Page 13 of Loved Out Loud
“Pilates class.” I finally glance over at him, finding his eyes locked on my profile.
“Is that so?”
There’s a glint in his eyes. Is he making fun of me? I obviously don’t have the type of body that most people equate to someone who does Pilates religiously, but beneath the soft layer of fat I hold, I’m strong and flexible.
“Yes.” The word comes out snappier than I intended, but fuck him if he’s judging me.
I judge myself hard enough; I don’t need some slutty rock star dogpiling on me.
The elevator doors open, and he sweeps his arm forward indicating for me to go first. I do, and he follows on my heels, along with another man. He’s twice the size of Stone in bulk but nearly the same height. They’re both wearing running shorts and plain t-shirts with running shoes.
“This is Adam, my security.” Stone says as he pulls a baseball cap down low over his face. “Adam, this is Hazel.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” I grasp his offered hand and shake it. “I take it you two are going for a run?”
“We are. Where are you headed?”
“The studio is a couple blocks to the east,” I say as the elevator doors open, and I step into the lobby. “Have a good run.”
“Be safe,” Stone says to my back.
My brow furrows. What an odd thing to say. The sun is already out, and there are a decent amount of people millingaround for early on a Saturday morning. If it were late at night, safety is something I’d worry about, but not this time of day.
I dismiss the thoughts of Stone as I wait at an intersection. But when I stop thinking about him, my mind immediately drifts to Greg and his cutting words yesterday. Normally I’d talk about it with Sierra, but she’s firmly in the camp of Greg sucks, so I don’t bother. I’ll call Mom after my workout. She’ll make me feel better about everything.
Six
STONE
DidI change my route so I could follow Hazel?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
Do I have any shame?
Not a single bit.
She looks damn good this morning. The dress she was wearing on the morning show hid so much of her figure. Then last night she disappeared into her room so fast I didn’t have a chance to disentangle myself from the woman trying to get in my pants to say anything.
I had been considering letting the groupie suck my dick just to take the edge off, but then I saw Hazel. Everything else faded away when I locked in on her somber eyes. I don’t know what it is about them, but I could drown in their swirling gray and blue depths.
Adam has the good sense not to say anything as he matches his pace to mine, which is slow as fuck so we can follow her ata distance. He ponytail sways as she walks down the sidewalk past cafes and shops until she stops and looks up at the sign over the glass fronted building. She pulls a door open and then disappears from view.
As soon as she’s inside, we pick up our pace and head toward the waterfront. The pain in my leg today is slightly more intense than usual, but I push through. I have to train every day to keep myself from falling into a cycle of soreness. Consistency is the key to holding the pain at bay when I can’t take anything stronger than acetaminophen.
The anonymity that comes with running in a different city always makes me feel so free. With a hat pulled down over my eyes and worn running shoes on my feet, I don’t look like anything other than a thirty-something man out for a run with a buddy.
My watch beeps to notify me with each mile we run. After two miles, we turn around and head back. My plan is to hopefully time it perfectly, so her class is ending right around the time we’ll pass by.
I know I’ll see her at lunch, but everyone will be there. I want time with her to myself. It’s weird how possessive I feel about her. I want to keep my little Archer all to myself. As we pass the Pilates studio, I slow and glance in the windows, seeing her stretching on the reformer. I turn at the intersection, going across the street instead of continuing toward the hotel.
“What are you doing?” Adam asks, not remotely winded.
“Waiting for Hazel without making it look like we’re waiting.”
He smirks. “Why?”
