“Am I allowed in there?” he asks. “I don’t know if I’m, uh, dressed right to go in, even if I was.”
Yes to both. I wouldn’t be the first person to sneak a guest in with me, and there’s nothing that stands out about his clothes, other than the fact that they’ve gotten him sneaky, appreciative glances from no fewer than three girls in the one minute we’ve been talking.
“Dressed right? Dude, look at me.” I gesture at my oversized team shirt and leg-day shorts. “You’ll fit in, don’t worry. Just pretend you’re a hockey player who got benched or something, not that anyone is gonna ask.”
With any other guy, I’d give him a shove on the back toward the athlete entrance. With Callum, though, that’d seem rude. Instead, I haul the door open and step back to let him through.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding about it being empty,” he says.
“Yup, no football yet, both hockey teams are on the road, and most of my teammates work out in the morning. All ours, buddy.”
Callum thanks me and makes his way to the free weights, and I notice he didn’t bring water.
Huh.
I make a quick detour to the merch bin and grab him a team water bottle. The dean’s cousin makes them, so we always have a massive surplus—nobody is gonna notice if one goes missing. I give it a quick rinse and dry it off before filling it from the filtered dispenser, and I hand the bottle off to a confused Callum on my way to the leg press.
We don’t see much of each other for most of my workout, but Callum starts a set of lat pulldowns as I’m wrapping up my leg curls. He’s right in my line of sight, and holy motherfuck, I’d sell my soul twice over to have back muscles like those. I hadn’t noticed them as much when I first saw him in the gym, butnow his shirt is damp with sweat, clinging to his lower back. He really should think about playing a sport.
Maybe water polo—the other team would be too slack-jawed and jealous at the sight of Callum shirtless to put up any real competition.
Mmm. Shirtless Callum.That’s one hell of an image.
Damn it, that’s rude. He can’t help how he looks, and I’m here ogling him while he’s trying to get through a workout.
Snorting to myself, I push the visual of tall, hunky Callum in a skimpy swimsuit out of my head, which is good timing since he chooses that moment to wrap up his set. I give him a nod when he turns around, and he smiles, walking his worked-out self over and wiping his forehead.
“I’m running late for something so I have to go, but thanks again for bringing me here,” he says through a breath.
“No problem at all, man. Hit me up if you wanna escape the crowds again. I’m here most days, anyway, so I’m open.”
Okay, Ian. Dial itwaydown.
I don’t get a chance to because Callum gives me a shy wave and a tiny, endearing smile before speeding out of the door into the general area. Sighing at how my heart is flipping, I go to wipe off the leg curl machine, when I run into Polina. She’s one of Sabrina’s teammates on the women’s softball team, and we’ve hit some drills together over the past year. We give each other a silent greeting, and she takes an earbud out.
“Hey, not to be weird or anything, but who’s your friend?” Polina asks me.
Ugh, I know where this is going. “A guy I met in class. Saw him in the public area and thought I’d sneak him in.”
“Well, feel free to sneak him in whenever. He’s hot as fuck.”
I know.“I’ll try.”
Polina gives me a friendly grin as she puts her earbud back in. All logic leaves my brain, and a pang of jealousy spikes my stomach. I shake my head and leave for the showers, pushing it aside. Seriously, I thought I was doing so well, only to get jealous oversomeone making an innocent thirsty comment over my new friend.
Yeah, I’m a mess.
This is why pretty much everyone I’ve hooked up with since getting here, mostly guys at this point, have backed away from me and shooed me out of their lives.
I get clingy when I shouldn’t.
Or even a little possessive, like I am now with poor Callum. I try to keep that part of me under wraps, I really do—I stay chill, light, and casual, rather than letting my emotions go uninhibited, but no matter what, I can’t stop myself, and my annoying affection always pokes through somehow. Often through me entering barnacle-cuddle-mode after sex or going a little overboard with the morning-after breakfast spread. Who knew homemade muffins could weird someone out?
Needless to say, my strict sex and rejection diet has to stay.
With Callum, I can keep that first pledge intact for sure since I’m sure he’sstraight, and I have to keep myself calm if I want to maintain the second one.
CHAPTER FOUR
