Page 31 of Playing Games

“Yes. You’ve mentioned that.”

Blake laughs, holding up both hands innocently. “Okay, I surrender. You just tell me if you change your mind.”

“Blake.”

“Right, right.”

Quinn is like a fucking drugged hyena trying to keep his smug laughter at bay, and I narrow my eyes at him in warning. He’s on my short list if he doesn’t cool it. I swear, people are always looking for romance in everything.

Even if it—most likely—doesn’t exist.

“Just a little bit more. You got it, Lex. Come on,” Blake coaches as I get close to reracking the bar on the bench press. It’s only ten pounds on each side of a fifteen-pound bar for a whopping thirty-five pounds, but my wrists are shaking, and my arms feel like Jell-O.

It’s official. I’m a weakling.

And a fool.

Because for as much as I fought it, here I am, letting Blake Boden coach me through weight-training exercises and trusting that he’s capable of making sure I don’t get hurt.

Quinn left about thirty minutes ago to meet up with his wife, and despite the act of nonchalance I’ve been putting on, I didn’t go running into the night with my hair on fire to get away from Blake.

Instead, I hung around until he convinced me to try doing a few reps with some light weights.

The bar clanks into the holder finally, and I drop my arms to my chest, totally and completely exhausted. Blake pulls me up by my hands, and I duck my head under the bar until I’m upright again.

“See! I knew you could do it! A little bit of light training a few times a week and you’ll be close to my bench weight before you realize.”

“Ha!” I say loudly, shaking my head. “You’re joking, right? You bench double mybodyweight.Double.I’m a fragile skeleton. I don’t think I’ll be turning into a leafcutter ant anytime soon.”

“A leafcutter ant?”

“Yes.” I smile for what has to be the one-hundredth time since I stepped into the weight room with him. “They lift fifty times their body weight. They are literally one of the strongest things to ever exist.”

“And yet…they look so delicate. Maybe there’s a lesson in there somewhere, Ms. Fragile Skeleton.”

I snort. “I don’t think so, unless the lesson is that weight training isn’t for me. I don’t mind hanging out while you do it, though.”

Or watching. I especially don’t mind the watching, I find.The way his muscles ripple and flex is truly fun to observe.

“That’s good. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I’m having a late-night sweat session.”

My brain short-circuits. Something about the way he’s pairedlate-nightandsweat sessionmakes me feel like the oxygen in the room has been sucked out. But it doesn’t make me scared of him—it makes me scared of myself.

Suddenly, I’m not entirely sure if I’m capable of keeping Blake Boden at the carefully crafted distance I’d planned on.

He takes a step closer, eliminating some of the space between us, and I swear the room tilts. His eyes search mine, soft but intent, and before I realize it, I’m mirroring the movement. My heart pounds as the distance between us vanishes, and my gaze flicks to his mouth without permission. It’s so close, it would take nothing—nothing—to lean in just a fraction more and—

No, Lexi. Absolutely not.

I jerk back, the air between us thick with tension I don’t understand. “I better get going.” It’s abrupt and blunt, and for once, I realize it. But my mind is spiraling in confusion of what is happening with this guy, and I’m at the end of my masking rope. I need right now, more than anything, to be alone so I can drop the act entirely.

Blake’s brows knit together. “Oh. Okay. When can I see you again, then?”

I shake my head, back toward the door. “I’m not sure.”

He frowns. “Is everything okay?”

Not at all. “Of course.”

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