Taking a deep breath, he focused on her eyes and the mole above her lip. How did he not notice it before? He’d been staring lately, but he dared not to anymore. It wasn’t part of his job, and yet this gorgeous woman… Allen blinked. He pointed to her leg. “We should um… get back to this.”
“Yeah.” Did her voice sound breathy? She cleared her throat. “Yeah, we should.”
Allen needed to get away from her. She was dulling his senses. He couldn’t have that. He didn’t deserve it.
***
“Make sure you take your next dose of ibuprofen before you go to sleep,” her mother said as she cleaned up her daughter’s kitchen. She hurried back and forth between the table and the sink with the dirty dishes in hand.
“Is there a reason you’re in such a rush?” Heather rotated her body to look at her mother.
“No rush. Not exactly.” Was her mother humming?
“Mom, do you have a date?”
“Perhaps.” Her mother’s grin could not be contained.
“Is this the same man you’ve been seeing from the last time?”
“Heather, you’re being nosey my dear.”
“I’m not. I only want to know who this guy is, where does he live, is he serious about you, and—”
“Heather, I’m fine. I’m enjoying myself. When the time comes, I’ll share what’s going on with you and Sonia.”
Heather bit the inside of her cheek before asking, “Is it serious, Mom?”
Her mother tucked a curl of hair behind her ear. She didn’t look a day over fifty with her glowing smooth cinnamon skin. “I’ll tell you when the time is right. Trust me?”
Heather nodded.
Her mother kissed her cheek. “I put the leftovers in the fridge.” She grabbed her coat. “Let me know if you need me. Try not to overexert yourself, please. My nerves can’t take any more accidents with you.”
Heather laughed hearing the door close after her mother. Her smile faded. Whoever this man her mother was seeing had her giddy. She couldn’t get serious. Not after what she went through with Heather’s father.
She saw the dark circles and the bloodshot eyes from all the tears she had cried. She would hold off for now, but if she needed to, she would protect her mother from another heartache. What did Heather learn from the pain her mother suffered? If you love someone completely, you’ll end up hurt. So, she preferred to end things quickly with the men in her life. Lowering her gaze to the floor, it only reminded her to keep things at a distance with Allen.
Chapter 9
Heather took a gulp from her water bottle. She could do one more exercise. She would put her body through many intense workouts from abdominals, back, thighs, and lifting weights. She would dab the sweat away from her forehead and encourage her students to persevere.
“The last exercise,” Allen said. “You will be on your stomach.”
Heather turned face down on the mat. “Okay, now what?”
“You’ll lift your leg up into hip extension,” he said.
She pressed her hands into the mat as she lifted her leg. She pulled her lips in tight, hoping she could do ten, but by the time she reached five, she rested her leg.
“Think you can do the last five?” Allen asked.
Heather rested her forehead on the mat. Shaking her head, a feeling of heaviness settled in her body. The pain in her throat increased as she tried not to cry. She hoped she would be back on her feet in full swing, but she never felt this helpless.
“Heather?” Allen said, his voice sounding concerned.
She covered her face with her hands. Breathing in deeply, she tried to settle down.
“If you’re through for the day, it’s fine. It’ll get better.”