Page 60 of Heart Taker

“Fucking right,” he stated with a wicked grin.

Suddenly, I was back in that bar, wanting to see that smile and more. Wanting to talk to him again. And wanting to know more about him but also, seriously unprepared for what was going on between us.

Get up and walk out of here. Do the right thing.

“I don’t see you that way,” I confessed.

Silas shrugged, placed his feet in the pedals, and reached for the handlebar on the machine. “It’s a reminder to never give up. Not on my family or myself. And that I’d do anything for them.”

“Anything?”

“Yep.”

I admired his tenacity and loyalty more than I cared to admit. But it was more than admiration; his drive turned me on. Just like when it came to hockey, a lot of people talked a good game, but very few could play it. And some would argue that responsibility wasn’t sexy, and when I was younger, I probably thought that way too. But now? A person who kept their wordand gave their all for the ones they cared about? Who never gave up? It was the most attractive thing ever. I liked it. A lot.

What was worse? I liked him. More.

“Why the rowing machine?” I asked, curious.

“Full body workout,” Silas replied as he began to glide back and forth, his biceps straining with every pull. “Plus, there’s a competition in the works with the Sutton Crew come September. We’ve agreed to a soccer match, but I have a feeling they’ll convince us to get in those tiny fucking boats they use. And I want to be prepared to kick their ass at their own game.”

I chuckled at his competitive comment. “Ruthless indeed.”

“Fuck, yeah.” He panted as he moved faster. “You good? You need me to spot you?”

“I don’t want to interrupt your workout,” I replied and took a sip from my water bottle. “Maybe in a bit.”

“Once I’m done on this machine, I’m all yours.”

Mine?I nearly spewed my mouthful of water all over the floor.

Imagining Silas standing beside me in nothing but those indecent shorts had my blood pressure spiking to dangerous levels. I downed another sip of water and wiped my face again. Instead of standing there like an idiot, gawking at him, I finished my reps and moved on to another machine, determined to ignore him and my crazy reaction.

It was a lot more difficult than I thought. Being in a gym with a hot guy was never a problem before. In fact, I was always so intent on getting my routine done that I didn’t notice anyone else, man or woman.

God, how much had changed.

Silas’s stamina was something to watch, and dirty images of him doing a much different kind of workout bombarded me. My face flushed, but thankfully, I could blame it on the exercise. I willed myselfnotto get a boner and headed for a nearby benchto do chest presses. That didn’t help matters at all. I was still too close to Silas, so close that I could hear him grunting. Did he sound like that when he was fucking? Would he scream or moan? Then I was hit by the scent of his sweat and bodywash. He didn’t smell like fancy cologne, and I was a fan. Would he taste as good as he smelled?

I shoved my face in the towel again and used it like a paper bag, breathing in and out slowly to try and calm myself down.

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

I slowly dropped the towel only to find him standing directly in front of me, his crotch in my line of sight. The bulge in his shorts had all my attention. I licked my lips and tried to speak but I couldn’t make a sound.

“Damien?” he repeated.

A shiver wracked my body when Silas called me by my first name. Why him? Of all the goddamn people in this town, why did it have to be one of my students?

Instead of staying where he was, he quickly rounded the machine to stand beside me and that didn’t help matters at all.

Finally, my tongue cooperated. “I’m fine. I needed a break to catch my breath.”

“You shouldn’t be in the gym by yourself, especially when you’re doing bench presses. That’s dangerous.”

No, dangerous was being in the same room as this man.

“I know. I wasn’t thinking.”

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