Protecting Dallas

It felt good, being able to flirt with him like this. To be free of Malcolm, who’d always thought my personal training sessions were a huge waste of money. “Why pay for something you can do yourself?” he’d argued often. “You’re already paying for a gym membership. Do you really need to throw extra money at someone to stand over you?”

With any other boyfriend, I would’ve chalked it up to jealousy. After all, Donovan was gorgeous. But with Malcolm… not so much. Like always, he was just being cheap.

“So when did it end?”

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Donovan’s deep, velvety voice brought me back to reality. I stared up him curiously. “Huh?”

“Your relationship. You broke up with your boyfriend, didn’t you?”

My confusion was suddenly replaced with astonishment. I was stunned.

“How do you kno—”

“Because you didn’t talk about him at all,” Donovan interjected. “Not once, during our entire session. Usually you talk about him a lot, whenever I work you out.”

“I do?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “Nothing good, usually. He sounds… well…”

“Go on,” I smiled. “You can say it.”

Our eyes locked. My personal trainer hesitated, sizing me up a little before continuing. “He sounds like a cheap, controlling asshole.”

I laughed as I popped the top off my water bottle. “Bingo.”

“So you broke up with him?”

I wish. Suddenly I felt very foolish. As if the other people in my life could see something obvious I was totally missing. Missing for a very long time.

“Something like that.”

“So then tell me,” he said. “If you’re single, and you obviously have more time on your hands… why are you avoiding me?”

I stared back at him, feeling like a deer caught in a pair of steel blue headlights. There was no use lying to him. He’d know immediately, before I even finished constructing the sentence.

“I— I’m kinda strapped for cash,” I admitted humbly. “I don’t have a car anymore, so I’m saving up for one.”

His expression softened. I saw a welcome understanding in his eyes, as all judgment went out the window.

“I can’t afford too many sessions right now,” I said. “So I was thinking of cutting back my sessions. Maybe only coming—”

“You’re a personal shopper, right?”

I blinked. It was the last thing I expected him to say.

“Yes.”

“Well Christmas is coming,” said Donovan. “And I’ve got a ton of people to buy for. Friends, family, small gifts I usually give to clients…”

His voice had changed also. It was still beautiful, still wonderfully deep and sexy. But it was smoother now. Much more casual.

“How about we trade?” he smiled warmly. “Some personal training sessions for some personal shopping?”

He had the best smile. It brought mine out as well.

“You’d do that?”