Page 11 of Under Daddy's Spell

“I’ll think about it.”

At this concession, he tucked into his salad.

“I’ve had a membership before and rarely used it.”

When they rose to hers, his eyes held a glint of mischief. “Did you know the owner, by chance? Because I have ways of making you comply.”

She laughed at his waggling eyebrows. “I didn’t. I joined for a month on a ten-dollar trial. Mostly, I wanted to work on my abs. But after thousands of crunches and my waist measurement actually increasing, I gave up and stopped going.”

“That happens from overdeveloped upper abdominals, which is what crunches focus on. You need to strengthen your entire core, the diaphragm, the obliques, the pelvic floor muscles, and the transversus abdominis.”

Tessa blinked at his trainer’s jargon. “My trans what?”

Chuckling, he picked up his wineglass again and looked at her over the rim. His slow perusal of what was visible above the table should have made her squirm, but somehow, she kept still.

“When did a six-pack become the holy grail of fitness? Women naturally have more adipose tissue than men, so killer abs aren’t easy to achieve.”

“Adipose is a nice way of saying fat, isn’t it?”

“You’re not fat, Tessa. You have curves most women would kill for. It’s the body type most men prefer. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as you’re active and healthy. And it sounds like you are. How many miles do you run?”

“I alternate between three and five miles every other day, and rest one day a week.”

“Have you thought about varying your routine by alternating cardio with an interval exercise program? It’s a great way to maximize your effort and minimize your time. Strength training with light weights or resistance bands will help tone your body without bulking you up. It’s also easier on your joints and helps with core strength, both of which can prevent issues when you get older.”

“All those benefits and an air-conditioned gym... You have me sold—almost,” she teased.

“Give me an hour to demonstrate, and I’ll have you convinced.” His slow smile gleamed in the soft candlelight. Then he looked around as if checking to see if the coast was clear. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said in a conspiratorial tone, “but you can do most of the exercises I plan to show you at home with a wall and a chair.”

She acted like she turned a key to lock her lips and whispered, “I won’t tell.”

They moved on to other topics after that. They both preferred dogs to cats,Star TrektoStar Wars, loved jazz—which, in New Orleans, was tantamount to a crime if you didn’t—and two of her favorite books were on his top-ten list.

Two hours later, which was too soon for her, Jordan walked her to her car.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out with a man and enjoyed herself so much. He was funny, bright, and engaging, getting her to talk about herself, which was nigh on impossible until she knew someone for months, not hours. And not once, other than to describe his middle-class Southern upbringing—he was from Tennessee, surprisingly, not Louisiana—did he drone on about himself or how much he could bench press.

“I enjoyed dinner, especially with your company,” he said, stopping beside her as she beeped the locks.

“Me, too. My supper usually consists of something uninspiring from the microwave while I watch the DVR’d evening news.” Turning toward him, which required craning her head back to see his face, Tessa once again got the sense of how big he was, and how handsome.

“We’ll have to do this again—very soon.”

“I’d like that,” she agreed, and meant it. The time spent with him in easy conversation while sparks bounced between them had her convinced to go for it with Jordan Cooper, if he was so inclined. And he seemed to be.

When he leaned down, she anticipated his lips brushing hers in a gentle good-night kiss, but only felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek as he reached past her to open her door.

She hurriedly slid behind the wheel so he wouldn’t see her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. How had she read the signals so wrong, or was he simply taking it slow, too?

“Drive safe,” he uttered softly, before ending the evening by firmly closing her door.

Disappointed she hadn’t gotten a kiss on the forehead or a soft caress on the cheek, at least, she buckled up and started the car. A lingering handshake would have been nice.

But when she pulled into the covered drive behind her house, she was relieved it hadn’t gone that far. She’d only known him a minute. Even though she’d very likely have jumped his bones if he’d shown the inclination, slow was the way to go.

“Very soon though,” she said, echoing his words with hope in her heart.

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