Page 35 of A Lifetime in 30 Days
Like, was it smart to let herself get swept away by this man from her past? Wasn’t part of her FFSF celebration to start this next phase of her life anew? To leave all the things in her past—including the feelings, disappointments, and expectations—behind?
“I didn’t say that,” she replied, in answer to his question, not all the ones popping into her head right now.
“Then what are you saying, Vanna?” he asked. “I stopped by to check on you and to maybe take you out to clear your mind a bit. Nothing serious, nothing nefarious. Should I have called or texted first? Yeah, I can admit that, and I’ll do better next time. But if there’s something else you want me to stop, now’s the time to let me know.”
Great. Just great. Now he wanted her to put her cards on the table when what she really felt like doing was crawling under the table and sleeping until all the mess in her life was resolved. But as she inhaled deeply, Vanna knew that wasn’t how this worked. Every second of every day, she was on duty. There were no breaks or getaways from life, and she knew that well. So even though her frustrated mind instinctively wanted her to yellGet the hell out and never come back, a bigger part of her—the needier part she tried so damn hard to keep hidden—warned her that this was a mistake. It was reactionary and she’d regret it later.
“I was just about to have dinner and a second glass of wine,” she said. “You can join me if you want.”
She dropped her arms and walked past him to pick up the bottle of wine again. He didn’t move at first—or at least, she didn’t notice him moving—so she removed the cork from the wine and was about to pour it into her glass when she felt him behind her. Like, directly behind her, so close that his breath brushed over the side of her face as he leaned in and covered her hand that held the bottle with his. “How ’bout we skip the second glass of wine and head to the gym?”
She spun around so fast the bottle wobbled on the island. “The what?”
He took a step back. “The gym. I figured we could go and get a short workout in and—”
“And you could what? Get me to lose some weight?” She gave a derisive laugh. “Man, this has been one unbelievable day. No, bump that, an unbelievable two, almost three weeks.” She stared at him, at the calm gaze he was giving her as she spoke. “Is that what all this was about? You claiming to want me all this time, finally getting me, and then deeming me too fat for your tastes? But instead of leaving mealone, what? You’re up for a challenge. Want to step in and change my whole life around? I shouldn’t have married Caleb, but that’s okay because now he’s gone and you’re here. I shouldn’t drink this wine? I should go with you to the gym and get in tip-top shape like you. Boy, please,” she hissed, and pushed past him.
He grabbed her wrist before she could get completely away, but he didn’t pull her back to him. Instead, he simply held on to her.
“I liked you just as you were back in college, and I still like you just as you are now,” he said. There was an edge to his tone, though. She’d definitely pushed a few of his buttons, but so the hell what? He was irking her nerves, adding to all the other things that threatened to push her over the brink. She had to stop it, stop him, and preserve her peace—or the peace she struggled to maintain each day.
Yet she didn’t pull her wrist away from him, didn’t turn around and tell him he could either let her go or get punched upside the head. Didn’t threaten to call the cops or worse, Granny with her dog and gun.
“Physical activity does more than just foster weight loss, Savannah. It relieves stress, helps you to maintain sound sleeping habits, clears your mind.” His grip loosened just a little. “I know you’ve had a rough day and, as you’ve said, a rough couple of weeks. I’m just trying to give you an hour or two of not-so-rough time. That’s all.”
She sighed and wanted nothing more than to get away from this man. To run upstairs and close herself in her room so she could be alone with all these conflicting thoughts and emotions. The latter having definitely been brought on by him. Her emotions toward Caleb right now and in the past years were clear—dislike, disinterest, and disdain.
But where Aden was concerned ... Hell, it had only been a few days since he’d popped back up in her life. And now she’d slept with the man and argued with him. She released a heavy sigh, knowing that running away was not an option. For one, this was her house, so if anybody was leaving, it was going to be him. But honestly, she didn’t want him to leave. What she wanted was for him to stop confusing the hellout of her, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. He was holding too many of the cards in this hand of her personal life as it was.
“I’m cranky,” she said quietly.
He chuckled. “And don’t say it’s because you’re hungry.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Shut up.”
His grin grew wider, and this time he did pull her to him. He pulled her until she was positioned directly in front of him and his arms had snaked around her waist. She reluctantly rested her hands on his chest.
“Forty-five minutes at the gym. A light workout, and then we’ll come back here and eat,” he said.
“And have my glass of wine,” she said. And when he raised a brow, she continued, “Well, if I’ve gotta go walk on a treadmill or lift some weights, I might need something stronger by then.”
He kissed the tip of her nose, and she blinked at how tender the action was. “I’ll make you a stronger drink if you really feel like you need it when we come back. Deal?”
She stared at him, wanting to protest but also wanting to get this gym nonsense over with. “Deal,” she said.
“Good,” he replied, and moved one hand down to slap her ass. “Go get yourself a bag with a towel and a water bottle. I’ll meet you in the car.”
Vanna didn’t comment on him slapping her ass; he’d done that the night before. And she didn’t say a word about him walking through her house again and going out the front door. And, a few minutes later when she had her duffel bag packed with the towel and water bottle he’d suggested—as well as a change of underwear and clothes because if she was too sweaty, she wasn’t even sitting in a car for a ride home like that—she found herself walking out her front door and climbing into the passenger side of his car.
Aden’s gym was amazing. Everything was state-of-the-art. The space was huge, in a building she’d passed hundreds of times but had never wondered what was inside. Of course, it hadn’t always been Aden’s gym, but she never imagined there was this much space in here either. There were two levels. A brightly lit reception area just inside the tinted windows at the front of the building; rooms for spin, Pilates, kickboxing, yoga, and some other classes he’d rattled off as they passed them; and the pool and sauna area toward the back. Upstairs was a more open-floor concept, with all the machines she supposed were usually found in a gym. Since she preferred pulling up one of those in-home walking videos on YouTube when she was in the mood and walking to the beat of one of her many playlists, she didn’t know what half the stuff in this place was.
But that was just fine when her escort was the owner and a certified personal trainer.
“Relax,” he said as he stepped closer to her and reached for the strap of her bag, which she’d crossed over her body.
She sighed heavily and lifted her arm so he could remove it.
“That’s easy for you to say,” she replied. “You look like you belong here, like you actually live here.” She huffed. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
