Page 5 of The Game
Alyssa’s brows rose. ‘A client? What do you do?’
‘I’m a personal trainer. I run private sessions and group classes. Around here, actually.’ He waved a hand in the general direction of the foreshore, hoping to distract her.
‘Nice,’ she said, nodding as if impressed. ‘That’s a pretty cool office. So, why is she aformerclient? Not impressed with your training methods?’
Powerless to curb his amusement, he smirked. He should have known she wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily.
‘Right,’ said Alyssa, drawing out the word, the hint of a knowing smile playing at her lips. ‘She was a clientwith benefits.’ She widened her eyes, emphasising her statement.
Dean shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Alyssa leaned forward slightly. ‘Let me ask you, DoubleD, is love just a game to you?’
Dean mirrored her action so their faces were only inches apart. ‘Who said anything about love?’
‘Ah.’ She nodded in understanding. ‘A player.’
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ he said, straightening, ‘only that love isn’t on the cards for me. There are too many rules.’ He decided to lay what cards he did have on the table. Best she knew what she was in for from the get-go. ‘You probably never heard, but things between Mum and Dad went pear-shaped not long after you left town, and their misery taught me a valuable lesson. When hearts are involved, someone always gets hurt.’
Alyssa studied him a moment, and he felt her gaze as if she’d reached out and touched him. He was worried she’d probe further into the disaster of his parents’ marriage, but then the wine arrived, and she glanced up at the waiter and thanked him with a smile. By the time she’d taken a sip from her glass and looked back at him, her green eyes were twinkling.
‘So,’ she said, ‘the woman who passed us today, is she a client too? And is she currently enjoying all the benefits of your services?’
He laughed, couldn’t help it. She was teasing him, anddamn, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying it!
‘She is and she does,’ he said, fiddling with the silver cutlery in front of him, ‘but not in the way you’re thinking.’
Like so many clients before her, the woman who’d passed them earlier hadn’t been subtle in letting Dean know what she wanted, and after a few more training sessions, he probably would have relented and given her all the extra benefits he occasionally offered. But now, with Alyssa sitting across from him, mischief glinting in her eyes as she studied him, he could barely remember the other woman’s name. Of course, she’d done her best to make Alyssa think something was going on between them, when in reality she’d only been thanking him for the twilight group session he’d run last night.
‘Okay …’ Alyssa shifted in her seat, and Dean braced himself for the challenge he knew was coming. But then he noticed the subtle way she rubbed her lips together, as if she were trying to find the courage to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. She clearly wasn’t as confident as her tone implied.
‘IfIacquired your services,’ she said as her green eyes flashed, ‘would all the benefits be on offer to me?’
If he’d sipped on his water like he’d been planning to, he would have sprayed it across the table. Luckily, he’d held off while he waited for her question, and bloody hell, that wasn’t what he’d been expecting! Not from prim and proper Alyssa Martin. Maybe he’d get to see her let loose after all.
Leaning back in his chair, he studied her carefully. He was treading on dangerous ground. Crossing this line with her, when his head had been filled with thoughts of her all day and he still didn’t know what baggage she carried, seemed like it would be the most idiotic move he could make. He needed time to process everything, to work out what he wanted…and whether he should run from her, far and fast.
Their meals arrived before he could answer, but the interruption only bought him a moment or two. Alyssa regarded him, challenging him with her brow arched as she lay her napkin in her lap.
Despite his better judgement, and knowing he might live to regret it, he decided to forget about her baggage. It wouldn’t become a problem unless she mentioned it. Instead, he’d fight fire with fire.
Bracing his elbows on the table, he let his gaze drop to her lips, then met her eyes once more. ‘What is it you’re asking, Martin?’
Chapter 3
Alyssa gnawed the inside of her cheek. Dean knew exactly what she was asking, that much was obvious, but she’d never uttered such a thinly veiled proposition like that in her life. It wasn’t the wine that had made her say it either—she hadn’t consumed enough of it. So where had her newfound boldness sprung from?
You know where.
She’d always followed strict rules and rehearsal schedules, but life had taken an unexpected turn, and now she was floundering. She felt as if she were treading water with no idea if she’d ever reach the shore again. Up until recently, she’d anticipated a bright future playing in the most prestigious ensemble in the nation. Now she didn’t know what the next few months held, let alone the next few years. She was tired of trying to keep herself afloat; it was time to sink or swim. She could either wallow in the deep, dark depths of despair as she’d been doing this morning, or she could make a conscious effort to live life to the fullest, to see what other possibilities were out there.
She studied Dean from across the table, and it was as if she glimpsed land. The frisson of excitement making her skin tingle told her he was her ticket to freedom. Since she’d run into him this morning, she’d had something else to occupy her thoughts. Instead of contemplating doctors’ appointments and treatment options, she’d been thinking of skydiving and beach runs. Instead of waiting for the symptoms of her illness to make themselves known, she’d been anticipating their dinner date. Sitting in this candlelit restaurant with him gave her a reprieve from her parents’ sympathetic and concerned glances. Instead, she felt his heated gaze travel the length of her body. She shivered now, as if he’d caressed her.
Yes, he could help her stay afloat.
‘I’m asking,’ she said, leaning forward and meeting his gaze, ‘for a different kind of training.’
He smirked and glanced at her lips again, and she revelled in the knowledge she could so easily send his thoughts in a certain direction.
