“You can go faster than this,” he said.
She jumped at his voice, and he quietly chuckled.
When had he gotten so close? His breath brushed past her ear and she shivered.
“Pick up the pace, Arwen.” His voice was low and deep, but it was also commanding. “Come on. Let’s go. We’re here to work out.”
Each sentence became more demanding, which annoyed her. Yes, he was there to encourage her, but she really hated being told what to do. “I don’t like when you boss me around,” she said as she continued at the same pace.
“Oh you don’t, huh?”
Her back was to him, but she was hyper-aware of his every breath. “No, I don’t.”
“Stop, Arwen.”
Huffing out a breath, she stopped and turned around. “There you go again, bossing me around.”
Standing about four feet away, he smiled his gorgeous smile. “Okay. If you were the trainer and I was the trainee, what would you tell me to do?”
Boldness ignited within her. She walked up to him and stopped ten inches away. “If I were in charge,” she said softly as her heart pounded furiously, “I would tell you to kiss me.”
Tyler’s eyes widened as his mouth fell open, and Arwen wanted to die.
She’d miscalculated. She shouldn’t have said that. He wasn’t interested in her that way. What had she been thinking?
Mortified, her face blazing, she took a step back. “But I…I wouldn’t actually say that because that would be all kinds of wrong.” Her words spilled out like water from a broken bottle. “I mean, you…you would be my client. So that, that would be wrong.”
Tyler’s eyes were locked on hers and the shocked expression on his face vanished. Now he just stared at her like he was trying to figure her out.
Wanting to run and hide behind a tree, Arwen was immobilized by his gaze. Without warning, he closed the distance between them, then after locking eyes with her, he placed his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips against hers. His eyes drifted closed, and too surprised to react, Arwen couldn’t move. Her eyes remained open, riveted to his face.
Oh my goodness. He’s kissing me. I did not expect that.
As fast as he’d kissed her, he released her and took a step back.
Breathing fast, Arwen was too stunned to move.
Chapter Eight
Tyler couldn’t believe what he’d just done. Why had he kissed her?
But he knew why. The moment she’d told him to kiss her, he’d wanted it. And he knew he’d wanted it since the moment he’d met her.
His eyes drifted to her lips and he wanted to kiss her again. Slowly. Then he met her wide-eyed gaze and the last words she’d spoken penetrated his consciousness.
She was right. It was all kinds of wrong for him to kiss her. He was her trainer and she was his client. What had he been thinking? He’d brought her out there to the wilderness, just the two of them. Did she think he did it to take advantage of her? Of being alone with her? He hadn’t even tried to find anyone to go with them. What was he thinking? He was a complete idiot. He would be lucky if she didn’t sue the health club. At a minimum, he would be fired.
“I’m so sorry, Arwen,” he said, his gaze steady on hers. “I shouldn’t have done that.” But he did like it. It was too bad he had zero interest in getting into a relationship. He had to guard his heart at all costs. Right? Besides, this was not the time or the place. Not when she was a client. Maybe he was crazy, but he wasn’t stupid. “It won’t happen again.”
Arwen had managed to catch her breath, but inside she was in turmoil. What if she wanted it to happen again? But that would be stupid. She wasn’t looking for love. She needed to let this go. He obviously thought it was a mistake. She thought so too. Yes, of course it was. She liked him kissing her. She admitted that. But yes, it was a mistake.
“I…” she began, not sure what she was supposed to say.
How about, Your kiss left me breathless and I want you to do it again. But really I don’t because then I might fall for you. Yeah, that would be clear as mud.
“We can…” Tyler said, then he looked back the way they’d come. “We can go back…” He turned to face her. “If you want.”
“No. I…we should continue.” She might be resistant to falling for him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to throw away this chance to be with him one on one. Yeah, she knew that made no sense. Arwen smiled. “I need this workout.”
He looked uncertain. “All right.” His gaze went up the trail. “I’ll set the pace.”
Arwen nodded, and after he began walking, she followed.
Neither of them spoke for a good fifteen minutes, which was fine with Arwen. Birds trilled, the gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and the sun warmed her skin, but all she could think about was that kiss. That wonderful, amazing, hot, unexpected kiss.
She was glad she’d told him to kiss her. But he obviously regretted it. Then again, he was the one who had done it. Why did he regret it? She didn’t regret it. Wait, maybe she did. Did she? She didn’t know. She knew she didn’t want to clutter her life with dating and relationships, but wow. Just wow.
Determined to keep up with him, as they began going uphill it took all of her energy just to keep breathing.
She didn’t know if this was better or worse than the uphill program on the treadmill.
“How are you doing?” Tyler asked as he turned around and walked up the hill backwards.
“Show off,” she said, but her spirits were good. Getting kissed by such an incredibly hot man would do that to a girl. Even when he says it was a mistake that he’ll never repeat.
Tyler laughed and turned back around.
She hadn’t seemed upset about him kissing her. That was a good sign. Unless she was hiding how she really felt. Tyler’s forehead furrowed. How did she really feel?
“I wouldn’t object if you slowed down on the hills,” she called to him.
Grinning, he turned around. Her face glowed. Maybe it was from exertion, but whatever the cause, she looked more beautiful than ever.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “You’re doing great, by the way. Make sure you’re breathing, Arwen. Nice deep breaths.”
“I’m trying to,” she panted as she placed her hands on her hips.
“We’re almost to the summit. Then we can rest.”
Nodding, she kept going.
Proud of her for her persistence when this was obviously a strenuous hike for her, Tyler turned around and continued walking. Five minutes later they reached the summit.
“We’re here,” he said as she came up beside him.
Beyond relieved that they were at the top, Arwen took in the spectacular view. Park City spread out below them, and as she worked to catch her breath, she surveyed their surroundings. “It’s gorgeous up here.”
Tyler stood just a few feet away, and when she turned to face him, his gaze was heavy on her, like he’d been studying her the entire time.
A shiver of desire swept through her, and when she remembered the sensation of his lips on hers, her desire climbed. Tearing her gaze from his, she walked to a large rock, and after taking her backpack off, she sat down. She took out a water bottle and guzzled the cool liquid, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back to soak up the sun.
“Maybe you should put on more sunscreen,” Tyler said as he settled on a rock near hers.
Arwen opened her eyes and turned to face him. She studied him for a moment and thought about their kiss. She had to find out. She had to ask. “Do you regret that kiss?”
His eyes widened, then he dug into his backpack. “I…uh.” He looked up and met her gaze. “Do you?”
Smiling like an idiot, Arwen said, “I asked you first.”
Tyler laughed. “That’s true. It’s also true that you told me to kiss you.” He downed some water. “I was just following orders, boss.”
He didn’t regret it. She was sure of it. “I don’t regret it.”
He ga
zed at her a moment, then he pulled a piece of grass out of the ground and clamped it between his teeth. “What you said was right though. I’m your trainer. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Ah. So that was where the regret was. “I can always fire you.”
Wow. Confident, much? Just because he kissed you doesn’t mean he wants to go out with you. Get over yourself.
Embarrassed by her boldness, Arwen looked away to give the heat that had blasted up her face time to cool.
Tyler chuckled.
See? He wasn’t even answering. He probably thought she was an idiot. In fact, had she ever considered that this happened to him from time to time? Kind of like Ben asking her out.
Dumb, Arwen. Just dumb.
The heat on her face intensified.
“I think I need more sunscreen,” she muttered as she dug around in her daypack. Watching Tyler out of the corner of her eye, she applied a fresh layer of sunscreen on her face, arms, the back of her neck, and then her throat.
Tyler tried not to stare as Arwen rubbed sunscreen onto her throat. On the verge of offering to do it for her, he coughed instead.
If he got that close he knew he was going to kiss her again. But she would be okay with that, so why not?
His gaze went to the view of Park City below.
He knew why not. Because the moment he opened his heart to love he also opened it up to pain. Losing Madison had been the worst thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn’t risk his heart like that again. He had to keep himself under control. As much as he was attracted to her, he needed to be the one to cool things off.
Tyler took two PowerBars out of his pack and held one out to her. “Hungry?”
She put her sunscreen back in her pack and smiled at him before taking the PowerBar. “Thanks.”
He tore his gaze away from her and tried not to notice everything about her.
Focus on the job. That’s why we’re here. That’s the only reason I’m here with her. She hired me to help her get into shape.
He swallowed the bite he’d been chewing. “Are you getting the workout you thought you would?”
See? He was focused on the job. At least he was kind enough to not embarrass her by pointing out that firing him wouldn’t change anything between them. Except that she wouldn’t get to be around him anymore.
Knowing she needed to get on the same page as him, she said, “The uphill parts were a bit rough. But yeah, it’s a good workout.”
“Do you like it better than working out at the gym?”
If he kissed her at the gym, she would like it better there. “Yeah. It doesn’t feel like work so much out here.”
“Good. If it doesn’t feel like work even though you’ve gotten a workout, then that’s perfect.”
She was glad at least one of them was happy with the way things had turned out. Well, she couldn’t say she was totally unhappy. Except with the fact that Tyler clearly wasn’t interested in her like that.
She took out her camera and snapped a few pictures of the view, and after she put her camera away, Tyler asked if she was ready to head back.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
The hike back was uneventful, but they chatted comfortably as they walked. When they reached Tyler’s Jeep, Tyler helped her into the passenger seat.
“Maybe we can do this again,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot. With a sidelong glance, he added, “Especially if you don’t want to use the weight machine.”
On the hour-long hike back, Arwen had resigned herself to the fact that Tyler would never be more than her personal trainer, and she should take what she could get. “Yeah. I would enjoy that.”
“Perfect.”
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the gym and Tyler parked near Arwen’s car.
“I’ll be available to work with you on Tuesday,” he said.
“Okay. See you then.” She opened the door to get out. “Thanks for the hike.” And the kiss. A touch of heat climbed her face at the unspoken words. She grabbed her pack from the floor and hopped out, then without a backwards glance, she got into her car and drove home.
Paisley called her that afternoon. “We’re going to Pineapple’s tonight and we want you to come with us.”
It would do her good to get out with her friends for the evening. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll go.”
“Good.” Paisley paused a moment. “And, Arwen? No leaving early this time.”
Arwen laughed. “Okay. I promise.”
“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Chapter Nine
Arwen saw Tyler sitting with a group of other men the moment she walked into Pineapple’s with Paisley, Lauren, and Sarah.
What was he doing there? She’d thought she could do something to get him off of her mind, and there he was. Perfect.
Holding back a frown, Arwen sat with her friends at a high table, choosing the seat that would let her see Tyler if she turned her head to the right.
A waitress approached their table and they ordered their drinks.
“Hey,” Lauren said to the waitress in a low voice. “Can you tell me which of these guys are firefighters?”
The waitress smiled knowingly. “Sure. The guys playing pool, and the guys at the table over there.” She gestured with her chin toward Tyler’s table.
“Wait,” Arwen said. “The table with the man in the red shirt?”
She smiled at Arwen. “Yeah. That’s Tyler. And Jake and Tommy.”
“Thanks,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. He was a firefighter? Why didn’t she know that? Wait. But he was also a personal trainer? She was so confused. It made sense though. How he knew what to do when that man had a heart attack.
The waitress left to fill their order.
“Those guys are hot,” Sarah said. “I might just have to go talk to them.”
“Which ones?” Arwen asked.
“Oh, I don’t know.” She laughed. “Any of them.”
Stay away from Tyler. The thought jumped into her mind unbidden. The idea of her friends—or any woman—flirting with Tyler brought out her green-eyed monster.
She had no claim on him. Sure, he’d kissed her today—the memory sent a zing of energy pulsing through her. But he’d made it clear it was a mistake. And when she’d offered to fire him from being her personal trainer, he’d just laughed like that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. She had to let that fantasy go.
She looked his way, and to her shock, he was staring right at her.
A swarm of butterflies took wing in her belly, and she tore her gaze from his.
She didn’t know if she could let it go. And knowing he was a firefighter just made him that much more attractive.
Arwen was the last person Tyler had expected to see that night. After he’d dropped her off earlier that day, he’d gone about his business, but he hadn’t been able to get her off of his mind. Coming to Pineapple’s had been a way to escape his own head, and he’d been doing just fine until she’d walked in.
And she did look amazing fixed up—her blue eyes seemed bluer than he remembered them and her lips looked more kissable than ever. Thinking of those lips, when he remembered their kiss on the hike hours before, he had the impulse to go to her and kiss her again.
“Who’s up for a game of pool?” Tommy asked.
“I am,” Tyler said without hesitation. Especially if it would put some distance between him and Arwen.
“Great,” Tommy said. “Looks like a table just opened up.”
The three of them walked to the area where two pool tables were set up. Some of the guys from another fire station were using the other table. They greeted them, then Tommy set up and broke. Tyler chalked his pool cue, lined up his shot, and missed.
“Maybe we should put some money on this,” Tommy said with a laugh. “You’re off your game tonight, Reed.”
He knew he might be a little distracted, not that he would admit it to anyone. “You’re on. Fifty bucks?”
“Fine.”
Jake laughed. “Better you than me. A hundred bucks could buy me a lot of tile for my master shower.”
“You and your renovations,” Tommy said as he took his shot and sank the ball into the pocket he’d called.
“Let’s play some pool, girls,” Sarah said, one eyebrow arched.
Alarm shot through Arwen. “What?”
“Sounds good to me,” Paisley said as she slid off of her chair.
Not moving a muscle, Arwen said, “Hang on.”
All three of her friends were standing next to their table by then, but they all stopped and looked at her.
“You promised,” Paisley said with her eyebrows lifted. “No leaving early.”
She hadn’t known Tyler would be there. “I know.”
Paisley wagged her finger. “Don’t you dare go back on your word.”
“I thought we were going to hang out together.” Lame excuse.
“We are going to hang out together,” Lauren said, then she laughed. “With some hot firefighters.”
Should she tell them? But tell them what exactly? “I just…” she began, then she glanced in Tyler’s direction before looking back at her friends. “You know how I’ve started working out?”
Paisley looked confused. “Yeah, but what does that have to do with it?”
“The one in the red shirt? Tyler? He’s my personal trainer.”
As one, their eyes widened.
“What?” Paisley said.
“Nuh-uh,” Lauren said at the same time.
“Why didn’t you tell us about him before?”
Arwen looked at the expectation on their faces. “I…uh, I’ve only been working with him for a week and a half.”
Paisley grabbed Arwen’s arm and gently tugged. “We’re definitely going over there now. You can introduce us.”
Introduce them to who? Tyler? She preferred not to. But Arwen could see there wasn’t a way to gracefully get out of this. Besides spilling everything, which she wasn’t about to do. “Okay. Fine.”
Hearts On Fire: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 6