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“Fuck no,” I told her. “I’d love to.”
That blush got deeper, and she quickly walked away. Chuckling, I followed after her, grinning like an idiot the entire time.
* * *
I finished my set and began wiping down the equipment I’d just finished using before heading to Mikayla’s office to see if she might want to grab dinner. It was late and not much would be open, but even if we had to grab fast food, I wanted to spend time with her.
I couldn’t get enough of being in her presence. And Irefusedto even ponder on what that meant for me.
Her office door was open when I walked up, and right as I was getting ready to knock on the open door, I heard her sniffle. My heart stopped in my chest, and I quickly stepped inside. My soul cried at the tears in her eyes. She was holding a picture frame in her hands, and they were trembling.
“Goldie?” I asked softly. What the fuck had upset her?
She snapped her head up to look at me and then quickly set the picture frame down, roughly clearing her throat. “Sorry,” she croaked. She forced a smile to her lips, and Ihatedit. I detested the sight of her fake smile. “Everything okay?”
I nodded, though I was sorely regretting not finishing my workout session when she did. Because maybe I could’ve kept her from being sad if I had.
“You okay?” I quietly asked.
“Yeah. Fine.” Her forced smile got a little wider. I wanted to wipe it away. “Do you, um, want to grab dinner or something? I know I’m a bit of a mess, but—”
“You look great. Perfect,” I assured her. I held my hand out to her. “Come on. We can take my truck, and I’ll bring you back to get your car after. Sound good?” I was worried if she got alone again, she would end up bursting into tears. And the thought of her turning into a mess when I wasn’t around to hold her through it bothered the hell out of me.
I waited for her to grab her wallet and lock up her office before we headed out to my truck, her hand wrapped around mine. She was silent as I opened the passenger door so she could hop in. Once I was in the truck, I quickly turned the engine over and shifted the truck into reverse. “What’s open right now?” she asked, angling her body so she faced me a little as I backed out of the parking spot.
“Mexican,” I told her honestly. “There’s a restaurant off of Highway 15 that’s pretty good. And they have quick service.”
She nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
The few minutes’ drive over to the Mexican restaurant was quiet, but Mikayla seemed to have calmed down and was just resting with her eyes shut. I had the radio playing soft rock music from my phone, hoping it would soothe whatever had her upset earlier.
“I love Bad Omens,” Mikayla quietly spoke up suddenly. I glanced over at her. Her eyes were still shut, but a small smile was tilting her lips. “The lyrics from their songs just hit differently.”
Major points in my book that she actually enjoyed rock music and didn’t just play it because it was an expected thing at a gym. “What’s your favorite by them?” I asked her as I pulled into the parking lot for the restaurant.
“Just Pretend,” she told me, opening her eyes.
I grinned at her. “Really? That’s one of my all-time favorite songs.”
She nodded, a real smile tilting her lips this time. Something tight in my chest loosened. “I love rock music. Something about it soothes the soul.”
I shut the truck off. “Agreed.” After pushing open my door, I pointed a finger at her. “Sit still. I’ll come around and open your door.”
She laughed, her beautiful smile getting wider. My soul finally settled. “Yes, sir.”
This was bad. So bad. And if I had any sense about me, I’d part ways with her after this date and cut my losses. But I could barely even entertain the thought.
I was so fucked.
four
Mikayla
The datewith Beau the night before was incredible, to say the least. Conversation with him was easy, and he was so sweet and attentive. Then other times, he looked at me with thislook…like he was thinking about eating me. And fuck, every time, it got me all hot and bothered. I lost count of the number of times I thought about dragging him out of that booth and to the bathroom to let him do the nastiest things to me imaginable.
And I had a feeling that man would do them without question or shame.
Groaning, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone off the charger, squinting at the bright screen. It was still dark outside, but I needed to get up and shower so I could head to the gym, take over for the night shift, and get things ready for the classes today.
