the school a few weeks ago.”
His gaze snapped to mine. “Did they hurt you?”
Smugness tugged at the corners of my mouth. “I didn’t give them the chance. When Pete tried to grab me, I caught his wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back. Told his mates I’d break it if they came near me.”
“Holy crap.” His eyes widened as he barked out a laugh. “What happened then?”
“Pete swore like you wouldn’t believe. Said he’d kill me. But it was all talk. His voice…” The memory of it turned my stomach. “He was scared I’d really do it.”
“Of course, he was.” My head lifted at Law’s words, but my frown only made him shrug. “Iknow you’d never do anything to hurt him, but that dickhead has been tormenting you for years. Then, one day out of the blue, you fight back, and you’re stronger than him?” He broke out in a wicked cackle. “He must have been pissing himself.”
I couldn’t help the smile twisting my lips. “I guess so. The second I let him go they all took off. Pete’s been ignoring me ever since. It’s like I’ve suddenly become invisible or something.”
“I reckon he dumped you in the too hard basket the moment you got the upper hand.” He crossed the room to stand in front of me, hands low on his hips. “You stood up for yourself, and you ended it without anyone getting hurt.” He lifted his chin in acknowledgment. “I’m proud of you.”
Pleasure blossomed in my chest, expanding through my limbs. “Thanks.” I was glad I hadn’t told him how badly I shook as I held on to Pete’s arm, terrified he’d regain control and pound me into the ground. Or how, after they left, I bolted for the school toilets and threw up my lunch. I didn’t want Law to know those parts of the story.
“So, I’m thinking,” I stopped to clear my throat, “I guess this means you won’t have to put up with me coming around here anymore.”
Frowning, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do you say that?”
I let my gaze fall to the floor between us. “I’m safe now, from Pete at least, and there’s only a month left before graduation anyway so…” This was the reason I hadn’t already told Law about that last confrontation. I’d wanted to avoid this conversation as long as possible. “I know you’ve finished studying and you’re starting to take on real, paying clients. You don’t have to—”
“Stop.” He threw his hands in the air as the word burst out. “You think I want to lose my workout buddy? I’m still new to this job and you’re the only guinea pig who keeps coming back. Even Frank quit on me and he’s my best friend. I’m not going to up and dump you because I can finally claim the official Personal Trainer title. Besides,” he wrapped one hand around my left bicep, “all this is going to disappear pretty damned fast if you stop training.”
“I doubt anyone would notice,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. “It’s not as if I’ll ever look like you.” He was barely a year older than me, but Law had been working out for years. He had the kind of athletic body girls followed with their eyes. Add to that his thick, brunette hair and golden skin and, well, was it any wonder he drew attention?
He sure as hell had my friend Gabi’s attention, her eyes followed him everywhere. Which wasn’t surprising considering they’d started dating around the same time I started working out with Law, but still… Gabi would never look at me like that, no matter how big my muscles were. To her, I’d never be anything more than the boy who lived next door.
“You’re not training to look like me, Connor,” he reminded me, using the instructor voice he’d spent the past year perfecting. “You’re training to be the best version of you.” I nodded, trying to feel even an ounce of the confidence that seemed to come so naturally to him. It was no wonder Gabi couldn’t keep her eyes off him. “If you want to compare yourself to someone,” he continued, “compare yourself to the stick figure I picked up off the ground and dragged in here six months ago.” Using the hand he still had wrapped around my bicep, he turned me to face the mirror. “I’m pretty sure you could take that kid on with both hands tied behind your back.”
