Her voice trailed off and he chuckled. “It’s fine. Really. Guess I should have shut up and paid attention.”
“See, it’s not just me.”
“No, it’s because of you.”
She didn’t ask what that meant, and he didn’t elaborate. There was a reason that he had pulled her out there. He just couldn’t think of what it was at the moment. This damn woman was messing with his head.
Mallory didn’t get another hit on him and after he’d tossed her a couple more times, he decided that they’d both had enough for the morning. He left the meeting with his mind on a million things that it shouldn’t have been on. How was he going to forget about her now?
It continued that way the rest of the week. He was finding it increasingly hard to ignore the woman. It was easy when he thought about who she was going to be married to soon enough. It rode his head hardcore and before long, he didn’t have any other answers. He didn’t know how to stop the feelings that were creeping up, mainly an overwhelming desire to have and hold the perfect body he was roughing up every morning.
Mallory was relentless, and though she got flustered once and a while, he had no idea how she really felt about any of it. He wanted to believe that he wasn’t the only one choking on desire, but he knew that it was a very real possibility.
It wasn’t ideal, but everything was manageable. Until, it wasn’t.
***
It was Friday, last day of the first week of private training lessons and though the attire was the exact same as every other day, devastating, it was the soft heather grey color that made him pay even more attention than before. The darker colors concealed a lot, but that gray. He didn’t know what to say or think but was thankful for whoever made them.
The problem was, though, that everything got a bit hazy for him. Desire was coursing through him, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. When Mallory launched into her training that he had taught her, he was transfixed by how it was all put together.
“So, are we going to fight or are you just going to stare at me like I have something on my face?”
Her words cut into his psyche, but not far enough that it was going to help.
“What the hell are you wearing?”
It just came tumbling out and he was practically yelling at her. She shrunk back and he tried to take it back, knowing that he couldn’t. He was going to have to explain himself or walk away. Either one seemed like a bad idea.
“Sorry, it’s just this is a battle, Mallory, and you’re dressing up like you’re going to the gym.”
“Is that wrong?”
He didn’t want to tell her that she was wrong, but there was no way that he could be close to her like that.
“Well, I mean…” Damn, he didn’t have anything to say. There was no reason that made sense.
“It’s just too much. Too revealing. I can see every damn inch of your body.”
Still, it seemed hollow and none of it explained why she needed to wear darker colors, so that he couldn’t see all of the curves as well. None of it really made any sense.
“Are you my teacher telling me this? It’s workout clothes, the same ones that I’ve been wearing all week. Why is it a problem now?”
He growled at her. It was a problem now because he wasn’t able to ignore the way she looked. When it was dark clothes, he couldn’t see every single curve that her body had to offer, Now he could. That was where the problem got tricky.
“You don’t know much about men, if you’re asking me why I am saying this. I am trying to be nice about it, but it’s not appropriate, and maybe it is on other people, but not you.”
It all sounded like crap and she took offense immediately. He didn’t blame her. It had come out horribly and he wished that he could start over, say it again in another way. That one certainly wasn’t the best. Mallory folded her hands in front of her, like she was warding him off and that made Vincent feel bad. Why was it always so damn complicated with her? He couldn’t get his words out the right way.
“Do you want me to go change?”
He shook his head. “No, why don’t we just call it a day? Don’t wear that again.”
He stalked off, leaving her staring at him as he went. Vincent reminded himself that he didn’t owe her anything.
Chapter 6
Mallory didn’t know what to think of Vincent’s blow up, but she didn’t wear the grey pair of pants again. Not really sure what his problem was, she went to practice the next week with sweatpants and an old ratty T-shirt on. Mallory wasn’t even sure if he was going to make it after the way he had acted the last time she’d seen him, but he was there, in the middle of the track.
