Page 2 of My Perfect Valentine

I got hired about eight months ago, when I desperately needed a job and had to move out of my parents' place or else they were going to force me back to school. The owners of Carter’s Gym are my heroes and I can’t thank them enough for making it so I could stand on my own two feet. Even though I’m stagnant and have no clue what to do next, it makes it even harder since I love my job so much. It’s fun, I meet great people, and I get to use theplace for free and even get pointers and workout routines and diet suggestions from my bosses for free too. It’s wonderful.

“How’s it going, Logan?” Cole asks, and I already feel the heat flood my cheeks.

I focus on my tasks at hand, trying to appear unaffected, as I set my latest folded towel aside and scroll to the next potential fake boyfriend. This one includes a picture, and the man isn’t bad looking, but nothing makes me swoon. Nothing like the reactions I have to the man standing in front of me.

“Great. Staying busy. What’s going with you?”

“Same shit, different day.”

The men chuckle and I’m too nervous to say anything. Which happens more often than not with the man of my dreams around. He probably thinks I’m stuck up or something, since I can’t manage a simple look in the eye. I’d like to challenge any woman to gaze into those perfectly blue orbs and not drown in them.

Frank Sinatra may have been known for his captivating eyes, but I’d bet every cent to my name they didn’t hold a candle to Logan’s. Even imagining them makes my knees ready to knock.

The two shoot the breeze for a moment or two, and I re-read the guy on my screen’s opening line eight times and still can’t fathom what his name is.

“I need to get going. Talk to you later, Cole. Addie, have a great rest of your day.” Logan’s rich voice is like silk against my skin and I peek my gaze up toward him, hoping to avoid the drowning potential and smile.

“You too. See you tomorrow.”

Logan pats the counter before walking out the door, and Cole leans against the counter with his arms crossed, watching me, watching Logan leave.

Damn, that man is utter perfection. I wonder what he did for God to be like, “You, you’re my masterpiece.”

Feeling Cole’s gaze on me, I turn to him. “What?”

Cole looks from me to Logan out in the parking lot and smiles before turning around and heading toward his office. “Nothing.”

I shake my head, finish folding up the towels and scrolling to the next candidate while I work to get my blood pressure under control. A common necessity every day since meeting Logan. The man can cause a heart attack if he isn’t careful.

Chapter 2

Logan

After overhearing Addie talkingto Cole about needing a date for her parent’s party and the way she’s going about it, makes me sick and protective. This can’t be safe. Who the hell knows she could meet? I don’t care if she’s on the Perfect Plus One matching site. She could get hurt.

I head to my truck like a man on a mission and open up my phone to scan for the app I uploaded a year ago to get my sister off my back. It has only been accessed and opened the one and only time I signed up, but the peace I received from my sister since joining has been worth it.

Now though, I’m going to get my sister the biggest bouquet the world has ever seen while I type in Addie’s username in thesearch engine. I took a peek at the monitor while speaking to Cole to make sure I can find her on the site.

Her bubbly face appears on my screen with her soft brown eyes and cheeky smile. My heart beats up into my throat as I gaze over her picture. She’s stunning. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and it pains me I can’t be near her. For the past eight months, I’ve been admiring and watching her from the sidelines.

The moment I walked into Carter’s Gym and saw her learning how to work the system on her first day on the job, I’ve been a goner. So much so I attend the gym five days a week instead of the usual three. I’m getting more fit without her even noticing, but I can’t go without seeing her. The weekends are brutal when she doesn’t work and I have to go forty-eight hours without one glimpse of her, but damn straight I’m in the gym at the earliest part of her shift on Monday morning so I can say hello to her.

I scroll through her profile and smile at her goofy comments, because it’s her. In the whole time she’s worked here, she doesn’t say more than a handful of words to me, but I’ve more than listened to her as she talks with her bosses, co-workers, and members. I understand she’s not interested in me, but I can’t help admiring her. She’s adorable and owns who she is.

I frown when I scroll over her age, twenty-two. Fuck, she’s twenty years younger than me. Leaning my head back against the seat, I wipe a hand down my face.

She’s far too young for me. I knew she was, but I didn’t realize that much. The smart thing to do is to step away and let her be. The last thing she needs is a bike mechanic who has already lived his youth. She needs to be going out, making mistakes, dating around.

I clench my fists at the mere thought of another man getting anywhere near her. The image of her worried face and sad eyes penetrates my mind as I recall how she looked when talking to Cole.

She’s desperate for a date, and not even a real date, a fake one–for a few weeks. Just to show her parents she has somebody. I would hate for some asshat on the internet to take advantage of her generous sweet nature. I can’t handle the idea of seeing her hurt.

The note about needing a fake relationship pops up in the category of service. The site is used for multiple types of dating–matchmaking, hiring a fake relationship, exchanging for a fake relationship. She’s marked under hiring or exchanging.

The idea of her having to meet this ass’s family and friends makes it far too real. I hit on the interested to connect button to make my interest known. The visions of her with so many guys and having them drool over her is too much and I can’t face it. I need to be her white knight.

After I request for us to match, I have to wait for her response. Risking it, I peer into the front window at the counter of the gym, but Addie isn’t there, so I let out a breath. I have some time before she sees my request and would probably be best if I’m not sitting in the parking lot gazing toward the gym looking for a glimpse of her. It’s creepy and will make her decline my match. Which she might still do anyway since I frequent the gym.

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