‘I’ll do it,’ Lydia blurted out, then faced me with a challenge in her eyes.God, I missed that look.
Fine.If she was going to run, I was going to run with her.At least I’d be on hand to help if she made her blisters worse.
‘Me too,’ I added, and her eyes narrowed at the contented smile I knew drove her crazy.
Mutters through the group told us that there weren’t any other takers.It was just us and my chest roared.If I could see that beautiful blush on her face, I was going to win either way.
‘Okay.Looks like its Ren and Lydia for the last stretch, then we’ll follow up and see who wins.’ Mandy turned to us.‘No sore losers.’
I whistled.‘In that case, Lydia will have to drop out.’
‘Excuse me!’
‘Come on.You know you’re the biggest sore loser, Lyds.’
‘Am not!’
‘You stomped on my foot after I won that hundred-metre race at school.’
‘Because you cheated!You started early and moved into my lane.’
I held up my hands.‘It wasn’t my fault you weren’t ready.’
‘You liar.You just had the teacher wrapped around your finger!’
We were breathless, throwing accusations back and forth, a barely suppressed smile on my face, a blush on her cheeks, when we turned to find the group staring at us, in various states of shock and fascination.
‘Oh, Jesus,’ Gen muttered loudly to Amy.‘They could be more subtle.’
‘Let’s get this over with.’ Lydia rolled her shoulders.
I put Peggy’s lead on to keep her from running after us, and thanked Amy, who offered to watch her.
I shot Lydia a grin as she rolled her shoulders, earning a droll look that clearly said,you’re an idiot. Mandy drew the line to start, and we immediately started bickering about whose foot was too far over it.
I was in heaven.
Mandy shouted ‘Go!’ and I pelted down the path but Lydia, as usual, was too quick and pulled in front of me down the narrow path.The trail opened up and I picked up the pace, my thighs burning and screaming as we climbed higher.My chest begged me to stop.I hadn’t done a workout like this in months but I kept pushing on, just to keep up with the Lycra-clad woman in front of me, the tight material hugging her curves.She always looked so invincible when she ran or shifted heavy weights.I craved to watch her at work.Sometimes I’d just turn up under the guise of meeting her for a coffee break, just to watch her pick up dumbbells and move them over her head with ease, as her poor class groaned in front of her.She was superwoman.
I almost tripped over a tree root and muttered a filthy word that had Lydia glancing behind her, grinning.
‘Careful, Lawrence.Looks like you’re out of steam.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ I pretended to be pissed off, cos I knew it would make her happier.‘We’re not at the end yet, Sunshine.’
She picked up the pace but I did too and, by some miracle, I kept close behind her, close enough that I could stretch my hand out and grab her ponytail, or her waist, pulling her back to me, hold her close, feel her heart race against my chest—
No.
She wasn’t even close to being my friend again, let alone to deal with all the other feelings that had awoken on the night we spent together.The feelings that had me running away from her.
Lydia was still ahead as we reached the peak of the hill, but I was close enough to hear her breathless, manic laugh as she pushed forward, somehow pulling out all the stops at the last minute.She slapped her palm against the stone marker, and then spun around to face me, wild-eyed and grinning.Her hair had escaped the ponytail and her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her whole body buzzing with triumph.
I hunched over, hands on my knees, gasping for air, but I couldn’t stop looking at her – the flush to her cheeks and the look of victory on her face.
‘I won.’ She threw her arms above her head.‘I won.First shower is mine.Suck it, Hunter.’
I huffed out a laugh.‘Well done.’
