Page 37 of Home Team Advantage
“Anna,” he said quietly, “is spending the afternoon with me that unpleasant?”
“What? No, of course not. I’m just … I’m not good at this, okay?”
“Good at what? Hanging out?”
She stared at the hands in her lap for long seconds before she said softly, “Yes. Hanging out.”
“You’re doing just fine. Just relax, okay? There are a few more places I’d like to show you today, if you’ll let me.”
Matt held his breath, then discreetly let it out when she nodded. “Okay.”
As they drove back toward town, Matt pointed out things he thought she might find interesting. Anna didn’t say much, but at least she didn’t look like she wanted to chew her own arm off. And she looked damn cute in his hoodie.
“BodyWorks? What is this place?” she asked as they pulled into the fitness center lot.
“This is where I’ll be working for the next couple of months. Come on. I’ll give you a tour.”
“That’s not?—”
He was out of the Rover before she could tack a “necessary” on the end of her protest.
He opened the passenger door and held out his hand. “Come on. It’s cool, I promise.”
She took it, sending that sensation of a warm current through him again. It wasn’t as shocking as it had been the first time.
Once her feet were on the ground, she didn’t immediately let go. He considered that tremendous progress. And extremely dangerous.
He took her inside and showed her around. The café that featured healthy drinks and snacks. The weight room. The cardio deck. The indoor pool. The multitude of classrooms.
“I spent the majority of my teenage years here,” he told her.
“Really?” she said, looking him over with a sardonic smile. “I never would have guessed.”
He fought the urge to preen.
“What will you be doing here?” she asked.
“Teaching martial arts classes.”
“What kind?”
“Probably Muay Thai, some MMA.”
“Impressive.”
He shrugged. “Kieran got me into it. It was a good outlet for all that teenage angst and hormone-fueled rage.”
She laughed, and for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the woman underneath all those layers of self-constructed protection.
“Have you ever taken a self-defense class?” he asked.
Just that quickly, her expression darkened. “No, but I’ve thought about it. I don’t think I’d be very good at it though.”
“Let’s find out.”
He reached for her hand and gently but firmly tugged her to an open classroom. “Take off that jacket.”
“What? Right now?”
