by Dee Garcia
Get a fucking grip, Carr, I admonished myself as I closed in the distance between us, stopping less than two feet away. My gaze instantly riveted to said perfect ass currently on full display. It was barely sheathed by those damned shorts, the curve of each cheek peeking out from the bottom, taunting me to the point I had to fist my hands again to avoid grabbing two handfuls.
“Need some help with that?” I mused aloud, unable to control my mouth or the vivid thoughts clouding my mind.
Hazel’s head snapped over her shoulder, her long blond ponytail slapping down on her back with the rapid motion. Chocolate brown eyes widened but she recovered quickly and spun around to face me.
“Mr. Carr.” She smiled. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“A pleasant surprise it is indeed, Miss Perry.” I agreed, flashing her a smile of my own. “How’s it going?”
“All is well, though I will admit, I’m rather curious.”
My brow quirked. “About?”
“What makes you think I’d let you help me?”
“Come again?” I asked slightly confused.
Hazel smirked. “You asked if I needed help with that. So, with that being said, what makes you think I'd let you” -she poked my chest- “help me.”
The sass on this one… Game on, baby.
“I'm a good gym buddy.” I grinned.
Unabashed and without hesitation, Hazel gave me a once over, her eyes moving at a leisure pace as she clocked in what felt like every tiny detail. I thought I saw a hint of appreciation flash across her face but it was long gone the second I blinked.
“Is that so?” Her question was laced with amusement. “How long have you been here?”
I dropped my gaze to the face of my watch. “Just over an hour. Why?”
“And you look like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like that.” She said, waving a finger up and down the length of my chest. “There's not a drop of sweat clinging to your skin. Gym buddies sweat.”
It wasn't so much the word itself that affected me but how she said it. The dash of sexiness swirling in her voice lit every last one of my nerve endings on fire. I wanted to snatch her up, run my hands along the curves of her body, and smash my lips against hers to silence her smart mouth...with my tongue.
With purpose, I let my eyes roam up the lines of her figure to meet her stare as I said, “My workout was cut a bit short today. I was a little distracted.”
Hazel shook her head, tsking between her teeth. “Ah, well, that explains it. Unfortunately, I'm not taking applications for a gym buddy right now, so I'm going to pass. But thanks.” She smirked and made way to turn around. “Oh, and for future reference, your lack of focus is a turnoff. I suggest you step your game up, Mr. Carr. Quite obviously you're not as qualified for the position as your little mind has lead you to believe.”
If her words were meant to burn, I didn’t take notice. I was far too enraptured with the way her perfectly bowed lips caressed each word. Taking several steps forward, I burst right into her personal bubble before she could turn away and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She gasped as my head dipped low beside her ear.
“That's not fair judgement, sweets. At all. You're not giving me any sort of credit for what I've quite obviously already accomplished. Missing one day at the gym isn't a big deal in the slightest, as I'm sure you've noticed.”
Hazel stilled, her small frame tensing in my arms. She turned her head away from me, granting me an unparalleled view of her neck. It was suddenly the only thing I could focus on. The longer I gazed upon it the more my mouth watered. Being this close to her was a dangerous thing in itself, but now, with all that fair skin so closely within reach, it was lethal. That we were in public was irrelevant. I had the urge to snake my fingers through those blonde curls, tug her head back, and expose it all for me to run my tongue along the curve..
To suck on it…
Bite down on it…
Fuck.
My self-control was hanging by a damn thread. Unable to contain myself, I leaned in closely and ran the very tip of my nose along the silky column of her neck, deeply inhaling that sweet scent of hers.
“I can assure you I'm much better than you’re thinking, Hazel. Considering it's my job to know what I'm doing, I’d say I’m the most qualified gym buddy you’ll find around here. And for the record…” I brought two fingers under her chin and turned her head back, looking straight into her eyes. “I sweat plenty.”
She held my stare and swallowed deeply.
“Fair enough.” Her voice trembled around the words as she set a small hand flat against my chest and pushed away, clearly wanting to add some space between our bodies. I couldn’t say I blamed her. The heat radiating between us could probably be felt throughout the entire gym. I obliged only to please her and released her from my grasp.
“So are you gonna let me help you out now?” I asked.
Hazel bit the inside of her cheeks, puckering her plump lips. I could see the wheels turning in her head, how she was internalizing whether or not to accept my offer.
After a beat, she rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, but I want to know exactly what this supposed job of yours is.”
“Supposed?” I chuckled. “I’m a personal trainer.”
An astonished expression flashed across her face. “Really?”
“Really, really.”
“Prove it.”
I would have proven her regardless, but something about the challenge in her tone fueled me into action like a match laid to a trail of gasoline.
“Turn around, Hazel.” I ordered.
She didn’t hesitate, briskly pivoting in place.
My hands came up to her waist and our eyes instantly met in the mirror before us, brown to blue. I dug my fingers into her skin and ducked my head low, letting my lips dance beside her ear. “Now bend over for me, sweets.”
I heard her sharp intake of breath, saw her eyes flutter shut. Then her head hit my chest. “What did you just say?”
“I said, bend over for me.”
“Why the h-hell would I do that?” She stammered through her question.
“Were you not stretching when I interrupted you?”
“Yeah, a-and?”
“So we’ll continue where you left off.”
“I'm very capable of stretching by myself.” Her fingers pried my hands off her body and she turned to face me once more. “Prove it another way.”
My lips curled in a smirk. “Alright, then spar with me.”
“You're kidding right?”
“On the contrary, I'm very serious.”
“I'm not sparring with you.” She said definitively.
“Why not? Afraid I'll make you tap out?”
Hazel scrunched up her face. “Not in the slightest. Hypothetically speaking, if we sparred you would be the one tapping out, unless of course you're looking to get knocked out.”
“You’re a cocky little thing, huh?” I questioned, highly amused with the little spit-fire standing before me. “So certain you can tap me out. Prove it, short stuff.”
“Call me short stuff again and you'll see why I'm so cocky.” She gritted out, shooting me a death glare.
“Oooh, feisty. I like it.”
“You think you like it until you're down on the mat begging me to let you breathe.”
I chuckled, the sound deep within my throat. “I don't beg, sweetheart. But you will… When I'm done with you.”
“Look who's cocky now.” She rolled her eyes trying to seem unaffected.
“Confident, not cocky. There's a difference.” I corrected her.
“You two were looking mighty cozy over here.” Luis snickered, appearing beside us with a huge satisfied smile spread across his face. “How it's going, Lioness?”
She held up a hand. “Luis, please, just Hazel.”
“We’re on a first name basis now? You know that automatically makes us friends, right?”
Ha
zel’s body shook with silent laughter. “I think so, yes.”
“Fuck yes, I'm friends with the Lioness! What about you, bro? You friends yet?” He waggled his eyebrows.
I wanted to punch him dead center in his smug face. If the glare I was burning into him didn't give him a hint, I wasn't so sure I could pass up beating the crap out of him the next time something stupid came out of his mouth.
I turned my attention back to Hazel. “As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted…”
“Ey, you said five minutes dickhead. I'm just keeping your ass in check.”
“Shhh.” I shoved a finger into his face. “Figure out a way for me to prove myself and we’ll revisit this conversation another day.”
“You'll be waiting many a days for that conversation then, Mr. Carr.” She said.
My brow quipped. “And why is that?”
“Because I leave for Vegas tomorrow. Unless you have some sort of magical teleportation powers, I don't see how you're going to prove yourself anytime soon between the mileage.”
The thought of her leaving made me uncomfortable in a way I couldn't explain. In the back of my mind, I knew she'd be gone by morning, Reyna along with her. Constant travel was part of being on the League. It was one of the things I’d watched Luis struggle with most. His sister was gone for months out of the year and when she returned, he always felt like he'd missed a huge chunk of her life.
Being they were all each other had—aside from me—it was always difficult for him when she left, even if he did fly out to see her whenever he could. And here I was, so wrapped up in our heated exchange that my brain completely shut out the fact she’d be only but a memory for the next several months. I wasn't about to let her get away though.
Reaching into my pocket, I fished out my wallet. “I'll tell you what. You take all the time you need thinking of a way for me to showcase my abilities, and once you do, call me”—I held out a business card between two fingers—“We’ll discuss all the fine details and I’ll prove you right when you return.” I added with a grin.
Taking me by complete surprise, Hazel snatched the small piece of cardstock and lifted onto her toes, laying her hand flat on my chest. “Let's see what I can come up with…” She smiled. “Though I may consider letting you slide and just taking you up on your offer. It might be good to give my old man a break.” I wasn’t expecting to feel her soft, warm lips press against my cheek. It froze me in place. It also took every goddamn thing in me not to curl a hand around her pretty little throat and turn my head to fuse our mouths together.
“Catch you later, stud.” She said with a wink.
Hazel and Luis quickly exchanged goodbyes and then I watched her disappear to the back of the gym.
“Well, that was… Interesting.” Luis piped up.
“Shut up, man, seriously.” I pushed past him to the locker rooms.
“You have got it bad, bro. Do you realize that?” He said, keeping up with my strides.
“I’m well aware. Thanks.”
“Dude, calm the fuck down. She’s just a chick. Why are you going nuts?”
I jerked to a stop and whipped my head in his direction. “She is not just some chick. Trust me. There’s something about her...and I want it. I want her.”
Luis sighed and shook his head. “Are you deaf, Carr? She’s leaving with Rey in the morning.”
“I heard her loud and clear. Won’t deter me any less. I want her and if that means I have to wait, then I’ll be here when she returns.”
“You’re going to wait around half a year for a woman you’ve known all of what, five seconds?” He asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Pretty much.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
“No, really, you've lost your damn mind.”
I shrugged. “Maybe so, but I have a feeling it'll all be well worth it.”
If I thought I had it bad for Hazel from the moment I met her, I was highly mistaken. It was so much worse now, so much fucking worse. Our little run in at the gym last weekend assured that. A handful of days had passed since she left for Vegas and I was going out of my right mind. She consumed my thoughts from the moment I woke up, to the moment I fell asleep, and even then, the woman starred in my dreams.
With that wild blonde hair, those chocolate brown eyes, and that exquisitely sculpted body, Hazel Perry was one fierce goddess and I was merely a beggar on my knees praying at her altar for one spec of her undivided attention. This infatuation was quickly morphing into a rabid obsession and I didn't know what the hell to do about it.
On Friday evening, after a long ass week full of bitchy stay at home moms—who’s husbands paid a pretty penny for one of my prime spots—I walked in through the front door of my condo and went straight to the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge.
Guzzling a few long sips, I killed half the bottle before even making it to the couch and snatching the remote off the coffee table. I flipped mindlessly through the channels, finally settling on a rerun of The First 48, and hoped for a distraction from my repetitive train of thoughts.
It was a temporary solution to say the least.
The tell tale buzz in my pocket alerted me of a new message and tore my attention away from the homicide investigation on the TV. Fishing it out, I read the text on display.
Hello, Mr. Carr.
I stared between the message and the sender at least five times, in complete and utter shock. The number wasn't programmed to my contacts, but I knew without a doubt it was her.
No one called me Mr. Carr, not even my clients. Hazel, however, had used the formal greeting on more than one occasion and I was beginning to think there was something about it she liked. Setting the now empty bottle down on the coffee table, I typed out my response with a shit-eating grin.
Miss Perry...
What a nice surprise. How are you?
How’d you know it was me? Lol. I'm good, a bit tired to be honest, but I'll live. How are you?
No one has taken to calling me Mr. Carr, but you. Wasn’t that hard to figure out. Truthfully I don’t think thrilled would accurately describe how I'm feeling, but okay, we’ll go with thrilled.
She had absolutely no idea just how thrilling it was.
Or did she?
My knee bobbed up and down anxiously as I waited almost impatiently for her reply, my blood pumping a mile a minute.
You can't say something like that and not elaborate. Do tell...
Intrigued, are we, Miss. Perry?
Obviously…
Curiosity killed the cat, you know.
Irrelevant and you're stalling. Spill it, Carr.
Demanding little thing. Well, what if I said I wasn't going to tell you?
Then I’d say you'd have a very angry Lioness on your hands.
Lol I'd prefer her in my hands, thank you very much.
You sure you can handle all that, stud?
Oh, baby, you have no idea just how much I could handle that.
I chuckled, shaking my head.
The playful banter was fun but I was itching to hear her voice. Without a second thought, I clicked through a couple screens and dialed her number. Two rings later, that silky purr-like voice of hers filled my ear.
“Mr. Carr, long time no talk.”
I sank back into the couch, my grin spreading further. “Missed me, sweets?”
“Eh, perhaps, I’ll never tell though.”
“Unlike you, I won’t press you for an answer.”
She laughed. “How thoughtful of you.”
“So to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from you?”
“Your offer. I want details, that is if you have time for that right now.”
“Even if I didn't, I'd make the time for you.” I admitted.
There was a short yet excruciating bout of silence before she said in a hushed voice, “You're sweet, you know that?”
For you, yes.
“I'm selec
tively sweet.”
“Way to take a compliment.” She chuckled. “So what exactly does this offer of yours entail?”
“It's simple. You tell me what you're looking to get out of each session, we link schedules, and BAM, personal trainer at your service.”
“That's it? You made it sound like there was so much more to it.”
“Perhaps it was all a ploy to ensure I’d hear from you again.”
I could practically hear the smile split her face in half. “And what made you so certain said ploy would work?”
“I wasn't certain at all but I hoped like hell it would.”
Instead of a response, I heard muffled voices through the line. It went on for a several moments before she said suddenly, “I have to go.”
The high from our conversation plummeted.
“But we’ll talk later?” She added, her tone almost hopeful.
Relieved to hear her say that, I conceded. “You can bet on it. I'll be here.”
“Good night, stud.”
“Sweet dreams, beautiful.”
I ended the call and dropped my phone onto the couch beside me, the entire conversation instantly replaying in my mind. While it had been the highlight of my week, it also made it that much more difficult knowing that a phone call was far as it could go for the time being.
But I’d take whatever I could get.
It was probably better this way anyway. Our sexual attraction was off the fucking charts and I wanted Hazel to know I wasn’t just attracted to her body. I was attracted to every facet of her being, both inside and out.
The distance would allow us to really get to know one another, to develop trust, something any successful relationship—even friendships—thrived from.
And I wanted us to thrive.
Sin City was without a doubt one of my favorite stops on tour. Not only was it a magnificently beautiful place to visit, it also put us all in a fantastic mood from the moment the city came into view, high above the ground.
