Page 68 of Man Advantage

Fuck it. I couldn’t concentrate, and I was going to lose my form and hurt myself.

Fine. I could cut my workout short, then make up for it later tonight or at the training center tomorrow. I needed to get out of here before I hurt myself or embarrassed us both.

I cleared my throat as I got up. “I’ll, uh… I’m going to head upstairs.”

“Already?” He turned to me. “Taking an easy day?”

“Yeah. Yeah, something like—it’s my day off, you know?” I forced a laugh. “Might as well enjoy it.”

He eyed me as if he saw right through to my internal freakout. Then he shrugged. “Okay.”

I nodded sharply and headed for the door, eager to make my escape.

I didn’t get far, though.

“Trev. Look at me.”

There was a sharp edge to his voice that caught me off guard, and I turned to him. He stepped off the elliptical and faced me. His expression was closed off, but something in his eyes echoed that sharpness. He absently dried his hands on the towel he was holding, and he kept his gaze fixed right on me.

I inclined my head, silently asking what was going on.

His eyes narrowed a little. “I need to know something. And don’t bullshit me.”

I showed my palms. “Okay. Sure. What’s on your mind?”

He studied me for a painfully long moment, then asked in a flat voice, “Does it bother you that I work out without a shirt on?”

I stiffened. “What? Why would it—what makes you think it bothers me?”

“I don’t know. You just seem…” He chewed his lip, and he held his towel against his chest, as if making a subtle attempt to cover up. “The way you look at me when I’m working out, or whenever I don’t have a shirt on. You just don’t seem comfortable whenever I’m…”

“Oh. Fuck.” Shame, embarrassment, and horror swept through me. Shaking my head, I said, “No. No, it’s—it doesn’t bother me in the least.”

Cam’s brow knitted as he watched me, his eyes asking me,So then what’s the problem?

I thought fast, but every possible attempt I could think of to sidestep the truth just made me certain he’d feel more uncomfortable and self-conscious. He knew damn well I’d been in locker rooms with naked men almost daily for years, so why should I be bothered by a shirtless guy on a treadmill?

Honesty was risky because I might embarrass myself and look like an idiot, and it might make things supremely awkward between us. Still, it was the only approach that didn’t have the potential to hurt his feelings or make him think I saw anything wrong with him or his body.

So… fuck it.

I took a deep breath and pretended my heart wasn’t slamming against my ribs. “I have no problem with you working out shirtless. Or doinganythingshirtless. None at all.” I swallowed hard. “It’s just, whenever I see you like that, it completely scrambles my brain because—God, Cam.” I had to fight the urge to look him up and down. “You’re fuckinghot.”

Cam’s lips parted. “Come again?”

Frustration and embarrassment vied for dominance in my chest, and I couldn’t look him in the eye as I repeated, “You’re fucking hot.”

“I…” He shifted a little, the squeak of his sneakers giving away the subtle movement. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” I made myself look into his disbelieving eyes. “You’ve always been cute. You’ve always been attractive. But the way you are now…” I indulged in that impulse to look him up and down, and when I met his gaze again, I rasped, “I wasn’t avoiding looking at you because you made me uncomfortable. It’s because every time I look at you, I forget how to think.”

He stared at me. “You… Are you saying you want me?”

I pushed out a breath, my heart pounding so hard hehadto be able to hear it. “Yes. More than I’ve wanted anyone in…” I shook my head. “More than I think I’ve ever wanted anyone.”

For long seconds, he was still and silent. Eyes wide. Lips parted.

When he finally broke the standoff, he didn’t speak. He didn’t make a sound.

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