His violet-blue eyes wander over my face, and for some reason, I feel wholly exposed. But I can't move or look away. His thumbs rub small circles over my skin; tingles shoot through my entire body, releasing me from his spell.
I take a step back.
He clears his throat and shakes his head. "Okay, right." He claps his hands and then rubs them together. "Are you ready to show me what you've learned?" I nod, hoping to impress him with how much he's taught me in such short amount of time.
Almost an hour later, I’m struggling to catch my breath. He never eased up on me today—not once. My body is already suffering, and I know I'm going to feel it when I get home.
"You did well. You're a fast learner—already building your stamina." He's flushed from our workout, but if I didn't know better, I’d say there was a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Stamina, huh?" I tease, smiling.
He lets out a rumble of laughter. The sound vibrates straight to my stomach.What is wrong with me?I’ve always found Olly attractive, but his personality…not so much—well, up until recently. He always seemed to enjoy getting under my skin, but lately his manner has become…friendlier.
Before, when he'd come toSofia’s, I'd make a point of busying myself with something else so Sophie had to serve him. Now, I can't ignore the flutter of excitement coursing through me by his presence.
This is dangerous, very dangerous.
He's a flirtatious bartender—a player, even. I’ve seen the way he is with the girls who seek him out when they approach him at work. He laps it up, clearly he loves the attention. I mean what would he see in a single mum like me, anyway? But when he said I was out of his league earlier… I felt disappointed by his comment, but worse—he genuinely believes it. And I hate that.
"Are you working today?" he asks.
I grab the towel and wipe my sweaty face, nodding. "Yep."
"Okay, make sure you save me some cake. I'll be stopping by on my way to work."
I let out a laugh and pat his stomach. "Where do you put it all?"
"Hollow legs," he replies with a wink.
"If only we were all so lucky." Since having Molly, my body has changed. Stretch marks, extra weight I don't think I'll ever be able to shift.
"Are you implying that you don't like your figure?"
"Well, it’s not that I don't like it…" And that's not a lie. I'm more than grateful for the extra boob and arse. I wish, however, they were more to the north and less to the south.
"Rachel, you're beautiful," he says, his face serious as he steps closer to me.
The air in the room thickens. I'm not used to this version of Olly, and I'm not sure how to respond. I glance to my wrist, but of course, my watch is in the locker he assigned me on my second lesson. "I bet you say that to all the girls," I whisper, because it’s the easy comeback.
"I don't." My eyes spring to his face—his expression holds only truth.
An almightybangfollowed by screaming and shouting echoes from somewhere down below. And without even a flicker of hesitation, Olly sprints off through the door and down the stairs, me dashing after him.
By the time I’m at the bottom of the stairs, he's already lifting a weight off of someone's chest and shouting orders.
I stand, watching in complete awe; everyone else is panicking—except for him. I'd offer to help, but there's already a crowd of spectators, and he's told them to move back while he talks to the guy on the floor.
“Call an ambulance,” Olly barks to one of the employees who is already on the phone.
Olly continues to speak to the gym member on the ground, and everyone else disperses, talking in small groups until the paramedics arrive.
They ask Olly a few questions, and then their sole concentration is on the injured man. It’s not long before he’s strapped to a gurney. Olly shows them to a lift I never knew was there, and they leave with the man.
He jogs over to me after talking to the other employees for a moment, wearing a half-smile. "Are you okay?" I ask, noticing the slight tremble in his hands.
"Better than that guy," he says, wincing.
I give his arm a firm squeeze before letting go. "Will he be all right?"
