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She felt rather than heard his curious rumble. “I didn’t know there were rules to this.” Another minute passed before he tugged on her hair until she lifted her head. “So, what are the rules?”
She didn’t know what the rules were because she’d never had to make them before. There had always been an understanding between her and whomever she was sleeping with. Get in and get out. Those were the rules.
“I guess the first rule is don’t get attached. There is a firm end date to this. Obviously.” Although at this point, she said it out loud more for her own benefit than his.
“Obviously,” he repeated, his face blank. “Number two, there is no one else.”
She jerked back. “My number might be high, but I’ve never cheated.”
He dragged his nose along the inside of her wrist then kissed it. “I didn’t mean to imply anything. I’m reiterating facts. Like your firm end date.”
Nodding, she let her gaze wander around the basement. Over to the framed family photo on the dresser, to the sneakers haphazardly left by the wall, a pair of socks sitting outside of the laundry basket because when he’d come home, he hurriedly showered and changed while Sam cued up the movie. How very domesticated.
“Can I take you out tomorrow? Is that okay?” he asked, drawing her attention back to him.
With the way his eyes searched hers, maybe he could feel her giving in to traitorous emotion. And maybe he understood that she didn’t want to feel anything more than physical attraction, but he was still asking to take her on a date, to let go of what was holding her back. Although to soften the blow to her well-fortified wall, he added, “I want to make you come so many times, you’re screaming my name.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Well, then.”
“Tomorrow?” he suggested.
“I can’t tomorrow. I’m going to my mom’s for dinner.”
“Day after?”
She shook her head. “Gavin’s graduation.
Mike hung his head, his voice laced with humor. “The day after that?”
“Free as a bird.”
11
The clang of the plates, whir of cardio machines, and steady rotation of Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion were often background noise while Mike worked, but today he couldn’t stand it as he tried to surreptitiously listen to a voice mail from Samantha. He leaned against the counter, hiding behind the computer at check-in so he could lower his ear toward his phone, trying to discern what song she was singing that was occasionally interrupted by random grunts. She’d apparently butt-dialed him while clearing out her dad’s garage.
“Hey!”
Mike whipped his head up and tossed his phone down. “Emily, hey. How’s it going?”
“Great.” She held her aluminum water bottle up in a cheers. “This morning, I found a box of Girl Scout cookies I hid in the back of the freezer, so it’s a good day.”
“That’s a great day.” He held his fist up for a bump as he rounded the counter. “How’re you feeling besides that?”
Emily nodded, her short black hair bobbing around her face. “Pretty good. Unless you’re planning on making me do burpees, and in that case, I think I pulled a calf muscle.”
Mike gave in to a laugh and waved her over to a space by the free weights. Emily worked with Adam, which was how she’d found Mike, and even though she was almost two decades older than he was, they had a great relationship. Emily, though she playfully complained, worked hard and always showed up on time.
“Let’s get you warm with some step-ups,” Mike said, gesturing to a bench, and Emily got right to it, immediately reviewing her work week with him. This was their routine—he’d give her directions, and she’d follow as she got out all of her stress. That was one of his favorite things about his job. He was able to witness a person come into the gym anxious and leave feeling better. That was second only to watching them become stronger physically and mentally.
“You ready for some fifteens?” Mike asked, holding the weights out to Emily. “For squats.”
She took them from him, pretending like they were fifties weighing her down, until he got behind her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “We’re going for twelve with a couple pulses on the last one.”
She rolled her shoulders back, standing up tall, dumbbells at her sides. “I like how you always saywe’rewhen I’m the one doing them. You just stand there.”
“Oh yeah?” he said, raising his brow, copying hers.
“Yeah.”
