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He raised a brow, and his lips turned up in the corners the slightest bit. “Whatever. He was proudly talking about it, and it pissed me off. Did he try anything with you?”
“You’re serious?”
“Do I strike you as a joker?”
“No. But I don’t know why you care so much.” I shrugged.
“What? I thought this was small talk.” He took another pull from his drink and smirked.
“He asked to take me home, and I turned him down. I was very clear that I was only interested in friendship. My cousin’s husband, Hawk Madden, had already warned me long before you stormed the castle.” I rolled my eyes.
“Hawk’s married to your cousin?”
“Yep.”
“Now that’s a stand-up dude. I’ve met him several times, and he’s a great guy.”
“He said the same about you, which is shocking.” I chuckled.
We sat in the quiet for a few minutes, and he devoured his banana. I peeled mine back because I was feeling better. I put the tip in my mouth, and as I was taking a bite, his heated gaze locked with mine.
Holy banana balls.
Had eating a banana ever felt this sexy before? But I couldn’t help myself; I slowly slipped it into my mouth, pausing before I took a bite.
Enjoying every moment of torturing him.
My tongue swiped out along my bottom lip, and I didn’t miss the way his hands fisted on the table as he watched me.
Getting under Lincoln Hendrix’s skin was my new favorite thing.
eight
Lincoln
We’d beenin the gym at Drew’s house for over two hours, and she’d watched me work out and typed a few things into her notes app on her phone. I was fine with her sharing the details of my workout. It wasn’t completely traditional.
I was old-school in a lot of ways. Growing up with no money, I’d trained hard in the alley behind our dumpy little house. I used to work side jobs for neighbors, mowing their lawns, washing their cars, and digging holes in their backyards for plants and trees. All those skills had made me stronger when I was a teenager.
So, I still jumped rope every single day, just as I had as a young kid.
Sure, now I did it inside a fancy gym. But I didn’t need it. I could train anywhere, under any conditions.
I did my upper-body workout, which I did four days a week in the off-season. I ran, I swam, I biked, I lifted, I jumped, and I pushed myself every single day as hard as I could.
Music was bellowing from the speakers, but she didn’t seem to mind. She appeared to be interested in my routine. I hoped letting her in on this side of my life wasn’t going to bite me in the ass.
But so far, having someone to run part of my workout with wasn’t a bad thing. And seeing the way her eyes scanned across my biceps as I continued my reps long after my arms were burning, pushed me on. There was respect there, and I felt it.
After another hour, I dropped on the mat on my back and groaned.
Another day in the books.
She walked over to my phone on the bench and turned the music down before coming over to sit on the mat a few feet from me.
“How often do you push this hard?” she asked.
“Six days a week in the off-season. It’s my time to build and strengthen before the season starts. I always give myself one day to recover.”
