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“He won’t mind me using it?” Ariella was already sliding off the stool. Her muscles were too sore to really care, but she didn’t want to intrude into one of his private areas.
“No.” Mrs. Antoinette swished a hand through the air. “He’d be mad if you didn’t use it when needed. Now, go on. When you’re all done and ready for some coffee, just let me know, and I’ll get it going for you.” She smiled warmly and pushed a bottle of water across the island at Ariella.
“All right.” She snagged the water and went off to find the exercise room, already planning a routine. It had been over a week since she did any sort of exercise. Her muscles were going to love and hate her for what she had coming.
“Fuck.” Garrick’s grunt greeted her as she opened the door to the only room left in the hallway after his office. He lay back on a bench, the barbell secured over him where he had seemingly just replaced it. He dropped his hands from the bar and maneuvered to a sitting position. Just as the door shut behind her, his eyes met hers in the mirrored wall in front of him.
She swallowed and flicked her gaze away. Not before she took stock of every inch of his chiseled chest and shoulders. Fuck, the man was made of stone. Delicately decorated stone, as every inch of his torso, arms, and neck were covered in tattoos. His shoulder-length dirty blond hair was tied up high on his head into a sloppy bun. She’d thought men looked ridiculous with man-buns, but she’d never seen Garrick Titon sporting one before. She locked her knees to keep them from buckling.
“Hey.” He swung his leg around the bench and got to his feet. “Did you need something?”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” she said, giving a pointed look at the bench.
“You didn’t. That was my last set.” He wiped his hands off on the towel and dropped it back down. “Were you looking for me?”
“No. I was looking for…” She scanned the room and found a small stack of mats in the corner. “A mat.”
“A mat?”
“Yeah. I was going to do some yoga, but I didn’t realize you were in here. If it’s okay, I’ll just bring the mat upstairs.” She walked over to the pile and grabbed the top one.
“You don’t have to do that. These tiles are better than the floors upstairs, even with the mat. Do your yoga here.” He gestured to the room's open space away from the weight machines and workout benches. It was obviously meant for a floor workout.
She glanced at the free weights in line along the wall. “You’re done?”
“No, but you won’t bother me.” He grinned, the same smug grin he always had for her.
She considered just returning to the kitchen and having a cup of coffee. Afterward, she could use the room when Garrick was far away from it. Having his eyes on her while she contorted her body into tight angles might not give her the Zen she usually achieved when doing yoga at home. But her muscles were tight and sore, and the sooner she could get some stretching done, the sooner she could feel better. She’d worked out in a public gym, and having men’s eyes on her had never stopped her. She wouldn’t let his stop her now.
“All right.” She dragged the mat to the open spot and laid it out while he went back to his weights. After kicking off her shoes and prying off her socks, she stood bare feet at the end of the mat, pressing her palms together. Her eyes closed.
The clank of metal meeting metal suggested he’d gone back to his workout, and she could focus on getting her body warmed up. Bending at the waist, she started stretching, feeling the muscles in her back cry out at first but then sigh in relief.
She missed having her music. She had to focus harder on letting her mind go blank and become in tune with her body as she bent, twisted, and stretched.
Moving from a plank to a seal pose, she rolled her head back and inhaled deeply, wiggling her toes and letting her lungs fully expand. When she released the hold, she moved into child’s pose, her favorite position that she always saved for last. Letting her head drop between her elbows, she let her forehead drop to the mat and inhaled slowly. Exhaling and pushing herself up, she sat back on her heels and dropped her shoulders.
A weight dropped behind her.
Trying to be as casual as possible, Ariella twisted to the side to see what he was up to.
He was staring at her.
His towel was draped over his bare shoulder. His sweatpants hung low on his hips, showcasing his abdomen muscles and drawing her gaze lower to the long, thick line of his cock.
“You done over there?” He asked, his voice low and rumbly. Like he’d been holding onto his patience but wouldn’t any longer.
“Yeah.” She turned around, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear and getting to her feet. When she bent over to pick up the mat, his tree trunk of an arm wrapped around her middle and lifted her off the ground.
“Garrick!” She yelped.
He carried her the short distance to the workbench and sat her on it. Leaving her face to cock with his groin.
“You could have just asked me to come over here.” She again pushed her hair from her face. “You can’t keep carrying me everywhere like some Neanderthal monster.”
He moved down to a squat, resting his hands on her knees and bringing his molten gaze to hers.
“Is your neck better now?” He asked.
