Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Her lips twitch. She gives a sigh of defeat and then relents. “Fine, but only because my apartment’s not far from here.”
I crack the door open and unlock my truck using the key fob, then look to Skyler.
“Ready to run?” I ask.
Skyler nods. “Let’s get wet.”
She bursts out of the building like a bullet, while I’m still trying to decide whether I heard her correctly. I race after her through the rain. She reaches my truck a few seconds before I do and jumps inside. I round to the driver’s side door and slide onto the seat, shutting the door quickly to keep the rain out.
“That was intense,” Skyler says, breathless. She frowns at my sodden tee shirt. “God, you’re drenched. I feel bad for taking your jacket.”
“It’s nothing.” I lift the hem of my tee shirt and wipe the rain from my face, showing her just how few fucks I give about the state of my clothes. Her gaze lingers on my abs and then darts away. I know better than to read into her interest, but I like the thought of her appreciating my physique.
I appreciate Skyler’s body very much...
My pulse ratchets as her scent fills the cab and I resist the urge to lean closer. I ask where she lives. She replies with the name of a familiar apartment complex about a mile up the road. I back out of the parking space and then head out of the lot.
After a stretch of quiet, punctuated by the soundtrack of the rain hitting the roof, I decide I want to hear her voice more than I want to play the role of her indifferent boss.
“How’re you liking the job?” I ask, then add, “You can be brutally honest. This isn’t an employee-satisfaction survey.”
Skyler chuckles.
“It’s been great. All the members I’ve met have been really nice, even though I’m younger than most of them.”
“If anyone gives you a hard time, let me know and I’ll set ‘em straight.”
“Thanks,” she says, and I hear the smile in her voice. “I’m just happy that I can help people relax for a while.” She pauses for a second before continuing. “My dad worked a really stressful job as a defense attorney. It ended up messing with his health.”
“What does he do now?”
“He um... He passed away a little over a year ago. Heart attack.”
My chest aches for her loss. “I’m very sorry to hear that.”
“I figure if I can help someone carve out a moment of peace in their hectic day, maybe it’ll do their heart some good.”
“That’s admirable, Skyler. I’m sure your dad would be proud of you.”
Her lips curve in a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Thanks, Ben.”
With only another minute or so left before we reach Skyler’s apartment building, I opt for a lighter topic. “Moodie mentioned that you’re a food major at your school.”
“Nutrition Sciences, actually. But you can call me a food major, since that’s pretty much what I focus on. My dad and I used to cook together all the time. It was our way of hanging out after a long day.” She teases her fingers through the ends of her damp hair. “After being told by doctors that I needed to lose weight my whole life, I decided to learn more about the nutrition behind the foods I eat. Turns out, it’s a lot more complicated than most people think.”
“How so?” I ask.
“Well, for starters, people’s metabolisms vary, and underlying conditions can make you more or less likely to put on weight in certain areas. Demonizing specific nutrients in favor of others isn’t helpful across the board. Your body needs a little bit of everything to be healthy. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all that... I mean, look at you.”
Stopped at a red light, I glance in her direction, brow cocked.
“What about me?”
She bites her lip. “You look like someone who knows exactly what his body needs, down to the last gram.”
Heat and desire flood my veins as I watch her top teeth scrape over her bottom lip. In the literal sense, she’s absolutely right. I’m as disciplined when it comes to my diet as I am about the other aspects of my life, down to the last gram of protein. But if you asked what my body needs most right now, the answer wouldn’t be chicken breast. It would be the redhead seated beside me with a glint of mischief in her hazel eyes.
The car behind us honks, alerting me to the fresh green light.
I death-grip the steering wheel, resisting the urge to trace my thumb across her curved lip, as we continue through the intersection.
“I keep a close watch on my macros,” I say. “It helps that I eat the same thing every day.”
“Seriously? But doesn’t that get boring after a while?”