He laughs, and it unleashes the inconvenient swarm of rabid butterflies in my chest.
“I was going to make dinner,” he says, “but I figured you might want to decompress first. Go for a run?”
The last thing on my mind right now is running. I've been going since six this morning, and I’m exhausted. The smart thing would be to eat, work for another hour, and go to bed.
But then I’d be giving up another chance to watch him work that god-like body so hard to keep up with me.
Mm. So tempting.
Screw work.
“Yeah,” I say. “A run sounds good.”
I change in record time, picking out a tank top from lululemon that is a little tighter than the ones I normally wear. It dips a little low, and my sports bra is a tiny bit too small, making my boobs pop.
Luna would be proud.
And Lochlan definitely notices. Tingles dance over my bare arms as his gaze does a slow sweep of my body, his eyes settling on my much perkier girls for a few seconds longer than necessary. At twenty-eight, I wouldn’t have needed the help, but at this point in my life? I use every tool I have in my arsenal. And my efforts have obviously paid off.
We take the same route as the first time when we took on the city before dawn.
We start down Commonwealth Ave, headed toward the bridge along the river. Dusk has settled, the sky painted with streaks of blue, pink, and orange. And it’s no longer sweltering hot.
Lochlan keeps up a lot better this time. He’s still struggling, still breathing harder than me, but not dying or stumbling.
“Have you been practicing?" I ask.
“Yeah,” he pants. “Been running while you're at work. Figured I should put the time to use.”
“Wow. Between that and the Mustang, you've been busy.”
He grins through the pain of running. “You remembered.”
“Of course. You mentioned it. The '69 Mach 1.” I glance at him. “You said you’d let me see it when it’s done, but I have to admit, I’m curious. I don’t know how long I can wait.”
“Really? You’re that interested?” His face lights up and I don’t think it’s because of the car. A shiver suddenly assaults me, despite the heat.
“I definitely am. How's the restoration going?”
“Good. I finally sourced the carburetor I needed. I should be able to start her up within the month, sooner than I thought.” He pauses to take a breath. “But you don’t have to wait for that. I can still show her to you, if you really want.”
“I do.” I smile at him. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, Lochlan.”
“Cool. Me either,” he pants.
We run in silence for a while, giving him a chance to catch hisbreath after all the talking. It’s comfortable. Easy. Well, for me it is. I cast a glance over at him and bite back the smile that threatens my lips.
Maybe not so much for him.
“So what else did you do today?” I ask after a few minutes. “Besides running practice.”
“I called into my office to check on a few accounts. Wolfe sent over some security footage from the port and I've been reviewing it.” He pauses. “Then I worked on the Mustang. There's a garage in Southie that lets me use their lift.”
“I guess you have a whole life I don't know about.”
“You could. Know about it.” He's not looking at me, his eyes on the path ahead. “If you wanted.”
The words hang between us, an invitation I’m not quite sure I want to accept.
