Page 10 of Lowering His Guard

Chapter 4

Rule #1: Never let yourself get distracted.

Brock

“Do we have to work out?” Tanner asks as we enter the gym at the Hideaway Haven Resort.

This gym is one of the best I’ve ever seen at a hotel. It’s better than some professional fitness centers I’ve been to. But it’s only available to the guests of the resort. It’s not even possible to buy a day pass for residents or other tourists on the island.

I scowl. Everyone should have access to workout facilities.

“What are you scowling about?” Tanner asks. “You love to work out.”

“None of your business.” I grunt. “Do your workout and leave me alone.”

“But I don’t want to,” he whines.

Nolan frowns. “Training camp begins soon. Are you at your goal weight? Because if you aren’t, Coach Knox will make you pay.”

Tanner rolls his eyes. “I can run ten miles the morning of the weigh-in and make weight. No biggie.”

Must be nice. I wish weigh-in was no biggie to me. But I’m thirty-five whereas Tanner’s twenty-eight. Those seven years mean a world of difference in professional sports. I’m slower, my aches and pains are worse, and I can’t lose weight by merely starving myself for two days.

Gage yawns. “We could have at least slept a bit longer.”

“What’s wrong?” Tanner waggles his eyebrows. “Did you spend the night with a mermaid? Oh wait.” He snaps his fingers. “That’s right. The woman you want doesn’t want you.”

Gage has been chasing after the karaoke singer but Addy won’t give him the time of day. Which is good. Women usually fall at their feet in front of Gage. He could use a bit of humility.

Corbin slams his dumbbells to the ground. He’s already sweating from his workout. “Are we going to work out or gossip like old women?”

“Work out,” Nolan says.

“But it’s so nice out,” Tanner whines. It’s his default mode when it comes to working out. I have no idea how he’s such a fast runner considering how much he hates conditioning training. “We should be on the beach.”

“We could go to the beach,” Nolan begins. Guessing by the twinkle in his eyes, I am not going to like his suggestion. “And do a beach conditioning circuit.”

I groan. A beach conditioning circuit sounds like one of Dante’s circles of hell.

Tanner cheers. “Let’s go!”

He grabs his water bottle and towel and rushes to the door. Gage trails after him.

Corbin sighs. “Really? We’re going to do circuit training on the beach?”

Nolan grins. “It’ll be fun.”

“You don’t understand the definition of fun,” I mutter as I follow everyone outside the nicely air-conditioned gym to the beach.

The heat slams into me when I exit the building. I want to whine and complain, but my name’s not Tanner. Besides, I can keep an eye on Jace and his surfing class from here.

I scan the water for the group and my gaze snags on May. She’s wearing a cropped t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts. I never thought the combination was sexy before. I was wrong. I want to peel her t-shirt off before removing her boy shorts with my teeth.

My cock twitches and I pinch the bridge of my nose. This fascination with the surfer needs to stop. Nothing will ever happen between me and May. She doesn’t appear to be the type to settle for a one-night stand. But a one-night stand is all I can offer. I don’t do relationships.

I shouldn’t be attracted to a woman who thinks shoes are optional anyway. And yet I can’t keep my eyes off of her.

Jace notices me and I wave. He rolls his eyes at me before giving me his back. From a teenage boy, this is the best I can expect.