“You sure there’s no other reason?” Jonathan asked, as he replaced the dumbbell he was holding so he could grab another.
Zach needed a distraction. Anything to keep his mind off Danielle’s impending appearance and Jonathan’s incessant questions. Apparently, Zach had been very forthcoming that night at the club when he’d had a bit too much liquor in his stomach. Now, Jonathan kept hinting to the conversation without really saying anything. Maybe he was just waiting for Zach to offer information, but that was the last thing he wanted to do.
So, Zach strolled over to the treadmill and hopped onto it. After ratcheting the speed up to a 10, he took off on the belt. A few minutes in and his legs were burning. It felt so good. He stared at the wall in front of him, the pain in his body taking over his thoughts.
He got lost in the movement until a hand rested on his arm, which made him stumble. He grabbed onto the side rails and turned, ready to let Jonathan have it, when he was met with Danielle’s disheveled hair and crazy eyes.
He wiped at his brow as he steadied his feet on the sides of the treadmill and hit the emergency stop. He grabbed a towel that was stuffed in a cup holder and wiped his face. Maybe getting all sweaty before he was supposed to meet with Danielle had been the wrong move. At least he’d remembered to put on deodorant.
“You’re late,” he said as he glanced up at the clock.
“Thank you, Officer,” Jonathan’s voice carried from the back door. Officer? Zach glanced behind Danielle to see Jonathan shake a policeman’s hand.
Confused, Zach turned back to Danielle who looked as if she were about to scream. “You came here in a cop car?” he asked.
Danielle reached up and loosened her hair out of the elastic holding it back. She shook out her curls, causing them to bounce around her. Despite the fact that she was sweaty and had the look of death in her eyes, she was beautiful and it took Zach’s breath away.
“Late? Late?” she asked, her voice rising with each word. “I wouldn’t have been late had you not locked the doors or answered your phone.” She reached out and grabbed the towel from his hands. She began turning it around and squeezed it with her fingers, and then when it seemed like she found a dry spot she wiped her face and neck with it.
Zach tried not to notice how smooth her skin looked as she dabbed at it. And then he realized that he was staring, which he shouldn’t be doing at all, so he dropped his gaze and nudged the floor with his sneaker. “I didn’t hear any of that.”
Danielle threw the towel at him as she growled. “That’s because you had your obnoxious music at a ridiculous decibel.”
Jonathan must have heard her because seconds later, the volume decreased.
“That still doesn’t explain the cop.” Zach folded his arms. He had to admit, he was getting some amusement from how angry Danielle was. He was trying his hardest to take her seriously, but it was difficult when her cheeks were pink, highlighting the light splash of freckles across her nose.
She narrowed her eyes. “I thought I’d find a way in around back. Apparently, he thought I was trying to break in.” She reached back and braided her hair down and tied it, which was a fascinating process of light fingers and graceful hands.
Frustrated that with every movement, his feelings were growing for her in the wrong direction, Zach cleared his throat, stepped past her, and over to the squat rack. He wiped his facewith the towel once more before racking the weights. With the way he was feeling, he had energy to work off.
He heard the huffing of Danielle as she followed after him. “Do you have anything you want to say to me?” she asked as she stepped into view.
Not sure what to say, Zach glanced down at her. He moved to the other side of the bar and racked those weights. Then he shifted his shoulders as he stepped up to the bar and got into position.
“He’s sorry,” Jonathan offered from behind him.
Danielle looked to Jonathan and then back to Zach. “Yeah, I need to hear it from him.”
“I’m sorry you got mistaken for someone breaking and entering.” He shot her a smile and then straightened, lifting the bar off the hooks and taking the weight onto his shoulders. Blowing out his breath, he squatted down and then straightened. From the corner of his eye, he could see Danielle standing there with her arms folded and a scowl on her face. It was adorable.
He did as many reps as he could before he almost gave out. He’d do just about anything to prolong this conversation. To say he had been dreadingandlooking forward to this meeting wouldn’t accurately describe his feelings. It had been so hard seeing her at every game these last three months, off on the side lines, within reach, but not touchable. So much so that he’d contemplated calling up her editor and demanding a different reporter. But now? He loved her being here as much as he hated it.
What could he say? He was a glutton for punishment.
As if she suddenly realized that she wasn’t going to get an answer from him, Danielle turned and zeroed in on Jonathan who’d moved to the treadmill and was running. Thankful that he was going to get a break from her prying eyes, Zach took thattime to return the weights and let out his breath. The muscles in his legs throbbed from the intensity and work he’d just done.
Their conversation was muted and Zach tried hard not to stare too hard at them. He knew Jonathan was a flirt and it hadn’t ever bothered him—until now. A fire built up in his chest as heat pricked his already warm skin. It definitely wasn’t the temperature that was making him agitated. It was Danielle’s ridiculous giggle and the way she smacked Jonathan’s arm that had his frustration near boiling.
He left the weight cage and made his way over to his water bottle where he downed the liquid, reveling in the lower temperature as it cooled his body. He took a few deep breaths and had to mentally keep his gaze from wandering over to the mirrors—in the direction of Jonathan and Danielle.
“Are you ready to talk to me?”
Her soft voice washed over him, causing Zach’s heart to pound. Was it wrong that he enjoyed the fact that Danielle had left his best friend’s side to be by him? That for once in his life, even if it was stupid, she was picking him over someone else?
He turned and met her bright green eyes. She looked less upset as she stood there with her arms folded and a soft expression on her face.
He pushed his hand through his hair as he swallowed. If she only knew how much he wanted to talk to her. But, those were things he couldn’t say even if, after so many years, those feelings never faded.
