Page 53 of Maid For Each Other
19
5K
Abi
“Runners, take your marks.”
I glanced over at Declan and he grinned, a big wolfish smile that reminded me of the way he’d kissed me last night.Arrogant, sinful, and seductive as hell.I didn’t care that I’d proclaimed it a fun part of the act—oh, man, it had definitely been that—it was impossible for me to get it out of my mind.
Because it’d been exactly what his appearance suggested—and more.
Bossy, controlling, decadent, alpha, exquisite—it’d been all those things. But it’d also been fun and hot and so full of sexual promise that it’d kept me up for hours last night, replaying it.
Thinking things likeIf he kisses like that, he probably does a lot of other things really well.
And then my brain subjected me to an endless montage of those things that I didn’t need to be thinking about.
“Get set.”
Focus, Abi!I looked at him again, and the dark expression on his face as he gazed at me made me assume that either he was having the same thoughts, or he could see that my brain was turned on yet again by remembering the ferocity of his mouth.
Embarrassing.
“Go!”
The man with the megaphone fired off a starter pistol, and the 5K was under way.
I’d slipped into one of the bathrooms just before we lined up to take a puff of my inhaler off-the-radar, so I felt good as we started running. I knew it was immature and absolutely a sign of my insecurities, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in front of Declan. He was this beautiful specimen of a strong human, gorgeous and athletic and a captain of industry, and it felt embarrassing for him to see me sucking on my puffer like the nerd that I was.
But it was autumn and that was who I became this time of year: a puffer-sucking nerd.
The changing of the leaves, the ragweed, the pollen—it was the perfect storm that never failed to wreak havoc on my lungs and trigger the shit out of my asthma.
So was it stupid that I was running three miles outside today, especially when I was out of my daily Pulmicort but insurance wouldn’t cover it until next week because it was too soon?
Probably.
But I was getting paid alotof money to be Dex’s partner for the weekend.
I couldn’t just skip the event that he’d called one of the most family-centric of the weekend.
If all of Declan’s peers were walking and running with their partners and children, pushing their babies in strollers, it was a fantastic opportunity for us to present a united front.
Certainly I could handle three miles.
I mean, for forty grand, Ihadto handle three miles.
My inhaler was in my sports bra, so I could hit that baby whenever I needed it after Dex pulled ahead.You’ll be fine, I told myself, even though it didn’t help the knot in my stomach. But hewouldpull ahead because not only was he in ridiculous shape, but his legs were so long that there was no way he wouldn’t leave me in his dust.
And then I could puff to my lungs’ content.
So it was disconcerting that he wasn’t pulling away.
We didn’t talk while we ran, and we both had on headphones, but he was stillright therewith me after we finished the first mile.
And as expected, I was wheezing and my chest was tight.
I needed to stop.
