Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
"Wow, that was incredible."
I turn and see Bailey, her cheeks flushed and a bottle of water in her hand. She's looking at me with wide, impressed eyes, and the way her gaze runs over my chest makes my heart speed up.
"Thanks," I grunt.
Bailey tilts her head to look at Derrick, her blond ponytail bouncing. "Who is this? I don't think I met him yesterday."
"I'm Derrick," he replies, grinning. "Are you joining the gym?"
"I already have," she tells him, flashing me a glance.
"Well, welcome aboard," Derrick says.
He gives her a wink, and it's all I can do not to punch him in the face. The feeling comes out of nowhere—Derrick is married and my friend. But Bailey makes me feel possessive in an all-consuming way. Derrick doesn’t notice my switch in emotions and doesn't seem interested in Bailey either, nodding at me before leaving the ring.
"Hey," Bailey says, stepping forward.
I take the water from her, watching as she climbs up into the ring and starts her stretches. She looks sexy as fuck, and the workout clothes she has on are just enough to cover the bits that I want to see but don't hide the fact that she has a killer body. Tight, dusky pink shorts and matching sports bra. I feel another surge of anger that she was walking around outside with this getup on, other men looking her over, until I notice the hoodie she has knotted around her waist. So she covered up in public but took it off once she got inside my gym. Interesting…
"How's your morning been?" she asks.
"It's been alright," I say. "Did you sleep okay?"
Her cheeks flush and she nods, not meeting my eyes. "Yeah, I slept great. I'm feeling a lot better today. Not so sore."
I try not to think about how good her ass looks in her shorts as she stretches this morning and focus instead on the way her face is red. "That's good. You ready to work, then?"
Bailey smiles at me and my heart thumps. "Ready when you are."
We climb out of the ring and head to the bag, where I start her on some simple combos. Her technique is still bad, and it's obvious that she's not really comfortable with the moves, but she's a fast learner.
"Don't worry about hurting the bag," I tell her. "It doesn't have feelings, I promise. Just focus on technique. That's the most important thing. We can work on speed and power later."
She nods, and I stand behind her, correcting her form. This is torture. Pure torture. And I'm loving every second of it.
After an hour, we take a break. She's sweating and looks exhausted, and I get her some more water. We sit on the bench together, her legs tucked underneath her. There's a stiffness to her shoulders that has me worried, and then when someone drops a weight that clangs loudly against the ground, Bailey turns quickly and winces. Ah, she lied. She is sore.
"Bailey," I admonish, "if you're going to be my student, then you're going to have to be honest with me. If you're hurting from yesterday, don't lie to try and appear tough. Just tell me."
She bites her lip and then sighs, slumping her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I am a little sore, but it's nothing I can't handle. I'm not going to quit, Porter. I have to do this."
Her blue eyes meet mine, and I see a fire in them. She's glowing from the workout, breathing hard, and I fall even more for her. The determination in his girl is stronger than most of the grown men I teach.
"I know," I say, reaching out and putting my hand on her knee. She's so small. So delicate. I need to protect her, and I know she wants that, too. But I don't know if I'll be able to keep my hands off her. "Listen, I know I said we'll work some more today, but with you hurting, I think we should stop." Then, I say the thing that I know might damn me. "If you want to come by after closing today, I give one hell of a massage. I can work those sore muscles for you."
Bailey blushes bright red and looks away, but when her eyes meet mine, there's a glimmer of desire there. So she does want me. Fucking good.
She nibbles her lip, asking, "You think it will help?"
"Definitely," I tell her. "You won't believe how good it will feel. And it's part of the service."
Bailey smiles. "Well, in that case, count me in. My roommate always gets takeout for dinner and I can have her drop me off.”
"Alright. See you later, baby."
It just slips out. Fuck.
"What?" she asks, her innocent eyes wide.
"I'll see you tonight," I say, ignoring the nickname and heading back to the ring, desperate to shed some of this energy before I self-destruct. But as soon as Bailey is out the door, I notice something pink and rectangular sitting in the corner of the ring. Her cell phone.