Flirting with Forever: A Hot Romantic Comedy(41)

Which was precisely why I’d resisted. Too many feelings. Too complicated.

I hadn’t slept well all week, and while that wasn’t unusual, it had left me on edge. Lifting helped.

I did a set of dips, pumping out reps until my arms burned in protest. Dallas liked to joke that I couldn’t ever quit lifting weights or all my tattoos would deflate.

He probably had a point.

Outside, I saw Phil wave at someone and walk across the street in his red crocs.

Oh damn. It was Nora.

Poor girl.

She had her hair up and was dressed in a tank top and leggings. Looked like she was about to go for a run. Or had been before Phil stopped her.

I paced around the garage to keep my heart rate up and tried not to think about her. After the other night, I needed to keep some distance between us. Give myself a chance to cool off and stay in control.

But man, Phil could talk a person’s ear off. I hated leaving her out there to fend for herself.

I did another set of dips and my arms almost buckled on the last rep. Phil was still out there talking to Nora. Because of course he was. He was probably just getting started.

Go inside, Dex. Take a shower. Nora will be fine.

Nope. Couldn’t do it.

Telling myself I had no ulterior motives—I just wanted to save her from Phil—I turned off the music and went outside.

Relief washed over Nora’s face when she saw me approach. Then something else. A flash of heat and desire, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.

The woman was going to kill me.

“Hey, Phil.” I was a sweaty mess but maybe if I smelled, it would get Phil to cut his lawn lecture short. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Getting in a workout, I see.” He lifted his t-shirt sleeve and flexed his nonexistent bicep. “I started a new routine myself. I was just telling Nora about it.”

Her eyes widened. “Yes, he was.”

“I bought this thing years ago but hadn’t tried it out and what a mistake,” Phil said. “It’s called a shake weight. Heard of it?”

My brow furrowed. “Don’t think so.”

“It’s great. Seems so simple but it works a lot of muscle groups.” He held his hands in front of him, as if he were gripping something, and pumped them up and down. “The weight shakes, like this, while you hold on.”

Phil mimed his workout, which really just looked like he was jacking off—if he’d had a dick the size of a horse’s. Nora bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Glad it’s working for you,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.

He kept going. “It sure is. Even Donna noticed a difference. You could probably get rid of half of the equipment in your garage with this one thing.”

“Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I’ll stick with what I have. You keep doing your thing, though.”

He grinned.

“Nice to see you, Phil,” Nora said. “But Dex and I need to get going.”

I raised my eyebrows. Get going where?

“What are you guys up to on this fine Saturday?” Phil asked.

Her mouth curled in a wicked grin. “We were just about to go for a run.”

A run? Oh hell no.

“You know, the shake weight takes care of your cardio too.” He mimicked the jack-off motion again with both hands. “Really gets your heart rate up.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Nora said, a laugh leaking through.

Her eyes locked with mine, full of challenge. I could almost hear her saying, “Come on, Dex, go running with me. I dare you.”

Fuck it. I was not a runner. But I couldn’t resist the dare.

“Let’s go.”

With a chin tip for Phil, I fell in step with Nora and we jogged away.

“Thank you.” She tossed a look over her shoulder. “That could have taken a while.”

“He’s a nice guy, he just doesn’t know when to stop.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“So, I can turn here and go around the block. Let you get in your run.”

“I don’t think so, big guy. You’re coming with me.”

I groaned. “I just lifted for an hour.”

“Good, then you’re all warmed up.” She picked up the pace, pulling ahead of me.

I ran faster to keep up. This wasn’t going to end well for me. I’d been telling myself for months that I needed to work on my endurance. Strength, I had down. I was all muscle and it wasn’t just for show. But I could already tell Nora was going to run circles around me.

“Unless you’re up for carrying me home, you might want to slow down.”

She laughed. I let her pull ahead and took the opportunity to check out her ass. It looked fantastic in those leggings.

“Stop looking at my ass and keep up.”

“I wasn’t.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I have a hot ass. Of course you’re looking.”

Damn right.

I sped up to get alongside her. “How long is this torture going to last?”

“Only three miles.”

My lungs were already starting to burn. “You’re not even breathing hard.”

“We just started. Frankly, I thought you’d have more endurance.”