Taking the hem of his t-shirt in his hands, he slowly lifts the cotton and tosses the tee on the countertop. A smirk plays on his lips as I linger on his broad chest before mentally touching each ridge of his abs, leading to the waistband of his gym shorts.
“You know,” he says, pulling me out of my fantasy with his low, sultry voice, “we could just skip the run and get our cardio in another way.”
My eyes dart to his, and a slow, sexy smile appears, testing my willpower to the max as I force myself not to jump into his arms.
“As tempting as that is, I’m still angry with you for siccing your little spies on me. I need to let off some steam first.”
He cocks his head to the side, and his lip twitches at the corner as he swoops his eyes down the length of me again, leaving a heated imprint as he goes.
“Or I could just fuck your anger right out of you.”
Jesus.
I feel my insides clutch at his words as I swallow down the rush of desire that just flooded my body.
“Scared you won’t be able to catch me?”
Chuckling, he steps forward, and my breath catches as I feel his energy merge with mine. Bending down, his warm breath caresses my ear.
“I’ll catch you, sunshine,” he whispers, his lips lightly grazing my skin. “Nothing in this entire world could stop me.” His tongue comes out and tastes my neck. “I’ll even give you a head start. You have two minutes.”
I’m frozen in place as my body begs to melt into his. My heart pounds like a rabbit about to be hunted, and I can’t help the thrill that rushes through my veins as I await the pounce.
“You better run,” he breathes out, warming my flesh. “The clock starts now.”
I blink out of my daze and step back. His whole demeanor has changed as he goes into game mode. He’s not about to let me win easily, nor do I want him to, as I turn and flee out the door.
My shoes hit the sand seconds later as I take off at a fast pace, wanting to put as much distance between us as I can.
The sun is setting low in the sky, giving a beautiful hue across the water as I run along the packed sand following the curve of the shore. It doesn’t take long before I feel him behind me. Everypart of me is aware of his presence as he closes the distance between us.
Picking up my pace, I circle around the driftwood log that I use to mark my mile before heading back to my house. I expect him to cut me off, but he stays the course and doesn’t cheat as he follows my path.
Our eyes meet briefly, and a predatory grin stretches across his face as I pass him, heading in the opposite direction. Even though he’s broken out in a sweat, I can tell he’s nowhere near pushing his body.
The bastard is biding his time and letting me think I’m faster.
Determined to make him work for this, I pick up even more speed. A sheen of sweat breaks out on my body as my muscles burn from the exertion. The ocean is a blur as I whip past it, causing sand to fly from my heels.
I hear him breathing close behind as I zero in on my destination with the deck stairs just a few feet away. Just as I’m about to reach the first step, strong arms pull me back in an embrace.
Our chests heave together as he holds me tight against his body, not giving me an inch to move.
“Caught you,” he pants into my ear. “I have to say, though, you are faster than I anticipated.”
“Apparently not fast enough.” I wheeze, trying to catch my breath. “You’re barely winded,” I say, clearly annoyed at the fact that he’s not struggling to breathe like I am.
“I’ve been conditioning my body every day for years,” he says with a low chuckle. “Which makes you a very lucky girl because my favorite part of cardio with you is next.”
Turning me around, he throws me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing, and we didn’t just run two miles in a record-breaking sprint.
I notice he bypasses the pool and entrance to the house as he keeps walking toward the side yard. He stops at the outdoor shower, and a smile plays on my lips as he opens the bamboo door and we step inside.
It’s one of my favorite ways to cool off after a run. I love seeing the night sky and feeling like I’m bathing in moonlight as I shower.
Setting me down, he crowds my space as I’m pressed against the wooden panels.
“Still angry at me?” he asks, trailing a finger down my neck.
