I shivered as the cold air from the open door hit me, and Roman moved, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
“I didn’t know you’d be awake this early,” he muttered as he headed toward the fridge and took out a bottle of water.
I stared at him as he uncapped it and brought the bottle to his lips, taking a few long gulps.
“I…didn’t sleep well,” I said dully, watching his Adam’s apple bob with every swallow.
Roman made eye contact with me while he drank. Then he slowly lowered the bottle and used the back of his hand to wipe at his mouth.
Oh my God.
My stomach knotted in a way I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t read him. He was always so guarded. Maybe he didn’t have as many feelings as I did.
“Did you have more nightmares?” he asked.
I stiffened and fiddled with my buttons again. I shook my head.
Roman dipped his chin in a curt nod. “Good.”
I glanced away, focusing on the door he’d come through.
“Where were you?” I asked, curious. Why was he awake this early? He’d gone to bed later than me. He’d barely slept at all.
“I was doing my workout.”
I wasn’t surprised that he worked out. My eyes almost involuntarily raked up and down his perfectly muscled physique.
What I didn’t know was where he did these workouts.
As if he could read my thoughts, he said, “Hearthstone, the security company my brothers own, is on this property.” He nodded toward the back yard. “There’s a building over there, down past the trees. I might not be on my brother’s payroll, but there’s a gym in there that we’re all welcome to use.”
“Oh?” I perked up. “I didn’t know there was a gym nearby.”
I’d never had the money to afford a gym membership, but I did love to move my body. At my last job, Maverick’s parents had a treadmill in the basement that they allowed me to use. I loved going for a run on it when the weather outside was crappy. Which it had been for a while now.
Roman seemed to catch on to my interest, because he said, “Do you work out?”
I shrugged and used a hand towel resting on the table to wipe up some of the tea I’d spilled. “I like to run on the treadmill sometimes.”
Roman tilted his head to the side. “We have a treadmill you can use.”
My cheeks burned, though I wasn’t sure why. “It’s fine.” I shook my head. “The snow can’t stay forever, right? I can run outside when it melts.”
Roman gave me a disapproving look. “You know this weather could stick around for another month or two.”
He put the water down on the counter and headed toward the back door. “Come on.”
My spine straightened. “What?”
He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “I’m going to show you the gym. You’re welcome to it anytime. Come on.”
I gaped. I didn’t mean for him to let me use the gym in his brothers’ office. I glanced around the kitchen as if I were searching for a way out.
“Um…what about Hailey?” I asked. “We don’t want to leave her in the house alone.”
Roman narrowed his eyes on me. “She knows that I work out in the mornings, and that’s where I am if she wakes up. I keep a baby monitor out there so I can hear her if she calls out for me. The building isn’t far. It won’t take long.”
My heart was bouncing around my rib cage, but I ignored it. I really did miss my runs. If he was so insistent, why refuse?
