AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pinched a crop top between two fingers and lifted it to get a better look.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
She continued digging but couldn’t do much better. The limited selection of gym attire offered nothing she would ever choose for herself. With time running out, she wrangled into a strappy sports bra and covered herself with a backless tank top before pulling on bike shorts, grateful she was in good enough shape to pull it off.
* * *
When she arrived at the gym, Will was lying on the bench-press lifting weights. She snuck around behind him, then leaned onto the bar, collapsing it to his chest.
“Hey,” he grunted.
“Does that hurt?”
“A little.”
“The price of beauty.”
He smirked, then thrust his arms up, lifting her and the weights off his chest. She stepped back as he replaced the bar. “You could hurt someone doing that,” he said as he sat up and wiped his hands on a towel.
“It’s not as dangerous as learning to walk in stilettos. Trust me.”
“I do.” He stood and waved her over to a line of treadmills. “First, I want you to run a few miles.”
She climbed up and turned on the machine, increasing her speed to a jog.
“What would you consider your fitness level to be?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Average, I guess.”
He pushed the speed up until she was running, then increased it further. “That should be about right.” After stepping back to get a better view, he crossed his arms.
“You just gonna stand there?” she asked, not wanting to speak any more as she ran. He’d set the speed close to a sprint. It was a pace she wouldn’t be able to keep up for miles. But he had said he wanted to see how far he could push her. She focused on the TV mounted on the wall in front of her, determined to impress him.
“That should keep you out of my hair while I finish my rounds.”
“Afraid I’m gonna…hurt you?” she said between breaths.
“More afraid you’re going to hurt yourself.” His saunter was taunting as he walked toward the rowing machines. Once his back was turned, she dropped the speed to a more manageable pace.
* * *
Will pulled hard on the handle of the rowing machine while he kept an eye on Charlotte’s run. He noticed she’d dropped her speed, but it didn’t matter. He knew he’d set the pace high enough that she wouldn’t be able to keep it up. She was doing what she had to in order to endure. He couldn’t fault her for that.
But it didn’t really matter what speed she went. He’d meant what he said about testing her limits, and before the end of the morning, he’d know them.
If she was anything like her sister in stubbornness—which he suspected she was—she’d push herself until she dropped. All he had to do now was see when that happened.
He continued rowing until he observed a change in her gait. Her face glowed red, and she decreased the speed again, looking at him after she did.
“All right,” he said, getting off his machine. “That’s enough of that. Let me see how far you got.” He checked the monitor. “Not bad.” He had already known by looking at her that she kept herself in shape, but that was a good run.
“Really?” She was bent over with her hands pressing on her knees. “I think that was the hardest run I’ve…ever done.”
“Good. And this is going to be the hardest leg press you’ve ever done.”
“My legs are like jelly.”
“Perfect.” He continued to smile at her while he set the weight level. He made it light but kept her going until her legs shook. Then he led her around to various machines, increasing her misery as they went.
