Page 28 of Ice Rebel

Halfway through the piece, a moment of joy swept through me. Not only was I able to embrace the powerful chords and lyrical vocals, but with every step and turn, every jeté and pirouette, I became the music.

Sensual. Demanding.

Craving. I craved a bigger taste of the darkness from emotions evoked by the powerful song, thrilled every muscle was fluid. As the crescendo approached, I opened my eyes long enough to fly through the air, both legs extended, my back arched and hands over my head. When I landed on exactly the right beat, I pumped my hand, which certainly wasn’t part of the choreography, but I just didn’t care.

I felt gleeful, emboldened by the taste of freedom. As the song began to wind down, I floated across the room, covering every inch of the floor. Drumbeats matched those of my heart, my pulse skyrocketing and as the last vibrato of the chorus began to fade, I gave another spin before I slipped to the floor. I draped my arms over my extended leg, taking a few seconds to taste the air that also seemed different than before.

The moment the room fell into silence, I sensed another presence. The applause was a dead giveaway about who had dared enter my private space.

As I slowly lifted my head, I gathered another whiff of his masculine scent, which was no longer laden with sweat. My eyes raked up from his boots to his faded blue jeans, avoiding the constant thick bulge between his legs while I absorbed how handsome he appeared in a forest green henley before settling my gaze on his face.

Dark lashes framed his intense emerald eyes, enhancing a picture-perfect bone structure.

He was leaning casually against the open door, offering the same if not slightly more mischievous grin.

“That was incredible, Clementine.”

I cocked my head, my gaze turning into a full-blown glare. “Do you always go around entering closed rooms without knocking?” I hoisted myself off the floor, immediately walking toward the towel bin.

“Isn’t the gym an open space?”

My teeth were gritted. “These rooms are signed out for members to use. For one hour, this is my private space.”

When I didn’t hear anything, I was hopeful he’d left. My body told me otherwise since every muscle was twitching.

A quick look in the mirror told me I was right. “Are you just going to keep standing there staring at me?” As I wiped sweat from my face and neck, I tried to avert my eyes. He was far too handsome to keep looking at.

“I was thinking I would until you agreed to go out with me.”

Why in the hell did he feel such a need to coerce me into going out with him? “Don’t you have a hundred girls climbing all over you?”

His shrug was obvious in the mirror. “They aren’t interested in me as a person, just the guy in the sweater.”

“Do you actually believe pouting is going to convince me to go out with you?”

“A guy can try.”

I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing. I’d honestly never had any man work so hard for one date. “Remember what I told you. Dating members is against the rules.”

“That’s what I came to tell you.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve cancelled my membership.” He deadpanned the moment, staring straight at me.

What?

“You are kidding me.”

He shook his head. “Nope. My father always told me never to bring a problem to the table without a solution. Quick and easy. Now you can’t say no.”

Forget giving him an A for effort. He’d crossed into an entirely new category that had no name. “You didn’t.”

“Why not? There are a half dozen other fitness clubs. Plus, I can work out at the arena.”

“Then why haven’t you been?” I found myself walking closer, which should definitely be considered against the rules. But if he was willing to break them, my psyche seemed to think doing so wouldn’t be a bad idea.

He looked away briefly and without him trying, I noticed a different look in his eyes. Maybe a flash of anxiety? Maybe he didn’t like working out in front of his buddies. That was interesting, maybe adding to his credibility a tiny bit.