Page 3 of You're Mine Now

“What… what do you mean?” The question slipped out, barely above a whisper.

There was something behind his eyes, a secret—a joke I wasn’t in on.

“I want you to come to my place. Tonight.”

Panic raced through me at the thought of being alone with him. Panic, tangled with something darker—something I refused to admit, even to myself. My breath wavered as I forced the words out.

“Absolutely not. Why would I?”

Adrian tilted his head, his gaze dragging over me with deliberate slowness, like I was something to be dissected. “You need training,” he said, his tone laced with mockery.

His eyes lingered, and I felt naked under their weight. “That Pilates class isn’t working you hard enough,” he added. His gaze continued to assess my body, and I instinctively crossed myarms over my chest, my form-fitting leotard doing little to shield me.

I noticed a slight movement in his gym shorts, and shame flooded me. My large breasts, my ample hips—the things I wished I could hide from his scrutiny—felt like ammunition in his hands.

He smirked, his tongue sliding along his bottom lip. “You’ve got a lot to work with,” he murmured. “But I can get you in the best shape of your life.”

His hand drifted closer, and I froze. His fingers trailed up my arm, light as a whisper, before reaching my collarbone. Knuckles brushed the bare skin along my neckline, grazing the edge of my cleavage.

I gasped, unable to move, unable to tear myself away. His eyes bore into mine with an intensity that made my knees weak before they dropped to my chest again.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” I whispered, but my voice lacked any authority.

He scoffed, the sound low and full of ridicule.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

His eyes met mine in a dare.

With a sinking feeling, I realized I wasn’t going to do anything. He could do whatever he wanted, and I wouldn’t stop him.

“Eight o’clock. Tonight.”

His voice was smooth and commanding as if the decision had already been made.

Before I could react, his hand moved again, trailing along the outside of my thigh, igniting another wave of dread. He slipped his fingers into my pocket, pulling out my phone in one swift motion. He held it up, turning it over in his hand, like a magician revealing the end of a trick, his face smug.

“Unlock it,” he demanded, leaving no room for argument.

My hands shook as I took the phone from him, my fingers fumbling over the screen. As soon as I unlocked it, he snatched it back, entering his contact information with practiced ease.

He handed it back, and I looked down, my stomach flipping. The name he’d entered was simple—Adrian—but beneath it, he’d added“My personal trainer,”along with his address. I recognized the location—an old industrial building downtown that had been converted into luxury condos. I wondered how he could afford to live there.

“Why your place? Why not here?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Not that it mattered. I had no intention of showing up.

“I’m starting a personal training business,” he said, shrugging as if this were all perfectly reasonable. “Just a small setup right now. You should be grateful—I’m offering you a free lesson.”

I looked up at him, stunned.

Grateful?After all these years, he thought I’d want him as my personal trainer? He was out of his mind.

“I don’t need your training,” I said, my voice clipped. “Pilates is working just fine for me.”

His chuckle was low and sharp and entirely too amused.

“Oh, I forgot to mention—I wasn’t asking.”

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