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Macklin
Maybe you haven’t found the right partner.
I stare at his message, unsure how to reply. I should respond. Leaving him onreadis rude. But not knowing what to say or how I should take his text in the first place is messing with my head.
Because I like him. And liking a guy who’s older than you is daunting.
And messy, considering I know his daughter.
But I can’t stop thinking about him, and it’s becoming a problem. Especially when I don’t know if he’s asking me out as a friend or if he’s actually interested in dating me. I mean, the guy’s a flirt when he gets going. Is he like this with everyone? And considering how we ended our night compared to what he said before I fell asleep in his bed? I have no idea where we stand or what he wants. Especially after the not-so-well-timed reminder of my condition and how inconvenient it can be.
I shove my things into the gym locker and close the metal door. I probably should’ve stayed home and tried to sleep since last night was rocky. After Mack dropped me off, I spent the rest of the early morning hours tossing and turning in bed.
Once everyone has put their things in their lockers, Blake, Mia, and I walk toward the main area, weaving between all the macho men lifting weights. Blake was right. It’s getting easier to ignore their curious stares whenever we touch the weight machines or free weights.Usually.Unless Wes is here with Levi. He hasn’t bothered approaching me since our last encounter, so that’s something.
I scan the room for Mack, like every other time Blake’s twisted my arm into coming, but he isn’t here.
I shouldn’t be disappointed, but I am. I probably shouldn’t be relieved, either, yet the feeling floods my system nonetheless. I’m still not sure how I feel about drowning in such contradictory emotions. Still, Macklin seems to bring them out of me, leaving me almost dizzy with indecision.
Did last night scare him off? I wouldn’t blame him if it did. Driving a girl home in the middle of the night all because she forgot her medicine is quite the wake-up call. But he was so sweet on the car ride home, and his morning texts have been amusing, to say the least. Still, I don’t know what to think.
“Kate.” Blake snaps her fingers an inch from my nose. “Are you paying attention?”
I clear my throat and nod. “Yeah. Sure thing.” I pause, shaking my head. “Wait, what did you say?”
“I said, we’re going to focus on our upper bodies today. Let’s warm up.”
Following her lead, Mia and I go through the motions, swinging our arms and elevating our heart rates while jogging in place for a few minutes. When we’re properly warmed up, Blake hands each of us a set of weights and shows me how to perform a shoulder press. My shoulders scream at me within minutes. Blake continues guiding our workout when Mia’s attention catches on something behind me.
“Kate, you seriously need to tap that,” she tells me, her breathing staggered as she pushes the hand weights above her head one more time, finishing the set.
I glance over my shoulder and nearly swallow my tongue.
Macklin, in all his sweaty glory, is drinking from his water bottle next to the leg press. His gray T-shirt is stretched tight across his pecs, showcasing how ripped the bastard is. His bottoms hang low on his hips, leaving little to the imagination.
Wow.
Hello, manly muscles.
The guy wasn’t kidding.
And to think I was snuggled up against his chest last night when my phone had to go and ruin it.
Tearing my attention from the man behind me, I turn to Blake and Mia again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If you don’t tap that, someone else will,” Mia tells me. “The guy’s a catch, and we aren’t the only ones who’ve noticed.”
Ignoring the twinge of jealousy, I mutter, “You guys are forgetting something.”
“What are we forgetting?” Mia asks.
“We don’t know if he’s interested in me like that.”
Not after last night.
“Only one way to find out,” Blake returns. Before I can stop her, she waves her hand and calls, “Hey, Mack!”
He looks over at us and smiles at her. When his attention lands on me, his gaze drifts up and down my body for the barest of seconds.
