Page 14 of Loved Out Loud
I press my lips together and look at him from the side of my eyes. “Don’t ask questions.”
He chuckles, unafraid of my mood. “Got a thing for her?”
“Something like that.”
He doesn’t say anything else as we hang by a bus stop. I keep my eyes on the studio doors while Adam takes his place as security, keeping an eye on everything else around us. Thank fuck for him because I’m not paying a bit of attention to anything other than the door I want to see her walk out through.
After ten minutes she appears, and I start jogging across the street, not waiting for the signal, so I can catch her. A car honks as I dash across the street, and Adam swears under his breath at my rash decision.
“Hey.” My voice is a bit breathier than usual as I fall in step beside her.
She jumps the tiniest bit at my sudden appearance. It makes me want to scare her again. Just to see that startled expression on her face. I wonder what all her other expressions look like.
The hair along her neck and temples is damp with sweat. I have the strongest urge to lean over and lick the bead running down from behind her ear. Lucky for her we’re on the street, and I wouldn’t want someone to snap a random photo and plaster it all over the internet.
“What are you doing here?” She side-steps putting a little more distance between us.
“Just finished our run. Great timing, now we can walk you back.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’thaveto, but we are going to the same place. Might as well go together.”
“Right.” We come to a red light, and she sneaks a glance at me. “Do people not recognize you when you’re out?”
“Depends on the city, honestly.” I pull my cap down a little further as several people join us. “But no one expects to see me out on an early morning run, and I have to get my nervous energy out somehow. Better running than drugs.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that.” Her lips tilt upwards. “I haven’t run since gym class in high school.”
“I just recently started. It’s part of my recovery plan.”
“Addiction recovery or the surgeries?” she asks as the light changes, and we cross the street to the hotel.
“Addiction mostly.” If she knows about the surgeries, does that mean she looked me up? Or is she already a fan? “Why Pilates?”
She waits until we’re through the lobby to answer. “Someone once told me that Pilates was for people with Gwyneth Paltrow bodies, not this.” She sweeps her hand down indicating her own body. “And nothing pisses me off more than being told I can’t do something.”
“Good for you. And Pilates is for everybody. It was actually started as physical therapy for injured soldiers.”
We step onto the elevator, and I move to the opposite corner from her. Her skin is still flushed from her class, bringing a beautiful glow to her lightly tanned skin.
“I didn’t know that. Thanks for the random bit of trivia.”
“No problem, I’m full of it.”
Adam muffles a laugh and turns his body toward the corner. I chuckle at how ridiculous that sounded and when I look up Hazel is smiling at me, wide and genuine. I’d make a fool of myself every day for the rest of my life just to see her like this.
“I’ll remember that,” she says as the elevator door opens, and she walks off in the direction of her room.
“What the fuck was that? I’m full of it?” Adam laughs as we turn down the opposite direction of the hall.
“I’m just trying to make her feel comfortable.”
He side-eyes me. “Is that all you’re trying to do?”
“Yes.” For now. “What are your first impressions of her?”
“She’s quiet, so it’s hard to tell for sure, but she seems nice. I don’t think she’ll pose any security risks.”
