Page 3 of Wine & Whiskey
“Me too. By the way, I’m Nick. Nick DeMarco.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
A bit of color returns to her cheeks and her body softens, yet a hint of uncertainty remains. Refusing to let it be because of him, he winks and shrugs his shoulders. “What? You don't have a name?”
Another curious expression crosses her face before she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiles. A different kind of heat races through his body. He’d take a beating just to see her gorgeous face light up like that again.
“It’s Shae.”
“Nice to meet you, Shae.”
They stare at each other, awkwardness growing with each passing second. Trying to think of something to say that doesn’t make him sound like an asshole or her any more fearful, he clears his throat. “This is my first time here. Is it always this empty?”
“It picks up as the day goes on. I know it’s not much to look at, but it’s a good gym. The vibe is low-key, and the trainers are good.”
“I can tell. If you don’t mind me saying so, you look like you’re in really good shape.”
She shrugs, seemingly disappointed at his comment. “You can’t do what I do unless you work out.”
His mind races, trying to think of a way to fix his mistake, yet afraid of making it worse. In his world, survival requires absolute domination, with no concern for feelings or emotions. So, why the fuck he’s worried about offending a woman he just met, he doesn’t quite understand. But he can’t let this be the end of their conversation. “That sounded like a lame pick-up line, didn’t it? I just meant I know the hard work it takes to be in as good of shape as you are.”
Her frown fades and a slight grin emerges. “I’m kind of a fanatic about working out. I have a terrible sweet tooth I need to keep in check.”
The tightened muscles in his shoulders relax at her pardon of his faux pas. He must keep her talking and do whatever it takes to coax that smile out of her again. “I get bored doing the same workout. I thought with a new gym, I could mix it up, learn something new. Maybe you can show me some of your best moves?”
Her face brightens as she raises her left eyebrow. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Before he can respond, she grabs a twenty-pound weight and a yoga mat. With a slight flick of her wrist, the mat falls to the floor like a gauntlet thrown down as a challenge. Her eyebrow lifts again as she hands him the barbell. “This one is my favorite.”
Lying on her mat, she shifts into a side plank, propping herself up on her elbow. She rotates her stomach toward the floor, curling her weight underneath her. He drops down and mimics the movement. They complete twenty-five reps before she pauses, her eyes sparkling as she looks over at him. “What do you think?”
That you’re amazing.
He hides his smile at the fact this tiny woman, who he probably outweighs by more than a hundred pounds, wants to challenge him with her exercise moves. Her earlier fear replaced by a competitive drive he doesn’t expect. Maybe she’s not quite as delicate as she seems. “It’s a great workout.”
“Good! Now flip to the other side.”
After another set, he flops onto his stomach and massages his burning biceps. “My arms are shaking. I’m going to feel it tomorrow.”
“Good, that means you’ll see results. Now, another good one is—”
A red-faced man in a gray hoodie and black athletic shorts rushes in. Wrinkles of confusion line his forehead as he looks from him to Shae and back again. “Hi, I’m Jason. Sorry I’m late. I had a flat tire, and my phone’s dead. It’s been one of those mornings.”
Nick accepts his extended hand. “No worries.”
Jason wipes the sweat dotting his shaved head with his forearm before he turns to Shae. “What’re you doing here?”
“The receptionist said you were free at ten, so I wanted to get in a quick workout and do some stretching to get ready for later.”
Nick frowns at her as they both rise from their mats. With moves and a body like hers, there must be a mistake. “You’re not a trainer?”
She shakes her head. “Thanks for the compliment, but no. Jason’s one of my best friends, so he gets stuck training me.”
Jason laughs and rolls his eyes in mock exasperation. “Oh right, because you’re soooo difficult to put up with.” He leans in toward Nick, dropping his voice to a stage whisper. “She already thinks she knows everything. I bet she even showed you her favorite plank move, didn’t she?”
Her cheeks grow as pink as her shirt. “He asked!”
“That’s how she tried to woo me in high school, but it didn’t work. My heart was already taken.”
