Page 25 of Based on You

I set mine down on the wood. "So, is this what you usually get up to on the weekends?"

She turned to face me with a polite smile. "Not all the time. Sometimes I'm just at home sleeping, eating, or catching up on unfinished work." She tilted her head, turning the question back. "What about you?"

"I work out."

She gave a small nod, unsurprised. My build made that obvious.

"That's impressive. I've always wanted to get into the gym, but I'm far too lazy."

I glanced down at my empty plate. "Why would you want to?"

She looked at me, mildly confused. "I mean, other than to drop a little weight, it's just good to keep your body active. For health reasons."

I set my fork down. "There's nothing wrong with your weight, Violet. Why would you want to drop it? If you're worried about your heart, a walking pad is enough. You don't need to do much more than that."

She pulled her chin back, one eyebrow shooting up in surprise. I'd said it like I meant it, because I did. The way she'd framed it, drop a little weight, wasn't a conversation about cardio. She had curves that drew the eye, whether you meant to look or not. The few times I'd been close to her, passing documents over her desk, navigating a narrow hallway, sharing the private elevator, I'd clocked that she was soft in a specific way I didn't think should ever change. There was nothing there that needed dropping.

"I know there's nothing wrong with my body," she said quietly, "but it wouldn't be a bad thing to lose a few pounds."

"You don't need to lose anything." I held her gaze. "You're perfect like this."

She dropped her eyes to the table. Her thumb moved over the edge of her silver fork. Finally she looked back up. "Try telling that to my ex. After we broke up, he went around telling all his friends I was too big for him. He's dating someone very slim now."

I picked up my water glass, anger spiking through my chest. "Where did you find such a colossal loser to date?"

She chuckled, the sound a little bitter. "We met back in college. He was fun and outgoing. I had a huge thing for party boys back then, unfortunately."

I swallowed hard. The image of a younger Violet picking someone so wrong for her lodged somewhere uncomfortable in my chest. "And you ended up regretting it."

She nodded, grim. "He wasn't a real man."

"He isn't a man at all," I corrected. "That's all there is to it." I set the glass down. "But is he the real reason you want to lose weight?"

She shook her head quickly. "Of course not. It's just for me."

"Are you uncomfortable in your own body?"

She shook her head again, slower this time.

"Okay," she admitted, "the truth is I probably just want to fit the current trend." She laughed at her own vanity. "Why do you work out so much?"

I answered without thinking. "To be able to lift women without effort."

She froze, staring at me.

I held her gaze, refusing to back down.

"Lara must've weighed nothing." Her voice dropped. "You didn't need to work out for that."

I smiled faintly and moved my attention back to my plate. "Yeah, but Lara and I broke up. What if I end up with someone built different?"

She lifted her brows in challenge. "So you don't have a specific physical type?"

"Why would I limit myself?" I shrugged. "Whatever your size is, what matters is that I like you as a person. But… I do lean toward softness."

"Softness?" she echoed.

"Yeah." I picked up my fork. "I want to be able to grab a handful of soft flesh."