Aiden
A fucking water leak.
With a game next week, I need to be on top of my schedule, and things like this derail my plan. Training at another gym is not what I need right now. I push the door open and head inside. I scan the area, feeling my spine tighten with the list of things that throw me off balance.
The place is crowded, with only a few machines available, and none of the ones I need. Coach told us to use the football gym if necessary, but after the last encounter I had with Ben Reed, that was a no.
The guy can’t help himself from making crude comments about women, goading and instigating until someone snaps. If Grayson hadn’t pulled me off him last year, I could have lost my scholarship, I could have lost everything I have worked so hard for in the matter of a few seconds. And I can’t let that happen.
So, I suck it up, pull out my headphones and turn on my music, walking over to one of the only machines available. The treadmill. Fuck, I hate running, but I need to keep my body in shape somehow. This will have to do.
My head snaps up when I feel eyes on me. I slowly turn, making eye contact with the girls walking by. They smile at me and turn, whispering to each other.
I let my eyes fall to the screen in front of me, trying not to get distracted. I loved the attention when I first got here. I came from nothing, an absolute nobody, but then everything changed. Suddenly I was wanted and attractive, and girls wanted to sleep with me.
It was a surprise, but I went with it, had a girl in my bed every night and a new one knocking on the door by morning. It was everything freshman me could have wanted, but it got old, and ultimately, basketball has to come first. It’s what I’m working towards; it’s what’s going to make sure I never end up like my brothers or my mom back home. It’s my freedom.
I pick up speed, my legs extending the entire length of the treadmill as I start to jog. I keep my eyes on the screen, watching the speed increase, feeling the burn in my legs.
I lift my head and keep my eyes locked forward, trying to forget about everything but the burn. My eyes look up, catching the poster of the team, with my face front and center. The captain. The one that’s supposed to lead the team to victory. The one living a lie. I shake all thoughts out of my head. That’s not fucking helping.
My eyes drop as I try to focus on something else. Anything. They drop and land on the person in front of me, watching as she climbs the stair master. The long, brown ponytail flicking behind her shoulder with every step she takes.
I narrow my eyes. Is that…?
My eyes widen as realization kicks in.
What are the chances?
I can’t help but let my eyes drift to the pronounced curve of her ass in those gym leggings as she climbs the stairs, causing a grin to form on my face.
Her head stays high, her hands on her hips as she steps on the machine. I don’t even know what speed I’m on or how long I’ve been on here.
But by the time she steps off the machine, my legs feel like jello. My hands hold on to the railing as I watch her lean down, grabbing a towel to wipe away the sweat on her face.
It doesn’t take long for her to find me, her eyes meeting mine. She stares, blinking a few times, making sure she’s seeing right. I let out a laugh. “Hi,” I mouth at her, flashing a smile.
She shakes her head, not taking her eyes off me. I pick up speed, full-on running as she checks me out. Her eyes roll as she bends down, giving me a shot of her round ass as she picks up her gym bag and leaves, heading towards the weights.
Damn, I guess it’s time to lift.
I turn off the machine, coming to a stop before I jump off, walking over towards where she’s holding a weight bar on her shoulders, dropping into a squat.
Holy— I turn my head and find the bench press empty. Perfect. I lie down on the seat, shuffling back. My hands grip the bar, and I lift the weight, dropping it down to my chest. A grunt leaves me as I lift it back up and repeat.
I don’t get past three reps when a shadow casts across my face making me look up, seeing no other than—
“Leila,” I flash her a grin, setting the bar on the rack. She’s upside down and angry, but somehow, she still looks hot.
“Are you following me?” she asks.
I sit up, grab my water bottle off the floor, and take a gulp. I tilt my head as I look back at her, resisting the urge to laugh when I see the scowl painted on her face, her hands propped up on her hips. “Just purely coincidental,” I tell her.
“A coincidence?” she repeats.
I shrug, my eyes trailing down the sliver of tanned skin below her black sports bra. “Water leak. My gym closed down. Had no other option.”
I lie back down on the bench, gripping the handle. My eyes look up, seeing her still standing above me. “Besides, I don’t get a view like this in my gym,” I tease her.
Her hand presses against the handle, not allowing me to pick up the weights. I grunt, smiling at her. “Are you going to spot me, baby?”
Her green eyes narrow at me. “Don’t call me that.”
“What do you want me to call you?” She rolls her eyes, letting out a frustrated groan and walks away. Where the hell did she go? I drop my hands from the bar, attempting to sit up, but before I can, a hard press of her hand against my chest pushes me back down. I look up, seeing her standing above me, legs on either side of me. Holy fuck.
“Why don’t I believe you?” she asks, practically straddling me.
I try to lift myself up, but she presses me back down. I grunt, feeling her heat over her leggings. Jesus. I let out a laugh, my hands drifting up to her hips. “Careful, Leila.” Her eyes widen when I grip her hips. “You’re playing a dangerous game.” One I’d love to play, but the way she stands and steps back tells me she didn’t think before she straddled me on a gym bench.
I finally sit up and look up at her. The blush on her cheeks makes my chest pound. I would bet it has nothing to do with her workout and everything to do with me. “That was quite a show,” I tell her, standing up from the bench. “We could do it again if you give me your number,” I suggest, lifting my brows.
She assesses me for a second, shaking her head. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”
My brows furrow. “What?”
“At first, I thought it was a pride thing. I said no, so it made you want me, but now I don’t know.”
A pride thing? “C’mon, Leila. Don’t act coy. I know you want me too.”
She looks up, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. I note how she hasn’t denied it, but then her eyes narrow. “And what’s in it for you?”
I shrug. “The pleasure of your company.”
She lets out a scoff. “You never quit, do you?”
“I told you,” I say, stepping closer to her. “I don’t give up. And I don’t lose.”
She tilts her head. “And if I say no?”
My hands itch to touch her face, but I keep them by my side, stuffing them in my pockets. “You won’t. You want this as much as I do.”
Her eyes keep my hold for what seems like eternity, until she finally sighs and steps back, reaching into her bag. Holy shit. She holds out her hand and glances at me. “Phone,” she orders.
I pull my phone out of my pocket, grinning when I hand it over to her. “As you wish.”
She lets out a scoff, the corner of her lips turning up into a smile and starts typing away on my phone. A few seconds later, she hands it back to me, and a laugh escapes me when I see what she saved her number as.
“‘Never going to happen’?” I ask, reading out her contact name.
She nods, giving me a smirk.
I shake my head, taking a step close to her, towering over her and tut. “Hate to break it to you,” I whisper. “But it just did.”
I pull back, admiring how her breath accelerates and her face flushes. She picks up her bag and heads into the lockers. “Don’t make me regret it,” she says without turning around.
I drop my eyes to my phone, staring at the screen with her number. I grip my phone in my hand, looking up to see she’s gone. “You will,” I mutter to myself.
