His lips trail down my neck, sending shivers all over.
"I love looking at you," he breathes, brushing the hair off my shoulders. "Will you let me look at you?"
My heart hammers, a wild thing seeking his. "Yes."
So he does. And I feel it. For a long...
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........................................
NOAH
I'm wearing the shorts. They're a little small, but fine, I guess. I'm also in a black tee shirt, nothing like Cam's bright-blooded sweater. We're in a corner of the gym as she goes over what a split squat is.
Oh, fuck these things.
Standing here, trying to mirror Cam's stance, I feel stupid. She's explaining the mechanics, but my body won't cooperate. Every attempt to lower myself with one foot kicked back up on a bench behind me, ends in a wobble that threatens to topple me over.
I'm strong. We both know that. And I'm pretty fit. But what the fuck are these things?
"Tighten your core," Cam says, holding two 50lbs dumbbells as she lowers up and down on one leg like it's nothing.
"Break," I say, falling to my ass on the ground.
She drops the weights and straightens, brushing off her hands. White clouds puff up. I worry she's breathing it in too much. Is that stuff cancerous? Is there an alternative?
She points to the bench. "Enough breaks. Let's go."
"Worst date ever," I mumble, hoping she'll affirm me—that this is a date. But she doesn't.
"Get your ass off the ground, Bello. Impress me."
Fuck. For her, I'll try again.
The workout continues, shifting from one exercise to another, somehow all lower body, all muscle-shredding, all heinous. She won't let me bench press or bar squat. I could impress her with all those. I think she knows that.
With each transition, Cam seamlessly interacts with the gymgoers. Each "Hey, Delgado!" and "Great to see you!" thrown her way is met with genuine warmth.
Between sets, as we hydrate on a bench and catch our breath, Cam says, "Do you see it?" She points her water bottle to the place, to the people packing up to head out as night falls in the windows. "It's a haven. Everyone belongs here, no matter what. They want to be stronger. I get to help them."
Do I see it? Mostly, I just see her—her humility, her fear, her fire.
That's when the lights flicker twice.
Cam sighs. "I have to clean and lock up tonight. I'm trying to impress the owner, snag a management position. I have to convince him I can handle the place."
I blink, drawing back. She'll get the job. I don't even know the details, but after watching her around here tonight, I just have that feeling. The idea of leaving now, though, of ending this...
"I'll help."
She eyes me for a moment, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "That's not allowed. Let's do it."
