Page 19 of Price of Victory
We were circling each other like sharks, getting closer and closer but never quite crossing the invisible line that separated us. I could feel his eyes on me when I thought he wasn’t looking, tracking the movement of my body as I worked through my routine. The weight of his gaze was almost physical, making my skin prickle with awareness. And God help me, I was doing the same thing.
I tried not to watch when he was on the bench press, legs spread for balance, but the way his shorts rode up his thighs was impossible to ignore. I tried not to notice the low grunt he made when he pushed the heavy weight up, the way his muscles moved under his skin when he lifted, the small bead of sweat that traced down his throat and disappeared beneath his shirt. But my eyes kept drifting back to him, no matter how hard I tried to focus on my own workout.
The rubber grip of the weights felt slick under my palms, and I had to consciously control my breathing to keep from panting like a dog. Every time I caught a glimpse of him, every time our eyes met across the weight room, that sickly feeling in my chest transformed into something else entirely.
This was insane. I was losing my mind, getting distracted by Aiden Whitmore’s body when I should have been concentrating on burning off the weird energy that had been plaguing me for days. But every time I caught a glimpse of him, every time our eyes met across the weight room, that sickly feeling in my chest transformed into something else entirely.
Want. Pure, uncomplicated, terrifying want.
I’m just in a dry spell, I told myself. That had to be it. I hadn’t been with anyone since Andrew, and that was months ago. Mybody was just responding to the first attractive guy to show interest, even if that guy happened to be the most infuriating person I’d ever met.
Even the most villainous guy I knew.
“You’re pushing yourself pretty hard tonight,” Aiden said during one of our brief encounters at the water fountain. His voice was slightly breathless from exertion, rougher than usual in a way that made something clench low in my stomach. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead that caught the gym’s fluorescent lighting, and when he reached up to push that fallen lock of hair back, I caught a glimpse of the damp patch where his shirt clung to his chest.
“Just trying to stay in shape,” I said, wiping my face with my towel and trying not to notice how good he looked with his hair slightly damp and his cheeks flushed, trying not to think about what else might make him look like that.
“Right. Because you looked so out of shape at practice today.” There was something in his tone that made me look at him more closely, something that sounded almost like flirting.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just an observation.” He took a long drink from his water bottle, and I found myself watching the movement of his throat as he swallowed. “You know, most people don’t work out this intensely when they’re trying to avoid something.”
“I’m not avoiding anything.”
“No? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re trying to run away from your own thoughts.”
The accuracy of the observation hit me like a slap, and I felt heat rise in my cheeks. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” His smile was sharp, predatory. “I think I’m getting under your skin, Morrison. And I think you hate that you like it.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Am I? You’ve been watching me for the past hour like you’re trying to memorize every inch of me.”
The accusation made my face burn hotter, partly because it was true and partly because he had the audacity to call me on it. “You’re the one who followed me over here.”
“Maybe I did. Maybe I wanted to see what you’d do about it.”
There was a challenge in his voice, in the way he was looking at me, and it made something twist tight in my chest. This was what he did, I reminded myself. He flirted when he wanted something, turned on the charm like a weapon, and then went back to being vile when he didn’t need it anymore.
“You’re only like this when you want something,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Otherwise, you’re just a complete asshole.”
“What makes you think I want something?”
“Because that’s how you operate. You turn on the charm when it serves your purpose, and the rest of the time, you act like everyone else is beneath you.”
Aiden stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne mixed with sweat, close enough to see the way his pupils had dilated, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin. “Maybe I just like watching you blush. The color suits you.”
The words sent heat shooting through my entire body, my heart hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it. My face was burning, and I knew my reaction was giving me away completely. “You’re unbelievable.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” His voice had dropped lower, rough around the edges in a way that made my pulse quicken and my mouth go dry. “Tell me something, Morrison. When’s the last time you got laid?”
The question caught me so off guard that I actually choked on my water. “Excuse me?”
“Simple question. When’s the last time you had sex?”
“That’s none of your business.”
