AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was sweaty and he was shirtless.
However, what truly had my mouth watering was the dark focus in his eyes. His black hair was slicked back, damp strays pressed to his temple. He looked almost feral. Totally in the zone, throwing swing after swing with pique ferocity and concentration. A man in his element.
“Hey,” I said.
Liam didn’t startle. He wasn’t the type. Though when he looked at me, it seemed like it took him an extra beat longer to recognize me.
It must be my imagination.
“Hey,” he said, breathing hard. “What are you doing down here?”
“I thought I’d be proactive and get a workout in, too,” I said, casually making my way over to the area in front of the free weights. There were floor-to-ceiling mirrors along the wall. I was never one to toot my own horn, but I thought I looked great in my black yoga pants and sports bra. I pulled my hair back into a bun, more than a little aware of the weight of his eyes on me.
“Is the duchess at her meeting?” he asked. His voice was lower than usual, gravelly as he watched me bend over to stretch and touch my toes.
“Yes.” I groaned quietly as my hamstrings stretched. “They shouldn’t be too long.”
“Hm.”
“Charlie mentioned that…”
“What?”
“Is something bothering you, Liam?”
His jaw tensed. “No, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it.”
I smiled at him patiently in the mirror’s reflection. “Okay, well… Please continue. I promise you won’t even notice that I’m here.”
“Impossible,” I thought I heard him grunt under his breath.
After a moment or two, Liam did return to his punching bag, though his throws didn’t have nearly the same level of power as they did before I walked in. I paid him no mind in the beginning, continuing with my stretches.
The whole time, Liam looked like a man starved.
“Are you alright?” I asked him coyly.
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Liam glared at me, though I knew there wasn’t any real heat behind it. He stepped away from the poor punching bag and made his way over, getting up close behind me. “Don’t forget your shoulders,” he said, placing his hands on me tenderly. “You don’t want to throw one out in a fight.”
He guided me through the stretch, his rough fingers pressing against my body. It was hard to concentrate when he smelled so damn good. The heat radiated off his skin and soaked into mine. I quickly found myself surrounded by him, dizzy with his presence.
“Thank you,” I murmured when we were done.
“Do you want to practice with me?”
“Like spar?”
Liam chuckled. “No, just your defensive moves.”
“I want to learn to fight,” I insisted.
“The best fights are the ones that don’t happen.”
“That sounds very cryptic.”
