Page 1 of One Night with a Mountain Man

One

Dillon

The clank of weights and the steady hum of treadmills welcome me as I stride into the Sweat Shop Gym. I'm here to grind, to shed the day's tension under Josh's watchful eye. I drop my bag in the locker room and start my routine stretches, my muscles loosen and warm.

She appears like a new challenge, all confidence and cool smiles. "Hey, Dillon Hanley, right?" Her voice cuts through the gym's noise. "I'm Natalie Stevens. Josh got called away on an emergency, so I'll be stepping in for him today."

Pausing mid-stretch, I eye her warily. I've never even seen her here before. Swapping Josh's military discipline for... what? I'm unsure, skeptical even, until my gaze travels from her face down her athletic form. She's all power and poise wrapped in a blonde package that knocks the air clean out of me.

"Guess that means you're stuck with me," she says with a grin that suggests she's more than up to the task.

Her scent is unexpected—a whiff of vanilla that battles against the gym's usual scent of sweat and well… more sweat. It's disarmingly pleasant.

"You sure you can handle me?" The challenge slips out before I can stop it, but she doesn't flinch.

"More than sure," Natalie shoots back, a playful spark in her blue eyes. "You ready to work?"

Nodding, I'm already smitten with her pretty face and adding the confidence was almost more than I could hope for. There's no need to look down since she meets me almost eye to eye—a rarity that I find instantly appealing.

She flips through the pages attached to a clipboard, her brow furrowing as she scans Josh's meticulous notes on my regimen. "I've got a handle on your routine." Natalie puts the clipboard aside and steps to the weight rack. "Let's kick it off with goblet squats."

I watch her sink into the move, the weight clasped close to her chest. She rises with such fluid grace, it's like watching power take human form. Grabbing my own dumbbell, I mirror her, soon feeling the familiar burn in my thighs and glutes.

"Keep your chest up, Dillon," she corrects, her hands on my sides guiding me. Her touch is firm yet gentle, sparking an unfamiliar tingle that races along my spine.

"Take a few deep breaths. It's lat pulldowns next." She points to the machine and I follow her.

"I think I'm ready to go up a notch. Josh said he thought I should." Glancing over, I see her scowl. She's going to tell me no and give me a sound reason I should stay where I am. The look on her face makes that obvious. Normally, I'd be happy with status quo, but not in front of my new trainer.

"Yeah, I'm not ready to sign off on that. I've never seen you do anything on this machine before, so for today we're keeping everything the same."

"But I'm ready for it."

"Maybe you are. But you're not doing it today. This one is about control not weight, anyway."

Her ability to take no shit is remarkable and a little intimidating at the same time.

Natalie steps in front to tweak the machine settings. As she leans forward, I can't help but get a peek down her shirt before I jerk my eyes away, chastising myself for being that guy. She stands up to catch me looking and I'm annoyed I didn't look away fast enough. Oh well. It is what it is.

"So hands on the bar." She raises an eyebrow and takes a look at my hands on the bar. "Good. Remember to keep your abs tight."

I pull the bar down like I've always done before. I think I've aced it.

"Come on, Dillon. It's a vertical pull. Don't pull towards your torso."

I nod, do it again the right way this time. She nods approval and I get through the next eight reps.

We finally get to lateral raises. She picks up the weights first, setting an example with perfect form. I'm drawn to her reflection in the mirror. The intensity etched on her face as she counts out the reps, the dance of muscles under skin, the way her ponytail swings in sync with each lift.

"Let's do them together."

"Sure thing." I move to stand beside her as we both watch each other in the mirror. My breath is taken away again.

I hoist my dumbbells, trying to match her rhythm. Like most people who work out, I watch myself in the mirror alone to correct my form as I go, but this is a change I'm here for. Damn if it isn't tough when every move she makes draws my eye, though. My arms wobble at one point and I almost let go of the weight.

"Focus," I mutter under my breath.

She doesn't miss a beat. "You've got this," Natalie encourages me as she looks into my eyes in the mirror.

---