Page 9 of Up All Night

She held down the speed button, increasing the speed significantly. I was now running full out, my breathing picking up. I didn’t hate running, I just preferred to run outside, which I did every Saturday morning. So if she thought she was going to win this treadmill battle, she was wrong.

She gave me a fake smile. “Glad that weekday mornings are going to go so well between us.”

“Yep,” I huffed out.

Okay, so maybe only running every Saturday morning wasn’t enough to endure this torture. I tried to act like sustaining this high speed was a piece of cake, but inside my mind and body were screaming at me.

Finally, she began to lower the speed, letting me jog to catch my breath as I cooled down for a minute. My white cut off shirt was already stuck to my body with sweat, and we hadn’t truly started the workout yet. My early intuition was proving right. She was going to take her revenge on me through this workout and probably every workout until Ben came back.

Rolling my shoulders back, I attempted to look like the treadmill sprint hadn’t totally winded me as I followed her over to the squat rack.

The grueling hour passed slowly, and I had never been so grateful for a workout to be over in my life. Despite how hard Halle had gone on me, there was nothing she had done that hadn’t been professional or that could have injured me. She just knew exactly how to push to get me close to my breaking point, to get my muscles burning and my lungs screaming.

I barely made it up the stairs to my apartment, and as soon as I walked in, I beelined for the couch.

Cannon walked out into the family room and took in my collapsed form.

“What happened to you?” he asked as he headed into the kitchen to start making coffee.

“I almost died,” I said dramatically. But I did really feel that way. My body hurt all over.

He chuckled. “Ben put you through the wringer today, huh?”

I tried to sit up to look at him but gave up when my muscles wouldn’t cooperate and flopped back down. “It wasn’t Ben today. He’s out of town for a few weeks.”

He got two mugs out and set them on the counter. “So you’re not a fan of your new trainer?”

“You could say that,” I said dryly, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s Halle.”

His brows rose. “Halle? As in Halle, our harmonious neighbor Halle?”

“That’s the one.”

A loud laugh erupted from Cannon. “Oh, gosh, this is too good.”

“Glad you find this so funny,” I said. “Now get over here and help me up.”

He rounded the counter, still chuckling as he made his way over to me. “Fine, but I’m not giving you a sponge bath.”

I wasn’t going to acknowledge his response. “I thought you said she worked at a dance studio.”

Cannon helped me off the couch. “She does.” He paused as if in thought. “At least that’s what I thought she told me,” he amended.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Either way, I’m stuck with her.”

“Can’t you ask for another trainer?”

“And let her have the satisfaction of thinking I couldn’t handle her workouts? Not on your life,” I said, shaking my head.

If I requested a different trainer, it would be like admitting defeat.

He gestured at me, a smirk on his face. “But you obviouslycan’thandle her workouts.”

I gave him a pointed look. “I’d like to see how you would fare after what I went through today.”

He puffed out his chest. “I could do it.”

“All right, then,” I challenged. “Why don’t you come to the gym with me tomorrow morning?”

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