“Not while I’m hard in these flimsy joggers,” I point out with a tight smile.
“Mmm,” Vox hums. “Why,Coach, is that for me?” Vox asks, placing a hand on his chest.
“It sure as hell isn’t for anyone else,” I tell him. “Now go say goodbye so we can get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 33
Vox
It’s been two weeks since the rest of the team returned from break. Connor and I are settling into the secrecy of our relationship, but it’s growing harder to keep my distance when others are around. Especially because we’ve seen each other less. Between Renner and the others wanting to hang out after practice and the Winter Classic looming ever closer, finding alone time has been a challenge. Finding alone time where we both have energy to do more than eat or sleep, even more so.
Connor is too timid to spend the night or allow me to stay with him. And I get it.
It’s a major balancing act, and because of that, it’s been almost a week since we’ve been alone together. Six whole days since I’ve kissed him or held him against me, and I’m going crazy.
Today, the weather is total shit, so I find myself in the gym. Of course, I know Connor is here too, but so is most of the team. It’s hell trying to keep my eyes to myself when Connor’s T-shirt is straining against his back muscles andsweat—that I want to lick from his skin—is dripping onto the floor.
“Shit, he makes me feel like a gigantic pussy,” Renner says as he adjusts the weights on his bar, adding ten pounds to each side.
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I say, unable to pull my eyes away from our coach.
Connor is currently doing strict presses overhead with a seventy-pound dumbbell in each hand. When the weights meet overhead, the muscles in his back and shoulders light up, and his T-shirt reveals a thin strip of skin I want to trace with my fucking tongue and nip with my teeth.
When Connor stands up and reracks his dumbbells, he catches my eye and nods his head in acknowledgement, but gives no sign that he’s affected by my presence the way I am by his.
And that simply won’t do.
Especially because there are two women in the corner who have been doing their absolute best to catch his attention since I arrived, and one of them is now approaching him.
I start to make my way toward Connor, desperately wanting to set the record straight, when I hear Renner call my name.
“Vox!”
Looking back toward the bench, I find Renner struggling to get his weight up.
Shit.
I hop back behind the bench and try to encourage him. I’d totally spaced, but I’m pretty sure he said he was trying for a max. I’m usually a pretty good spotter, but it’s been so fucking long since I had Connor to myself, and my brain is starting to do that shitty thing where it convinces me that I’ve made up everything that’s happened between us. That Connor doesn’tthink this is worth the risk anymore. That he’s intentionally putting distance between us again despite promising me he wouldn’t.
“I’m here, man. Keep pushing,” I coach. “Drive your back into the bench, really squeeze your pecs. Come on, Ren. You’ve got this.”
After an agonizing amount of time under tension, Renner manages to hit his new max without me touching the bar.
Elated, he jumps from the bench and slaps me on the chest, practically jumping into my arms.
“Hell yeah! We’re on fire today! Your turn!” he says to me. I’m about to decline, but when I look up, it seems I finally have Connor’s attention.
“Yeah, sure. What the hell?” I pull some weight off and do a few warm-up reps. The weight feels heavier than it should, but slowly I climb to a respectable number. Renner reaches under the bar and double-taps my chest with both hands.
“Attaboy, Voxy,” he says as I rerack the barbell, resting for my next attempt at a higher weight, which will be a max for me at two-hundred-and-fifteen pounds.
As soon as I lift the weight off the J-hooks, I’m pretty sure I’m going to fail this rep—how embarrassing.
I try to control it to my chest so I don’t crush myself and commit to giving it my best attempt at getting it back up, so at least I don’t walk away thinking I had more in the tank.
As soon as I start to struggle, Renner moves out of my line of sight, and suddenly, Connor’s face is hovering over me.
“Don’t you dare give up on that weight, Vox. You think yourcompetitionwould fail that weight? Fuck, no. Now push that goddamn barbell up like you want to win.”
