Page 28 of Gigi and the Gym Rats

“Wait,” I say.

He looks at me over his shoulder. “What is it?”

I want to go for a run, and I like Ronin. Plus, I haven’t kissed him or had almost-sex with him, so we’re still friends.

“I’m going with you,” I decide, getting up and heading to my room. “Gimme one minute to change.”

10

GIGI

It’s a familiar feeling, jogging through town with Ronin, heading toward the nearest park. Familiar and yet unsettling. It’s not like I didn’t notice how handsome he is from the start. That I didn’t feel the attraction. I sure did. But it felt more distant, like something I could handle.

Lately, I’ve been feeling more toward him. Like that small moment of affection in the kitchen, if you’d call it that, a moment I wouldn’t have spent time thinking about a year ago.

And now it touches me more deeply than I would have thought possible.

This is how it starts,I think as we jog down the avenue and turn down a side street.You think they’re sexy, you think that affection is real, you fall into bed with them and then you gather the pieces of your heart. After all, I bet Ronin has his conquests and has his eyes on a pack or other.

Right?

He’s quiet as we reach the park. Spring is around the corner, the days brighter, the dawn coming earlier. The biting cold I’m used to from my early morning jogs isn’t as sharp anymore.

My attraction to Ronin is.

Not to think about it, I push myself harder and he easily keeps up, casting me a questioning look. I ignore it and focus instead on the fresh air on my face, the scent of wet earth and bark, on the gurgle of water to our left where a brook flows under a wooden bridge. It’s peaceful here, a few more joggers crossing paths with us. A woman sits on a bench feeding the ducks. An old man is standing on the bridge, gazing at the trees.

Ronin slows down. “Are you lost?”

I stagger to a stop. “What did you say?” The memory of my dream hits me like a brick to the head. “Ron?”

“I said are we lost?” He comes to a halt, glances around with a frown. “I got disoriented. Which is the way back?”

“That way,” I decide, pointing. “We cross the bridge and run around the park, then head back.”

He lets me take the lead. His face piercings glint in the morning light and his pale hair, still mussed up from sleep, is so pale it’s almost white. He hasn’t fixed it yet.

I’ve seen him in the bathroom, using gel and hairspray to get that faux-hawk right in the mornings. No idea why he’s into that.

It does look good on him, though.

“So a girls’ night out, huh? I thought you were the quiet, stay-at-home type. Go to bed early, wake up early, that sort of thing.”

I shoot him a frown. “You think I’m that boring?”

“Never said you were boring. Just set in your ways.”

I harrumph as we cross the small bridge. “I’m very flexible as a person, I’ll have you know.”

“Flexible, huh?” He lifts a pale brow, the silver hoop glinting.

Why do I find that sexy?Gah.“Multifaceted. I can move in mysterious ways. Like, I can lead a healthy lifestyle and also have fun sometimes.”

He licks his lips and I stumble.

“Whoa.” He catches me around the waist, and suddenly I’m held against his very tall and muscular body, my head tucked under his chin, his heart pounding against mine.

Because my boobs are mashed to his chest, but when I squirm, he only holds on tighter.

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