Text Me, Maybe - Jolyse Barnett Page 0,1

from her shoulders, and moved beside her to demonstrate.

Now, that’s an eye-opener.

Where he was all angles, she was all curves. Being so close to a man who was the picture of fitness, when she was, well, more of a work-in-progress…it definitely inspired her to buy into the benefits of exercise.

For prurient, hedonistic reasons.

Like marathon sessions in the bedroom, perhaps?

“Okay. Now you do it.” He returned the straight bar to her shoulders. “Ready?”

His question pulled her out of the uncharacteristic, shallow-end-of-the-pool musings. “Yep.” It wasn’t so awful just standing with the weight on her back.

“I’m right here. Don’t worry. Unless you want to go with lighter weights?”

She lifted her chin and eyed his reflection behind hers in the mirror. The dare in his tone, combined with her sudden desire to succeed at all costs, spurred her on. “I’m good.”

“Okay then, show me a squat.” A smile entered his husky voice. “Remember, take a deep breath, brace your body, and pretend like you’re sitting down. Don’t let go of that breath until you’re finishing standing back up. One smooth movement. Use the power in your core and legs, not your back.”

“But…how do I know when to stand back up?”

Matthew put his hand on her hip. “You feel this? The crease in your hip? Once this goes past your knees—we call that breaking parallel—that’s when.”

Crease? What about the fire from your touch?

Lexie glanced back, her long ponytail swishing across his broad chest. “Don’t know if I can do that.” He was too close, and she was way too wobbly.

“Don’t worry.” His voice dropped a notch. “It’s my job to protect your bottom from the hard floor.”

My bottom? Well, since you put it that way.

“Good to know.” Refusing to consider how ridiculous she looked while bending into the butt-sticking-out-position, she focused on the movement and the count. Nothing personal going on here. No siree, Bob.

Although, it felt pretty damned personal when the backs of her thighs brushed against the warm, sculpted tops of his, and her bottom nestled onto his pelvis.

She gasped, lurching forward.

“Gotcha.” He grunted, then steadied her so their private parts regained a respectable few inches between each other. “Another?”

With his help, she repeated the sequence three more times. And holy crap, he was right. Balancing the weight on her back was all about aligning the bar with her body. “There.” He took the weight from her, and she turned around as he set the bar on the floor with a soft thump.

“You’re a natural. Awesome job.”

“Really? Thanks.” She tilted her head. Maybe she could follow through on her fitness goals with a cheerleader like him.

“We still on for tonight?”

At the sound of another woman’s voice, she spun toward the door to find a petite blonde staring at them.

“Sure,” Matthew responded. “Seven?”

“Meet you at the bench press,” the blonde promised.

Resisting the sudden, irrational urge to run over and slam the door behind his other client, Lexie escaped to the corner for her water bottle, yanked on the spout and tipped her head back. Damn. Empty. Unlike her mind, which was filled with crazy thoughts like he’s mine and you can’t have him.

WTF is that about?

She snorted in self-disgust and fiddled with the bottle until, slowly, sanity returned.

“Hey.”

She met his hooded gaze, only to have that tingling anticipation sweep through her once again, like when she sat center seat in Orchestra Row J and the curtains were about to open.

“You did great for a first-timer.” Matthew pulled a business card from his shirt’s tech pocket. “I’m here weekday evenings, five to nine. If you’re interested.”

If? Have you looked in one of the hundred mirrors in this place?

She traced the card’s perimeter with her index finger. “Matthew Hennessey, Manager.” She smiled and nodded. He’d always be mighty Thor to her.

“So, let’s discuss goals.” He placed his hands on his hips, a man secure in his surroundings.

She bit her bottom lip and allowed herself to enjoy the view. Bold might be fun. “I hear J&C has an annual fundraiser.”

He nodded. “May seventh. Great event.”

Lexie fiddled with the strap of her bag. “And there’s a fun run, too.” She snorted. “Quite the oxymoron, if you ask me.”

“The 5K?” His eyes crinkled. “That’s my baby.”

Oops. How fast can I back-peddle?

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t want to participate. The fundraiser is for a wonderful cause. It’s just I’d really prefer not to faint or finish last.”

He folded his arms and nodded. “Reasonable. Want to start now?”

She nodded.

He smiled and pointed at a door she hadn’t noticed