Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(11)

Now it was Melody’s turn to be offended. She crossed her arms and straightened. “Do you think the only reason I signed up for this competition is to flirt with you?”

“I don’t see you working out,” he shot back.

“Forgive me for being friendly. Not all of us hate people, you know.”

He let out a breath and rolled his eyes. “I don’t hate people. It’s just that we’re here for a purpose.”

“Yeah.” Melody crossed her arms tighter. “To get to know each other. That’s why it’s called a mixer.”

Will might not have been one for words, but his expressions spoke volumes. At that moment, it was saying that she had a point, as grudging as he was to admit it. He shifted his stance and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you know how kettlebells are used?”

“I assume you ring them when lunch is ready,” she answered with mock seriousness.

His brow twitched up in that way that made her blood stir. “Come here. I’ll show you.”

Melody’s happy returned in full force. Will moved down the line of kettlebells, selecting one that looked more like a tennis ball with an oversized handle than any serious kind of workout equipment. He handed it to her. She completely misjudged its weight, and nearly dropped it on her toes.

“Careful,” he cautioned her. “They’re heavier than they look.”

“No, really?” She smirked, adjusting her grip to hold hers like a purse.

“Not like that.” Will sighed. He grabbed a much bigger kettlebell and brought it over to a thin mat. Melody followed. When Will stopped and set his kettlebell on the ground, settling into a wide stance with his feet on either side of it, she copied him. “You’re going to want to stand farther back,” he warned her. “We’re going to be swinging these, and we don’t want to run into each other.”

She opened her mouth to say that she wouldn’t mind running into him at all, but thought better of it. Especially since Howie and Quintus were now watching her and Will with particular interest. Without a word, Melody backed up until Will raised his hand for her to stop, then mirrored his stance.

“Okay. Now, pick the kettlebell up with both hands, like this—” He bent over to pick up his bell, and Melody suddenly wished she was standing on the other side of him where the view was better. “Lift the kettlebell like this and swing it up to the level of your head.” He demonstrated the swing several times, his knees, thighs, torso, and arms all moving in perfect unison.

“Is that all?” Maybe this whole working out thing wasn’t as hard as all that after—

As soon as she lifted her tiny kettlebell into the air, she knew she was in trouble. The motion was easy enough, but the weight of the bell kept it in motion once she got the swing going. “Oh my gosh,” she gasped as she brought it back down and through her legs. “Is my gut supposed to hurt like this?”

“Swinging a kettlebell works out your glutes, hamstrings, lats, abs, shoulders, pecs…all of it,” Will explained as he continued to swing, without sounding the least bit winded. “If you’re doing it right.”

“How do I know if I’m doing it right?” As far as Melody was concerned, the bell was swinging her and not the other way around.

“Keep going,” Will said as he slowed his swing and set his kettlebell down. He walked a wide circle around Melody, studying her as she moved.

Knowing he was checking out her body was as distracting as if he’d taken off his shirt. She tried to twist just enough to keep him in sight, but the tiny movement threw off her rhythm. “Ow!” Something wrenched in her shoulder, and she dropped her kettlebell with a thump.

“You need to learn to focus,” Will told her with more than a little impatience in her voice.

“I do just fine with focus, thank you very much,” she replied, more irritated than she usually was in a month.



Will shook his head and moved closer to Melody. Nothing bothered him more than someone who didn’t take the task in front of them seriously. And it was clear as day to him that Melody had been more interested in where he was than what the kettlebell in her hands was doing. That was a recipe for disaster. If it had been anyone else, he would have made a polite excuse and left her to her own devices, but this was Melody.

“If you want to improve your strength, that’s fine,” he said, coming around to stand face to face with her. “And if you want to flirt, that’s fine too. But there’s a time and a place for everything.”

“And this is the time to train,” she said, that challenging spark in her eyes that sent his pulse soaring.

“That’s right.”

She cocked her hip to one side. “So when’s the time and place to flirt?”

His mouth dropped open, and his mind went completely blank.

“Hey, hey! So this is where the swingers are.”

Will never thought he’d see the day when he’d welcome an interruption from Ed Grayson, but given the choice between PSF’s most annoying employee and Melody’s mischievous grin, he’d pick Ed.

“I was showing Melody how to use the kettlebells.” He stepped away from Melody, pivoting to face Ed.

“You should have asked me to show you, sweetie.” Ed winked at Melody. “I’m an expert at swinging.”