BEING JAMIE BAKER

Chapter 14

Thanks to Mike and his itchy punching fist, I hadn't seen Ryan all week, and I was stuck with nothing but my thoughts to entertain me at school. Not good. All I could think about was his fight and how it was my fault.

And then, of course, there was Becky. She was still just as withdrawn as she'd been for weeks now, but she seemed more content to be that way. I knew the change could only be because of what happened with Ryan, and that got me thinking even more.

By the time Ryan showed up Sunday morning, just as he'd promised, I was completely out of it. Seeing him should have cheered me up, not depressed me even more, especially when he demanded we work out together. You see, there's Ryan Miller, and then there's Ryan Miller working out. Shirtless, sweat glistening on his hard skin, slow focused breathing forcing his chest to expand just as his abdomen tightens around each individual muscle in it... It should have been enough to scorch my eyes and render me useless, but I didn't even notice the perfection in front of me.

I didn't realize just how somber I was until Ryan pulled me from my thoughts with a chuckle. "You know," he said, now merely using his bench press as a front-row seat to witness my workout. "I think you were right. Making you work out was a really bad idea."

"Why?" I frowned at the truck I was bench-pressing. Ryan had spent the last three weeks trying to convince me that I needed to work on my super-strength. He said that for a superhero I was "superwimpy."

"Aside from the fact that the F-250 you're pumping is making me feel extremely inadequate," Ryan said, "I'm afraid that if you don't stop doing that, you're going to end up throwing it at me."

"Why would I throw a truck at you?"

"Because you usually get really cranky when I try to kiss you, and if you don't stop looking so downright sexy, I'm going to have to do just that."

I took a slow breath, lowered the truck, and pushed it high above me again. As I did, I could feel my ponytail sticking to the back of my neck. I was sure I looked anything but sexy, and Ryan seemed to be able to read my thoughts. "I've never seen you break a sweat before," he confessed. "It's got my mind in the gutter big-time."

The heat I felt in my neck now was from embarrassment instead of a raised heartbeat. I sneaked a quick glance at Ryan's face and suddenly felt like the sports bra and workout shorts I had on were not nearly enough clothes. On the bright side, I forgot about sulking. "Qu

it objectifying me right now, or I will throw this truck at you! Go take a cold shower or something while I finish."

"I've got a better idea. Why don't you call it quits and come in the hot tub with me."

"Oh yeah, that's a brilliant idea. Why don't you just take a soak with a blow dryer?"

Ryan gave me an annoyed glare, but dropped the subject and gulped down a bottle of water before throwing himself down on the patio swing and closing his eyes.

I continued my workout in silence for a few minutes. It was so peaceful at Ryan's cabin that I never minded when things got quiet between us, but as I listened to the nature around me I noticed a strange noise that didn't seem to fit in with the sounds of the woods. "Do you hear that?" I asked before realizing what a dumb question that was. Of course he couldn't hear it; I could barely hear it.

"Hear what?"

"A really quiet humming noise. I can't exactly place it, but I've never heard it out here before." I set the truck carefully back on the ground and listened again.

"It's probably just a boat down on the lake," Ryan offered.

It didn't sound like a motor to me. It almost sounded electronic. But as soon as I'd put the truck down it stopped. "The lake is behind the house—this noise was coming from out there."

I pointed to the forest in front of the house and scanned the trees again, but I didn't see anything. Whatever it was, it was gone now, so I joined Ryan on the front porch with a heavy sigh. "Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me. I tend to get a little paranoid when I'm doing things like lifting trucks out in the open."

Ryan sat up, making room for me next to him on the swing. When I sat down he put his arm around me, and I didn't fight him. We'd been practicing so much lately that I was less of a stickler about him touching me, and I knew I was okay at the moment.

"All right, then," he said, obviously happy that I hadn't shrugged him off, "why don't we work on something a little more subtle if you're worried? How about your hearing? I'll start singing, and you go for a jog. Call me when you can't hear me anymore. That's not so obvious as bench-pressing my truck."