I quickly slipped out of my skirt and blouse and into my cropped workout pants, sports bra, and hot pink tank top, while reassuring myself that I could do this. I was simply reacting to a good-looking man. Once I got used to his hotness, these feelings would pass. I grabbed my water bottle, shoved my bag into an empty locker, steeled myself to face Hottie McHotterson again, and pushed open the door.
Austin leaned against the wall opposite the locker room, looking like a Men’s Health cover model, and I stifled a sigh. This was going to be a long adjustment period. Looking up, I caught Austin’s scan of my body and fought a pleasant shudder. “You ready?”
“Yup.” I did not sound convincing.
Austin led me down the hall to what looked like a private workout room. “This room is usually used for classes, but it’s free Thursday evenings, so we can have some privacy while you’re starting out.” He walked over to a cabinet in the corner and grabbed a couple of towels, tossing me one.
“Thanks. I’m not the most athletic person, so I’d rather a whole gym of finely tuned machines not see me falling on my butt repeatedly.”
Austin grinned. “Why don’t we start with you telling me what experience you do have.”
“Like sports experience?”
“Sure. Sports, working out, yoga, whatever.”
I looked down, twisting the ring on my water bottle. “Well, no real sports experience. I mean other than when my parents forced me to play soccer in the fourth grade. Three trips to the ER later—two for me, one for a teammate I took out—and they really regretted that decision. Like I said, I’m not the most coordinated. I belong to a gym, and I make myself go at least twice a week. But mostly for beginner Pilates and the elliptical.” I sucked in a breath.
Austin looked as if he were trying really hard not to laugh, he coughed instead. “We’ll take it slow, then. Start with light stretching, work into some conditioning, and then maybe work on a few basic drills.”
I was unsure about this plan, really freaking unsure. With my luck, I’d end up giving him a concussion or permanently damaging his little swimmers. Shoot, don’t think about his swimmers. I could feel my cheeks getting hot. “Sure, sure, that sounds great.”
Austin walked me through a couple of easy stretches, and I tried to take some deep breaths to calm my rapidly beating heart. Then he grabbed a mat from the pile in the corner and brought it over. “Lay down.”
“What?” I choked.
He smirked. “Lay down on the mat. I have to stretch out your hamstrings, and then we can get started.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I feel super limber,” I said, backing away from the mat. I did not need this gorgeous man fondling any part of my body.
Austin’s smirk turned into a grin. “Carter. I don’t want you pulling a muscle or injuring yourself in some other way.” He pointed at the mat.
I felt hot, and sweat pooled between my breasts. I hadn’t even done anything strenuous yet, this was just embarrassing. “Okay, sure.” I laid back on the mat.
Austin knelt by my feet, and I swallowed hard. He gently grabbed my left ankle and slowly lifted it as he worked his way forward until his knees were almost touching my butt. I gulped. “You need to breathe, Firecracker. Just breathe.”
I let out a whoosh of air. It was so much easier to ignore these threads of chemistry when Austin was being a big, fat jerk. I needed to get over it and quick. Austin was not for me, he wasn’t the boyfriend type, and even if he were, it was too complicated. He was best friends with one of my only friends in LA, that could only end messily.
Austin leaned over me as he pushed me deeper into the stretch. All I could think about was dry humping with my high school boyfriend. This was basically the same thing, except totally different. Different because Austin was all broad shoulders and raw masculinity, and my high school boyfriend was all lanky limbs and nerdiness. Think about something else, Carter, literally anything else.
“Are you okay?”
My eyes flew open to find Austin staring down at me. “I’m fine,” I squeaked.
“You’re doing great, just let me get the other leg.”
I sang the alphabet backwards in my head until he was done.
“Okay.” Austin jumped up and then reached down to offer me a hand. I winced as I put my surely sweaty palm in his and got up. “Let’s start with some jumping rope to get your heart rate up.” He handed me a super thin jump rope that looked nothing like the plastic-beaded ones I remembered from elementary school.
I gingerly took the rope from him, like it was a snake that might bite me. “I’ll give it my best try, but if I break my neck, just promise me you’ll make up a cooler story to tell our friends than…she died tripping over her own feet.”
“I promise. Now, stop stalling and start jumping.”
After a few false starts and one almost collision with the mirrored wall, I started to get the hang of it. I also realized I was ridiculously out of shape. I knew I wasn’t sporty, but I went to the gym, I thought I was in average shape. Not so much. “Holy shitake mushrooms, are you trying to kill me?” I wheezed. “I thought you said you wanted to get along. You could have just poisoned the cupcakes, it would have been quicker. And far less painful.”
Austin’s muscular chest shook with laughter. “Holy shitake mushrooms?”
Thankfully, my face was so red I was sure the blush that came to my cheeks couldn’t be seen. “I, um, make up my own versions of cuss words so I won’t accidentally drop an F-bomb in front of my students.”
“Your word choice is making a lot more sense now. Come on, you’ve got one more minute to go. We really need to work on your cardio, maybe get you on a jogging regimen.”
I shot him a dirty look and then stuttered and wheezed my way through the rest of jumping rope, a ridiculous amount of ab exercises, and my pathetic attempt at push-ups. I now lay on the floor while Austin again stretched my hamstrings, too tired to be embarrassed by the sexual-like positions. “But when do I learn how to take down a grown man with my pinky?” I asked.
“Patience, young grasshopper. One thing at a time. We have to build up your muscles, but I’ll start showing you some things next time.”
That brought a big dumb grin to my face. I think I was high from all the activity; my brain wasn’t used to this.
“The biggest thing to remember is to trust your instincts. They don’t call it women’s intuition for nothing. Women have this sixth sense that, if they listen to it, will almost always steer them right. If something is niggling in the back of your brain or a situation doesn’t feel right, always listen to that.” Austin had the most serious look I had ever seen on his face, so I nodded. “Also, scream, act crazy, and no matter what, never let them get you into a car or to a second location. Even if they have a gun or knife.”
I bit my lip and nodded again. “I’m not sure I like kick-butt lessons anymore.”
Austin pulled me up to standing and tugged on my long ponytail. “Sorry, but the world isn’t all sunshine and roses.”
I scowled, “I know that. I just don’t like being reminded of it.”
“I just want you to be prepared and remind you to always listen to your gut.”
I pushed at his shoulder. “Okay, okay.”
“Come on, let’s grab your bag and I’ll walk you to your car.”
I popped into the locker room and pulled my bag from my locker. I paused at the mirror long enough to be briefly horrified at the face looking back at me, I was as red as a tomato. Oh well, there was nothing I could do about it now, and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t looked like this for the past hour. Groan.
I pushed open the door and found Austin talking to a graying grizzly of a man. “Ready to go?” Austin asked.
The older man turned to me, and his face gentled. “Now, who is this pretty lady, and what is she doing with your ugly mug?”
“Mel, this is my friend, Carter. Carter, this grumpy bastard is my trainer, Mel.”
I beamed u
p at Mel and offered him my hand. “Nice to meet you, Mel. Anyone who puts up with training Austin must have the patience of a saint.”
A rumbling laugh erupted from Mel. “Knows you well, huh, Bulldog?”
I looked at Austin. “Bulldog?”
“My fighting name.”
“He’s like a dog with a bone, and bullheaded…Bulldog,” Mel said with a fond smile.
I smiled back. “Makes total sense.”
“Well, since you two have now bonded over my stubborn ass, I need to get Carter to her car so she can get home. She’ll be back next week.”
“I will be?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes, you will be. Every week until I’m convinced you can defend yourself.”
“Until I can take down a grown man with my pinky?” I asked with a hopeful smile.
“I’ll settle for not tripping over the jump rope.”
I threw up my hands. “That was only one time!”
“Uh-huh, sure.” He smirked.
I hit him in the stomach with the back of my hand. “Ow! Why do your muscles have to be so hard?”
Austin just shook his head and grinned.
“Well, little lady, it was great to meet you, and I’ll be happy to see you around here more often. It’s nice to see this fella smiling again.” Mel patted my shoulder in a grandfatherly gesture as he walked away.
“I like him.”
“You would like anyone who gave me shit.”
“This is true,” I said, smiling to myself as we headed towards the front doors.
Austin opened my car door when we reached it. “Drive safe, and text me when you get home so I know you made it okay.”
“All right, Mom.” Austin grimaced, and I smiled. “Thanks again for doing this, it’s really nice of you.”
“No thanks needed.”
I tossed my gym bag onto the passenger seat as I climbed behind the wheel. “I’ll thank you anyway.”
“Whatever you say, Firecracker,” he said and gently shut my door.
I was going to murder Austin. Everything hurt. Muscles I didn’t even know I had were aching, and I could barely walk. It was more of a waddle. Mentally cursing Austin with all the non-swear curse words I could think of, I shuffled around my desk to face my class.
Michael, the world’s most adorable fourth-grader, raised his hand with the kind of enthusiasm I wished I could muster this morning. I know I wasn’t supposed to have favorites, but Michael was totally my favorite. He had cemented that status day one of class when he stayed behind at lunch to tell me all of his classmates’ life stories, even the new girl’s. “Yes, Michael?”
“Why are you walking funny, Miss McCarthy? You fall down or something?” His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were filled with concern. So totally my favorite. The rest of the class giggled.
“Well, can I let you guys in on a secret?”
There were titters and a few “yeahs.”
I smiled at all the precious faces. “I’m training to be a superhero.”
Michael and the rest of the class laughed at my dorkiness, just what I was going for.
“Okay, maybe not a superhero, but my friend is teaching me self-defense. Kind of like martial arts. Do any of you take karate or anything like that?” Only two kids raised their hands. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Families in this area didn’t typically have money for extracurriculars, and funding for such programs was seriously lacking. It broke my heart. “Well, I’m learning some martial arts moves so that I can defend myself in case any bad guys come my way, but I have to get my muscles stronger first.”
Michael’s hand shot up again, and I nodded at him. “Maybe after you learn, you can teach all of us!” He looked so freaking excited that my heart just about burst.
“Maybe, if I get good enough. But that might take a while,” I said with a little smile. He looked so dejected. Perhaps I could get Austin to come in and do a demonstration or something. “Okay, away from superheroes and onto something even more exciting…book reports!” The entire class groaned.
The rest of the morning crawled by with my muscles protesting every little move. I eventually had to just stay seated in my chair and point when necessary. Michael stopped by my desk on the way to lunch and said, “Miss McCarthy? I think it’s real great that you’re learning how to defend yourself.”
My heart warmed. This was one of the best parts of being a teacher, getting to know awesome little humans like Michael. “Thanks, Michael, I think so, too.”
He hustled out of the classroom, seemingly embarrassed by his comment. I reached for my cell phone and typed out a message to Austin.
Me: I think you broke me. All of my muscles hurt, and one of my students called me out for walking funny. I kind of hate you.
I grimaced as I reached under my desk to pull out my lunch and heard my phone buzz.
Austin: Not the first time I’ve been accused of making a pretty girl walk funny…
My jaw dropped.
Me: Not even sure how to respond to that.
Austin: Sorry, you made it too easy. What’d you tell your class?
Me: That I was training to be a superhero.
Austin: You didn’t.
Me: I did. And they want me to teach them after I learn. I told them maybe.
I unwrapped my turkey sandwich, opened my chips, and slugged down some water.
Austin: You kill me, you are too cute.
I wasn’t sure if any girl wanted to be thought of as cute past the fifth grade, but we were friends—forever to be just friends, so it didn’t matter. My phone buzzed again.
Austin: Don’t murder me, but we need to get you moving again tonight.
My sandwich fell from my hand.
Me: You said next week.
Austin: If you don’t loosen those muscles up today, you’ll feel even worse tomorrow. I’ll meet you at your apartment at 6 tonight. We can go for a short run and then I’ll stretch you out. You’ll be golden by tomorrow, promise.
I groaned and let my head fall to my desk for a moment.
Me: The life of a superhero, the work never ends.
Austin: See you tonight, superhero.
Me: Tonight, torture master.
I popped four Advil in preparation.
6
Austin
The sun glinted off Liam’s pool as I took a pull of my water. No beer for me since training was back in full swing. The sound of Carter’s laugh had my eyes searching her out. Her head was tipped back, a look of pure delight on her face as she clutched Taylor’s arm in reaction to a story Liam was telling them. Her strawberry-blonde hair cascaded down her back in waves, stopping short of her delectable ass in miniscule bikini bottoms. I gripped my bottle of water tighter. This girl would be the death of me.
“Careful, don’t want Liam to catch you looking at the girl he thinks of as a baby sister that way,” Ford said from the lounger next to me.
I hid my grimace by taking another drink. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ford chuckled. “Sure, you don’t. You two seem to be getting awfully chummy.”
“We’re friends.” It surprised me more than anyone that the statement rang true. Carter and I had been spending more and more time together. Our weekly training sessions were often extended into getting a quick bite to eat afterwards. We ran together two or three times a week. I enjoyed her company. I just needed to remind myself not to ruin it by trying to fuck her.
“Looks like you’ve got a little drool there from staring at your friend’s ass,” Ford replied, pointing at the corner of my mouth.
I smacked his hand away. “Like you’re one to talk. You’re constantly ogling those two.”
Ford tipped his head and let his sunglasses slide down his nose as he studied Carter and Taylor with a mischievous grin. “Fair point, well made.”
His leer caused a burning in my gut that I didn’t want to study too closely, so I got to my feet. “I need another water, you want anything?�
�
“Naw, I’m good, man,” he responded with a devilish smile in my direction.
Such a dick. One of my best friends in this world but still a dick. I slid open the door to the house and went in search of the coldest water I could find. If all else failed and Carter’s ass kept tempting me all damn day, I’d have to jump into the freezing-cold Pacific to calm my cock down.
Ice-cold water in hand, I headed back outside and towards the girl who had my body rebelling against my brain. She was gesturing animatedly while recounting some tale from her first month as a teacher. All that smooth, ivory skin on display, I couldn’t resist. I reached out my almost-frozen bottle, touching it to Carter’s bare back.
She shrieked at a decibel that might have caused my eardrums to rupture and whirled on me. “What in the world?!” Her eyes narrowed on the offending item in my hand. “That was just cruel!”
I chuckled in response. “Come on, it’s just a little water.”
“I’ll show you just a little water!” And with that, she shoved at my chest with all her slender-framed might.
The chilly pool water was a shock to my system, but I came up to the surface with a grin, pulling at my lips. “You little minx!”
Hands on her slightly flared hips, she met my gaze dead-on with a smile of her own. “Come on, Austin, it’s just a little water.”
“Yeah, yeah. At least help me out, would you?”
Carter reached a hand down to me. No matter how often I tried to drill into her head in our training sessions not to trust everyone she came across, she just couldn’t help her innocent and slightly naïve nature. As soon as my hand closed around hers, I gave a firm tug.
Carter’s eyes widened as she catapulted into the pool beside me. She came up spluttering and hissing like a drenched kitten. Just as adorable, too. “Austin Lyons, I am going to murder you, and no one is going to find the body because I listen to too many true crime podcasts!”
Further To Fall Page 4