Although some of their followers would argue it should be.
Lily had spent her first week on the job preparing. Getting to know her new environment, the clients—and most importantly, her coworkers. Through rotation, the gym had about fifteen workers, but there was a core group Lily found herself on shift with. Rachel, Sebastián, Becks, and even Melanie, the kids’ club coordinator, were all happy to have her. So she’d made a backlog. Footage to have on hand and turn intovideos if they ever had slow days for content creation. Kieran wasn’t in any of it.
Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration.
He appeared in the background of a video she’d made that was focused on herself, eyes wide in surprise and appreciation, watching Kieran and Sebastián work out in the background. A cultivated thirst trap. Most of the comments on the video came from female viewers.
Lily couldn’t blame them—hell, it’s why she’d made the video. Sebastián was classically handsome. Lanky with strong, wiry muscle. Cheekbones high enough to make Cara Delevingne jealous. Slicked back brown hair with matching rich, brown eyes like warm tea. His wide, easy smile could make your heart somersault inside your chest.
Then there was Kieran.
Her face flooded with heat remembering how close they’d stood after the tour and how solid his chest had been under her touch. Facing him after his flirtatious challenge felt impossible.Maybe that was his aim.If his plan was to scare her off, it had half worked.
Despite his reluctance to appear on video, Kieran was never far. Maybe it was because South Side MMA was a small gym, or maybe he was waiting in the wings—eager for her to fail and prove him right about her position. The few times they’d spoken, it was always a challenge, as if he was testing that she truly knew her way around a gym. Could she do weighted squats with Becks in proper form? Could she outlift Rachel? Whatever thoughts ruminated behind that dark gaze as he observed her, she couldn’t guess.
She also hadn’t forgotten the way he’d treated her in the hallway that first day, but God, the way he looked with his shirt off made her want to forgive and forget. Never mind a six-pack—Kieran had eight perfectly sculpted abs lining hisbelly. His obliques were thick like corded rope, and a broad sternum cleaved his pectorals. He might as well have been carved from marble.
His Thursday-night self-defense class ambled out by six thirty. As office staff, Lily would have been long gone, but Kieran couldn’t hide from her forever. She waited by the door with her ring light resting against her shoulder. Woman after woman filed out. Some younger than her, fresh-faced and unhardened. Others older, the lines around their eyes telling of the years they’d survived and the accomplishments they’d made.
Lily cast her gaze to her feet, focusing instead on her own breath flowing in and out of her lungs as they walked by. Every woman took a class like this for their own reasons, none of which were because they felt safe from men.
When the door clicked shut and remained so for twenty seconds, Lily made her move. She slipped inside and made no effort to be quiet as she set her ring light down and prepped her equipment.
Kieran glanced up from where he kneeled, wiping down an exercise mat. Dark brows furrowed over even darker eyes as he looked from her to her ring light. “Did you get lost looking for Sebastián?”
“Nope.” She angled her light toward the mat where he kneeled. “I’m going to make a playlist series of self-defense tips. We need to film the first video.”
He scowled, rocked back on his heels and sprang up. His muscles rolled beneath his skin—like ripples over water. Mesmerizing.
“If folks want to learn self-defense, they can sign up for the class.”
Well, at least his personality was still a crapshoot. That would keep Lily’s hormones from running away with her resolveand killing herno relationships for a yearrule. She sighed and locked her phone into place within the circle of the ring light. “I’m not going to bother arguing with you. Neal said to do this, so you’re going to. Otherwise, you’re wasting his payroll in hiring me. So, teach me whatever you want to teach. Show me how to throw a punch. Teach me a karate jab. I don’t care. But we’re making the video. Capisce?”
His stony countenance said he most definitely did not capisce, but nevertheless, Kieran set his jaw and motioned for her to join him on the mat.
After checking he was in frame and well lit, Lily set her camera to Record and stepped forward.
Whatever reservations he’d had, Kieran shook them off as he smiled into the camera. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our first virtual self-defense lesson. I’m Kieran, and this is my lovely assistant, Lily.”
She waved while tucking in her lips, hiding their trembling. It took everything she had not to laugh. Where the hell had this come from?
“Today I want to show you all one of the techniques I think is most important, especially for anyone with long hair who likes to run in the city, and that’s how to get away when someone grabs your hair.”
He stepped closer, his left leg going between hers and his heat seeping from his chest across her back. “First and foremost, when practicing defensive maneuvers, always get consent. Lily—”
His voice dropped deliciously low and ripped away her self-respect.
“—do I have permission to touch you?”
Lily swallowed a breath and tucked her hands behind her back, tightening them into fists. “Of course.”
Kieran gripped the base of her high ponytail and, whilethe spike of adrenaline that shot through her was familiar, it was also different. His fingers didn’t spread over her scalp. His nails didn’t rake against her skin and tug. His fist just sat there. A constant weight.
She exhaled.
“Here you can see I have a pretty good grip.” Kieran shuffled them a little more side profile so his hold on her hair was visible to the camera. “Right now, your first instinct will be to pull away. But your attacker isn’t going to let go, and all that’s going to do is cause pain. You’re making it easier on them. So. There’re a few things you can do here, and if you come into the gym, I can show you some of the pivots that end up in a grapple and do some real damage, but in this instance—for something quick—you want to deal as much pain to your attacker as quickly as possible, so they’ll let go. So, Lily, if you would please reach back here and place your hand over mine…”
She did, and in doing so leaned into him, relieving some of the tension where he held her hair.
