Sean senses my hesitation and leans in close, his lips a breath away from my ear. “Relax, Hadlee.” His voice is low yet comforting and he slips both hands around my waist. “I’m going to ease you up now. Grab onto the ropes.” I do as he says, clutching the ropes tightly and hoist myself over them. “Good girl,” he breathes.
Just when Sean is about to climb into the ring himself, Miss Mean Face saunters over and props herself up next to him. She flashes me yet another scowl that says look bitch I got this and starts twirling a strand of her hair around her fingertip. “Hey Sean,” she giggles and there’s a part of me that wants to barf.
Sean just glares at her for a second, says, “Sup?” Then hoists himself up and over the ropes.
Miss Mean Face just isn’t taking the hint. Because now she’s trying to climb into the ring. Sean stops her at the half way point, hovering above her, arms stretched out along the ropes, the muscles
in his biceps and forearms tighten as his fingers curl around the red rubber. “This is a private class,” he says coolly.
“Oh,” she pouts as she hops down and backs up. She puts on a seductive smirk when Sean turns his back and then she yells, “Call me sometime!”
But Sean isn’t paying any attention.
He shrugs off his wife beater and I do my best to keep a straight face, and not gape when I get a good look at his abs. Then I think the word shredded might be an understatement if I had to describe them to someone. I have never seen a body like his, all cut up and toned in all the right places. And suddenly, I’m self-conscious pulling my shirt down and glancing awkwardly in the opposite direction. I blink several times and exhale, making a mental note not to move.
Not a step.
Don’t even flinch.
Because I’m pretty sure if I move, I’ll fall or do something klutz-like, and there’s no telling where my equilibrium went. The minute Sean took his shirt off, I know it seeped through my pores and drifted off into one of the darkened corners of the gym.
“I’m going to touch you now, Hadlee,” he warns me. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Okay,” I breathe. He positions himself behind me and the overwhelming surge of his warm body pressed against me bleeds through my clothes, through my skin, and I feel like my organs are crackling embers, smoldering beneath a pile of blazing logs. “Open your eyes,” he says softly.
I didn’t even realize they were closed.
I open my eyes slowly and I see that we’re standing in front of a wide rectangular row of full length mirrors. Instantly, I notice his eyes as they stare back at me through the mirror. Sean smiles and when I see him smile, I feel at ease.
His smile does something funny to me. Something I can’t explain. It’s like the sun cutting through gray clouds right after a thunderstorm. A smile like his, so breathtaking, and mind-numbing, and vibrant, I’m convinced it can light up even the darkest days. “I’m going to slide my hands down your arms now and when I tell you I want you to move with me, okay?”
“Okay.” He looks at me sideways and I turn my head, our lips almost touching and I have to remind myself to breathe. His fingertips glide down my arms, bringing on goosebumps, and pricking my skin with tiny tingles. The tingles spread, shooting across my chest, down my legs. Pretty soon I’m tingling all over.
My eyes find his in the mirror again and I notice there’s something missing from his face. “Where’s your ball?”
He makes an awkward face. Eyebrows half-scrunched. Lips half-smirked. “My ball?”
“You know,” I tsk and think about pointing to the spot on my face, but don’t because I like the way his fingers feel on me. “That piercing.”
“Oh.” He lets out a low laugh. “I take it out for training.” He stares at me, his eyes transfixed on my face. “Why? You don’t like it?”
“It’s fine,” I say, flustered.
“It’s fine?” he lifts an eyebrow. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.”
“I just think you’re beautiful without it.” The words leave my lips rushed and jumbled together and I kind of hope that he didn’t understand what I just said.
I have shitty luck.
“Did you just call me beautiful?”
I really wish I had use of my hands right now so I could cover my face. “Umm.” A pause combined with a nervous chuckle. “Maybe.”
He lets out a husky laugh. “That’s a first. No one has ever called me beautiful, congratulations on being the first.” I smile. “Who knows, though? Next you’ll probably tell me that I’ll be even more beautiful without my tattoos.”
I drop my gaze and my cheeks flush, “No. I love your tattoos.” I can’t believe I just admitted that to him. But it’s the truth. I’ve always thought tattoos were sexy on a man. It’s funny because since I’ve met Sean, I can’t even picture what he’d look like without them. It’s like they’re a huge part of him.
“Good. Cause they’re not going anywhere.”