So I Married A Rockstar - Season 2

Ch. 14: The Mandela Effect

"I'm not sure about this," I said, trying not to lick my lips as a tiny bead of sweat rolled down Finn's sculpted chest.

"Why not?" he asked, prowling a little closer.

"What if I'm not any good at it?"

Finn smiled. "It's just you and me here. No one else ever has to know."

I swallowed, because fuck, that bare chest was distracting. "You won't laugh at me if I do it wrong?"

"I'll teach you how to do it right," Finn said, and his voice seemed to have got deeper, a masculine rasp that I felt right in my core.

He moved closer still, and the air seemed to evaporate from the room. Was I the only one having trouble breathing?

"Where do you want to start?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," I whispered.

There was almost no space left between our bodies, and I had no idea where the fuck to look. Ogling his deliciously ridged stomach was too obvious, but looking up into his eyes felt too intimate.

Finn abruptly stepped away, and the air seemed to whoosh back into the room, making me wobble. "It depends what you're interested in," he said. "Cardio? Weights?"

I blinked, Finn's home gym taking shape around me. "Uh, whatever's easiest, I guess?"

"No pain, no gain," Finn said, picking up a dumbbell from a rack. He flexed his arm, making his bicep bulge, and my mouth went even drier.

"I've never worked out before. Be gentle with me," I said, pouting.

I still wasn't entirely sure how I'd got myself into this. When Finn had told me he was going for a workout, I'd asked if I could come and explore the gym properly, half-expecting him to refuse since the gym was in the part of the house he hadn't shown me before. But he'd agreed, and at some point while I was watching him lift his own bodyweight on a bar suspended from the wall, I'd found myself blurting out that I wanted to try something too.

Why I'd said that, I didn't quite know. I'd never been a gym bunny – hell, I'd never even set foot in a gym before coming here – and I couldn't decide if I just wanted a new way to pass the time, or if I wanted an excuse to stay close to Finn.

Finn turned in a half-circle, scanning his equipment. I didn't even know what most of it was.

"How do you feel about suspension bands?" he asked.

"Um . . ." I eyed them – a pair of black straps with what looked like stirrups at the bottom, attached to a ring in the wall.

"Come on." Finn tugged my hand.

Cautiously, I followed him.

"I love these because they're great for more experienced gymgoers, but they can be adjusted for beginners," Finn explained.

"You sound like a salesman."

He grinned. "Stand here."

I did.

Finn lifted the straps. "Hold here," he said, gesturing to the stirrups.

I gripped them with both hands.

"Now lean back."

I tried, but he immediately put a hand on my back.

"No, not like that. Keep your spine straight," he said.

I tried to focus on his instructions rather than the warmth of his large palm against my back.

"Lean back," Finn repeated.