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Her stomach hopped happily, and she was thrown back to feeling like a teenager whose crush was finally noticing her.
Oh, my. Myra headed for the closet to strip out of her formal dress. She needed lots of prayer. She was consumed with Ike and not certain it was a good thing. Her future had never felt less settled, but it was more thrilling than anything she’d ever foreseen.
Chapter
Eleven
Ike couldn’t settle down. He corresponded with Tippin as he paced the room, wanting to go knock on her door and see if she was awake.
Myra felt like she’d overstepped? She thought he was braver and kinder. What a joke.
He’d overstepped and was making a mess of everything. When she was around, he forgot himself and his purposes over and over again.
He could understand why Beau had been drilling that football at the net. If only he had something to throw hard repeatedly.
Would Aiden be disappointed in him? Well, he’d like to see Aiden resist Myra. Her sparkling dark-brown eyes, her radiant smile, her bravery, her laughter, the way it felt to touch her, hold her. Their thirty-second dance had been the most romantic moments he’d ever experienced.
Tippin sent a text that Divine had been on her best behavior since being released. Except for the pictures with Beau, which everybody believed were the two of them getting together, not some setup. He said he’d check deeper and signed off. Disappointing.
Ike finally got ready for bed and said a quick prayer, not really knowing what to pray for besides Aiden and Myra’s safety, which concerned him more as he was putting her on level with his only family member.
Checking the cameras, sensors, and in with the security guard, he was convinced all was quiet and in order. His natural instincts were to stay up and keep watch, but he wasn’t in a battle zone and he needed sleep to deal with everything that was happening.
He settled onto the bed and must’ve drifted off.
He awoke to muffled footsteps and weights softly clanging above him. The alarm clock said five-fifty-two.
Ike didn’t waste time putting a shirt on. He was out his door, down the hall, up the stairs, and pushing open the workout room door on the right side of the landing next to Beau’s suite door.
He hurried in … and stopped, realizing it was Beau and not some intruder or Myra. He heard the steady beat of some popular song, but it was turned down low.
“Hey.” Beau lifted his chin to him. “Sorry, did I wake you? I tried to be quiet.”
“It’s fine,” Ike managed. He thought the guy would be sleeping off the alcohol or the depression.
“Since I’m not going into the training facility this week, the team’s trainers sent a long list of plyometrics, strength, and interval training. It takes a few hours, so I like to start early.”
It was barely six a.m. Usually Ike started his day at five. He’d slept in. Where was Myra? Why hadn’t he thought to check if she was in her room before he busted in here? Like he would’ve checked her room at six a.m.
“Do you mind if I lift also?”
“Not at all.” Beau smirked. “If Myra comes, we can turn the tunes up louder.”
“Sounds good.”
Ike walked back down to his room and hurried to dress and brush his teeth as he checked the cameras. All was quiet. He hurried back up to the gym, downed some water, and started into a chest, shoulders, and triceps lifting routine. He should’ve probably asked if Beau was doing better this morning but figured the guy didn’t want the reminder of last night.
Maybe twenty minutes into his workout, he was executing controlled pushups when the door opened. He glanced up from his plank position and was rewarded with Myra staring open-mouthed at him. Jumping his feet in, he popped up and found himself staring. She wore a simple gray tank top and navy-blue shorts, her hair in a ponytail, no makeup. She was as gorgeous as she’d been last night in her formal dress, hair in curls, and all dolled up.
“Morning,” he managed. He couldn’t pull enough oxygen into his lungs.
“Hi.” She sounded out of breath as well.
“There she is,” Beau called. “Now it’s a party.”
“Good morning, Beau,” she said.
“Morning. Let’s get this workout going.” Beau turned up the music a few notches and went back to box jumps. Thankfully the music was still at a level they could converse without raising their voices.
