Page 29 of Hate It with You

Either my eyes are playing tricks on me, or he’s easily twice as big as the toy I so shamefully hid. The only thing that pulls my attention away from his shorts is the rapid motion of his chest rising and falling.

Silence stretches between us as we stand there, breathing heavily, both of us unable to move. My throbbing core is begging for me to touch him while my mind fights for me to stay put.

He’s a fighter. A walking red flag. He’ll only hurt you.

“Don’t you have a gym to open?” I finally say, out of breath.

“Don’t you have a bookstore to run?” His response comes quickly, but I’m pleased when it’s as breathless as mine.

“Come to the gym later,” he says, pulling my attention to his face. My skin cools at the change in subject, thankful this didn’t end up somewhere I was going to regret.

“I’m good, thanks.” My shoulders relax when my breathing regulates.

“Look, it may not be my place, but the gym can be good when you’re a little… pent-up.”

My mouth falls open at his directness. “You’re right, it most certainly isn’t your place.”

“Right, so that wasn’t my name you said this morning?”

I’m speechless at his words. My only action is to look away, unable to look at the half-naked man who stands before me any longer.

“Stop by the gym later. I’ll stay open late for you. It’ll help clear your head.”

“Who said my head needed clearing?”

He takes a deep breath before continuing, his irritation with me growing. Good, we’re back to normal.

“It’s a neighborly offer, Beth. Working out helps me when I’m stressed. I thought I’d extend the same opportunity to you.” He takes a step toward my bedroom door. “Just think about it,” he says before he walks out. His vacancy is shortly followed by the sound of the front door clicking behind him.

It’s not until I know he’s gone that I collapse on my bed, screaming my frustrations with my body into my pillow.

13

ALEX

Ihad reached the parking lot on my way back from my morning run when I heard Beth moan my name through her open window. The sound sent a lightning bolt of energy straight to my cock. I’m not ashamed to say I completed my run by booking it into the back entrance of the building, taking the stairs two at a time to end up at the front door of her apartment. Doing what I could to control my breathing and calm my rock-hard cock before knocking on her front door.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but seeing her answer the door in a T-shirt that could barely reach the hem of her short sleep shorts was enough to make any man fall to his knees in front of her.

Thankfully, my legs held me upright. Barely.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to bring up self-defense classes, but I figured getting her over here to the gym would be the first step. It’s been weeks, and she still hasn’t visited me. The only time I find myself in the same room as her is when I’m fixing something in her apartment or bookstore. Not that I’ve given her a reason to stop by my gym, but I guess part of me had hoped…

Blurriness fogs my vision when a light smack lands on the side of my head.

“Focus, fucker.” Roman laughs in my face as he holds up the two boxing pads I’ve been hitting for the past ten minutes. Leo laughs alongside him to my right.

Regaining focus, Roman calls out another combo, and I put more power behind my punches this time, effectively driving him a few steps back in the ring.

“That focused enough for you?” I say, breathing heavily from the extra exertion. Considering Roman is a full weight class above me, it usually takes more power to drive him back in the ring than it does Leo. I appreciate the challenge, but it takes more effort for me to focus today given this morning's events.

The orgasm I gave myself in the shower after leaving Beth’s apartment couldn’t compare to the sight of her curves in the scraps of sleepwear she wore, or the way her nipples scraped against my chest as I leaned over her…

Another smack to my head, a little harder this time, throws me off balance, causing me to stumble back a few steps.

“You call that focused?” Roman and Leo chuckle again, but it isn’t their laugh I zoom in on.

A light, airy sound comes from the front entrance, as though someone is fighting back their laughter. I know it’s Beth before I look in her direction.