Page 27 of One Shot

“Hey, Laur. Don’t be mad at me, but I forgot I have a paper due tomorrow that I haven’t even started on yet. I already got an extension on it and can’t ask for another one,” Tyler sheepishly explains.

Tyler is always so reliable. I frown with disappointment. It’s obvious I’m not happy with him, but he can’t control that he has schoolwork. I can tell he feels guilty.

“But don’t worry! Lucas said he could fill in for me. I’m so sorry! Please don’t be mad. I would never bail on you!” Tyler genuinely sounds sorry.

“It’s okay. Ty. I get it. Go write your paper.”

I give Tyler a hug, and he says bye to Lucas and me, before heading off.

I turn to Lucas. “I’m sure Tyler begged you to do this for me, but don’t worry about it. I don’t need a test subject. I’ll be fine.”

In what I’ve come to realize as a typical Lucas fashion, he raises an eyebrow and looks at me puzzled. “Begged me? I told him I would do it. He was going to ask Liam.”

“Oh,” is all I manage to say back.

“I had fun the first time,” Lucas admits.

“Okay, well this time might be different. You might have to change a few times so I can see what looks good on different backgrounds. You’ll probably have to take your shirt off and let me pose you too. It’s a lot of pressure on me to do this photoshoot right, and I don’t want to disappoint Bren and Suz.”

“That’s fine, Laur. You can position me however you want.”

Did he just make a sex joke? That was definitely a sex joke.

I sigh. I don’t really have a choice.

“Okay, Lucas. Get into fresh workout clothes. We’ll start in the gym first. I’ll meet you there.”

I wanted to capture a variety of shots, some in the locker room, some of the guys working out, and then the team on the ice. I needed options for the cover of the calendar and at least one photo for each of the twelve months. I’ll be taking photos of everyone on the team, but Bren is working on getting me a list of other players to prioritize outside the Sexy Seven and groups of players to capture too.

Lucas walks into the gym in a Wyverns t-shirt and those thin gray sweatpants again. Damn it. Even with his shirt on, I am about to be distracted.

“Is this okay?” he asks, pulling on his tee.

I am tempted to respond, ‘if by okay, you mean I’m going to have a hard time focusing especially when I have to ask you to take your shirt off, then yes.’ I just nod instead.

“Cool. Where do you want me, Chip?”

Chip. He’s never called me that before. Only my family and close friends have called me that. How does he even know about my nickname? I guess he must have heard Bren, Liam,or Tyler say it.

“Oh.” I look at him confused, still thrown off by him calling me Chip. “Let’s start just having you do some free weights. You can go much lighter than you would in a typical workout if you want. Pretend like I’m not even here until I give you some direction.”

Lucas picks up a heavy weight in each hand and starts to do some dumbbell deadlifts. I’m going to have to ask him to take his shirt off. . I know as soon as that shirt comes over his head, I’ll be distraught, but I need to make this as close to the real photo shoot as possible. I’ll wait until he’s a little bit sweaty and done with his first set. I want his muscles to glisten a little.

“Take your shirt off, please. We’ll have baby oil most likely at the actual shoot to mimic sweat and to have those muscles showing off and glowing.” I’m almost drooling with hunger for him as he bends at the hip in front of me doing another rep.

“Take a break whenever you need to,” I instruct. He just nods, starting up his reps again.

If any guy and any exercise could turn me into a girl that gushes over a man’s ass, it would be Lucas Donato and deadlifts. My heartbeat quickens and seems to halt in admiration and longing as I watch him driving his hips forward, his legs and glutes working with each purposeful rep.

Taking pictures of him shirtless, showing off his sexy muscles and alluring V has me a little heated. I can feel my cheeks redden and my breath shorten with each move he makes.

He sets the weights down, bringing my mind back to reality.

“Sorry, I need a quick break. I didn’t know this would be a workout. I worked out this morning before practice,” Lucas says. I hand him a water bottle. It almost slips out of my grip from how sweaty my palms are. I could use a break too from all this heat.

“We’re almost done in the gym. Just three more quick things. Let’s have you do some lunges next.”

He nods back at me. Directing his workout routine is kind of fun. I wish I could tell him to do push-ups with me on top of him as a weight,but I couldn’t take photos laying across him feeling his muscles flex with each repetition.

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