“No, of course not.”
I absolutely am.
And because the universe loves comedy, at that very moment a deep, amused male voice says behind me:
“Enjoying the view?”
My soul leaves my body.
The phone slips from my hand and clatters onto the tile.
Harper screams through the AirPods,
“ELENA? WHO IS THAT? IS HE HOT? ASK IF HE CAN BENCH-PRESS YOU!”
Slowly. Painfully…I turn.
He’s standing there.
Obviously the same Colt from the photo I was just perusing.
All six-foot-something of him. Three if I had to guess. Three? Maybe four. I’ve never been good at guessing heights. And speaking of ages, he iswellbelow my dating range. What is he, mid-twenties, if I had to guess?
A black fitted tee clings to his strong shoulders. He’s got warm brown eyes that look like they belong on a movie screen.
A smile tugs at one side of his mouth, like he’s waiting for me to say something.
I swallow. “I, um. Hi. Sorry. That wasn’t…this wasn’t?—”
He crouches down, picks up my phone, and his eyes flicker to the screen still displaying his abs enlarged to NASA-level resolution.
He raises an eyebrow.
I’m going to combust.
“You must be Elena,” he says, handing the phone back with a devastating calm.
Harper shrieks,
“OH MY GOD HE SOUNDS HOT—IS HE LOOKING AT YOU—HELLO? ELENA?”
I rip a single AirPod out so fast it flies across the floor like a runaway popcorn kernel. Like that’s going to do anything since my phone already switched to speaker phone. Technology hates me.
Colt bites back a laugh as I awkwardly walk over a few steps and lean down to grab it, trying to pretend like I’m smooth.
“I apologize,” I whisper. “My friend doesn’t, um, censor.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell,” he says with a grin.
He gestures toward the gym hallway. “Ready for your evaluation session? Or…do you need to tie off with Harper?”
Absolutely not.
“Sure,” I squeak.
I end the call, and we walk down the hallway, his stride easy and confident. Mine is less so. I feel awkward, just trying not tostare at the way his shirt stretches across his chest. Or his arms. Or the curve of his neck.
I take a deep breath. No, I’m not doing this. He’s mytrainer. I’ve worked in corporate my whole life, and I know how to be very professional. In fact, that’s my strong suit. So there will benocrushes here. I’m here for the workout.
