AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Once I hear the magic word, I let my arms collapse and my body falls ungracefully against the sweaty gym floor.
“I think I’m dying,” I groan. My words are muffled since I can’t be bothered to turn my head. I shift my eyes to look at Lincoln. The large alpha is crouched down a few feet away, and he doesn’t look impressed.
Uh-oh.
“What?” I pout, slowly dragging my body into a sitting position.
“We were going to fifteen this time, Espy.”
I try to hide my shudder. Even disapproving, Lincoln’s deep, rumbly voice gives me full-body shivers.
“Can I do them on my knees?”
He blinks at me inscrutably, then nods.
“You know,” I say, begrudgingly moving back into a push-up position. “This goes directly against my therapist’s instructions to be ... kind ... to ... my ... self.” I punctuate each word with a half-hearted push-up, and this time, I roll so that I collapse onto my back. It’s easier to glare at Lincoln this way.
He just smirks, then straightens. “Come on, short stack. Give me two laps, and then we do another set.”
For a second I consider not moving and just taking a nap on the disgusting gym floor. However, this wastechnicallymy idea. The fact that I’d underestimated Lincoln’s definition of “working out” was a rookie mistake. Tanner did try to warn me, his eyes going comically wide as he frantically shook his head when I first brought up the idea. I can’t decide if I owe him an apology for not heeding his warning, or if I ought to kick his butt for not trying harder to stop me.
Definitely option number two, but I’ll have to wait until after my legs aren’t so sore.
Lincoln watches like a hawk while I make my way around the small indoor track. His stare is ... unnerving. It makes me nervous, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it also excites me. I need to find a way to channel that metabolically so I can make it through this workout.
It’s been over a week since he stormed into the cafeteria and “rescued” me from Micah. He was mad. Even more so than Em had been. When my groveling and apologies for worrying him didn’t work, I went a different route. I drew a caricature of him being a grump and handed it over with some cookies Mackenzie brought me. The look on his face when I gave it to him was priceless. Probably better than the one I drew.
At least it did the trick, and he’s forgiven me now. Unless he’s just taking it out on me in his role as my trainer. If that’s the case, he’s a genius.
“All right. Just one more round of the sit-ups and push-ups—fifteeneach—then you’re free.”
“Do them with me?” I cajole, flinging my body back to the floor. “I think this whole drill-sergeant routine is taking precious time away from your own training.”
He looks at me with a mixture of humor and exasperation but still lowers his body down next to mine.Score!He’s worked out with me a few times since we started this, and there is nothing like watching Lincoln Masters working his body.
It’s fine-tuned. He has the look of someone who actually uses their muscles, as opposed to those guys who just bulk up for show. The way his shoulders bunch under his T-shirt when he drops his chest to the ground for a push-up is delicious.
“Espy...” he growls.
Whoops!I forgot to keep doing my own workout while I creeped on him.
I avert my eyes and push through my last reps.
“Okay. You did good today,” he rumbles approvingly.
“Good enough that we can move on to you showing me how to kick some alpha ass?” I quip.
The original idea behind working out was to learn self-defense. I wanted a way to feel safer and like I have more autonomy over my own body. Plus, the exercise endorphins are theoretically supposed to help with my anxiety.
Lincoln looks over at me with a soft, almost tender look. I’m not expecting it, and tears spring to my eyes out of nowhere. It’s hard not to feel vulnerable. Not to sink back into that mental state where I was imprisoned and tortured, all so some alpha could rape me and force me into a bond.
I was asked to come in yesterday to speak with the law enforcement officials handling my case. There’s a whole task force on BFOS now, apparently. Em came with me, of course, and Lincoln tagged along as well. I guess he’s been following the case against my father pretty closely, keeping tabs on how the investigation is unfolding.
We went over a lot of the same things I gave them before, answering questions about what my father did to me, what I remembered of the other members, the alphas who came to the house, etc. This time they had pictures though. Some of my house and some of individuals they suspected were involved.
It was brutal.
I thought I’d been doing really well. I’m able to be around Tanner and Lincoln without issue. I can walk around more and be on my own in public. I’m even sleeping slightly better!
