Page 65 of Reputation (Tempt)

I dropped my head and shook it before going to stand behind him in the mirror. “May I?” My hands hovered near his waist.

He hesitated then gave the briefest of nods.

“So, you want the movement to come from the legs, not the core or hips.” I gripped his hips and tried not to think about how good they felt beneath my hands. How his skin singed me, even through his clothes. How his kiss had made me forget everything else.

“All right.” I finally backed away, removing my hands. “Normally, I would do A-walks, A-skips, and some other stuff, but let’s get back on the treadmill since we’re not at a track.”

“A-walks? Is that like Ewoks?” he joked then mimicked the voice and mannerisms of an Ewok from Star Wars.

I laughed despite myself. Maybe the endorphins were already kicking in. Or maybe it was just that I was in my happy place and nothing was going to bring me down. “No. It’s certain types of steps—a cadence, if you will. Like this.” I demonstrated a few.

“That takes a lot of coordination.”

“You should see me do hurdles.” I grinned.

“I have.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, I saw a video—once—of you doing hurdles.”

“Mm-hmm.” Well, wasn’t this amusing? I’d been watching him most of my life—he’d starred in some of my favorite movies. And even though I’d gotten used to living in his home, to being around him, it was surreal to think of Nate paying attention to anything I did.

He climbed on the treadmill next to me, and I was curious to see how he’d fare with my workout. I knew he trained with one of the best personal trainers in the industry, but he was trying to build muscle to look a certain way for a specific role. I was trying to win a two-day, seven-event competition. Or at least…I would be if I didn’t freak myself out at the thought of it.

“You’re scowling at the treadmill.”

“Ready?” I asked, finger poised over the start button.

There was a fire in Nate’s eyes. A spark of challenge. “Ready.”

We’ll see about that.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Oh. Holy. Jesus.

Emerson was trying to kill me.

I panted, my heart beating so fast it would likely no longer register on a heart rate monitor. Sweat dripped down my temple. I should never have agreed to a workout with an Olympic gold medalist. Let alone one who clearly wanted payback for my sins.

Her workout clothes didn’t help. I mean…those shorts were indecent, barely covering her delectable ass. And the way her sports bra pushed up her tits… It was fucking distracting.

I mean…thatkiss.

I couldn’t get that kiss out of my head. Her lips parting in surprise. The feel of her hips beneath my hands. And her mouth… God, her mouth.

Fucking amazing. Even better than I’d ever imagined.

But then the workout had started, and I was so focused on surviving, it didn’t leave time for much else. I wondered if that was her intent because there was no way this was a “light workout.” None.

I couldn’t help but think she was taking her aggression out on me. But damn, she was strong. And even though my energy was flagging, I sure as hell wasn’t going to show her any weakness.

She was a beast. She’d barely been discharged from the hospital, and part of me wondered if she attacked all her workouts this hard.

“Time for a water break,” she said.

Thank fuck.

I trudged over to my water bottle and sank down on the floor, trying not to flop down pathetically like a fish. Was this what the next year would be like? Painful. Punishing.

“You done?” she asked, cocking her eyebrow.