Chapter Sixteen
After my interview with Evan, I’m more motivated to prove to myself that the label “nonathletic” was given by me and I have the power to rip it off. After Victor and I got back home, I agreed to go jogging with him in the evening.
“Let’s go.” Victor ruffles my hair like I’m a child.
I groan.
“Do we need to run every day?” I try to give him my best puppy dog eyes.
“Yep. Get your sexy ass dressed and out the door.”
Why do I like it so much when he calls my butt sexy? I change into my running gear and soon we’re jogging on the paved paths on campus.
“My legs feel like boulders.”
I’m having difficulty bringing one in front of the other.
“Normal. Keep going.” He gives me tough love and a boyish smile.
I glance at Victor out of the corner of my eye. A glance, it was not. I blatantly stare at his broad and solid shoulders, which, thank goodness, are covered with a shirt. I wish I could cover the drool forming at my open mouth.
His arms are bent at the elbows and barely moving. His body radiates strength. If only I could jump into his powerful arms right now.
He’s his gorgeous self, and he’s almost walking, matching my pace. He’s not getting anything out of our jogs together because I’m so slow—can’t go for a long distance and can’t go fast.
“You know you don’t have to stay next to me. You can run faster and we can meet up somewhere or at the house.”
His breathing is not even accelerated. His green eyes glance over but only for a second. I can’t read his face. Who am I kidding? I can’t focus on running with this man next to me.
“I’m fine, Tia. Don’t worry about me. I’m worried about you. You have a crazy stalker after you.”
At the mention of Charlie, the weight of my legs seem to turn from boulders to military tanks. I slow my pace so I can talk to him. I guess itispossible to go even slower.
“You can’t be around me all the time, Victor. It’s not practical. Usually you spent all your time at your dad’s gym. Now you run here with me. Your evening jogs are not as hard as they used to be. I don’t want your training to suffer because of me.”
His lips press together and he starts walking, still keeping up next to me. Easily. My jog becomes a walk too. Victor’s body stiffens and he throws me another serious look. I wait.
“I hate seeing you worried. I want to offer you my help, but don’t want you to be mad at me. You can be so stubborn sometimes.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can find the eleven thousand dollars, so you can get the crazy bastard off your back.”
I take a breath. It would be so easy to take money from him.
“I can’t.”
Victor’s hands ball into fists and his Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “Why the fuck not?”
Whoa. My brother curses all the time—always has, even when we were much younger. So I’m not bothered by it. But Victor never talks to me like that.
“Who pays your tuition and other expenses, Victor?”
He frowns.
“Just answer. Honestly.”
“My dad, but—”
