“Wow,” Marti said, her chuckle rumbling through her; Spencer couldfeel it. “This is a nice surprise. You okay?”
Spencer felt a tender kiss pressed to the top of her head, andeven as her eyes welled up and she squeezed them closed, Spencer couldn’tunderstand. This was her spot. This was where she was supposed to be. Safe andloved, enveloped in Marti’s arms. Right? Wasn’t it?
So how come the only thought in her head was that she wished itwas Rebecca instead?
* * *
Rebecca had been discreet about it, but she’d watched out a windowas Spencer practically sprinted from the gym. Then she’d stood at her car, onehand on it, seeming to keep her upright as she swayed slightly. Rebecca wastempted to follow her out there, to make sure she was okay, but something kepther feet rooted to the floor where she stood.
“Nothingwrong with looking,” Zoe had said the other night as they’d shot some pool.“Nothing even wrong with touching if it’s part of your job.”
“You think?”Rebecca had been skeptical.
“Sure. Imean, you’re not trying to seduce her, right? You said she’s engaged. So, youdo have boundaries.” Zoe sank a solid orange ball, which was Rebecca’s. “Damnit. As long as you keep them in your sights, I say take advantage. It’s fun tobe close to somebody you find attractive.”
Rebeccalined up a shot. “Okay. That makes sense, I think.”
“And for thelove of all that’s holy, stay off her girlfriend’s Facebook page. That’ll justmake you crazy.”
“That alsomakes sense,” Rebecca had agreed, with a self-deprecating grimace.
She’d replayed that conversation a few times in her head, and whenSpencer had arrived, standing at the front desk with Lucy, looking all freshand pretty, Rebecca had decided to take Zoe’s advice for a spin. Why not?
Rebecca was careful. She didn’t go overboard. There’d been nounnecessary touching, only when Spencer needed help with her form. ButRebecca’s fingers had tingled every single time, and now, after Spencer’s hastydeparture, she wasn’t sure what to do with that. Instead of feeling satisfied,she was more confused than ever, and that made her a little bit…irritated. WithZoe. With Spencer. But mostly with herself.
Maybe Nick was rubbing off on her, making her think it was fine totouch a woman just because she found her sexy. In the next breath, she shookher head at her own gross overgeneralization about men. Nick would never dosuch a thing, and that made Rebecca feel even worse.
She watched out the window as Spencer stood up and dropped herhead back as if looking to the sky for some kind of answer, her long, elegantthroat a feast for Rebecca’s eyes. Then she got in her car and drove away a bitfaster than was safe, in Rebecca’s opinion.
Rebecca stood there long after Spencer was out of sight, her thoughtsracing through her head like cars around a Nascar track. This had neverhappened to her before. Sure, she’d been attracted to lots of women in herlife. She’d even been attracted to more than one client. But she’d neverreached this level of…What was it? Frustrated desire? Unwelcome arousal? She’dhad her reservations about Spencer from the beginning, and realized now thatSpencer had never actually answered the question Rebecca had posed: why it wasokay that Marti had signed her up, had basically told her she needed to get inbetter shape. Instead, she’d redirected the conversation and…
Rebecca’s brain tossed her the image of Spencer’s face, her chinin her hand, her cheeks still flushed from her workout, her eyes sparkling andgiving Rebecca such intensely direct eye contact that she felt it in the pit ofher stomach. And lower.
A breath of frustration pushed itself from her body, and Rebeccagave her head a hard shake. “All right,” she said aloud. “Enough already. Thishas to stop. Enough.”
She had all day tomorrow and most of Friday to get her shittogether before she saw Spencer again. That should be more than enough time.
Chapter Twelve
By Friday, Rebecca was back to being the standoffish, made-of-stonefitness instructor Spencer had met on the first day, and she was bothdisappointed and relieved by that. Their bride class workout was tough. Spencerhad learned quickly that her least favorite line of Rebecca’s was “We’re gonnaburn some calories today,” as that meant it would be nearly an hour of cardio.Spencer’s least favorite exercise. At least with spin class, she could picturebeing on a country road or pedaling up a gorgeous hillside. On the stupidelliptical and variations of it, she just felt annoyed.
After forty-five minutes of climbing to nowhere, raising andlowering resistance, sprinting and climbing steadily, Rebecca pulled them offand brought them downstairs to the floor area. Spencer knew what was coming.
“All right.” Rebecca strolled in front of them, avoiding even theslightest glance at Spencer, which was how it had been the entire time.
We’re backto this again.
“Plank positions. Sixty seconds. Some of you can do it and have,others are getting close but need toworkharder.”
Spencer wrinkled her nose at the stress on the last two words, asshe knew they were directed at her. She and Lucy were the only two who hadn’tmade it the full sixty seconds yet, but Spencer could feel Rebecca’s gaze.That’s what she did: looked at Spencer when Spencer wasn’t looking. And Spencercould feel it. Every time. It unnerved her.
And she was dreading this. Her emotions had been running veryclose to the surface for the past two days, her brain swirling with a confusedjumble of thoughts, her body PMSing in a big way, the combination ready to makeher scream in anger or burst into tears—or both—at any moment.
I could justleave.I mean,I pay for the class. It’s not like I have to stay here.
But that would be…noticeable. She didn’t want that. Rather, shewanted to sink down and blend right into the floor so nobody would see her.With a quiet sigh, she got into position.
“And go.” Rebecca’s voice was strong, and despite her cooldemeanor, she looked absolutely edible to Spencer, who’d tried hard not tonotice and who’d also failed spectacularly. Rebecca wore shorts today, meshathletic shorts that Spencer immediately loved for no other reason than theyleft her legs bare. Spencer’s eyes had roamed over them like fingers; God, theywere beautiful. Shapely, lean but strong, astonishingly feminine. Spencerswallowed hard as her arms predictably began to tremble after a mere twentyseconds. Rebecca’s dark hair seemed extra shiny today, and every time shetucked it behind her ears, Spencer’s attention was pulled to her hands, herwrists, her bare arms.
