Page 24 of The Exception

He really needed this workout.His statistics class was giving him hell so he’d been up late studying, and between the unusually high number of sick calls and Nurse Pope’s shitty mood, it had beena dayin more ways than one.

An image of Nurse Pope’s face when she’d admitted to her friend that her engagement had ended popped in his head and he decided to give her some grace about her mood. He couldn’t say he was heartbroken to hear she was single, but it had been awkward as hell being a bystander for that conversation so he couldn’t imagine what it had felt like for her. She’d allowed just a glimpse of how hurt she was before she’d slipped on that mask of professionalism she was so good at wearing, but he’d seen enough.

He scanned across the rows of treadmills, glad to see there was still one available and he moved to claim it, but stopped when he noticed who was warming up on the one right next door.

Huh. Turned out, he’d been right about Sonya being a runner. He refused to believe those legs that had the ability to hypnotize him were the result of anything else.

He felt like a creep, but he couldn't stop his eyes from raking across the sculpted curves that her skintight leggings and sports bra put on prime display.

Fuck.

He should just go. Running next to her was probably going to end up with him flying off the treadmill and breaking his neck because he couldn't stop looking at her. Retreating was definitely the better option.

He was about to go over to one of the ellipticals when he noticed a guy standing near the water bottle filling station. There was nothing particularly memorable about him except for the matching branded workout gear he wore and the expensive headphones hanging from his neck. But it was the way his eyes were trained on Sonya that grabbed Trav’s attention.

He couldn’t blame the guy, Sonya was definitely a sight to see and he could barely look away himself. But then the guy pulled his lower lip between his teeth and seemed to take a deep breath before heading straight for the empty treadmill next to her. Trav recognized a guy about to shoot his shot.

His body tensed as the guy moved closer to her, and even though Trav knew he should just mind his business and walk away, he just couldn’t. And when he traced the guy’s line of sight directly to Sonya’s sports bra, his face heated, the angry part of him that the army had pretty much beaten down came roaring back.

Trav’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was being ridiculous. Sonya was gorgeous and she probably got hit on all the time with or without the engagement ring she no longer wore. He didn’t know why the idea of this dude hitting on her had his stomach twisted into knots.

Who was he kidding? He knew why. He just wasn’t quite ready to admit it even to himself. He had no control over what happened when he wasn’t around, but some guy hitting on Sonya right in front of him? That shit wasn’t happening. Just the thought of that had him edgy like he was about to go out on a mission with his unit.

Trav pulled his hand through his hair, blew out a breath, and scrambled to climb onto the empty treadmill just as Sonya’s wannabe suitor reached the row. The guy stopped walking and frowned like his world had just been shattered. Trav responded with the biggest smile he could muster while giving him a short salute.

That's right, dude. I cockblocked you. Deal with it.

Sonya’s eyes widened when she noticed him, but at least he didn't get the scowl he would've gotten a few weeks ago.

She removed one earbud. “Stalking me now, intern?”

The tension drained out of him and he chuckled as he pressed a few buttons to get the machine going. “I usually run the trail but it’s probably all mud with all this rain.”

Her lips curved into a smirk. “I pegged you as the Spartan race type. I didn’t think a little thing like mud could stop you.”

He shrugged. “I guess I can take it easy every now and then.”

Her eyes narrowed, indicating that he'd said the wrong thing for at least the hundredth time.

“You think running on the treadmill is taking it easy?”

He was about to apologize but he saw a twinkle in her eye he'd never seen before and he wanted to see more of it. Was she challenging him? That idea had his heart speeding up more than his warm up had.

“You have to admit, it's not like running outdoors.”

She nodded and pulled her arm across her chest in a stretch. “Yeah. It's more structured. I know I'm getting the exact workout I want.”

That explanation was specific, reasonable, structured, and very Sonya.

He grinned and decided to needle her a little more. “But outdoors, you're fighting against the environment. It makes you more adaptable. I’ve run miles with a hundred pounds of gear strapped to me in the desert. Your treadmill workout can’t compare.”

Unfazed, she lifted one shoulder. “You don’t know my workout.”

Fuck, she was killing him. He fished around in his pocket for his earbuds, using it at a cover for adjusting himself before he embarrassed himself. That confidence alone had him ready to forget about her being his preceptor and shoot his shot, and the way she looked in those leggings was just a benefit.

He cleared his throat. “How about you program it in and we’ll see if I can keep up?”

The woman who loved to call him cocky did an awful job of hiding herit's ongrin before leaning over and pressing a few buttons to get his machine programmed to match hers. He inhaled the sweet, tropical scent that lingered behind when she moved back to her own treadmill and popped her earbud back in.

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