“Nope. I was just finishing up the tour when I saw you.” She didn’t need to know he was checking her out before he realized who she was. “Care to join me?”
She cocked her head to the side and studied him a moment before answering. “I only do cardio on Pilates days, no weight training.”
“Perfect,” he said before turning toward the stairs.
He knew she’d follow him, just like he knew she’d be intimidated if he put her on the spot for a response. Once again, he reminded himself that he had only met her once. He found a treadmill with an empty one on either side, and quickly wiped down the surface. Just as he expected, Mallory joined him.
“So,” she began once they started their warmup. “Do you work for the same hospital?”
“Yes and no.”
Her laugh went straight through him. “How very cryptic.”
“Been looking for me, huh?” he teased.
“No! I was just making conversation,” she explained before turning up the speed on her treadmill.
He enjoyed making her blush entirely too much. Just the little bit he knew about her told him she rarely allowed herself to get flustered. All of her positive thinking and manifesting kept her feeling grounded. He was willing to bet she went out of her way to feel cool, calm, and collected.
She jogged next to him for twenty minutes before slowing back down to a walk. The silence felt comfortable, as if she had jogged through her nerves. He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering in her direction. Her tanned skin was shiny from the thin layer of sweat that covered her body. Her hair was damp and beginning to curl around the edges. She wore no makeup which, as reasonable as it would seem, was unusual for a lot of the women at the gym. She carried an air of confidence, even though it didn’t take much for him to throw her off balance.
While he was busy trying not to watch her, she had somehow stopped the treadmill and picked up her bag. “I’ll see you around.”
She was already walking away before he could come up with a response. That was twice he’d seen her and parted ways without a way to contact her. She had the nerve to look over her shoulder and smile at him before walking down the stairs and out of his life. He continued his workout and tried to convince himself he didn’t care.
Chapter 3
MALLORY
Mallory walked into Dan’s apartment for Sunday coffee. Unless Dan had to work, their weekend coffee time was a bit later in the morning. Sundays were dedicated to rest, as far as she was concerned. Unless she couldn’t help it, the only place she went on a Sunday was downstairs to have coffee with Dan.
“Dan!” she called out in order to annoy him. “I hope you aren’t naked, because here I am!”
Dan appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and crossed his arms. Before she could make a smart remark, another man appeared in the doorway behind him. Dan started laughing as Mallory worked hard to keep her jaw from dropping. When he mentioned introducing her to Ian, she had no idea he would be sleeping over any time soon.
“Good morning,” she said once she recovered her ability to speak. “I’m Mallory.”
The other man stepped forward with a smile that matched hers. He was the definition of tall dark and handsome. Hisbrown skin was flawless, his hair was neatly cut in a short fade, and he had the most perfect mouth she’d ever seen … aside from Christian’s.
“I’m Ian. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Even his voice was perfect.
“Oh really?” she said, giving Dan a look. “I’ve heard about you as well.”
Dan hadn’t told her much about Ian, but she decided not to rat him out. They understood each other. She liked to keep some things to herself as well. She was annoyed at herself for wanting to dissect her latest interaction with Mystery Patient.
“Mallory, what is on your mind? Come on. Let’s have coffee,” Dan said as if reading her mind. “Ian, are you staying for coffee?”
Ian looked from one to the other before answering. “Do you mind if I skip this one? I don’t want to be rude, but I have a few things to do this morning.”
Mallory didn’t miss the extra-long look exchanged between the two men before Dan spoke up. “Nope. Of course, we don’t mind. I’m just glad you got to meet my girl Mallory.”
“Mallory, it’s been a pleasure,” Ian said before moving in for a quick hug and to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Dan, I’ll call you later.”
Dan walked Ian to the door, kissed him goodbye, then quickly made his way back to the kitchen. He filled two mugs with coffee and joined Mallory at the table, looking at her expectantly.
“What?” she finally asked after being held under his gaze for several moments.
“You have something on your mind, I can sense it. And you’re going to deny it. And I’m eventually going to get it out of you, so let’s skip to that part.”
