Page 39 of Serve ’N’ Protect

Markus narrowed his eyes, pinning her with his laser-sharp gaze, but there was unmistakable humor behind that killer glare. “Get on the bike, wiseass.” He hitched his head to the recumbent bike in the corner.

She swung her legs over and stood, expecting to revert to her usual wobbly state, but she didn’t. “Good massage. You have talented hands.”

He smirked. “So I’ve been told.”

“I’ll just bet you have.” Cassidy ambled to the bike, her muscles feeling looser than they had in months. She slid onto the seat and started peddling. “Why don’t you try opening up more? It’s as simple as that, really.”

“It’s not,” he snapped. His face had turned hard, telling her she’d hit a nerve. A seriously sensitive one. “There’s a lot of psychology behind why some people—like you, for instance—don’t have a problem spilling their guts to everyone they meet. You grew up with a loving family. Not everyone did.”

He turned his back on her as he adjusted the weights on a leg press machine. That nerve she’d hit was really sensitive. Even though she didn’t have a psych degree like he did, it didn’t take one to understand that his family life had been nothing like hers. From the tense set of his shoulders, prying any further would only push him away.

Her heart went out to him. No matter how big and strong he was, no one was immune to emotional pain. Whatever was simmering beneath the surface wasn’t good. If he didn’t get it out, one day he’d explode.

The rest of the workout passed in relative silence. They made their way around the gym equipment with Markus noting her weight and rep limitations on the clipboard. When they finally made it to the leg press, sweat beaded her forehead and her T-shirt was damp with perspiration.

“Two more reps,” Markus ordered. “You can do it.”

“No pain no gain, right?” Cassidy gritted her teeth as she pushed harder. In comparison to what she’d endured in the moments after the accident, this was no more painful than a bee sting. With her last rep completed, she pivoted and swung her legs off the equipment.

“They all said I couldn’t express myself,” Markus said, his face a blank mask.

For a moment, she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then it hit her. “You mean the women you’ve known?” He gave a curt nod and she took that to mean he’d opened the conversational door. “Why do you think that is?”

“After my mother died, my father took over our lives. When he wasn’t an absentee parent, he was a narcissistic asshole. The only affection he had was for himself. He…”

“He what?” She touched his forearm, urging him to continue.

“That’s enough gut-spilling for one day.” He gave her a half smile—one that, characteristically, didn’t make it to his eyes.

There it was again. The figurative door shutting in her face. He was a man in pain who wanted to talk but couldn’t. “I’m guessing that was more personal information than you’re accustomed to giving.”

“Your guess is spot on.” He jerked his head to a table on the other side of the room. “Ghost. Water bottle.”

Ghost went to the table and grabbed a water bottle in his teeth. He brought it to them, letting the bottle slip free into Markus’s waiting hand. She expected it to be punctured in at least one place, but it wasn’t.

He handed her the bottle. “You earned this.”

“Water? I earned a lot more than this.” She held up the bottle. “Try that pepperoni pizza in the bottom of my freezer. Talk nice to me, and I’ll share it with you. Oh, wait. I forgot you’re carb-free. Well, more pizza for me. If the weeds were growing outside, I’d make you a dandelion salad.”

“Actually, Little Miss Snark,” he said, setting the clipboard on the bench behind him, “that’s not a bad idea. Dandelion leaves are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.”

“Well, don’t botanical factoids just get your heart racing?” She stood and her leg, unaccustomed to the workout, promptly gave out from beneath her.

Markus grabbed her upper arms, steadying her. Instead of releasing her right away, he just stared at her, frowning and scowling, if that were even possible. “Yeah. They do,” he murmured.

His gaze dropped to her lips and he took a step closer, cupping her face with one hand. The fresh scent of whatever soap he’d used filled her lungs, along with his own brand of sexy-as-hell man-scent. As he slowly lowered his head, her lips parted and she held her breath.

Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to? Oh. Yeah. She did, and with every inch their mouths drew closer, her stupidly hopeful heart pounded faster.

Who knew dandelions were the way to this man’s heart?

Markus released her and when he stepped back, there was no missing the flicker of regret in his eyes. “We should get that pizza in the oven,” he said in a voice so gruff it sounded as if someone had taken sandpaper to his vocal cords.

Or not.

As she watched him and Ghost go up the stairs, Cassidy breathed deeper to slow the wings of those beating butterflies in her belly. Kissing him had just leaped to the top of her Most Wanted list, but it was just as well he hadn’t gone through with it. Getting too attached to him would be in direct violation of the second item on her New Year’s resolutions list: Never, ever, get her heart broken again. Just as importantly, being kissed by him would only have given her a fleeting taste of something that wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, Markus would leave. He was part of another world, and he’d only dropped into hers temporarily.

What she ought to do was make the most of his company and his physical therapy while it lasted. Then call it good when he left.